Rethinking Sleep (And Sleeping In)
“Go to bed at a set time. All other habits and practices become irrelevant if you don’t have the energy and clarity to do them. What time you wake up tomorrow is irrelevant…if you didn’t get enough sleep tonight.”
–Ryan Holiday
I’m a morning person, and a common affliction of morning people is an immediate feeling of anxiety as soon as we wake up. Even worse, if we sleep in, or get a slow start to the day, the guilt sets in.
Some of this is warranted. If morning people are most productive in the morning, then an unproductive morning robs them of their best hours.
But most of this is unwarranted. Sleep is how humans get energy. We wouldn’t fail to charge our phone battery, and then expect it to get through the entire day. We wouldn’t fill up a quarter tank of gas, and then expect our car to make a long drive. But for some reason, we sacrifice sleep and expect the same top-tier results.
I’m trying to change my response to sleeping in. Instead of immediate guilt, I want to understand my body better, and realize when I really do need the extra hours. More than that, I want to commit to a consistent bed time to ensure that my body and mind is recharged for the next day.
I hope this has been helpful. Have a great weekend.
