Hey guys, today I’m coming at you with a new post and a new feature! I feel like I don’t really talk about myself on my blog (outside of tags) s I thought this might be a nice way for you guys to slowly get to know me. I already have a few of these planned so hopefully, you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them!
Numero uno. How do I deal with sleep loss? Well, I always try to do some exercise throughout the day, this way when I actually get home after work I am exhausted and my mind isn’t still going 100 miles an hour. Whether that be walking up and down the side of a pool for 3 hours at work, or catching the bus and walking those few extra meters to and from the bus stop instead of catching a ride to the front gates.
Excercise is always a healthy option for staying fit and getting tired on a healthier scale. I find that if you do these things throughout the day, instead of just going for a hike and collapsing, not only is it healthier for your sleep schedule and your mind, but it is better for your body in the long run.
However, I realise that these are not attainable goals for everyone so I have two slightly unhealthier versions for you guys.
- No Caffeine, instead, try some sleep tea or some warm water or milk before you go to bed.
- Or, another option is sleeping pills, which I know is a very popular option for a lot of people. Personally, I try to avoid taking as many pills as possible and prefer to organise my body clocks naturally so I know I don’t need to rely on pills to get more than 3 hours sleep. However, if you do choose to take sleeping pills you need to allow time for your body to get used to them. You can’t take one for the first day and expect anything to happen, it will take anywhere from a week to a month for them to kick in, so be prepared for that.
Ah, yes, my second tip for today. Now, brace yourselves guys, this is going to sound bad; Sleep Loss.
Yeah, it’s not the healthiest option, nor is it much fun but hey, life isn’t fair. What I’ve found, and granted I am not a professional, is that in order to adjust and/or fix up my sleeping schedule in the post I have had to actually lose sleep. I’ve had days where I’ve gotten home, finished all my work, gone to sleep and then had to wake up 2 or 3 hours later because I’ll be damned if I don’t fix my body clock!
It sucks at the time, but once you and your body are getting along, your life is going to be a lot easier, and I know at least that sleep is one less thing I have to stress over throughout the week.
Now, here is my main time for this blog post. Before you fix your body clock or anything like that, you need to first understand the issue.
Here are some things to think about:
- Is your brain still whirring when you’re trying to get to sleep?
- Are you stressed?
- Did you get all your work done on time or are you worried about that exam you forgot to ram for?
- Did you have dinner before you went to sleep?
- Did you go to the bathroom beforehand?
Ask yourself these questions and try to understand where your sleep loss issue is coming from, for me, it’s stress. I have pretty intense anxiety so for m stress has been a clingy friend I can’t shake, for years. However, I didn’t even recognise it as stress until late last year, and boy was I shocked. Past me didn’t think she had anxiety issues, but past me was very (very) wrong.
For me, every night I take a shower before bed to try and relax, this ay I am not thinking about anything important, and if everything has gone to plan, I should have already done all my homework and blogging.
Aside from a shower, I also have a routine, I always keep a bottle of cold water on my table next to me, along with my lip balm. Even if I don’t use them, for whatever reason it always calms me down to know that they are an arms length away. It’s weird but it works for me, so all you guys need to do is find out what makes you tick, and to make yourselves as comfortable as you can.
Lastly, I want to recommend something that is a whole lot unhealthier but works for me. I don’t know about you guys, but it turns out I’m a workaholic. I love working, probably too much. I am currently getting my hours up to become a full-time swim coach and will be starting fulltime in January (hopefully). I am also currently searching for a second job, I will also be starting Uni next year so I guess I really hate myself.
Anyway, so… my point. Yes, I do have one. If none of the above worked for you then you may just have try them all and then revert back to just tiring yourself out and having an alarm set for the next morning.
How do you deal with sleep loss? Did any of my tips help or am I barking mad?
fridges
allonsythornraxx 
I think these are good tips. Making sure I exercise and move around a bit also helps me sleep better. And I agree that, like with jet lag, sometimes it’s better just to power through and lose sleep instead of getting on a bizarre sleep schedule that doesn’t necessarily work with a job/school schedule. No taking naps at 8 pm and then not being tired enough to go to sleep at midnight!
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Thank you! Yeah, I find that exercise and working helps to tire me out naturally so I don’t have to stay up late and wait for my brain to shut down at night. Yeah, like with jet lag, sometimes you just have to power through and lose that sleep to gain that sleep. Exactly, there’s no time to make up for the lost sleep during the school term!
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