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More Sleep and No Caffeine Update – Day 11

October 23, 2009

Loving the Benefits!

I have been feeling so much better this week! After my tailspin into depression last Thursday my mood has picked up considerably. I’m hovering around the level of content. I am finding that I’m more emotional rather than head-centred. I got emotional a few times this week while writing my speech on domestic violence. This surprised me because I can usually write and speak about it without feeling much attachment to the actual events.

I’m no longer experiencing strong coffee or caffeine cravings. The hardest thing about avoiding caffeine is remembering the trial when I’m out with friends. I always order a soy chai latte or a soy affogato. I have to constantly remind myself to get herbal tea or a smoothie instead.

My sleep is improving. I’m finding it easier to fall asleep more quickly. I think my body is beginning to adapt to the longer sleep schedule. I got to sleep within half an hour Wednesday night, which is nearly a record for me!

It’s easy to get up in the mornings. I’m up at 6:30 on the dot every day. In fact, I wake an hour or so earlier than that, I’m just making myself stay in bed until 6:30 for the duration of the trial.

I keep being surprised by this trial. I thought I would find it difficult to fall asleep at night since I was getting more sleep, but it’s actually easier. Maybe this has to do with consistently getting up early.

A Confession

I broke my sleep schedule Wednesday night. On Thursday I was guest speaker at a Police training course for Domestic Violence Liaison Officers, and I needed a bit of extra time to polish off my speech. That’s another way of saying I didn’t manage my time well enough on the preceding days to ensure I would be finished by 10:00pm Wednesday night. I got to bed at 10:30pm on Wednesday night, which means that my trial now restarts from day one.

Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining

I don’t mind restarting this trial at all. I think I’m past the worst of it now, and restarting will give me a bit more time to set the habit. Breaking the trial on Wednesday was actually a positive because it enabled me to see the benefits of getting more sleep regularly. I went to bed late and kept waking throughout the night because I was nervous about speaking the next day. Despite this I woke and got up early and felt great for the day. Having less sleep for one night didn’t affect me, whereas before it would have knocked me around for the whole day.

The new trial end date is 23 November 2009.


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