I have a confession to make. Since I'm putting my personal self out there for you, I feel the need to make it right.While I'm busy encouraging schools to start later, putting my kids to bed at a consistent hour every night and fighting to make high schoolers sleep needs a scheduling priority, I have not been practicing what I preach. I am guilty of burning the midnight oil. Well past midnight, I might add.
Maybe it's the New Year calling. Perhaps it's the extra awareness I have of the sleep needs of others. Falling asleep at red lights and losing patience with my kids is another sure sign that this situation must be remedied. In any case, I don't want to cheapen this effort as a "resolution", but it is a personal declaration. It is, in fact, a personal curfew.
If it's good enough for my kids and keeps them less cranky and much healthier, it's good enough for me. So, for the last two weeks, I have given myself an official "lights out" at 11:30pm. That is the absolute latest that I am allowed to stay up.
Unlike the old me, you will not find me on Facebook, checking email, completing writing assignments, folding laundry, using my computer or anything else after 11:30pm because I'll be asleep. And that is the LATEST I'm allowed to stay up. (I actually wrote this blog post the day after I planned to because I went to bed at 9:30pm!)
Perhaps the challenges of writing deadlines, a house full of young kids, school and extracurricular activities will force me to stay up as it did in the past. However, perhaps by enforcing this curfew, I will be forced to reprioritize what really has to be done during the day instead of leaving it for the night and sacrificing my own sleep needs.
After seven consecutive years of dealing with a nursing baby or pregnancy (or both!), my kids are all older and they all sleep through the night. So, the time is right for me to exercise that right as well. Yes, contrary to popular belief, sleep is not a priviledge, but a necessity.
It has only been two weeks and I'm noticing things, even as my laundry pile grows and the paper monster attempts to bury my desk.
- The sore throat I had for two weeks went away.
- I find it very easy to say "no" to requests and prioritize what is important.
- I crave less carbs and sugary snacks and I'm losing weight.
- While I cook dinner, I can run a load of laundry, make a phone call, coach through homework assignments, keep the little ones entertained with arts and crafts and dance with my kids.
My curfew is like an important appointment that I set for myself. Just like a dental cleaning or a doctor's appointment, sleep is easy to put off, but hard to ignore in the long run.
This is another reason why www.StartSchoolLater.net has become such an important cause for me. Sleep needs can no longer be ignored or dismissed as a luxury.
Who's with me? Who wants to make sleep a priority this year? Post your thoughts below and share your insights. Just don't expect me to answer anything if it's past 11:30pm.
