Okay, I have a confession to make. It's now Day 11 of the sleep challenge -- not even halfway through -- and I've fallen off the sleep wagon. But I have a very good excuse. Of course, everyone who falls off the wagon -- any wagon -- has a very good excuse.
My lapse happened on Monday night (Day 8). I was hosting a dinner for two friends who were in town from Washington. As the night progressed, everyone was having such a great time no one wanted it to end. Including me. At about 11:30, I started feeling guilty. I knew that I had to be up the next morning at 6:30, so I had already overshot my appointed sleep time by an hour. Now, unless I immediately fell asleep in my chair, I was looking at not even getting seven hours of sleep -- let alone the eight hours that is my goal.
My compatriot Zorba the Greek suddenly popped into my head, reminding me that life is about living each moment fully. You can't let anything, Zorba whispered in my ear, even something as positive as the sleep challenge, get in the way of fully embracing the moment.
So I surrendered to my inner Zorba (opa!), and ended up going to bed at 2. When my alarm went off at 6:30 the next morning, I knew that I was going to pay a stiff price. But it didn't become clear just how stiff until 3 that afternoon when I really began to drag. I soon found myself yawning at the most inappropriate time: while helping my daughter with a school project.
"If you find this so boring, you don't have to help me," she chided. Another wave of guilt washed over me. I thought of my mother, who used to say of being a mom: "When they take the baby out, they put the guilt in."
As the afternoon dragged on, I remembered that I had another dinner to go to that night, this one thrown by a friend. I quickly looked at my schedule to see if I had time to grab an emergency nap -- or a 15-minute meditation. Alas, the rest of the day was filled with meetings and conference calls.
Luckily my second wind -- or was it the third? -- kicked in, and I made it through dinner. I even fought off the urge to avail myself of the quick energy jolt of a sugary dessert -- I'd already maxed out my guilt meter for the day.
I made it home in time to crawl into bed and meet my eight-hour sleep goal -- and had a fabulous, creative, and joy-filled next day as a result. I could really feel the difference between not getting enough sleep and getting the right amount.
So here is my existential question for you, dear readers: What's your call? Do you cut short a fun night to avoid paying the groggy-headed price the next day or do you embrace the moment, pay the price willingly, and accept that perfection is a goal not only unattainable, but sometimes not worth struggling to attain?
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:)
But hey, I also hated the movie, Zorba the Greek.
And I'm also writing this at 4:21 in the morning...
If I miss the window, I do not sleep.
So I would have flicked the lights and sung "the party's over"
if I had the ability to stay up to 2 and know that I could more or less instantly fall asleep then I may be giving a different answer.
Everyone MUST embrace their inner Zorba, just not every night! The only way to really appreciate what you were doing was to fall off the sleep wagon, and get back on. That next day and your subsequent evening probably left you with a greater understanding and appreciation of the importance and EMPOWERMENT of good sleep. Your question to readers is a good one, I hear my grandmother (Cookie) reminding me “Remember, Michael everything in moderation, including moderation!†Of course you should have a late night every once in a while, but did you happen to notice what you did in response? You followed the rules, even though you were half asleep! You did not get the sugary snack, you did not take a nap late in the day, and you made it to bed on time. I would call the whole experience a success! Just try not to break any plates or drink any orzo on your way to bed tonight and you will be fine.
Sweet Dreams,
Michael J. Breus, PhD
The Sleep Doctorâ„¢
By the way, the alcoholic beverage is "ouzo." Orzo is a rice-shaped pasta.
Shouldn't sleep be the complete antithesis of an investment bank? If you've made regular deposits, there will be always be something there should you need to make a withdrawal.
I personally think 1 out of 10 is fine. Every 10 days on average you can say ; "Hey , today I'll make an exception".
Ã'm off the nicotine now about 4 days and today I'm switching from caffeine to green tea. Going to be very difficult. I'm the type of person that if I drink my coffee at 6.00 am daily, if the next day I overslept an hour or two, then it's over. Massive headache.
But overall I feel great. What amazes me is the fact how much energy I have just by quitting the sigarettes in a few days.
I would give up cigs first and (well for me, coffee - never).
But your lung capacity should go up pretty quickly.
For an addictive deal like nicotine, then 1 out of every 10 days is fine is NOT the answer. The answer is zero. For sleep deprivation, maybe.
it's going great. I cut the coffee out also. LOL .
I'm on tea now. I do feel a change in my energy level, but it's starting to pick up again.And yes 1 out of 10 for sleep deprivation, not the sig's, if I do that I'll be back to smoking a pack a day in a sec.
Remember Nixon's great Debate with John F. Kennedy? Nixon had stayed up all night studying answers to questions and those who listened to the debate on radio thought Nixon had won the debate. But the TV viewing audience believed Nixon looked tired, sick, anxious, tense, and perhaps couldn't do the job. John F Kennedy had slept well and had a fresh smile and TV viewers favored Kennedy.
Accidents related to sleep deprivation have been estimated to cause an economic impact of 50 billion dollars.
Sleepiness-related motor vehicle crashes have a fatality rate and injury severity level similar to alcohol-related crashes.
Get some sleep.
Viva la Zorba!