Welcome back to the 10-part series on the seven areas of living magically! Today we are going to talk about the third core area, sleep magic. Just like brain magic and relaxation magic, sleep magic is part of the foundation. It needs to come before the other areas of living magically. This one is the last of the foundational elements. Today we’re going to talk about why sleep is so important and what you can do to optimize.
The Sleep Magic Foundation
First, let’s talk about why sleep magic is a foundation for everything else. It is something that often gets shoved aside in modern society. We have this achievement culture. The idea is that we have to do more all the time in order to get ahead. All too often that comes at the sacrifice of sleep (along with so many other things). If we can just stay up a little later we can get more done, and accomplished. The problem is that it doesn’t work long-term. That thought process and way of living lead to burnout.
Sleep Magic and Big Goals
Yes, we do need to do stuff, but not at the sacrifice of everything else. Let’s consider an example. When I was working on my Ph.D., I needed to write lots of papers, do tons of research, and create an entire dissertation. That’s a lot that was required to reach the goal of the Ph.D. It would not have happened if I hadn’t done the things. I’m glad I did the things. Also, sleep was required every step of the way. When I had enough sleep I could research quickly and write really good papers. However, when I was exhausted, my brain just didn’t work as well. I actually had a baby while working on my Ph.D. so sleep was impacted.
Staying up late, waking up early, and getting too little sleep happen sometimes. Airlines still aren’t scheduling their flights around my sleep schedule. Babies and sometimes even kiddos need mom in the middle of the night. It happens, and that’s okay.
Sleep magic saves time.
Going back to the Ph.D. example, sometimes I had to take a nap before writing a paper. It ended up being the time-saving option. As moms, our sleep isn’t always regular. It can go through phases. Other things impact it too, like a job working different hours. That’s okay. We can find ways to work with it.
So, when I sat down to write papers, I wanted to make sure my brain was rested enough. It didn’t have to be perfect, but the thought processing had to be effective. If not, I would go to bed or take a nap. The work would wait until later or even the next day. This is connected to time magic because I had to plan enough ahead to have time for both sleep and writing papers. When my baby got a little older I no longer had to be up with her in the middle of the night every single night. Then I could have a more structured day and night routine. The naps weren’t needed as often.
Calculating Sleep Magic Benefits
Now, let’s look at the time and productivity calculation. Sleeping an hour and a half to two hours is enough for a sleep cycle. If I could get eight to nine hours of sleep at night I was good to go. Remember, the body needs more sleep if we are fighting germs, have a health condition, work out, or are facing mom stuff like feeding babies and holding the emotional load. The mind needs extra sleep, too. If we’re going through some emotional stuff, we need more sleep. Women need more sleep than men.
This idea of six to seven hours of sleep per night just does not cut it in my world. If the eight to nine hours didn’t happen and I needed a nap, two hours would typically do the trick. I would set my alarm for two hours (unless I really needed to catch up) and take a snooze. Usually, I would wake up shortly before my alarm. Then I would spend a couple of hours working on a paper.
For simplicity, let’s call it two hours of napping or two hours more of sleep at night, plus two hours of researching and writing. That two hours of time working on my paper was focused time. It was efficient. I researched and wrote, and could get a paper completed quickly.
Now, let’s consider the brain on too little sleep.
I would procrastinate before even turning on my computer. That’s 15 minutes, gone. Then the computer turned on and maybe I would just check social media really quick. A link or spark of interest would lead to an internet search. Oops, there goes 30 minutes. Time for a snack? Probably. That recipe looked good. It wouldn’t take too long to whip it up. Okay, time to really get going after about an hour of procrastination.
The research would take longer, much longer. Why was everything so confusing? I would have to read the same things multiple times. Then I would get off-track, and take things in a different direction. Maybe I would research something else interesting, again, just really quick. Two hours later no words would be written. After maybe an introduction paragraph the baby would wake up. It would end up taking all day, maybe eight hours, for one paper. In the scenario with two hours more of sleep, it would only take about two hours to write that same paper.
Sleep magic is the big winner.
We’re talking four hours to sleep and to write a paper versus eight hours to just write the paper. That’s double the time, and there’s still sleep deprivation. This applies to goals in general, and all areas of life. Friends, trust me, I have studied this and experimented. Sleeping is the time-saving way to go. Sleep deprivation leads to losses in productivity plus physical and mental illness. That’s science. Prioritizing sleep is how we reach those long-term goals.
Short-term vs. Long-term
Let’s talk about short-term versus long-term. Back to the Ph.D. and paper writing example. Yes, I can and have powered through a paper at the last minute when exhausted. When the deadline came up too quickly I did make it happen. However, it wasn’t sustainable. It worked for that paper and maybe another. It never would have worked for the entire collection of Ph.D. requirements. I may have been hospitalized had I attempted that. Perhaps it sounds silly and extreme, but sleep deprivation is often a big element of chronic illness.
Sleep Magic is 100% essential for the body and mind.
It’s when we repair, heal, and grow. Considering all the other areas of living well. Sleep is needed.
Nutrition, Exercise, & Sleep Magic
Nutrition, for example, is linked to sleep. Our bodies rest and digest together. We need sleep to process nutrients. Also, it’s behavioral. It’s a lot harder to eat healthy foods, make healthy decisions, and cook healthy meals when exhausted.
Physical movement is linked. Let me tell you about my workouts when exhausted versus rested. It’s a difference of a good three minutes per mile when running. That impacts time, too. It takes longer to get ready, put on my workout clothes, and get out the door when tired. When I lift tired, I need more time to rest between sets. The muscles need sleep to build. Sleep is completely required for increased fitness abilities. If you have any athletic goals then you owe it to yourself to sleep enough and to sleep well enough.
Sleep Magic & Relationships
Relationships, oh this is a fun one. How do we show up in relationships when we are rested and feeling great versus when we are tired? Sleep is like filling up the patience bank account. We have tons of patience when we’re rested and thriving. On the other hand, that patience bank is empty when we’re depleted. Do you know what I’m talking about? People get snappy without enough sleep! This is where arguments thrive. It’s hard to have compassion and see things from the other point of view. We’re just so exhausted and want it to stop. Take two or more tired people and nobody understands one another. Reverse that sleep debt and allow the most important relationships to thrive!
Career and Sleep Magic
Sleep fuels life purpose and beliefs. With a rested, clear mind we are able to navigate anything that comes our way. We can determine where we need to focus our time and energy. Then, we can make it happen. Lack of sleep leaves us stagnant in areas such as career and life in general. There’s no forward momentum. Sure, we can take small steps forward when we power through, but that real, long-term progress remains out of reach.
Sleep Magic & Brain Health
Let’s talk about another foundational element of wellness, brain health. What kind of thoughts do you have when you’re tired and depleted versus rested and feeling great? A sure sign I need to go to bed is when I hit that point when my thoughts turn. Actually, that’s a sign that I have crossed the line. It means I should have already gone to bed, and should have been getting more sleep previous nights, too. You know what I’m talking about right? Thoughts like “this isn’t going to work” and “I’m not good enough” come out to play. It’s not true, it’s just the sleep deprivation talking. No, sleep doesn’t solve all these challenges, but it sure is a big part of it. The brain, mind, and thoughts can’t thrive without enough sleep.
Stress, Relaxation, & Sleep Magic
There’s a big connection between sleep and relaxation and between stress and lack of sleep. It’s a cycle. Stress makes it hard to sleep. Lack of sleep increases stress levels. It can spiral out of control. The goal is to stop it before it spirals out of control. If that line has already been crossed, the goal is to reverse the cycle. Prioritize relaxation and sleep. Get deeply relaxed and the sleep will come.
Sleep Magic to Live Magically
Sleep deprivation stands in the way of achieving big goals. It’s a huge element of physical and mental health, well-being, and quality of life. Some people are more sensitive to lack of sleep. Others just don’t realize how tired they are or how much it is impacting them.
Prioritize Enough Quality Sleep
So, what do you do when you realize you need to sleep more or better? Quality matters, too. If you’re to that point, you have already taken the first step. From awareness comes the recognition of the need to prioritize. You know you need to work on sleep, great! Let’s do it. Try to figure out a schedule that works for you. Do the math. Is it enough? If not, keep asking yourself how you can shift until it does add up to enough sleep. Once you have the schedule figured out you can iron out all the other things. This may include falling asleep faster, staying asleep, and getting really high-quality sleep.
Do what you need to do to follow through with getting enough quality sleep.
My free relaxation exercise helps a lot. You can find it at olivinewellness.com. It’s like a drugless sleeping pill that actually improves the quality of sleep. Seriously. When I sent it to a colleague to quality check it she couldn’t stay awake until the end. Try it, and we’ll go from there. I’m here to support you with all the sleep magic stuff!
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