Sleep...Why I don't and why I need to

Everybody knows how important sleep is to our health.  The amount and quality of sleep we get each night radically affects almost every aspect of our health, from our hearts to our weight to our mental health. Sleep deprivation causes a startling amount of car accidents each year.  In fact, the CDC reports that 1 in 20 adults has fallen asleep at the wheel.  I know there were many times when I was working several jobs or working and going to school at night when I was too tired to drive safely.  Yet I did anyway.

I am working on losing weight.  Again. Or maybe still.  However I phrase it, the end result is the same. I have been saying I was going to work on losing weight and I only gave it a little bit of a try.  Couple that with the foot injuries I have been battling and the extra weight has been hanging around like a bad penny.

I decided I need a holistic and more of a project approach to this.  By project I mean I need to be a good planner.  I need to plan what I am going to eat and when and also when I will exercise.  By looking at losing weight in a holistic manner I realized that I do not get nearly enough sleep!

There are many reasons why people don't sleep enough - they are working, doing housework, night owls, drink too much caffeine, and on and on.  I tend to do a lot of little things around the house after Lilly is asleep and then I unwind by fooling around on the computer or watching some television.  What does this mean?  I need to change several little routines so that I can make the bigger change of going to sleep earlier and waking up without being exhausted still.

Since I am working full time at a summer camp for 7 weeks, I think I will be forced to get enough sleep.  I know it will be exhausting! The person who came to speak to us from the camp's insurer even spoke about the dangers of sleep deprivation, as did the camp director.

With all that being said, I think part of it is that I just have to get myself into bed!  Easier said than done for this night owl....

How much sleep do you get per night?  What are some tips for getting a good night's sleep?

lessons learned

ahhh....The first day of summer break.  Yesterday was the last day of the 2011-2012 school year.  This past year I have learned so much about myself as a coach, a mother, a wife, a peson.

• I am stronger than I thought I was.
• I will fight for my family when needed.
• I have an amazing network of colleagues who are talented, funny and supportive.
• I don't always know what is going on behind the scenes when I am speaking to a teacher.  I need to find out before making judgements.
• If I listen, they will talk.  In one week 3 different women shared very personal stories with me.  
• I am a good mother.
• I like working.
• They are not exclusive of each other.  You CAN be a good working mother.  

Finally, I learned that I cannot blog as often as I like!  The past 6 weeks I have not written one blog post.  I started writing a post about sleep.  Was that a hint?  I think so.  Maybe I will finish that one, because it is a perpetual theme in my life.  I don't get enough sleep.  I want more.  I need more.  

I am working at an amazing summer day camp starting next Monday.  I spent the past weekend (Thursday-Sunday) at orientation and training.  It was a blast!  I was invigorated by the high-energy of the owners/directors and other camp staff.  I am thrilled that Lilly gets to have this experience because I am working there.  The program I am running is called Passport because it is in essence  "cooking around the world."  I may just be updating my other blog Girls Can Grill with some of the recipes.  Of course I won't be grilling anything really, so there may need to be a name change.  

I plan on returning to the world of blogging here on the Mommy Chronicles, as well.  I miss writing!

Happy Summer!!