Why should you strive for a good amount of sleep

For the past 3 weeks, I’ve been working from early morning till around midnight. I had the weekends off but still got up early to walk out the dog and prepare breakfast. I didn’t have more than 5-6h of sleep for the past few weeks, and today, when I finally got 8-9h of sleep, I know I’ve been needing it more than ever.

As Daniel Gartenberg, a sleep scientist, have said.

“The fish doesn’t know that he’s in the fishbowl, nonetheless that he’s in water. Also, when you’re sleep-deprived, research has shown that you’re really bad at being able to tell that you’re sleep-deprived.”

I can vouch for that. I knew I needed more sleep but didn’t realize how much until I was finally well-rested after sleeping.

During the first week, I felt fine, a bit tired, but that was something I could handle. It was a bit worse in the next week, but I needed to push through so I won’t have to work over weekends just to be on time with the deadlines. But last week, I saw I was having trouble focusing on the task on hand, and I was easily distracted. It was harder to motivate myself to write another blog post.

I knew the thing would be better starting this week, and finally, I decided to get a full 8-9h of sleep 🛌😴. And oh boy, I feel now like a new person!

I’m not a sleep expert, and I’m not trying to sound like one, but I can tell you this from my own experience. If you want to be productive, get rested by sleeping well. Working constantly doesn’t always translate into having more things done. You’re more effective when you are well rested and can accomplish in 8h of work more than being sleep deprived and work 12-14h a day.

Sometimes life plays its cards one way or another, and as in my case, you work longer and harder. But it’s important to remember to always get the amount of sleep that makes you feel rested.

Here’s an interesting article that may help you build better sleep habits. I’m still building mine.

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