The Sleep Experiment (Blissfully) Continues
Greg Prickril
IBM MSFT SAP - B2B product management coach, consultant, trainer, and speaker passionate about increasing business impact with innovative, customized programs for individuals and organizations.
So, over 2 weeks of focusing on sleep "in the can". Lots of stuff to share.
I've realized that recovering from sleep deprivation is a process. It doesn't happen in a couple of nights. Over 2 weeks into this journey, I feel like I'm still getting stronger and clearer every day. Not sure when I'll plateau but am pretty sure I'll feel a lot better and be more productive than I was when I was "sloppy about sleeping".
I realize that part of my problem with not feeling rested is, for the time being, unavoidable. My young daughters continue to wake up early and do their best to get us up to play with them. Today, however, was the first day that they went to their room to play by themselves, leaving us to sleep for a precious 15 minutes.
I've done pretty well in the discipline department. Last night I ate a bit later than I would have liked, but still slept quite well. I can feel the power of habit taking hold. I think that's half the battle.
Focusing on sleep requires discipline in multiple aspects of your life. I've stopped drinking alcohol after 17:00 for example. In practice, that means that I hardly drink at all anymore. I don't miss it at all. I'll write more about this later.
In summary, I'm super happy with how this experiment is going and can't wait to see what I feel like after 40 days. I'm now thinking about the next experiment I'll do when good sleep habits are (hopefully) ingrained in my daily routine.
Read the next post on my experience here .
In my quest to make a positive difference, I am a policy analyst and advocate for health and freedom of speech and government accountability. | Interviewer | Speaker | Facilitator | Consultant
2 年I'm impressed with your sleep experiment, Greg, and your sharing it publicly. I too used to be sloppy about going to bed late... and sometimes now try to go to bed by 8 or 9, which makes a difference the next day for sure, especially emotionally. I do have one wonderful resource to share when it comes to waking up in the middle of the night: Insight Timer app, and under Guided Meditations, go to Sleep and then Michelle DuVal's Middle of the Night meditation. Her voice and focus on the present sensations and safety have allowed me to return to sleep many dozen times!
Team and product leadership
2 年That is great progress. Keep on! Sleep tight!