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sleeping. Many refer to him as the cousin of death. We live in a society that screams “STAY AWAKE or don’t get caught sleeping.” Sleeping implies that you are going to miss something, you are not concentrating or you are not paying attention. Even taking naps equals laziness. “Who sleeps in the middle of the day? You’re not a baby.” there is the thought there is no time to sleep or you cannot afford to sleep.

People deprive themselves of sleep, but it is an obligation of life. Sometimes sleep deprivation is used as a questioning technique. Lack of sleep can put a strain on your physical and mental health that can basically be torture.

How crazy is that? Something as natural as sleep can cause delusions, anxiety, or even depression. Thinking that sometimes lack of sleep comes by our own hand and we will justify this self-punishment.

Believing that by losing these necessary hours of rejuvenation we will achieve success. The culture drills into your head to keep working, pushing and moving because hard work pays off, but guess what?

“Sleep is a necessity, not a luxury”

Sleep is a necessity, not a luxury, and to be your best, you need rest. You can get used to lack of sleep by juggling your life, career, family, and other necessary activities, but eventually, sleep deprivation catches up with you. The National Sleep Foundation recommends 7 to 9 hours of sleep for adults ages 26 to 64, but 6 to 10 hours can also be considered sufficient amounts of sleep. The same recommendation is for young adults ages 18-25.

I know what you’re thinking, oh I can’t sleep that much or I don’t need to sleep that much. Others are wishing they could sleep, period.

There was a time in my life when I didn’t sleep and when I did sleep I never rested. I couldn’t tear myself away from the day and my problems became a tangled bondage. I decided this had to stop because I was mentally drained and tired. I discovered ways to make up my snack time.

I put myself on a schedule

I set myself a schedule and worked to stick to it. I made a list of duties or responsibilities that I needed to fulfill on a daily basis. Of course, there are times when I had to be flexible while being careful not to present myself with too many obligations. If I didn’t complete something, I wasn’t hard on myself. I did my best to use my time more efficiently, for example, making phone calls on breaks or searching online for information I needed for other projects. It felt good to see the progress by checking off the items I accomplished throughout the day.

invested in hot yoga

We all know that physical activity helps you release those endorphins that make you feel good; therefore, I already had an exercise regimen, but by incorporating hot yoga I maximized the benefits. I was so relaxed at the end of each session. Not only did my stress level go down, but there was also a significant change in my blood pressure. I felt refreshed like I had a detox and this got me ready for bed.

I stopped taking phone calls after 9 pm

I am an individual who has the gift of speech. When I reach out to friends and family, sometimes those phone calls can last for hours. They are extremely entertaining, but can be overly stimulating at times depending on the theme of that particular night. Anyway, to eliminate being too nervous to sleep, I decided to put my phone on silent. Keep her from being tempted to answer the phone, check emails, or any other social media.

Prepared myself and my environment for bed

It’s like when you go to a hotel and the bed looks so inviting with nice pillows and duvet. Those beds look so impressive and attractive. I make that same environment in my house. I make my bed with pillows and everything. My bed is attractive and cozy. I differ from hotels because I moved my TV out of my room. That may have been drastic, but for me, it set the mood for sleep.

Giving your body the rest it needs to tackle tasks gives you mental clarity, improves functionality, improves your mood, and decreases irritability and restlessness, leaving you feeling rejuvenated and refreshed.

I am one of those people who require my full 8 hours of sleep. Now, I concede that I don’t hit my full hours every night, but I do have allotted nights off.

I am by no means a sleep expert, but I am a sleep advocate. Also, I enjoy offering tidbits of information to my neighbor or wife. There are any number of techniques or medications (holistic, over-the-counter, or prescription) you can do or take to promote sleep.

Although it is impossible to sacrifice sleep, sometimes in order to achieve a goal I suggest that you find some kind of balance. Think about it!

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