I Forced Myself To Sleep 2 Extra Hours, Here’s What Changed.
I Felt a High That I Can’t Describe.
My life in a nutshell before getting enough sleep.
Wake early > feel tired > Sleep > Wake again > Coffee > work > Afternoon nap > More Coffee > Work till late > Wake early.
Do you notice the pattern (hint: sleep deprivation).
I reflected on my daily schedule,
something had to change.
It's no surprise that sleep is important.
Normally, I would work till late, and it gave me the justified reason to sleep late and wake early. Now that I think about it, it wasn't justified at all.
All that changed, because of that one day after a particularly difficult and late workout session. I decided to head to bed at 9 pm and wake at 5 am.
I would normally sleep about 5–6 hours, and I wanted to see if 2 extra hours of sleep had actually made a difference to my life.
Sleeping 2 hours extra would mean getting 8 hours of sleep, and according to the CDC,
“Adults aged 18–60, require at least 7+ hours of sleep at minimum”.
Says CDC.
So I Got 2 Extra Hours of Sleep and Here’s What Changed.
1: Unusual Levels of Positivity and Mental Wellness.
Almost like I was high.
It literally felt like my mind was on another level, I just felt really uplifted throughout the day.
That day, I truly understood what it was like to be in good mental shape.
Obstacles and problems felt really small to me, along with a general sense of contentment and self-love.
Almost like my body was signaling to me that, I listened to it for the first time, and it was happy as a result.
2: No More Fatigue.
Fatigue was something that was very common for me. Especially adrenal fatigue, where you'd feel tired during the afternoons, and productive late in the night.
My daily cycles basically went something like this:
- Wake early
- No energy
- Go back to sleep
- Wake up late
- Get anxious because I don't do enough work
- Feel tired again and sleep
- Work till late with coffee
- Wake up early with no energy once again.
I hope you're able to see the pattern of classic sleep deprivation, I simply wasn't getting a chance for a well-rested sleep schedule. This resulted in crazy energy dips throughout the day, and it meant that my focus was totally out of balance.
All that changed the following day when I was expecting to feel fatigued, I realized that.
There was no fatigue.
This of course meant that I was way more productive and was able to get through a larger volume of work during the day. I was quite pleased with myself.
3: I Actually Had More Time
Maybe I didn't have more time, but I certainly had the perception of having more time.
Because I started my doing my work in the early mornings, a majority of the important tasks got completed between 7:00 am and 10:00 am.
I had completed most of the tasks that mattered most to me at the start of the day, tasks that actually moved the needle.
For example:
Writing a post and providing value here on Medium.
All of this meant that I had plenty of time to complete shallow tasks, tasks that were important but not a priority.
4: I Made Better Food Choices
You see, I was a person who didn't have the greatest food habits.
Whenever I was hungry, I would always reach out for foods that were high in sugar and calories.
I would suspect that this was due to a sense of inner anxiety that I built up due to not getting enough sleep.
All of this changed when I slept 2 extra hours and started committing to that practice. This then had a positive effect on my mental health, thus, I started making healthier food choices.
5: Better Workout Performance
I noticed, as soon as I reached my 11th rep, I had enough energy to keep going.
I would normally drop the weight at that point due to exhaustion, but I had enough energy to persist and push my body to the limit.
To the extent that I wasn't satisfied and had to add more weight.
I've always known that sleep was beneficial to exercise, but I never knew that adding 2 extra hours would result in such a profound effect.
How I Built Habits For Sleeping Well.
To be honest, I can only really speak from my experience, however, I'm sure you can benefit from some of these tips too.
I Had to Convenience Myself That Sleeping Early Was Actually Productive.
When I told myself, “I'm going to sleep a little extra” I had tons of limiting beliefs.
- I don't have enough time to sleep.
- Sleeping extra doesn't help me that much.
- I'm scared to sleep because I might miss out on doing my work.
However, I had to be convinced that quality sleep was actually productive for me. I had only convinced myself of this, after seeing an improvement in my productivity at work.
A phrase I once heard also changed my perception of being at work.
Hours at work, don't equal hours worked.
An article by Markham Heid raises a good point on the importance of sleep and exactly why it's productive.
“Skimp on sleep, and you handicap your brain’s processing power”.
Says Heid
It helps when you make quality sleep as important as income-generating activities, in my perspective, they both go hand in hand.
I Watched Out for Activities That Hinder Me From Getting Good Quality Sleep.
In my case, Caffeine and Blue light exposure, especially later on in the day were two of the biggest hindrances to my sleep.
In fact, according to Psychology today some of the biggest hindrances to sleep consist of:
- Everyday concerns (like tasks and things to do).
- Caffeine
- Sleep apnoea
- Your diet (a regular unhealthy diet and a large meal before bed).
- Mental health difficulties like anxiety and depression.
- Exercise (too much or lack of it).
- Your phone.
Although the list was a lot longer, I've just taken the ones that I felt were most relevant to me. I've also bolded the ones that affected me the most.
I'm quite sure that, they must be affecting you just as much. Now that you know, you can work on interventions.
An article by Andrew Merle gives some great insights on sleep routines and activities that help us achieve better sleep. Highly recommended.
“Whether the amount you sleep is closer to Donald Trump or Ellen DeGeneres, adopting a healthy bedtime routine will help you get the most out of your sleep.”
Says Merle
I Have a Ritual in Place To Prepare Myself for Bed.
There are a number of activities I engage in just before bed.
They include activities like:
- Basic yoga breathing technique.
- Meditation.
In my experience, these activities are simple, and they actually work (tried and tested for me).
You need to find what works for you and don't complicate it too much.
Simply write down a few ideas that you feel can help you sleep better, then pick the two that you feel would work well.
Lastly, Before I Sleep, I’m Grateful for the Actions I Took On That Day.
I mention this because oftentimes, I would go to sleep really anxious that I didn't perform as I should have.
Thoughts of, “I could have done better” circle my brain and I would overly criticize myself for it.
To overcome this, I simply note down all of the actions that I accomplished that day, even if it's only a few.
I'm almost certain that if you adopt the same technique, it’ll help you tremendously.
It'll also help you prioritize activities for the next day.
Plan tommorrow, today
Closing Notes
It was only 2 hours, but they were highly impactful in various aspects of my life.
I'm just using this post as an example that, quality sleep should never be taken for granted.
I mean, we sleep to build and repair our bodies, and it only makes sense to get more quality sleep.
Even if your schedule doesn't allow you to sleep extra, improving the quality of your sleep is often enough. In the end, you need to do what works well for you.
In This Article, We’ve Covered:
How extra sleep affected me
- How sleep contributing to my positivity
- An end to fatigue
- More disposable time.
- Better workout performance.
Tips that helped me sleep better.
- Convincing myself of the importance of sleep.
- Watched out for activities that hinder sleep.
- Committing to a consistent sleep ritual.
- An attitude of Gratitude to wrap up the day.
I hope you found this post insightful, thank you for reading.
