Last month, there are two days that I went without sleep. An entire 48 hours without batting an eyelid. Am not proud about it. It was painful and probably the most unproductive days of my life. But there were reasons for this. One is that I had formed this coffee guzzling habit where I would take at least 6 cups of caffeine every day. Even late at night.
I had also had a great zeal of movies and series that I would binge watch from 9.00 pm when I should have been tucked in bed. If I was bored with movies, I would resort to browsing through funny videos on my phone.
I would then scroll through my Facebook timeline and chat up whoever was up at night. Not some meaningful chat. Nope. Just saying hi and talking of how I miss their company.
My body was of course tired but would simply not rest.
Going to work, I would stare at the computer screen and wait for lunch breaks to finish up watching the movie that I had been watching the previous night.
It is then that I realized that I was achieving very little at work. This had to stop.
I asked a nursing friend about how I could get my sleep back and they were kind enough to recommend some things that I needed to do in order to get a good 8 hours of zzzs.
Had I discovered this article on sleep deprivation by Bill Murphy of Inc, maybe I would have thought better about depriving of myself some sleep.
Eat early
Research shows that when you eat heavy meals just before going to bed, your body will be overworking trying to digest the food. You will therefore have a problem sleeping.
And this is exactly what I was doing. I would eat a meal laden with lots of carbs and then head to bed. Though I would at first feel drowsy, the digestion would keep me up at night. WebMD says that one needs to eat light meals just before bed.
Meditate in silence over the day while feeling grateful over what I achieved
Just before I log off, I will meditate about the day thinking back of the things that I achieved, those that I didn’t as well as my plan for the next day.
Avoiding caffeine after 1.00 pm
Taking large amounts of caffeine was doing me no good. Yes, I would be alert throughout the day but it was not meant for night time. So, I made a resolve that I would not be taking any coffee past 1.00pm.
Sun gazing in the morning and in the evening
Sun gazing is a really therapeutic thing. Every morning after I wake up, you will find me gazing at the sun and seeing its beauty and being hypnotized by the great experience. At sunset, I will repeat the sun gazing and enjoy it very much.
Taking nature walks while free from work
Every day at lunch hour, me and my colleagues will take a long walk just after our lunch. It is really a nice experience as we walk, talking of things that would improve our productivity and any personal matter that might be affecting us.
Ditch technology from the bedroom
I realized that it was high time that I ditched every technological gadget from my bedroom. So there would be no more dragging of my laptop, smartphone or lg 32 inch full hd tv into the bedroom. No, once I am done watching them at 9.00pm, it is time to sleep and so no carrying them in there.
My bedroom is a sanctuary of sleep and I need to respect that.
According to the Sleep Foundation, electronics that emit blue light are one of the top reasons that cause insomnia. Blue light keeps you alert and suppresses the release of melatonin, the hormone that is responsible for dozing off and sleeping.
Today, am enjoying sleep better and it is doing a good number on me and my productivity at work. I am waking up feeling rejuvenated and ready for the day ahead. Honestly, I would not want anything to take my sleep away. Not again.