Have you ever felt extremely tired as a result of mental or physical exertion? You exhausted energy and your tired became tired?

If your tired isn’t resolved with the underlisted or you suspect it’s caused by an underlying physical or mental health condition, please see your doctor. They can help diagnose the cause and work with you to fix the bug.

How would you feel if making sleep a priority is the solution? I noticed an improved result in my productivity game when I became mindful of sleep.

I grew up with the intention of being a perfect blend of all the energetic qualities I could copy from my parents: my dad sleeping at about 3am and my mum waking up at about 4:30am. I wanted to be the right mix of versatile.

I made remarkable progress while I was in SS2. I’d stay up all night studying Further Mathematics, Physics or Technical Drawing.

While in University (College), staying up all night to pray with friends was never a challenge because I was already used to ~3hours of sleep a day. It was such a cool thing. I’d try going on sleepless sprees. The longest I tried was for 6days with less than 60minutes of naps (in 2015) It felt like a super power. There were always targets in my mind that I was working towards, but they were frankly quite useless.

• 30days without sleep;
• 180days of hard work with ~14days of sleep

I can’t even call these goals anymore, they fit better under the category of suicide. My intention was to consistently create magic and give folks the WoW effect when they hear about my sleeping pattern. I wanted to be the Sleepless One.

Was I seeing results? Yes! The session I channeled that energy into my academics, I had my best results.

I had no reason to doubt my super powers.

Not one!

Why Start Sleeping Now?

Did I meet my match?

Technically!

I started my career in the waste management space in January 2018 and I started experiencing tiredness. My 3hours became lesser than usual. I’d skip meals and not remember until I am reminded by a friend. To be unnecessarily weak after an exhaustive schedule at work became the norm. I’d drive myself home exhausted (I once dozed off the steering – I didn’t say that.)

I was told I needed rest! You’d be surprised to know that I was showing up at work even while I was on leave. My friends say I like stress.

The lockdown happened and it gave me ample time to spice up my sleep pattern. Unexpectedly and I loved the results. I became calmer and more thoughtful. Productivity level increased too.

I had a conversation with a friend last week and we talked about leaving lights on before sleeping. I was curious as to why someone would prefer to sleep in the dark. With the aid of Google, I figured that ambient blue light, the kind that comes from computer screens and televisions, stimulate the brain and suppress its natural production of melatonin, the hormone you need to regulate your sleep cycles.

I have tried to sleep without light in the last four days and I can say that if you are having trouble sleeping, it is best to shut off all sources of ambient light about an hour before you hit the sack. (If I find out this is not true, I’d delete this paragraph in the nearest future.)

If you want to get to sleep around 10pm, get off of Social Media around 9pm and try a few things to help your mind relax for your best chance at a restful nights sleep.

If you’ve made efforts to address the most common causes of tiredness, such as lack of rest, poor eating habits, and stress, without success, and your experience has continued for two weeks or more, please see your doctor.

My Sleeping System

In order to be mindful of sleep, I did the following:

• I made sleep a priority.
• Stopped taking my computer, iPad, and phone to bed.
• I set a Do – Not – Disturb time. If you can’t call or message me, you wouldn’t be able to reach me with a task. Let every fresh task wait till its official work hours. I am not a computer.

Technology has made it easier than ever to collect data about all aspects of our lives. Various types of sleep trackers apply sensors to assess how much sleep we get and the quality of that sleep.

I decided to use a system of recording my sleep analysis daily, logged in a journal, to track my progress. I picked details from my phone and record on my Notion page to track my progress. If there is a deficit, I’d carry it over.

Sleep trackers can help identify trends that allow you to improve your sleep habits and sleep hygiene.

A sleep tracker can’t eliminate the need for sufficient, consistent, and high-quality sleep, and you should only use one if it advances that goal. Every Sunday, I look back on my sleep pattern, observe how I had improved from the start of the week and take note of when I need to put in more hours. 

Health is vital and to help boost your energy levels and overall health:

• get enough sleep
• avoid known stressors
• exercise on a regular basis
• eat real food (balanced meals)
• take part in relaxing activities, such as yoga
• abstain from alcohol, tobacco, and other illicit drugs
• drink water and mind your business to stay hydrated
• avoid a work or social schedule that’s overly demanding

This lifestyle change can ease your sleepless routine. It’s also important to follow your doctor’s recommended treatment plan for any diagnosed health conditions. If left untreated, sleeplessness can take a toll on your physical and emotional well-being.

My conclusion on sleep, mindfulness and productivity is this: learn how to cultivate a better sleeping habit because you are never too busy to sleep.

This will definitely be a topic I will be re-visiting in the future, it’s an area where I am new and will be looking to perfect the system.

In four months, I have seen the value of sleep in the middle of a pandemic. I stumbled on how to use my own system as a guide and keep self on track. The goal is to average 5hours by December 2020 and it is possible.