I didn’t post last week.  Quite a bit happened in the these first few weeks of January. Enough to make one quite philosophical about life or at least make you re-examine your own and ask some serious questions about how you are living it and what you are prioritizing as important.  The past few weeks have most definitely strengthened my resolve to try to do all I can to have a happier and healthier life.  

And the key to that resolve is consistency.  And consistency requires vigilance, mindfulness. Constantly reminding yourself why you are doing these things that can lead to more happiness.  And keeping at it.  Like your life depends on it.  

We are a few weeks away from the topic of mindfulness, but I just wanted to plant that seed right there in the back of your mind for now.  A small bit of foreshadowing of what’s to come, if you will.  But first, we need to start with the easy steps, the physical ones, the ones you can easily do and track to get the satisfaction of completing something.  The ones that are easily repeatable because they are kind of already happening in your life.

So last time we spoke about the importance of exercise and that something as simple as taking a walk for 30 minutes 3-4 times a week can make one happier.  Μy goal was to commit to trying to run a 5k in April.  The purpose of setting this goal is just to get myself to a place where I can just run 3 miles whenever I want, easily, without thought.  Have my 30-40 minutes to zone out and physically burn off the day’s stressors.  But what’s next?

Well besides making you happier, exercise can also make you sleep better.  And guess what?  Sleeping better means amplifying the happiness quotient.  It’s the one free, simple thing you do every day anyway and it can make you happier, look better, function more efficiently, and think clearer.  It totally sounds like a late night infomercial, but it’s true, just getting a good night’s sleep is life changing.  

Now I can hear you type-A people right now…oh I don’t need that much sleep.  I have a genetic predisposition to function on little sleep.  Oh do you?  I doubt it…it’s pretty rare actually.

How many times have you read, “Americans wear sleep deprivation like a badge of honor.”  American culture plays this dangerous competition of sleeplessness to show how dedicated they are to their jobs.  As if it somehow not sleeping means you are better than everyone else and are working harder.  Can we just stop with our snobby, sleep-deprived selves?  I think it just means you are incredibly inefficient with your time, don’t value your health, and are very poor at prioritizing what’s important. Maybe if you got more sleep, you could really work better and faster.  I promise you, that you are not above basic human function.  In fact every single life form on earth, slumbers.  And if you deprive yourself of sleep long enough, you will not only be tired, but have bags under your eyes, get wrinkles easier, make poor food choices and make yourself generally unpleasant to be around. It will eventually take a toll on your health in ways you could not have imagined.

Sleep is important and you have to respect it’s power.

I have a friend, who is so committed to their sleep, she bought a mattress that cost as much as a small car.  I am not kidding.  It’s some handmade mattress made by French nuns who weave together some some magical combination of horsehair, wool, and cotton, and is sleep-tested by unicorns.  She claims it’s the best sleep she has ever had in her life.  Ok, kidding about the nuns, but I am NOT kidding about the quality of her sleep. When you stop to think about it, we spend more hours in bed than we do in our cars.  Why wouldn’t you invest in a high quality mattress to drive you to Sleepytown?  Fancy cars don’t bring happiness…those are just things to show off to other people…but a good night of sleep?  Now that is true luxury. Brag about that people!

Sleeping is this mystical thing that happens overnight that causes your brain and body to relax and repair itself.  I like to think there is this little magical “beauty sleep team” that comes out at night while you sleep, sweeping things away in your brain, reconnecting broken circuits, pummeling your muscles into relaxation, smoothing out that crease in between your eyebrows…ok I know that sounds like a spa.  But it many ways it is.  Sleep is restorative and when you actually wake up well rested, it’s almost as if you have gone on this mini self-care vacation. How can you not be happy when you are in a better mood?

You know in Guatemala, they have these things called “worry dolls”.  They are these tiny multi-colored handmade dolls that children tell their worries to at night before bed, releasing the sleeper of worry while the dolls work to solve the problems.  How great is that?  Kids are trained from a very young age that sleep is so valued that they are taught to NOT stay up all night worrying about things.

What else is sleep good for?  Where to begin?

• Improved memory & better attention span –  Sleep will help you get better grades in school because you can remember the material.  I am telling you the sleep fairies come out and organize all that new information in your brain in all the right places.
• Live longer – Do you think those Ikarians live so long only because of olive oil and mountain tea alone?  No.  They also take afternoon siestas, daily!  More sleep people, more sleep.
• Improve sports performance – Do you think Olympic alpine skiers are on all night benders before they go hurling themselves down the steepest, tallest mountains in the world on two skinny sticks tied to their boots?  No.  Be an Olympic sleeper my friends.
• Healthy weight – Are you trying to lose weight?  I know I am.  And I can tell you right now, that when I have good sleep hygiene, I weigh less.  There is something about sleep that helps in the efforts to lose weight.  Maybe if you are sleeping you aren’t snacking, LOL.  But seriously, when you are not dead tired, you are making better food choices, hell, you are making better life choices. Let sleep work for you.
• Lower stress – Well, not burning the candle at both ends or burning out your telomeres?  That’s a good thing.  What are telomeres?  They are the caps at the end of your chromosomes.  You want these to be long and protective so you can stay young, not short and aging. And sleep keeps them long.  Lowering that stress level in your body means less inflammation and you want that. Sleep is protective of your heart and brain, you’ll have better blood sugar levels and lower blood pressure.
• And guess what?  All of this, maybe, just maybe leads to making you HAPPY!

Okay, so how do you do this? What does this sleep task look like in your best life plan?  You must commit to sleeping 7.5 hours at least 4 times a week.  Personally I would strive to get these precious hours of sleep Sunday night thru Wednesday night because that’s the bulk of your work week.  I bet you take a nap or sleep in a little on the weekend anyway, so then you are sleeping 7.5 hours most nights of the week.  

Not convinced? Read this article from the National Geographic magazine. Or how about this book on sleep by Arianna Huffington? Or how about The New Yorker’s three part series about sleep?

So, get yourself a great pair of pajamas.  Splurge on those linen sheets.  Invest in good quality down pillows.  Put down your smartphones and just get to the business of sleep.  Just do it.

See ya’ next week sleepy heads. Hey! I see you yawning.

Love,

Kallie