Monday, February 6, 2012

Monthly Health Hint

Like so many writers, I have a day job to pay the bills.  I'm lucky to be a teacher so I have weekends off from that job, holidays and about two months during the summer.  Of course, I have children so those hours off are filled with cooking, cleaning, laundry, shopping and doing everything to support my children in their endeavors.  So to find time to write, I have to sacrifice something.  For many years, I gave up sleep.  I learned to live on five to six hours a night, sometimes less.  It was a sacrifice, because I like sleep. I love sleeping in and my job doesn't allow it.

But if the health experts are correct, most people need a minimum of seven to eight hours of sleep per  night.  Lots of people function on less, but more and more studies show there are health issues that develop over time when sleep deprivation becomes a way of life instead of an occasional thing. The risk of diabetes, heart disease, and stress-related illnesses all rise as the hours of sleep sink.  I read a factoid recently that said snails can sleep for three years.  But we're not snails.  So my health advice for the month is get more sleep.  You can write more tomorrow.  Catch up on your blogging tomorrow.  Get more sleep and maybe you'll have more tomorrows.

So is your writing interfering with your healthy sleep habits? How many hours do you need to function?

11 comments:

Rebecca Bradley said...

I absolutely love my sleep and get very cranky if I'm not getting enough. For me this is about 8 hours. I can cope with more though. Much less than 6 and you can see the horns growing out of my head!

jan said...

I'm a "power sleeper". A ten minute nap with my laptop as a pillow and I can get a second wind that keeps me going half the night. That and lots of caffeine...

Miranda Hardy said...

Usually I don't let it interfere with my sleep. Having said that, I was up at 4 this morning working on my blogs. Lol

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Doesn't interfere with my sleep, but I'm sure I don't get quite seven hours every night either.

Melissa Ann Goodwin said...

I prefer 9 hours! I'm okay with 8, 7 on an ongoing basis is not enough. I'm also a fan of the nap. I read somewhere that highly creative people sleep more - so, you are on the right track. Too many people think they have to keep going and going, when some good rest would do so much more good - energetically and creatively!

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

I hadn't heard that about creative people, Melissa. I'll have to use that excuse to sleep in longer on weekends when I do most of my writing.
I do the ten minute power naps too, Jan. My husband doesn't understand how they work.

Jay Noel said...

I could stand to use one more hour of sleep. My body is used to 6 or so. I'm sure I need MORE!!!!

Maria Zannini said...

I wish I could sleep longer, but six hours is the longest I can stay in bed. It works for me since I'm my best in the dark hours of the morning.

How much sleep are you getting now?

Cate Masters said...

I need my straight 8! I can't stay up late writing. Other things interfere, unfortunately.

Anonymous said...

I need seven good hours of sleep. Best to get them continuous. But if I need a nap I will certainly take one.

M.J. Fifield said...

Writing constantly interferes with my sleep. Just last night I didn't make it to bed at all. It's making me a little silly this morning.