As kids we were often told that going to sleep early was important for our mental state and health. We were most likely given a reasonable (to the parents) bedtime, so we would get ample amount of rest for school the next day. We were also probably hiding under the covers reading, trying to watch videos, or secretly staying awake late. This often led us to feel groggy in the morning, but it probably never hindered your wanting to repeat the same process the following night. As adults, we've stopped hiding the fact that we stay up late whenever we want and tend to drown the sleepy's away with coffee (and the worse choice - in my opinion - energy drinks).
Well this adult is extremely guilty of going to sleep in the wee hours of the morning. Not always intentional however, but there are times when I've chosen to press "watch next episode" instead of hitting the hay at a decent hour.
One night, I was lying in bed next to my padawan, waiting for him to go to sleep. As I was staring into the dark room, I began to drift into a slumber I didn't necessarily want. I had planned to get up once my mini me fell asleep and do chores, watch shows, eat a snack, and other miscellaneous things. This night however, instead of jolting myself up and flipping on my phone to help pass the time, I decided to let it happen. I fell asleep with my son before 9pm.
I didn't wake up in the middle of the night frustrated because I had couldn't go back to sleep (thank God), I didn't wake up groggy the next morning, I didn't even need coffee the next day. I was actually up at 7am with my son and we had an entire day with a fully charged mom.
It. Was. Weird.
I didn't need a minute to shower and wake up fully with a pot of coffee, I didn't get agitated because things weren't going my way, and I didn't avoid the outside world like it was the plague. We were up, had breakfast, made the beds, did the homeschooling, went for a walk, got some groceries, played some toys, watched our morning shows, and when we finally checked the time, it was barely noon.
We had the entire day to do whatever our hearts desired. It was like I had an actual day to have peace and get everything I needed to accomplish, done.
This may be something all of you have experienced - with or without coffee, no judgement - but to me it was brand new.
For years, I hadn't gone to sleep at a reasonable hour or had a decent night's rest. I always woke up with this negative attitude that could only be replaced with coffee and a moment of "wake the heck up". I felt like the days were going so incredibly fast and during dinner time, I'd consistently wonder where the heck the entire day went. I didn't understand how each and every day was speeding by in a blink of an eye. I understand the whole concept of "time flies when you're having fun", but now I have grasped what's been happening.
Each and everyday, I was wasting time on having to wake myself up from the ill amount of sleep I'd put my body through and that energy was draining me even more. This led me to delayed anything that I had to handle throughout the day, dragging on each task, leading to the days seeming shorter.
Hopefully this logic makes sense to you all, because once I realized what getting to bed early truly meant, I was appalled at the amount of days I had wasted being a morning grump.
Now I understand why morning people get more accomplished. This isn't to say that night owls can't succeed or accomplish the same amount, they just simply do it at a different hour then the rest. I for one can't accomplish certain tasks during the nighttime, so my only real option is to become a morning person. How do I do that? Go to bed at a reasonable hour.
I know that this won't be something I can do every day, because my insomnia likes to kick in or things to need to be finished. I also know that when I'm falling asleep and I don't have necessities to be handled, I'm just going to let my body drift into slumber land.
*all pics are royalty free photos from visualhunt.com*
No comments:
Post a Comment