About a month ago I made a big decision to quit my full-time job at a university to pursue a path that was more in line with my dreams and vision for what I want my life to be. Being out of my daily 8 am - 5 pm schedule has left me with more autonomy and more control over what I do and when I do it. I've been loving having more flexibility in my schedule, but you know what I've been noticing?
I. am. so. tired!
I'm not a morning person by nature, but in order to squeeze in some exercise during the hot, Florida days I started waking up at 6:30 am or so to go running before work at 8:00. Then I would sit in my office, working or meeting with students, until lunch. Sometimes at lunch I would have time to get up, leave my office, and move around. Then it was back to the desk for the rest of the day. The constant workflow normally kept me busy until it was time to head home. I knew I felt exhausted at the end of the day, but I figured that was from working so hard!
Last Wednesday is when I started to notice what was going on. I was a little sleepy in the morning, but no matter! I went in to my part-time job and made it through my hours no problem. Part way through my shift I felt so hungry. Hungry for what? Not sure. But hungry nonetheless. I tried to fill up with water and coffee while I was working.
When I got in my car, though, it hit me. I wanted to take a nap.
I could have fallen asleep right there in the car!
I didn't though. I had meetings coming up and Things. To. Get. Done.
I knew that being tired was something I need to start avoiding. It was one thing when I was stuck behind my desk all day, but now that I was free to roam my lack of sleep was getting me into all sort of mischief!
So I drove to a coffee shop and grabbed some coffee. I still felt super hungry, but I had just eaten lunch. I made it through my meeting without ordering any food, but I felt a little scattered.
After the meeting, though, that's when the impact really hit me: Irrational decision making.
I make silly choices when I'm too tired.
I drove to a bookstore and ordered two books I didn't really need.
I then walked to a cupcake store and bought 6 cupcakes. I meant to buy two. But they were 6 for the price of 5. So… yeah.
Going out of my way for this little shopping spree put me almost 10 minutes late for my next meeting.
Once that was done, instead of getting work done like I had planned I ended up reading a vampire novel for a few hours until I was done. I was too tired to feel motivated or productive.
I knew that being tired was something I need to start avoiding. It was one thing when I was stuck behind my desk all day, but now that I was free to roam my lack of sleep was getting me into all sort of mischief!
It hit me again yesterday. I noticed while I was at my part time job. I was sleepy. Not surprising. I had stayed up later than I planned the night before. I woke up early to go for a run, but I was feeling too tired to actually go running. I ate a big breakfast but still felt hungry all day. What's more, I started noticing that it felt like I couldn't take full, deep breaths without a conscious effort.
This time, after getting home and eating lunch, I put myself down for a nap. After waking up after a long nap, I was more productive in three hours than I had been that whole day the week before.
I felt really vindicated today when I found this article about the impacts of not getting enough sleep. Sure enough, it impacts your appetite and your blood oxygen level.
The list of negative impacts from sleeping too little is long and scary. So my big goal for the month of June is to get more and better sleep. I’ll be sure to share any strategies that work for me! If you have tips, please feel free to email me or comment on this blog. I could use all the help!