This morning was another Monday of waking up and not really wanting to do anything, so I got dressed and chilled on the recliner and read before kicking off my day. Consequently, that means there’s no cigar to highlight in this session.
I am currently reading Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Mathew Walker, PhD.
I have never been too interested in sleep. Part of that was fear that I would be told I don’t sleep enough. That’s basically what is happening with this book, and I am actually not taking it as hard as I expected myself to.
I have to be out of the house around 5:25-5:30 AM Monday through Friday. So the latest I could feasibly wake up is 5 AM. However, if I want to accomplish anything on my guitar projects (or other garage projects) I squeeze that in in the mornings. So I get up at 4:30 AM.
According to this book, the CDC recommends 7-9 hours of sleep for someone of my age. So I have to be asleep at 9:30 PM to hit my minimum. That is doable, and I can hit that mark some nights. However, our daughter goes to bed between 8-8:30, then I have the barn animals to tend to, a shower to get, and I like to have that one on one time to either talk or relax with my wife. So 9:30 PM is hardly ever a guarantee.
Fortunately, a lot of the research in the book that indicates the health detriments due to sleep deprivation seem to talk about people in the sub-6 hour sleep range. I usually can at least get that. That was not always the case. Historically I have had my bouts of insomnia that have wreaked havoc on my sleep. I also am a fairly light sleeper, so it isn’t uncommon for me to awake through the night.
At any rate, the book makes many references to how the industrialized society we live in is depriving us of an essential act that has a significant impact on our physical and mental wellbeing. I do believe the argument is warranted, however, us adults have the power to make our own decisions and if we are caught in a job that requires us to wake early, then we either need to go to bed early, change jobs, or accept that we are harming ourselves (potentially) in the long run. The far bigger concern to me is the impact this has on our children.
Take care,
-Trevor