Nudge Challenge Week 31 = Sleep
NUDGED: "Get 8 hours of sleep every night for one week"
BACKSTORY: I have read enough books and blogs to know that getting enough sleep is very important for our health....but sometimes, my actions don't match my good intentions. Getting 7-8 hours of sleep every night sounds easy in theory (ha!!) but it doesn't always turn out that way for me. I wanted to challenge myself this week to try it then and see how I felt being well-rested for one week in my life.
QUOTE: "Most experts agree that sleep and mood are closely related, that healthy sleep can enhance emotional well-being, while insufficient quantity or quality of sleep can adversely affect it." - Dr. Andrew Weil in his book "Spontaneous Happiness"
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK: This week was a struggle but I did my best! My goal was to be in bed by 9:30pm each night so I could ensure sufficient sleep before getting up at 6am each day. I ended up getting to bed before 10pm each night and fell asleep quickly most nights.
I discovered this nudge was difficult to track. While I was usually asleep for what I thought was a full 8 hours (minus the interruptions to let the dog out!), my FitBit sleep record didn't confirm this. It shows I slept 6 hours 42 minutes on average this past week, taking into account the times at night that my body was awake.
Since I was paying close attention to sleep, I did notice what things tend to derail me from getting to sleep or staying asleep. I went to bed late when I was engrossed in reading a new book and couldn't put it down. I also was unable fall asleep quickly one night when my mind was overactive and I felt stressed. I struggle to stay asleep when the dog needs to go outside or when she is freaking out over a thunderstorm. Some of these things are out of my control (except reading...oops!) so I made sure not to feel guilty when I wasn't sleeping as the anxiety of not sleeping made sleeping harder.
As with many previous nudges, I was amazed to come across this topic in other areas of my life this week. The devotional I read one morning this week was titled "Please Rest" and I found a big section on the importance of rest in the book "Spontaneous Happiness" that I referenced in the quote above. I was not expecting to find this topic in either of these books but it helped me learn a lot!
LESSON LEARNED: My big take-away from this week is that there is a connection between sleep and emotional well-being. This concept was in the book I read (above) but I also saw it in my life. When I am tired, I am crabby. When I am well-rested, I feel content and optimistic again. Sleep is so important for our every day health. I need to continue to make it a priority.
NEXT UP: New nudge selected that I will work on this week - "give in to an impulse that gives me joy." I have no idea what this will be! We'll see!!
BACKSTORY: I have read enough books and blogs to know that getting enough sleep is very important for our health....but sometimes, my actions don't match my good intentions. Getting 7-8 hours of sleep every night sounds easy in theory (ha!!) but it doesn't always turn out that way for me. I wanted to challenge myself this week to try it then and see how I felt being well-rested for one week in my life.
QUOTE: "Most experts agree that sleep and mood are closely related, that healthy sleep can enhance emotional well-being, while insufficient quantity or quality of sleep can adversely affect it." - Dr. Andrew Weil in his book "Spontaneous Happiness"
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK: This week was a struggle but I did my best! My goal was to be in bed by 9:30pm each night so I could ensure sufficient sleep before getting up at 6am each day. I ended up getting to bed before 10pm each night and fell asleep quickly most nights.
I discovered this nudge was difficult to track. While I was usually asleep for what I thought was a full 8 hours (minus the interruptions to let the dog out!), my FitBit sleep record didn't confirm this. It shows I slept 6 hours 42 minutes on average this past week, taking into account the times at night that my body was awake.
Since I was paying close attention to sleep, I did notice what things tend to derail me from getting to sleep or staying asleep. I went to bed late when I was engrossed in reading a new book and couldn't put it down. I also was unable fall asleep quickly one night when my mind was overactive and I felt stressed. I struggle to stay asleep when the dog needs to go outside or when she is freaking out over a thunderstorm. Some of these things are out of my control (except reading...oops!) so I made sure not to feel guilty when I wasn't sleeping as the anxiety of not sleeping made sleeping harder.
As with many previous nudges, I was amazed to come across this topic in other areas of my life this week. The devotional I read one morning this week was titled "Please Rest" and I found a big section on the importance of rest in the book "Spontaneous Happiness" that I referenced in the quote above. I was not expecting to find this topic in either of these books but it helped me learn a lot!
LESSON LEARNED: My big take-away from this week is that there is a connection between sleep and emotional well-being. This concept was in the book I read (above) but I also saw it in my life. When I am tired, I am crabby. When I am well-rested, I feel content and optimistic again. Sleep is so important for our every day health. I need to continue to make it a priority.
NEXT UP: New nudge selected that I will work on this week - "give in to an impulse that gives me joy." I have no idea what this will be! We'll see!!
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