And when I say "a little unqualified," I mean like Norman Bates authoring self-help books for people who have trouble setting appropriate boundaries with their mothers.
In fact, I'm probably the worst person ever to be writing this. You know the way a vampire recoils and shields his eyes against the sunrise, right before he bursts into flames? That's pretty much me, but with going to bed.
The story of my life can be summed up here and here, or with the following flow chart.
I'm like a yo-yo dieter, except with sleep.
Part of the problem is that there's not exactly a direct correlation between how I feel and how much sleep I get. If I don't sleep much one night, I won't necessarily feel like garbage the next morning.
But when sleep deprivation becomes a night-after-night occurrence, I can't escape the effects.
I lose all semblance of patience. I can't deal with noise (not a good situation for a mom to 5 kids under 11.) My brain can't access my vocabulary and I end up saying, "After you eat your cereal, remember to clean up your, your... thing." (The word you're looking for is bowl, lady. It's a bowl.)
Even though chronic exhaustion turns me into an idiot savant without the 'savant' part, do I respond by going to bed earlier the next night so I can catch up on my sleep?
No, I do not.
I stay up even later, usually under the guise of doing something productive. But really, the things I'm doing from 10 P.M. to midnight when I'm tired could usually get done in about 20-30 minutes during the day when I'm more awake and alert.
Sometimes, though, I'm not even doing anything: I'm just staying up because I'm too tired to brush my teeth and put on some pajamas. I'm not even making this stuff up. This is what it's like to be me.
So I'm going to do something that I can do because I have a blog, and I'm going to create some accountability for myself. This week is National Simplify Your Life Week, and I'm going to bed at 10 every night to celebrate.
Who's with me??
Every night at 9:30 EST I'll be hosting a bedtime check-in on the Unremarkable Files Facebook page. Join me, or send this post to a friend who needs accountability as badly as I do! Share your bedtime goals, write a quick "I'm going to bed now!" post (whenever that may be for you,) or tell me about your favorite tips and tricks to get yourself to sleep at night.
I look forward to reading them just before I turn out the lights.
I totally have the "I'm too tired to go to bed" problem. It's normal...I think.
ReplyDeleteRemember you get to be healthy, wealthy, and wise when u you go to bed early. Wow!
ReplyDeleteSo Phillip tells me. A cartoon I used to watch as a kid in the 90s had a sketch that said, "Early to rise and early to bed will make a man healthy and socially dead." It's stuck with me ever since!
DeleteI think I have narcolepsy after like 8 p.m. I fall asleep wherever I am standing, sitting. Good luck with this challenge!
ReplyDeleteOops! already failed day 1! It's 12:53 a.m. Luckily, I have no kids anymore, and no appointments tomorrow!
ReplyDeleteWell, now there's no pressure! I actually wrote a blog post about that just after the New Year - I usually resolve to go to bed early and then break the heck out of that resolution on the first night so it's not a big deal if I mess up later. Oh dear, that makes no sense.
DeleteGreat flow chart... I TOTALLY relate to that! I'm terrible! #thetruthabout
ReplyDeleteThis is me! Totally! I think it's because I'm naturally a night owl but since having kids if I stick to my natural bedtime I don't get enough sleep... so I go to bed early to counteract the exhaustion then hey presto I'm not tired enough to go to bed early! #thetruthabout
ReplyDeleteThat is a brilliant idea! Except for the fact that you're in a different time zone to me. Damn. I relate to this immensely though Jenny - I am also my own worst enemy and yes, I too sometimes forget the word for 'bowl'. I am currently planning a blog post or possibly series of blog posts about the ten things I have decided I (and probably most people really) could use more of in their lives and sleep is definitely one them! Thanks for linking up X #thetruthabout
ReplyDelete(I've just calculated that if I join in with your bedtime check in I will be going to bed about 2am Greenwich Mean Time). So definitely maybe not :-)
ReplyDeleteYes, I'd say that would be counter-productive! But you can always check in the next morning and say "I got to bed on time!" lol
DeleteIn a bid to get better at the sleep thing I had to set a bedtime. It doesn't necessarily mean I go to sleep but it does help cultivate the habit. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteGuilty. I was up until midnight last night watching Blue Bloods. There goes my "no more than an hour of TV everyday"... oops.
ReplyDeleteOh, I feel like this sometimes. It even can be so bad that I'll get ready for bed, get in bed, and then remember some 'important' thing(s) I wanted/needed to do and off I go (except I'm actually in bed doing them) lol :)
ReplyDeleteThat happens to me all the time. My bed is a magical place where I remember everything I was supposed to do today, and I can either go do them for an hour or lie there for two thinking about them.
DeleteThis is great! I think so many of us have the same life cycle as you :) I blame Pinterest!
ReplyDeleteI wish I had someone other to blame than myself!
DeleteTOTALLY been here. It's such a struggle with the size of your family (I have the same + one more). You may find your sleep evens out a little more as you get older, mine did,
ReplyDeleteThanks for giving me some hope today. It's a constant struggle. It's so hard to start getting ready for bed 30 minutes after the last child goes down - you mean that's it? That's all the me time I get??
DeleteHa! Love the chart/vicious circle!
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty good with going to bed early. I'm in bed at 10:30 and up at 5:30/5:45. It's the perfect amount of sleep for me. I sometimes listen to a guided sleep meditation if I'm feeling anxious - that usually knocks me out in minutes!
Thanks for sharing (and for linking up to the #SHINEbloghop).
Wishing you a lovely day.
xoxo
How's it going so far? I was doing quite well and then my mother came to visit... now I have to do all my daily tasks after she goes to bed :)
ReplyDeleteOkay so far. The 9:30 PM checkins on FB have been really good for me. I may not always go to bed on time, but at least now I feel guilty about it. :)
DeleteI got some good laughs out of your chart! I can be the same way. In July I started going to bed at 9:00 (I need my sleep). But I have a terrible time letting my mind mull over things and I end up lying awake for another hour. Sometimes I have to tell my brain to just sleep! I hope that you are able to get the sleep that you need.
ReplyDeleteI've read about the 9 to 5 sleep schedule and how it's the best thing in the world. I don't know if I will ever reach that level of Nirvana, but I'm glad to hear that you have! Maybe it's also achievable for the rest of us...
DeleteI am guilty of this too. I get on pinterest or social media and I get lost and then email pop up that I haven't gone through and then I start working and it's 1am every time before I get to bed then I promise the next night I will be a good girl but never go to bed early. It's showing in my face and being overwhelmed and tired more lately. It can suck you in and hard to get out of it for sure. Great flow chart... haha Thank you so much for linking up to Share With Me. #sharewithme
ReplyDeletePinterest is the worst! I go there to look at a specific recipe I know I have pinned, and all of a sudden it's dinnertime and I'm looking at DIY Easter decorations. How does that happen?
DeleteNo no nooooooo I can't do it. Honestly, this is my life. Number 4. Ucch. If I'm writing a post, I don't get to bed til about 3am! The knock on effect is hideous. But seriously woman, 9.30?! I can't deal. But I totally digging your effort. Amazeballs.
ReplyDelete#thetruthabout
I did it (sort of) for a week. But I found out that 9:30 every night started happening later and later, despite my best efforts. ;)
DeleteThanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteMy baby girl is 4 wks old.I have to admit she sleeps on my chest. that's the only way I can get a few hours of sleep a night. Whatever works for u, then do it..
ReplyDelete