Summer of Sleep
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themedalist
Posts: 3,212 Member
Please Note: Our June 4th Weekly Challenge: Better Sleep has morphed into a summer long effort to get more sleep. If you’ve joined us late or you know you need to make sleep a priority, please join us. We’ll be regularly tracking our progress and lessons learned.
Theme: Healthy Practices
Challenge: ZZzzzzzzzz
For as long as I can remember, I have minimized sleep. I gave sleep the day’s leftovers. Whatever time was left after I finished doing what I needed and wanted to do, that time went to sleep. Sleep was never a priority and I prided myself on being one of those people that didn’t need that much sleep.
But getting by on as little sleep as possible Isn’t the same thing as thriving. I know how much better I feel when I get enough sleep – – I am happier, more alert, better at solving problems and handling life’s curveballs, and I make better food choices then when I’m short changing my sleep. And I know that sleep is as much a pillar of good health as eating well or exercise. While I know that sleep is vital, until now I haven’t shifted my sleep focus from knowing to doing.
Good sleep is fundamental to good health. Sleep helps our bodies recover, it’s essential to regulating hormones (such as the hunger hormone ghrelin) and it helps the brain function optimally. In fact, depression and anxiety have been correlated with sleep deprivation. Sufficient sleep is also vital for memory consolidation, learning, and reducing inflammatory markers than can lead to diabetes, heart disease, stroke, arthritis, and premature aging.
If you also have been giving sleep the short stick, if your sleep is hit or miss, if you KNOW you should get more sleep but it’s never really happened, let’s change that. Let’s make sleep our priority over the next two weeks. Our weekly challenges are rooted in helping us move from the knowing to the doing, by carving out time and space in our lives to focus on one healthy habit at a time. Habits take time and practice and sleep is no different. Let’s make it our focus.
This Week’s Challenge: Watch the TED talk below by neuroscientist and noted sleep expert Russell Foster. Then decide on a reasonable sleep goal for yourself, based on your current sleeping patterns. What barriers do you need to address in order to get better sleep? What changes can you make to your evening routine to make it more conducive to a good night’s sleep?
If you have a Fitbit or another activity tracker, the sleep tracking feature is a great asset. I’m going to post daily either my sleep duration from the night before or how far above or below (in minutes) I am from my sleep goal. Please feel free to do the same. I like the accountability that a daily post provides. What gets measured can be improved. Let’s make our sleep hours as much of a priority as our daily step count.
Make it a great week!
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Suggested Resources:
Russell Foster TED Talk: Why Do We Sleep? (link below)
11 Surprising Benefits of Sleep
http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20459221,00.htm
The Sleep Revolution: Transforming Your Life, One Night at a Time by Arianna Huffington (I just finished reading this book and it’s excellent)
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And it’s Move It Monday! Post your Monday workout here:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10637806/move-it-monday-weekly-challenge
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Interesting TED talk! I'm glad we are doing this challenge. I struggle with a good nighttime routine. This is a great thing for me to focus on this week. I think it will help me learn my new job if I have more sleep...more creativity, better memory, more energy and less crabby! Thanks again!
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Found settling down to sleep really difficult last night. I was in bed for 10:30 , reviewed my day and read my book (The Magic). That got me thinking about my life goals, I eventually nodded off at near midnight. Woke up at 5:20 and have been awake since then. Getting up now, 6:25.3
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PackerFanInGB wrote: »Interesting TED talk! I'm glad we are doing this challenge. I struggle with a good nighttime routine. This is a great thing for me to focus on this week. I think it will help me learn my new job if I have more sleep...more creativity, better memory, more energy and less crabby! Thanks again!
I’m glad, @PackerFanInGB! As we know, focus + practice = new habit. Let’s do this!1 -
truelypinkthing wrote: »Found settling down to sleep really difficult last night. I was in bed for 10:30 , reviewed my day and read my book (The Magic). That got me thinking about my life goals, I eventually nodded off at near midnight. Woke up at 5:20 and have been awake since then. Getting up now, 6:25.
@truelypinkthing, this is the essential challenge with sleep, isn’t it? It’s easy to have our minds wander, get distracted, and suddenly sleep is elusive. Trying to will ourselves to sleep clearly won’t work.
I’m focusing on making sure the conditions are the best I can make it for sleep, and then setting up the routine, with triggers (I do a short crossword puzzle) and then I use the Calm app Sleep Stories to get to sleep. I really love those stories, but I’ve yet to hear the end of any of them. I am always sound asleep. 3 -
I was determined to start this challenge off with a good night's sleep. I have no problem falling asleep it is staying asleep. I managed 4 hrs 18 min with 86 minutes of restlessness according to my Fitbit. I sleep on the couch due to my chronic pain and between that and hot flashes...well crap.
The Ted talk was great. I do understand the importance of a goods night's sleep. Tonight I am going to bath an hour before bed and see if that helps.3 -
We all start where we are. My goal is by the end of August to be sleeping 7 to 7.5 hours a night. Depending on how I feel, I may move it up to 8 hours. Or even down, but I think down is less likely.
Anyway, I’m far from it now, but that’s why it’s a goal, right? But my Fitbit has noticed the extra effort lately and I got this pat on the back today:
What are your goals?
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themedalist wrote: »
@truelypinkthing, this is the essential challenge with sleep, isn’t it? It’s easy to have our minds wander, get distracted, and suddenly sleep is elusive. Trying to will ourselves to sleep clearly won’t work.
I’m focusing on making sure the conditions are the best I can make it for sleep, and then setting up the routine, with triggers (I do a short crossword puzzle) and then I use the Calm app Sleep Stories to get to sleep. I really love those stories, but I’ve yet to hear the end of any of them. I am always sound asleep.
I have used the Calm app but don't remember Sleep Stories? Is that a paid-for module of Calm? Currently, I subscribe to a podcast called "Great Detectives" which are the old radio detective shows. I never do stay awake long enough to hear "whodunnit"! 2 -
My goal is 8 hours of sleep per night. Last few weeks have been a 7 hour average which actually is a huge improvement over what I was getting a few months ago! My biggest issue is that I wake up a lot from hot flashes. I've placed a small fan on my nightstand and it has really helped a lot!
6/4: 7 hr 19 min asleep with 48 minutes awake. It's that 48 minutes I need to cut down!2 -
Thanks for the TED talk, I think about my poor bf who is a night shift worker and seems to sleep sooo much, I had to learn not to give him a hard time for it on his off days.
My goal with sleep is around the nighttime routine, I have been on social media too much at night and it is the last thing I look at before bed. I also struggle with depression in the Spring and found I was using my phone more often at night during this period. I am going to try and put the electronics away 1 hr before bed time. That seems super hard for me right now but I know it will help!2 -
Great posts. Menopause is messing up with my sleeping habits. I read today about sleeping naked and with a cool temperature in the room. I am going to try that. Right now I am averaging 4 hrs of sleep. That makes me grouchy. My goal is to sleep at least 6 hours. Now that is Summer I will try and master the art of taking a nap. I am also dealing with Depression and already booked an appointment with a counselor. I watch tv before going to sleep, that is the only time I watch tv "sitting down", that will be a hard habit to break but I will try.
Have a great week!5 -
I get OK sleep. I average 6.5 hrs Sa-Th, and usually 7.5 - 8 on Friday nights. Sometimes Sunday will have 7 hrs, but that's still all less then 7 hrs on average for the week. My problem is that evenings is the only time I have to myself, so I take advantage and stay up late. I'm going to attempt to get 7 hrs for the rest of the week.6
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My goal is to sleep 8 hours, but to do so I have to clock even more in bed. I struggle with insomnia, and wake four or five times a night. Last night I was in bed and ready to sleep by 10, but at 6, I'd only clocked 5hours and 53 minutes. Of course, I had broken one of my rules (no caffeine after 2:30) and my dog woke me before 5 to go out. Summer is also tough because I'm hot much of the time. I'll work on it though.4
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MmamabearR wrote: »I get OK sleep. I average 6.5 hrs Sa-Th, and usually 7.5 - 8 on Friday nights. Sometimes Sunday will have 7 hrs, but that's still all less then 7 hrs on average for the week. My problem is that evenings is the only time I have to myself, so I take advantage and stay up late. I'm going to attempt to get 7 hrs for the rest of the week.
I think this is many times my same issue. I used to have more time to myself. My husband retired early and is home all the time now, so I don't have that quiet time to myself when I get home from work like I used to. He was a truck driver and worked long days. It's been quite an adjustment! I think I find myself staying up and reading because it is my quiet time when everyone else falls asleep...but that isn't normally until after 10:30. Good luck!4 -
Sleep last night 6 hr 41 min. Awake 1 hr 28 min. In bed (couch) 8:37 pm awake 4:46 am. My alarm was set for 5 am but I was awake. I had a cup of coffee and went for 3.22 mile walk and then some yoga. Jonny arrives at 7 am.2
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This is a miracle. Last night after watching a little tv I forced myself to go to bed at 10. Feels so good. Lets see how many more nights of good sleep I can get.6
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prgirl39mfp wrote: »This is a miracle. Last night after watching a little tv I forced myself to go to bed at 10. Feels so good. Lets see how many more nights of good sleep I can get.
So jealous! Good for you!
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PackerFanInGB wrote: »MmamabearR wrote: »I get OK sleep. I average 6.5 hrs Sa-Th, and usually 7.5 - 8 on Friday nights. Sometimes Sunday will have 7 hrs, but that's still all less then 7 hrs on average for the week. My problem is that evenings is the only time I have to myself, so I take advantage and stay up late. I'm going to attempt to get 7 hrs for the rest of the week.
I think this is many times my same issue. I used to have more time to myself. My husband retired early and is home all the time now, so I don't have that quiet time to myself when I get home from work like I used to. He was a truck driver and worked long days. It's been quite an adjustment! I think I find myself staying up and reading because it is my quiet time when everyone else falls asleep...but that isn't normally until after 10:30. Good luck!
I agree! The need for a little alone time that each of us has to have does compete with sleep. And both are essential. Not an easy trade off!1
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LWULB9Aoopc
