Chilly winter afternoons lend themselves to naps and dozes and just general indolence but when was the last time you let yourself have any of those? We read the research and acknowledge that, yes, we MUST make time to get at least 7 hours sleep, or 6 hours or even 5 hours. Yet, we don't, all the while knowing intellectually that lack of sleep has some pretty negative consequences: lowered ability to process information; decreased testosterone production; challenges with weight gain or loss. Regardless, we continue to try and fit more activity in to a 24 hour time frame in order to keep up with the Joneses.
Knowing what the doctors and scientists suggest and understanding in our our own minds the importance of those suggestions are two different things. Some of us have tricks we use to try and institute positive habits or release negative ones. Sleep is an area people often feel passionate about one way or the other. Try an experiment, decide to take time over a 7 day period for naps or early bedtimes. Pay attention to when you are able to easily meet your goal and when you are not. By paying attention to ourselves and our personal habits we can often begin to move them in the direction we would have them to go rather than continuing to misdirect ourselves with our "I wanted to's or I should have's."
Sleep and Rest afford us time to settle into ourselves in a way that helps us to be more productive, more present and more centered. What is your sleep philosophy? Did you know that while Edison purported to disdain sleep and only slept 4 hours a night, he took two 3-hour "naps" a day? In today's world we push harder, longer, and more intensely in our pursuit of information, connection, and excellence. By rethinking our sleep approach and shifting into a healthier pattern we benefit not only ourselves but our families, businesses, and colleagues. Take some time today to reassess your sleep and rest times.