Archives for March 2012

Remember how I tackled my morning routine a couple of weeks ago? I am happy to report that I am still sticking to it (most days) and love the little bit of ‘down time’ with which I get to start my days now. In fact, I am kind of giddy to get up in the morning and to hear my coffee maker start automatically when I am in the bathroom getting ready. However, it has become blatantly clear to me that, while I love getting up a bit earlier to enjoy my mornings, I do have to work on my night routine. And with that, I mean my sleeping patterns.

As it stands, I get 6,5 hours of sleep right now (on average) during my work week and while this may be enough for a lot of people and I am able to function fine on 6,5 hours of sleep, I know that I would love to get at least 7 hours every night, 8 would be even better.
On the weekends, if I don’t have to be anywhere the next morning, I sleep anywhere from 8 to 12 hours a night – easily. They say that you can’t really ‘catch up’ on sleep, but I can only assume that this is what my body is doing.

The dilemma is this: I know I’ll always be tired in the morning if I don’t get enough sleep, but it’s so hard for me to implement an earlier bed time, because my evenings are always so short and there are so many things I want to do. I know that sleep should have as much, if not more, weight in the decision on how I spend my time when I am not at work, but during the week, it always gets cut short in favor of other activities/chores.

And then, to make it even more difficult, I think there is an adjustment period to a certain (longer) sleep pattern, because if I occasionally manage to pull myself away from the computer/TV/a book/J/you-name-it earlier than usual and head to bed early and actually do get more sleep during the night, I am typically even more exhausted the next morning than I usually am.

Does that sound familiar to anyone?

Maybe I do fine with 6,5 hours of sleep, maybe that is my “happy average”? But then why am I often tired in the morning? And why do I crash like this on the weekends? Is there even an average amount of sleep that makes us feel most energetic, or is this just a hypothesis and in fact unrealistic because our need for sleep changes with every day circumstances?

As I am still in the “testing phase” of finding a new, better!, sleep pattern to compliment my improved morning routine, I am really looking for some insight and experience from you:

How much sleep do you get during the week? Or on the weekend?
Do you feel sleep-deprived or are you pretty happy with the sleep you’re getting?
What’s your night routine?

While I don’t consider myself a grumpy person in the morning, having the alarm clock go off anytime before – let’s say – 7 o’clock is cruel. I start work at 7 a.m. and my alarm usually goes off around 5:45 a.m. (thank goodness for short commutes – a long drive to work would kill me). Unless I am not taking a shower in the morning, I need about an hour to get ready and head out the door. I really try to stay in bed as long as possible in the morning. I often hit the snooze button for a couple of times.

Last week, in an effort to practice some self love and do something that will positively impact me daily, I decided to work on my routine and incorporate some small rituals. I know that I have a much better start into the day when I leave myself enough time to get ready and factor in some extra time in the morning to do something enjoyable, instead of rushing out the door.

Here are a few things I changed about my morning routine to make it less stressful:

1. Stop hitting the snooze button. As much as I want to turn around and cuddle into my blanket , when my alarm goes off, it doesn’t really avoid the inevitable. I still need to get out of bed. So, instead of dragging it out, I am trying to get up right away (because honestly, it only gets harder, the longer you wait).

2. Take a shower in the morning whenever possible. Sometimes, when I go to the gym or just decide to take a shower in the evening, I don’t feel like taking another one in the morning, BUT I feel so much more fresh and awake if I do. So, I am trying to make it a ritual to take a shower every morning.

3. Have my first cup of coffee at home. Since I am the first one in the office in the morning, I usually make coffee right when I get to work. However, I really enjoy taking some time to have my first cup of coffee. We have this awesome programmable coffee maker that I get all ready to go at night and when I get out of the shower in the morning, the coffee is brewed and fresh coffee smell is greeting me. Great good morning feeling right there – BAM.

4. Eat a small breakfast. I know, that should be a no-brainer and I actually love breakfast (it’s my favorite meal of the day!), but during the week, I used to leave for work without any breakfast. I think eating a small bowl of granola and fruit will help me jump-start my energy. (I also try to drink a big glass of water along with my coffee to get the hydration going, as this is such a difficult thing for me.)

5. Spend 15 minutes relaxed on the couch doing something fun. After I get my cup of coffee, I settle in on the couch for 15 minutes and do something fun while sipping my coffee. Sometimes, I just listen to the world outside waking up. Sometimes, I catch up on my Twitter feed. Sometimes, I just browse through a few pages of Real Simple or jot down a few ideas for my blog. All this helps me to start my morning with an extra deep breath and some inner focus, before I head out the door.

What’s your morning routine like?
Do you stay in bed as long as you can
or are you making time for yourself in the morning?