I have been very intentional about carving out time for sleep. So in my planner there are, like, blocks also for, like, take a nap, or sleep in, or make sure you go to bed by this time, and I would even set alarms and stuff.
I knew that it needed to be a priority because I had been dealing with sleeping issues in stressful periods since I started at MIT, probably even before then. But it got to a point with my therapist where she was like, you know, we’ve been working on a lot of stuff, and a lot of, like, your emotional work, you’ve done. But you’re not doing what is the best thing you could do for yourself, which is to have a consistent sleep schedule.
And I was like, well, it doesn’t matter. I’m, like, up with the kids and trying to, like, bond with them, and I can’t go to bed earlier. And she was like, I’m just telling you that if you want to be better, and you want to feel better, and you want to be a better supporter for them, if that’s what this is about, then, like, having a consistent sleep schedule is a game changer.
And I was like, OK. She’s been right about a lot of other things. So maybe she’s right about this one. And so I set alarms that would remind me when I should start getting ready for bed. And she was right. I am much more functional person. My memory is much better when I am going to bed and getting up at the same time every day.
