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I’m on holidays and I’m loving every minute! My time off started just over 3 weeks ago. The difference in this break is that it began with me finishing employment at the same place for over 32 years. Needless to say, I have been gradually starting to relax and unwind, although it has taken discipline to not focus on what I have ‘done’ at the end of any particular day. My productivity bias is very strong!

One thing I have noticed is how long and how deeply I have been sleeping. I guess you don’t really know how tired you are until you slow down or stop for a while. I said to Nicole one morning this week that it felt like I had slept at a much deeper level than I had ever experienced in my life before. Like peeling an onion, another layer of tiredness seems to be lifting off me.

When I was younger, I envied people who could survive on only a few hours of sleep a night (or who could work right through the night without a hitch!). I tried to do the same, with initial excitement about all those extra hours I’d be able to free up for work and accomplishing the many projects I was interested in. Well, it didn’t last very long. I soon learned that sleep is like a bank account and you can’t keep making withdrawals without it eventually bouncing through lack of deposits!

I discovered that like most people I need about 8 hours of sleep a night to function best during the day. Yes, I can survive an occasional late night or early morning here or there, but regularly deviating from this daily rhythm doesn’t work for me in the long run. I need a good night’s sleep – every day. And that’s okay.

How have been sleeping lately?

A good night’s sleep is a beautiful thing, renewing our entire being – physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. It’s amazing how even challenges or problems look at little different in the morning after a quality sleep. It’s a bit like a mental reset, a fuel tank refill, a windscreen wiper clean, or a computer reboot.

Here are a few tips I’ve found helpful for having a good sleep:

  1. Make sure your bedroom is as dark as it can be, with no light creeping in.
  2. A room that is quiet is also important.
  3. Getting to bed a few hours before midnight seems to help a lot.
  4. Don’t eat late at night or too soon before going to sleep. Your stomach will be digesting all night … and oh that breath in the morning!
  5. Don’t drink too much late at night. I try not to drink anything after 8.00 pm. It reduces trips to the toilet during the night.
  6. Avoid engaging in highly mentally stimulating activities just before bed. Do something more relaxing.
  7. If you are having trouble sleeping, chat to your doctor.

Good night 🙂

P.S. For 32 more tips, check out the Start Sleeping helpful web site.