Why I Won’t Apologize For Prioritizing Sleep

I have gotten a solid 7-8 hours of sleep almost every day for my entire adulthood, college included. I can count on two hands the amount of nights that I’ve gotten less (I pulled one 3 am study session to pass math in college, no all-nighters). So you can believe me when I say that sleep is important to me.

I have to thank my parents for being annoyingly strict about being in bed at least by 10 pm growing up. Both of them wake up early and to my dad, there was nothing worse than sleeping past 8 am on a Saturday. I giggled so hard when he found out his teen grandchildren were sleeping in until 11 am. That is, I giggled after making sure he wasn’t having a heart attack. My definition of “sleeping in” is now 8:30 am and without an alarm.

Dad, I hope you are proud.

Then I went to college. While most people wanted afternoon classes, I was the weirdo signing up for 8 am classes because I had to work all day after. I never had a schedule that didn’t require waking up “early” for class. So I just adjusted. I had a bedtime routine, I fell asleep by 10:30 pm and I woke up ready to go.

After years and years of this, this is why I prioritize sleep. I feel rested every night and I don’t have any issues falling asleep. I will not apologize for cutting things off at 9 pm so I can be in bed in the next hour. My skin thanks me. My body thanks me. I thank myself. I don’t walk into work complaining about being tired.

Sleep Over Texts

My friends pretty much know that if they text me past 10:15 pm, they are not going to hear back from me until the next morning. While I was slightly made fun of this unspoken rule, I’m now noticing they are doing the same. If I get a text at 10:30 pm from my best friend, I know it’s serious and I check it. I am always seeing studies that talk about how having a phone in your face before bed actually disrupts your sleep and well, you don’t have to tell me twice.

I did have this weird phase where I would text in my sleep in college. But now I’m too tired to even do that.

Tell Your Body It’s Time to Sleep

I am the first to admit I am the LAZIEST about skincare at night. So it’s kind of a shock that I am as obsessed with Korean skincare as I am. (More on what I am learning soon!) I do my 7- 100,000 steps right before bed and I SWEAR to you that the moment I put on my moisturizer, I start yawning.  My skin and I love having a consistent signal that my day is ending and it’s time to wind down.

I take care of my skin, brush my teeth and peace out world.

One of the best things I did in 2017 and, really since I was in my 20’s, was also trying to wake up earlier on the weekends. I HATE hearing people complain about it being Monday and being tired. I read that waking up at a similar time even on the weekends would make Monday easier. So I tried it and it did! Plus you basically get any city to yourself if you wake run errands at 7:30 am on a Saturday.

My next mission is to be one of those people who wake up at 5 am and have one of those magical mornings. So far I am 0/1,589 tries, other than when I have an early morning flight. So I know it’s in me, but I cannot summon it other than for flights. If you’re a 5 am person, I need your secret, other than coffee. I hate it. But that’s for another post.

Anyway, here’s to a full night of sleep in 2018, every day! Sleep over everything. The end.