Ever since I began to wake up at six each morning, I have been observing the subtleties of my own mind. And how the mind loves habits and patterns! This love for patterns has made my 'rise early' resolution both easy and difficult at the same time! Doesn't this duality in our sleeping patterns seems baffling to so many of us?
Why I say this is because, I have seen myself struggle a little in the past to wake up as soon as the alarm bell rings. While I have been trying to overcome the morning blues, I have seen how the habit of the past is putting up a resistance. This resistance is in the form of my body struggling to adapt to the new pattern of waking up at six each morning. On the other hand, my body is also beginning to show signs of slowing down as the time to sleep approaches. Now, this is something so welcome because I haven't had to struggle to fall asleep. That seems to have become internalized now such that it is beginning to aid my resolve of waking up early the next day.
So, this seems to be quite a balancing act which I am managing with increasingly satisfying levels.
One major learning from the past few weeks has been this: SLEEP ON TIME, NO MATTER WHAT!
Yes, as trivial it may seem, this seems to be of major consequence when we go to bed. Studies have showed that adults require anywhere between 6-8 hours of sleep each night. In the light of this, it becomes obvious that if one were to not get enough sleep at night, then waking up early becomes difficult. It is, therefore, vital that you find out the duration of sleep that you require each night to feel refreshed the next morning.
Often, we delay our sleeping times when we are wanting to finish the work at hand - maybe it is that assignment due the next day or that important mail that you have been trying to appropriately reply to. For most of us, the first bodily response is to slow down towards the end of the day. Until unless we introduce stimulants like caffeine, alcohol or even a over-filling dinner, we easily and effortlessly slip into our 'sleep modes'. We see that out productivity wanes by the end of the day and we are struggling to give our 100% to the work at hand. Hence, it would to be more productive to go to bed on time and wake up on time to work on it. Often, this produces a better output as the mind is so fresh after the night's sleep and working at its optimum.
As I am learning these beautiful things about my body, I hope that you are learning from my mistakes as well. I tell you, you need not do them all over again to be learning from them! ;)
Let me leave you with a quick revision of my learning in the past few weeks:
Why I say this is because, I have seen myself struggle a little in the past to wake up as soon as the alarm bell rings. While I have been trying to overcome the morning blues, I have seen how the habit of the past is putting up a resistance. This resistance is in the form of my body struggling to adapt to the new pattern of waking up at six each morning. On the other hand, my body is also beginning to show signs of slowing down as the time to sleep approaches. Now, this is something so welcome because I haven't had to struggle to fall asleep. That seems to have become internalized now such that it is beginning to aid my resolve of waking up early the next day.
So, this seems to be quite a balancing act which I am managing with increasingly satisfying levels.
One major learning from the past few weeks has been this: SLEEP ON TIME, NO MATTER WHAT!
Yes, as trivial it may seem, this seems to be of major consequence when we go to bed. Studies have showed that adults require anywhere between 6-8 hours of sleep each night. In the light of this, it becomes obvious that if one were to not get enough sleep at night, then waking up early becomes difficult. It is, therefore, vital that you find out the duration of sleep that you require each night to feel refreshed the next morning.
Often, we delay our sleeping times when we are wanting to finish the work at hand - maybe it is that assignment due the next day or that important mail that you have been trying to appropriately reply to. For most of us, the first bodily response is to slow down towards the end of the day. Until unless we introduce stimulants like caffeine, alcohol or even a over-filling dinner, we easily and effortlessly slip into our 'sleep modes'. We see that out productivity wanes by the end of the day and we are struggling to give our 100% to the work at hand. Hence, it would to be more productive to go to bed on time and wake up on time to work on it. Often, this produces a better output as the mind is so fresh after the night's sleep and working at its optimum.
As I am learning these beautiful things about my body, I hope that you are learning from my mistakes as well. I tell you, you need not do them all over again to be learning from them! ;)
Let me leave you with a quick revision of my learning in the past few weeks:
- Sleep on time to wake up on time.
- Help yourself ease into the night by staying away from stimulants late in the evening.
- Notice your own sleeping patterns and determine your own 'healthy sleep duration'.
Happy rising early! ;)
(This post is a part of the 'Rising Early series'. You could read the rest of the posts in the series HERE. )
(This post is a part of the 'Rising Early series'. You could read the rest of the posts in the series HERE. )
No comments:
Post a Comment
I would love to hear from you!