Go to Sleep

I know I’ve said in my previous post that sleep can effect weight loss.

For 20 years I worked in a record factory. Night shift. 10pm-6:30 for a few years, then later on it was 6pm — 6am. I didn’t mind the hours. I was a night owl to begin with, so it wasn’t difficult. My kids were young, so it gave me flexibility in my schedule to be home with them. I could sleep when I got home, go to a game or practice, take a nap, then go to work. Or if I had an appointment in the morning, I could stay up and sleep after. I had no set sleep schedule at all.

Friday morning was my last day of the week. I generally stayed up all day, fought through my second wind and even my third wind, ate dinner and crashed early Friday night. I’d live like a normal person Saturday and Sunday, then go to work Sunday night, again, pulling another 24 hrs of being awake. That’s how I lived for 20 years.

I left the night shift life in 2008. It took me a LONG time to get on a normal schedule for sleep. I would sit in the couch every night, after everyone went to sleep. I wasn’t really doing anything. Well, I was snacking. I was awake just to be awake, because I was used to it for so many years. For whatever reason, 2am was my bedtime.

About a year ago, I really started focusing on my sleep. Not getting enough was leaving me tired. I really needed to get a schedule. I have been successfully hitting my goal of 7–7 1/2 hours a night. I’m feeling great. No headaches. I’m not tired when I get up.

Now, jump to 3 days ago. I got up at 7:30, worked around the house; pulled some weeds, cleaned, prepped food for the week, the usual weekend stuff. At 11pm my mom called and said she fell. She thought she needed to go to the hospital. So I took her. Turns out she has 4 broken ribs and needs to stay a few days to make sure nothing pokes a lung and she doesn’t develop pneumonia.

Sunday night at the ER I pulled an all nighter. At 10:30am Monday morning when I left the hospital, I had not slept. I drove home, had to run an errand for my mother, and came home to shower. I had friends coming in from out of town stopping by on their way through. We went to lunch and I came home.

At 3:30 when my head hit the pillow I was EXHAUSTED. Don woke me up at 5 with dinner. I ate and went right back to bed and slept straight through til 7:30 this morning.

I really do believe there are SO many health problems that are directly linked to how we take care of our bodies. This includes what we put into them as well as the amount of self care we give ourselves.

I am glad for the time I got to spend with my kids while they were younger, but I can’t help but wonder how much damage I did to myself all those years by depriving myself of sleep for so long.

I do not miss those days at all. Yesterday proved to me that leaving that life was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I may not be rich, but my health is worth so much more than a good paycheck.

I challenge you to set a sleep goal. Go to bed and get up at the same times each day. See if it improves not only your mood, but your health as well.

Sandi ❤

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