I know I talked about sleep hygiene the other day, but the habit that has improved my life the most has been the things I do to help me sleep.
I was chronically sleep-deprived when younger, especially through college. Some of this has to do with being untreated bipolar and in hypomania; some of that has to do with being paranoid when I stayed at a boyfriend’s house because my mother would call around looking for me if I wasn’t home by 9. If I got four hours of sleep a night I’d be surprised.
When I was in graduate school, I walked in front of a car which was turning into traffic at a stop sign. If I weren’t chronically sleep-deprived, I think I would have seen the car in time and stepped back. I stepped back, but just a second too late, because I ended up with a badly broken leg.
Now, I work hard on getting enough sleep at night. I do not drink coffee after noon. I go to bed early, and spend at least a half hour before I sleep quietly with a sleep mask on. I don’t surf the internet on my phone right before I go to bed. I take my medication religiously. I have sleep meds I take when I think I am going to have a restless night.
My productivity depends on my sleep. My health depends on my sleep. My sleep depends on good habits.
Words Like Me 