Fixed My Sleep Schedule
In my previous post about sleep, I talked about the difficulty I faced following a sleeping schedule. I was tired, even after naps, and couldn’t get anything done. I thought that a proper sleep schedule was reserved only for those who had the flexibility to manage their commitments.
But, after talking to people and getting to know their schedules, I realized that there were problems with my approach. Now, I’m able to sleep from 10:30PM to 6AM every day without feeling any signs of tiredness throughout the day. I can get more things done than ever before, and I’m glad I made this change.
Why My Old Schedule Didn’t Work
On some research and reflection, I realized that there were two major issues with my approach. These caused me to have a negative initial impression of my routine, and thus made me lose motivation to continue.
They were:
- I was sleeping too little
- The change was too sudden
Firstly, I was sleeping from 11PM to 5AM every day. This is just six hours of sleep, less than the recommended 7-9h of sleep every day. This affected my mood, productivity, and energy. I would come home groggy, even after drinking coffee. My new schedule accounts for this problem. I sleep from 10:30PM to 6AM, which is 7.5 hours of sleep.
The other issue was that my change was sudden rather than gradual. I went from sleeping at around 3AM to sleeping at 11AM, a four-hour shift. These types of changes are difficult to adjust to, which can hamper productivity and waste the few days of getting used to the schedule. I adjusted to my new schedule in a different way. There was a period of two days in which I was very tired, and decided to sleep at 10:30PM and wake up at 6AM. Those two tiring days were a blessing in disguise, because me and my body both got what we wanted. My body got sleep, and I got my schedule fixed.
Tips
A piece of advice that helps is knowing that the total number of hours in your day don’t change, you’re just rearranging them. In the beginning, near your bedtime, you’ll feel like you accomplished nothing, and that the day flew by. But, you have to remember, however earlier you’re sleeping, you’re getting the same amount of time in the morning, but wide awake instead of sleepy. I happily go to bed, and even look forward to sleeping now.
Sleeping early also makes it easier for you to do more things throughout the day. Often, I was done with the most important things before even leaving for university, which gave me a sense of accomplishment and helped me rest after coming back home.
All in all, I highly suggest following a proper, fixed sleep schedule. It’s one of the best changes I made in my life, and it takes away a lot of stress in my life.