Tuesday, August 6, 2013

15 Minute Challenge - It's Not Just Beauty Sleep

Life is getting back to normal after our 10 day vacation.  Laundry is pretty much caught up, I've caught up on sleep, but still working to get caught up on stuff at work.  Two out of three is not bad.  As much as I enjoyed vacation, I was so ready to get back into the sewing room last weekend.  Mon Ami is ready for borders, so a finished flimsy is a near thing.  I always get energized when a project gets close to being done.  It always takes longer to get the borders on than I expect, but even so, it's nice to get one more project to that stage.  

As much as I itched to get back into the sewing room after vacation, my energy level last week had other ideas.  



The siren song of the recliner caught me in it's web 3 of the last 7 days, so only 4 days of sewing last week.  Not a bad week, lots got done on the weekend.  Maybe it was being at a higher altitude for a week, whatever the reason, I was pretty much exhausted after work each night last week.  One night My Guy had to wake me up twice before I managed to make it from the recliner to the bed.  It's hard to want to sew when one is that tired.  

Not getting enough sleep is a big creativity killer.  It's hard to focus when you are tired, so you make more mistakes.  If I'm feeling really tired, sewing is usually a bad idea. More unsewing goes on than sewing in those instances.  According to the most of the references I found, most people need 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night.  But the National Sleep Foundation says that most women only average about 6 hours and 49 minutes of sleep on work nights, plus have more problems then their guys do in getting to sleep and staying asleep.  

After all that you've probably guessed that August's Fostering Creativity theme is "get a good night's sleep".  The reading I did getting ready for this post was pretty eye opening.  Recent research into chronic sleep deprivation is turning up links to some scary longer term health effects.  Just an hour of research had me deciding that improving my sleeping habits should be one of my goals for the rest of the year.  Look for more on the health effects, causes of poor sleep habits, and tips for better sleep over the next month.  

How was your week?  Did you find the time and the energy to spend some creative time in your sewing room or with your yarn and needles?  Either way link up and share your success and challenges in being creative this last week.  



8 comments:

Pat said...

When I worked I survived on about 6 hours sleep. Since I retired, I get between 8 to 10 hours and I'm less stressed. I highly recommend it.

thea said...

Looks like I'm pretty average in the sleep category -- unless I'm stressed, then it's much worse. Good idea getting your rest -- funny though that you have to rest after being on vacation.

Shay said...

Im well below average in the sleep stakes. Im lucky to get 6 hours a night and thats every night - not just weeknights. I do often nanna nap on weekends . If I lay vertical after 2 pm it's often dangerous. I completely miss 3,4 and 5 pm!

Marti said...

LOL on the series of events that led to this month's theme. I have been really tired lately, for no reason that I know, and I have done more than the usual amount of unsewing.

Julie in GA said...

I know that I haven't been getting as much sleep as I should lately. It's so hard to find time for all the things we have to do plus those we want to do, i.e. quilting.

Katie Z. said...

I agree... Borders always take longer than I anticipate!

AnnieO said...

Since I started a new job with a completely different work schedule I have definitely been sleep deprived and unable to sew most work nights--what a drag! So I think your four nights of stitching are great!

make.share.give said...

I've slept great for 3 months, but this week, I've woken up several times to check the clock. Back to school tomorrow!