"Early to Bed, early to rise, makes a man
healthy, wealthy, and wise."
I know it's a good idea to get a solid eight hours of sleep, but as a busy mom, I struggle to get to bed early. There's something so perfect about those quiet hours of the night, when the house is still and all the kids are in bed. When I finally have some time to myself, I'm excited to get in a few chapters of my book club book, or sneak in a living room date with my husband, or finally get in that workout that I just couldn't make happen in my busy morning. At the end of the day, I often crave an emotional rest even more than sleep. Most nights I give in to the draw of some time alone, go to bed much too late, and wake up in the morning feeling exhausted, not refreshed and ready for a new day.
The thing is, going to bed early isn't just a nice idea, it's pretty critical. The Huffington Post has got me questioning my night owl habits with the article, "Nine Science-backed Reasons Why You Should Go To Bed Early". The virtues and benefits of going to bed early are impressive. Apparently early to bed can mean less worrying, improved interactions with others, greater productivity in your day, a healthier weight, and even being better looking.
Knowing that I could benefit from more sleep, I challenged myself at the beginning of the week, to make it to bed before ten o'clock for the next four days. How hard could it be, right? Really hard, actually.
Attempting to make it to bed at a reasonable hour has led me to discover a bit of a paradox. I am uncomfortable staying up late, because I know that I would be healthier and feel better if I made it to bed early, but I am also uncomfortable going to bed early, because I miss out on those precious and rare moments at night to fill up my cup emotionally. I struggled with this problem all week long. I found myself looking at the clock thinking that I had exactly twenty-seven minutes to hang out with my husband, brush my teeth, and read a page or two, before it was time to turn out the lights. I started to resent an early bed time. What about the movie a friend had recommended? Not this week. What if I wanted a bed time snack? Only if I could shove it down in less than three minutes. I wasn't so sure that "early to bed", was for me." If fact, I'm embarrassed to admit, that out of the four days, I only successfully made it to bed by 10 o'clock one time.
So then, what is best? Is it better to sacrifice my emotional health, and time with my husband to get to bed early, or is it better to sacrifice my health and my happiness in the morning, to stay up late?
All things considered, I come back again to my favorite life philosophy, balance! I can make an effort to get to bed a little earlier, and not stay up unreasonably late, while still making time for the things, and the one's I love.
Today's a new day, let's make it purposeful!
Kara
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