Are You Getting Enough Rest?

I read an interesting report this week about the connection between Daylight Saving Time and heart attacks. Basically, researchers have discovered a 5% increase in heart attacks following the beginning of Daylight Saving Time (when we lose one hour of sleep each spring), and a decrease by about the same amount when we gain an hour of sleep in the fall.

Now, you might be thinking, "What does that have to do with me?"

Well, if you're like a lot of single parents who burn the candle at both ends, this research study may have a lot to do with you. How many times a week do you try to get by on fewer than six hours of sleep? (Too many, right?)

And it's understandable because a) there's too much to be done each day to go to bed early, and b) the only time you get to yourself on a regular basis is when the kids are in bed.

But what would happen if you let just one thing go and forced yourself to go to bed, say, fifteen minutes earlier each night? Or, what if it was half an hour?

Your immediate reaction might be, "There's no way I could do that! There's too much that wouldn't get done."

And that's legitimate, because taking care of yourself comes with a cost. But you also have to ask yourself, "What is the cost of not taking care of myself?" Are you more irritable? Less productive? And could it be possible that you're compromising your physical well-being, as well?

These are tough questions, because taking care of yourself demands that you balance a life that is often tipped far more--and with good reason--toward your kids' needs than your own.

But I'll leave you with this thought for today: Just beginning to think about it, to allow your own self-care to be on your personal radar screen, is a positive step. Begin to become aware of whether you're meeting or ignoring your own needs, and that awareness will help you take baby steps in the direction you need to go.

More:

• Establish a Consistent Bedtime Routine
• Get Your Kids to Sleep in Their Own Beds
• Video: How to Maximize Evening Quality Time With Your Kids
• The Daylight Savings Loss

^Source:

Nano, Stephanie. "Turning your clock back Sunday may help your heart." The Associated Press. 30 Oct. 2008. 31 Oct. 2008 <http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hIMtwfIXF6JIuHtLA1_CtvLil63wD944KD100>.

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