Sunday, November 6, 2011
Sleep is Important
Sleep is important. If my sleep is affected for one night I can get by, but if I lose sleep two nights in a row it starts a downward spiral in my mood, and ability to function. It also makes things I normally love to do into a chore. Plus, when I do not sleep enough my attitude sucks in situations where I normally have a good attitude. Well, it can be complicated. There is no need to go into the facts about sleep. Anyone can look those up online. Some people can function on very little sleep. I am not one of them. All the more power to them. Back to the complicated part. Those jitters about upcoming games, performances, presentations, tests, or whatever we are doing can shorten our sleep. Fear of the unknown, or fear of humiliation keep many people up at night until the event is over, and then it's cool again. Tough issue to deal with. I have lost sleep over presentations, tests and performances many times. Why? I have no clue. They are after all just events in time. The big bad wolf isnt coming after me. Our 18 pound dog may be the big bad wolf, but I don't think so. Point of all this is to be careful with lack of sleep, because it certainly can catch up with you later. When I sleep well I am much more alert and more pleasant to be around. Plus, I perform better in work, school, performances or whatever. Key thing is to be wise. Not drinking too much caffeine late in the day is a big one for me. It keeps me up, or gets me up later in the night. Eating too much or exercising late at night don't seem to work either. Exercising a reasonable amount does help, and so does breath work, meditation etc... Over exercising affects my sleep because it feels like flu symptoms. Reading certainly helps, as does a serene piece of music. Listening to Ozzy Osbourne will not get the job done. Finally if there is a pressing issue on your mind, talk to someone so you do not lose sleep over it. Also, if there is an unresolved issue, resolve it. Unresolved issues get worse. Well, sweet dreams everyone. I enjoyed writing this, and I hope you all get something out of it.
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I hear you, Nick! Same here, everything you said!
ReplyDeleteAnxiety does not affect sleep in everybody and not everybody depends on their sleep that much. But I think there are ways to get over this.
The first is to get used to the 'world' and to stop caring excessively about how you're going to sound/look/feel the next day. Just learning to think of whatever you have to face the next day as routine (an unpleasant routine, for people like us who resent so much when they have to get up early) helps not to care about what's on the menu the next day. Somehow you're gonna do it. You'll find out the next day.
I think I have really troubled my health in high school: I had to wake up at 6.30am everyday for 5 years and that messed me up a lot. A LOT.
Even now, the idea of an early alarm prevents me from falling asleep.
And I am the HARDEST sleeper: 8-9 hours per night's my regular!
The sensation of unease - of not being fully yourself - is impossible to describe to someone who had never felt the same, 'cause we're really NOT the same in that area and it's a horrible truth that everybody has to be at work at the same time - every single day of a life time.
Having a 9 to 5 job would KILL ME. Having a 5pm-1am one would not.
Why? I have no idea.
Other than all the wise precautions you mentioned here, I have found Homeopathy very helpful. Not the ordinary self-treatments, but the constitutional remedy that only a physician can prescribe you, which varies according to what other general symptoms match your sleeplessness (be it chronic or occasional).
One last thing: when something takes my sleep away, I have learnt that it's - for some reason - something that I don't REALLY want to do, even if it's a performance... or simply I don't want to do it the way I have to (and I am not talking time, here).
So, if it's something that I just have to do, I have learnt not to care if I am at my best or not. I just go and do it, counting on the adrenaline of the moment - that always helps - on the situation, on the people I meet, etc. And just can't wait to go back to MY routine, and sleep. :)
S. (your Italian coach)
PS: I believe that people who are able not to sleep about stuff are the loving and caring people that prevent the world from falling apart.
ReplyDeleteThe ones that are taken advantage of by the the ones who are in power and enjoy their ability not to care about the future, make their own business and keep going.
So I think that our 'thing' is - in the end - a good thing.
That's why I convinced myself to steal the secret of 'not caring about the next day' from 'them'. A lot of people do that, in a very sad way. Causing trouble.
So, at least for matters of less importance (which means not including life or death) it's really not the case of bothering ourselves that much. We'll be fine. And NO ONE will tell the difference.
It's a world of indifference and alienation, don't forget. We need to be at least a little trained to that. At least a self-defense level of training.
S.