via: www.healthline.com
For as long as I can remember, I've been told that I need eight hours of sleep each night in order to get fully rested.
This little fact has brainwashed me.
I'm haunted by what I like to call the 'eight hour curse,' and it keeps me from doing so many productive things that I want to do. It never fails; every night when it's getting close to my 'bed time,' I'll map out in my mind the exact time I need to go to sleep and wake up to get at least eight hours of sleep. If I know I'm going to get any less than that, I consider it a huge inconvenience to myself, which is quite selfish, so I plan out to the exact minute the amount of time I'll need to sleep, get ready for the day and be out the door. I stick to my guns when it comes to my eight-hour/night minimum sleep schedule, and I don't like anything getting in the way of that.
I don't know how accurate the eight hour sleep pattern fact is. It may be totally accurate, or it may be a stretch of the truth, but I do know this. There are a lot of other things I could be doing within that eight hours that I don't do because I'm so paranoid that I have to get that amount of sleep.The real issue with this arises in the mornings.
I find myself sleeping till the last possible minute before I need to get ready and hit the road for wherever I need to be that day. I neglect taking my time to fully wake up and get organized for what's on schedule for the upcoming day. I think to myself, "Breakfast is for the birds" (I still think it is), and I walk out the door knowing that lunch is just a few hours away, and that I can make it until then.
It also affects my spiritual life. When I'm feeling good and disciplined like I like to be, I enjoy waking up early enough to read and journal before the day begins. It gets me off on the right foot, and it allows me to "see the face of God before I see the face of man." It's a great habit that I like to get into, yet sometimes when I'm feeling really plagued by work, life and of course, the eight-hour curse, I neglect the most important aspect of my life.
I make sleep an idol.
It's true, getting good sleep and good rest are much needed in order to have a productive day; however, when the soul focus becomes just getting the perfect amount of sleep and rest, and the focus is turned from what really gives one rest, things can get tired.
What are you idolizing in your life that's causing you to neglect what's important? For me, it's sleep. Let's help each other. Feel free to share any waking up, discipline tips with me if you have some!
-Cliff
Cliff's Note: "You can sleep when you're dead."