In my last post, I wrote about why sleep is so important. It was nothing earth shattering —just the well-known fact that sleep is crucial for our physical and mental health. We need it to think clearly, act normally, and honestly, it affects every area of our lives when we don’t get enough of it.
I’ve always known this, and after a few nights of poor sleep, I’d start feeling it. I wasn’t as happy, I wasn’t as clear-headed, and sometimes I even started feeling like I was coming down with something.
Usually, I’d make sure I got a couple of good nights’ sleep, even squeezing in an extra hour or two to catch up over the weekend. Each time, I’d promise myself, This is it. I’m getting eight hours every night this week.
But it never lasted long. Within days, I was back to getting 7 hours—maybe 7 ½ if I was lucky, but more often less. Every morning, “Morning Jessica” would promise she’d go to bed earlier that night because she was so tired she could barely get out of bed. But come 10 p.m., “Night Jessica” would say, Just a few more minutes of relaxing. I’m not ready for sleep yet.
It was an endless cycle that left me feeling unproductive and not quite like myself. And let’s be real—it’s still happening. I shouldn’t use past tense. It IS an endless cycle.
But something happened over the past two weeks that I think (read: hope) might finally change all of that.
My family and I went to Walt Disney World. It was an amazing vacation. Don’t let me tell you otherwise. But due to multiple circumstances, I got less than 7 hours of sleep each night. That was on top of already not getting enough sleep each night the week before the trip.
What happened? I was not my usual happy, optimistic self. Instead of jumping out of bed excited for the day, I was grumpy. Instead of rolling with the punches (because things don’t always go your way, even in Disney World), I let every little thing get to me. While the trip was still fun, it wasn’t nearly as fun as it should have been.
And to top it all off? I came home and woke up the next morning with a cold. No one else in my family got sick, even though we had spent the entire week together.
Do I blame the lack of sleep? Absolutely. There’s no doubt in my mind that my lack of sleep led to me getting sick.
Now that I’ve been home for about a week, I’ve been making sure to get at least eight hours of sleep every night. I’ve even joked to people that I finally feel human again! It’s amazing how much better I feel, and how much a good night’s sleep can transform the following day.
From now on I’m going to do my best to get as close to 8 hours of sleep a night as I can. Sure, there will be nights where it doesn’t happen—because “Night Jessica” will strike again—but I’ll do my best to keep it to a minimum.
If you’re not feeling like yourself—whether you’re in a fog, not 100% healthy, or just having a string of bad days—start by prioritizing your sleep. Go to bed earlier, and see how much better you feel in the morning.
Enjoy,
