As I sit here exhausted after another day of work and realizing it’s only TUESDAY I’m wondering if I’m the only one who doesn’t get enough sleep.
Right now it’s just about 11 PM. I woke up at 6:30, showered, made breakfast, spent an hour in rush hour traffic, worked all day, ran errands after work, made dinner, made lunches, cleanup up, helped put the little guy to bed, pulled something out for dinner tomorrow and finally sat on couch and watched a little TV while I caught up on email and posted my dinner o GreenLiteBites. All this in a house that’s only 65% unpacked after our recent move.
Geesh.. I’m tired!
I was seriously thinking about going to bed early tonight. There’s no doubt I could have fallen asleep. But then I’d have no time for me. Know what I mean? I have no time to workout at the moment but geesh… if I don’t get a couple of hours for me to unwind, watch a little TV and blog then it’s all just go go go all day.
OK, I feel like a big whiner. I guess what I’m asking is do you feel you get enough sleep? Do you give up something to get a few more hours in bed? How do you balance what you need to do, what you want to do and sleep??
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Hi Roni,
No, I do not get enough sleep either. I am a lot like you in that I start early and run almost non-stop most days. There are some days that I get home early enough to get to bed early, but I tend to find something to fill the time. It just seems like if I slow down I feel like I am not using my time wisely and there is so much that I want/need to do. I know, in the end, this is not healthy. I think it would be better for people like us to force our selves into the habit of at least taking one night every now and then and just going to bed at 9pm and sleeping all night long.
i am a bed bug! i get at least seven hours of sleep a night. i leave the dishes in the sink, the laundry waits til the weekends,etc. my sleep is way more important. i guess in a way sleeping (and working out) is my me-time.
I’m a person that NEEDS lots of sleep of else I’m a total zombie by day. Lately I’ve been making more of an effort to get to bed early… I set my a reminder on my phone for 10pm. It simply says “Stretches and then bed!”. I’m trying to stretch more and I also find it helps to relax me before bed. I find then usually by 10.30 I’m in bed. I might read for 15 minutes or so to unwind some more. It doesn’t happen every night but it is happening more and more regularly and I’m really feeling the benefit of it.
Did I have to give up something? I’m afraid the answer is yes. TV. Not totally though. I maybe watch 1 program each evening.. whatever my fave is at the moment. That’s if I can fit it in though. If I have too much to do then I skip the TV altogether. I figure it’s only TV, yes I enjoy it but I enjoy feeling human by day too and in the grand scheme of things tv really isn’t that important. TV while I love it can be such a black hole for time!
Oh also I compromise by recording some of my shows and watching them at the weekends too :)
I wrote something in my blog over the weekend about this! I do NOT get enough sleep and, sadly, what usually gets cut is me time. I was totally out of sync with myself and my life. Not exercising, not planning my food…you know the story! I must leave the house anywhere between 5:10 AM to 5:40 AM. Exercise before work is out of the question for me. And I can’t go right to sleep when I go to bed either, I need to unwind. We do tivo many of our fave shows and play catch up on the weekend. Yes, we are an exciting couple! LOL
To help this week, Sunday night, I made a list of what I wished to accomplish THIS week along with my week’s menu. (I’ll do this on Friday this week so I can make a once a week grocery trip on Saturday.) I divided it up by day and packed my gym bag in the car for on the way home from work. Then I took a good look at my list and crossed off the things that just were not THAT important. I gave myself one day for “errands” so I don’t waste percious time with side trips all week. It IS only Wednesday morning, but so far I am keeping it up.
As for your unnpacking….try setting a timer for only 15 minutes at a time and dig in to one box. If you feel like it, when that time is up, set it again! Just do little bits at a time and you won’t feel overwhelmed.
And, yes, there have been nights when I just go to bed early and call it quits. Sometimes, you just have to.
Funny you should mention this. I have been writing about the same thing for the past few days. It seems to be an all to common problem on the blogs lately. There are never enough hours in the day to get it all in. I don’t even have kids so I honestly don’t know how those that do manage to make it through one day of work, errands, activities, etc. etc.
Hopefully we can all get some zzzzzzz’s soon!!
Hiiii. :) It’s okay, I know how you feel. I wake up at 6:00 am, and get home from university at 10:45 pm.
I get an adequate amount of sleep, but never enough. :)
You just do it. Do your days one by one. Everything will balance out. Good luck!
Definitely never enough sleep. I work nights full time and have a very erratic, unpredictable schedule from week to week, month to month. I take care of my very energetic 2 year old all day. I love being a Mom. I love being a nurse. But just last night I was thinking, something’s got to give. I’ve been stuck on a weight loss plateau for months. I haven’t gone for a run in three days. I have no clothes for fall or winter. When is there time to go shopping? How do people do it? I try not to say much because I don’t want to be a complainer.
I find that I’ve had to adjust my routines a little bit to make sure i get the sleep I need. Not the sleep I want, but the sleep I need. For me, this is the minimum amount required to not be a first class biotch all day :)
I started showering and washing my hair etc before bed instead of the mornings. I still ‘rinse off’ in the morning but the major showering gets done at night. This saves me a ton of time in the morning because I don’t have to dry my hair etc etc. I also have taken to packing my entire next days meals the night before (sometimes a couple nights before).
And lastly…as much as I absolutely ADORE working out in the mornings, it’s just not worth the extra 2 hours I would have to get up early to make that happen. So I’ve accepted that working out after work is ok with me.
Granted, I do not have a husband or a child. Just a dog, who thankfully, is extrememly independent anyway!
I to am go, go, go. Problem is that when I do climb into bed my brain in still go, go, go. I have not been sleeping well at all. Even with the unpacking, make sure you get enough sleep. I went and saw a doc, thought I was going through depression. Got some sleep meds and within 2 nights of some solid sleep, I am a whole new person. I just don’t get wind down time but I need to start trying to fit it in so I can stop taking the sleeping meds.
So be sure to get enough sleep! Sleep deprivation can do strange things to you!
I work 12 hour shifts on night shift, so I almost always feel tired. I try to make up the lack of sleep on my days off, but it doesnt work that way. I long to have a regular sleep schedule.
I’m a pediatrics resident, so I work 80+ hours a week with up to 30 hours on at a time… my husband is also a physician working 80+ hours a week… and we need our sleep! Getting up at 4am is much easier when we’re in bed BY 9pm every night. At first, it was awful. I felt like I was giving up time and activities and friends… but I went for it, and now it’s a normal routine. We splurge and stay up on days off (sometimes…) or to see friends, but for the most part, we decided our time together and at work was better spent after a good night’s sleep! Give yourself a trial run of getting 8 hours – lay out your clothes, pack your meals, trick the toddler into an earlier dinner and earlier bedtime, whatever it takes. I promise it will be worth it! :)
I NEVER get enough sleep! I need that time for me and for exercise and for work that doesn’t quit when my office closes. I’m lucky if I get 7 hours most days.
I don’t get enough sleep, either :( Mainly because my 7 yr. old still gets up every night. It’s been going on since birth. When she was 2, she would get up every night by 12 a.m. and be up until 4 a.m. I tried everything in the entire world with this kid, but she just doesn’t require a lot of sleep. She’s much better now and at least, she goes back to bed, but I always have to take her back to bed which wakes me up for at least an hour or so. UGH! I’m hoping for the day when she’s a teenager and wants to sleep until noon; I’m going to go in her room every half hour starting at 7 a.m. and wake her up!!
Yeah, I think I do get enough sleep. First of all, I sleep until 7am, and lie in bed for 10-15 minutes watching the news. I don’t take a shower absolutely every morning, sometimes I take one at night (which I consider “me” time, so that can be part of my quiet evening). I do have a long commute, taking my kids 25 minutes to my mother-in-law’s house, then 15 minutes back to work. I get a lot of my blogging type stuff done at work (thank you, Employer! I work extra hard the rest of the time!).
But I think maybe where you could get some extra time is in the evening, perhaps. Maybe if your quiet self-time started earlier in the evening, you wouldn’t have to stay up ’till 11 to feel you’ve had enough of it. Sounds like your husband might be able to help out more in the evenings, if possible… like, you cook dinner, but he gets Kid ready for bed. Maybe he runs errands for you sometimes. Maybe you make lunches, and Hubby does kitchen clean-up. That’s pretty much how my husband and I do it–he cooks, I straighten the house and play with the kids, we eat together, relax, get the kids in bed by 8:30. By 9 we are usually alone and have the rest of the evening to do what we want. We usually go to bed around 11:30.
Roni -
The words “enough sleep” are right up there with “extra money”. Oxymoron. Wait until the little guy needs help with homework on top of everything else….
It’s so hard to get everything in, and you’re right – something usually has to suffer. I try to get my workout in on my lunch hour, and my “me -time” is usually an hour or so after my kids go to bed. They’re in bed at 8:30pm. I usually spend an hour or so reading or watching TV to unwind – then I try to go to bed, as I know that alarm clock is going to go off at 5:30am again.
Laura – You are assuming the husband doesn’t but the sad thing is he does AND we still don’t have time. lol I just need to pick and choose what I want to get done in a day and make sleep non-negotiable.. Simple as that.
Reading eveyones comments has helped. A lot.
Never. I never get enough sleep. I am perpetually exhausted. DH is a true partner with the kids and the house too, but with dinner, picking up the house, laundry, cleaning up the kitchen, selecting clothes for tomorrow, packing lunches, etc. … we are both tired all the time. We have 2 girls, one in 1st grade and one in preschool. We also have a nanny, so I don’t have to do pick up after school or anything but GOOD GOD there are not enough hours in the day. I am so glad that I am not alone in feeling this way. If I didn’t stay up, I’d never have “me” time. DH feels the same way.
I don’t know how you do it Roni. Sleep is a must. must. must. for me! It’s not even an option. I think that I consider sleep me time because when I am tired I am good for nothing (and all I want to do is eat sweets!). I know you have a lot on your plate but maybe just letting a few things go from the to-do list every now and then would help.
Sometimes, things just have to wait… like laundry, dishes, etc. I feel bad about it, but if I don’t take the time to exercise, go for a walk, watch a tv program, I’m not good to anybody. Try and take at least one eveing each week for just you. You can always catch up on a Saturday morning. The dishes, dusting, boxes aren’t going anywhere. Sleeping is essential to a healthy and productive life. Remember that–you are doing this for you and for your family. You must take the time for you.
Sleep? What is that?
I generally go to bed around 11pm or so. I’m up by 5am almost every day. I also wake up once or twice during the night. Every. Night.
Oh, and I’m a single mom. Yeah, I’m exhausted all the time. I can’t imagine how glorious it would be to get 7-8 hours of sleep in a night.
Like some of the other commenters, my sleep is a priorty and comes before any dishes, laundry, etc. (of course, it helps that I only have me and my cat to look after!). But due to insomnia/worries (not because I don’t have the time), I sometimes still don’t get enough sleep…that’s where sleeping pills are my best friend. :-)
I’m always a believer in not doing too much :) But here I am – doing too much lately. So I drop the unnecessary stuff. For instance, I rarely watch TV now. Instead I spend that time reading and sleeping. For the shows I really love, I DVR them and watch on the treadmill.
Since starting my new job, I’ve been getting up extra early (5:30) and so I go to bed earlier. I try to be in bed around 9:30 and sleeping some time after 10:00. Sleep is important for health and sanity :)
I also agree about housework. It can wait! I try to do it when I can and also get help from the kids and my dh. Fitting it in here and there, but not expecting perfection.
Right now, with the move and all I’m sure your life is super crazy. But hopefully soon you can find a schedule that can help you carve in enough time for rest :)
I know the feeling of doing anything for a little me time. In August I was so desparate for some alone time, I would stay up one night a week until the wee hours of the morning just to have some quiet time by myself. I loved it but the next day was a huge drag after no sleep. Still tempted to do it but maybe once a month instead of once a week.
Roni, I rarely get enough sleep during the school year! I am a teacher and a mom and my days can be SO packed that I hardly have time to think, let alone sleep:) I feel the same way you do, without a little time to me in the evening, the days just meld into one another and it’s all full steam ahead without many perks. HOWEVER, weekends and holidays I am a sleep pig! I am naturally a night owl, but I LOVE to sleep in and my husband is magnificent about letting me do that. Every year I vow to be “in bed by 11″…since I’m posting this at 11:26 you can tell I don’t usually make it:) I think the days just need to be 8 hours longer so I can fit the sleep in, because I still need it somewhere, but I haven’t figured out the “how” yet. Great question!
Roni,
Altough I go to bed somewhere between 10 and 11, I find that I rarely make it through an entire night’s sleep. I wake up, especially lately, at 1:30 am, then 3-ish and finally when it’s time to get up. I think it’s just that I have so much on my mind. And YES….I feel so exhausted. You’re not alone.
I actually took a personal day off work just to do NOTHING. I helped.
I definitely don’t get enough sleep right now (stupid bladder), but I doubt it’s going to get better after the new baby comes.
I don’t think my husband gets enough sleep either, but he’s military and works 12-14 hour days and it seems like by the time he gets home and we have dinner, it’s time for bed. If we got to bed any earlier, we would never get to see each other.
My exercise time is both my me time AND my unwind time – so that doesn’t get skipped!
Both husband & I make getting enough sleep a priority – just makes our family life run much smoother. I never get less than 8 hours. Plus, this ensures we get quality couple time – wink wink.
I definitely try to get enough sleep most of the time. If I don’t I’m really out of it. I just spent a week on a uni field trip with 5-6 hours a night and long, physically tough days, and really felt it.
A possible suggestion? Don’t know if this is how you meant it, but I read the ’5 miles from home’ comment on your commute photo as meaning that your work isn’t very far from home. Would it be possible to exercise on your way to work, eg running, cycling or something? Or is that not viable, either due to distance or the roads (which look terrible)?
Rhiannon – Yeah.. I didn’t word that correctly I meant only 5 miles into my 30 mile commute and I’ve already sat for 50 minutes. ugh.. just thinking about I get angry. lol
However I have been thinking of ways I could incorporate exercise… like biking to the train station or maybe even working my way up to biking the whole way!
Re: commute … when I was on internship I found out that if I left 10 minutes earlier I would get to work 20 minutes faster. Maybe playing around with your commute time could help? 10 minutes a mile (!) would be frustrating to anyone.
Oh, and sleep, bah! Working moms don’t get much of that. Sometimes my dishes suffer, too, and wait an extra day. You might be interested, that when CPAP patients get their sleep straightened out, they often lose weight as a result. Maybe because of increased energy during the day lets them move more, maybe less snacking to stay awake, who knows. But it is interesting!