Let's Try This Again, Shall We?

 I am extremely new to the idea of internet blogging, I won't lie. I just had a beautifully written piece in front of me, all ready to be shared with the world (or at least my psychology class) and then it was gone. Poof. Gone. My links are gone. Everything is gone and I'm annoyed, but I suppose that's part of what this is about.

Sleep deprivation can cause a lot of really unpleasant side effects. These include trouble focusing and problem solving, mood swings and irritability, weight gain and other realities of impaired health. 

I consider myself to be chronically sleep deprived at this point. I am a mother of five kids. I have five dogs, including an eight month old puppy. I also have a husband who has sleep apnea (see: snoring) and has a tendency to move about the bed a lot during the night.- The bed that we share with two of our dogs, a black lab and a golden retriever. 

Even if you asked me to, I couldn't pinpoint the exact month or even year that I started to really "feel" the effects of the sleep deprivation. Perhaps somewhere between baby two and baby three, around 2006. Baby #2 did not and does not sleep. At 16 years old, his schedule no longer effects me but for many years, it absolutely did. Throw in two babies after him and all the rest that life has thrown our way and I don't think I would be joking if I said I hadn't felt well-rested since before I had kids, more than 18 years ago.

That said, I would still classify the snoring as the absolute worst sleep-killer of my life. (Sorry, love. It really is.) He has a cpap machine and that helps a lot... when he uses it. But the cpap machine is tricky because he has to be "ready to fall asleep" before he puts it on but still "technically awake" and that window is very, very small in this instance.- Me trying to get him to put it on once we've passed that window is impossible. 

There are a lot of reasons listed on the NIH for sleep deprivation including sleep apnea (can't breathe), insomnia (can't sleep), and restless leg syndrome (can't stop moving) but I do think the apnea is my favorite specifically because I don't have it but I definitely do suffer with it. I think, perhaps, more than he does even.

The NIH also advises that adults need between 7 and 8 hours of sleep per night. It doesn't say uninterrupted but I do imagine that that's what they mean. 7 to 8 hours of "quality" sleep per night for the average adult. In the last week of keeping score, I have found myself to be at an average of 3 hours of uninterrupted sleep per night.

My reaction during all of this wakefulness, as you can imagine, is irritation, frustration, annoyance, and even anger. My mood throughout the day tends to be a variation of those exact moods as well and that is not how or who I want to be.

Enter: Meditative Practices.

Meditative practices have been linked to a few things when it comes to sleep deprivation. Two that I am particularly interested in right now are the idea that meditation can actually lessen our need for sleep and the idea that meditation can be implemented as an intervention for sleep deprived persons. In the end, whether I need less sleep or feel better in spite of less sleep, I feel like it would be a win!

This last week, I have been meditating for one half hour per morning, about 6am. I sit in my office, in the lotus position, facing my bookshelves with pink noise playing or a guided meditation. I begin by relaxing my body and focusing in on my breathing, letting my mind and body quiet themselves and I spend roughly a half hour in this state.

So far, I have not noticed a tremendous difference. I want to say I am less irritable but based on this morning, that might not be true. I think that part of what I'm doing may be setting the intention to be calmer, more patient, more aware of myself and those around me.

Starting today, I intend to move to afternoons, about lunch time, to see if having a "refresher" part way through my day has a larger effect. The week after that, I will move to evenings, after dinner, to see how it may effect my ability to fall asleep and stay asleep if I am calm and not gearing up for a snore-fest. 

After that, I intend to lengthen the sessions. I may also start taking a walk, out in nature, to see if that seems like a more effective practice than sitting in the quiet. I have high hopes.

Links to two interesting studies:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3612308/
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/1744-9081-6-47

NIH page:
https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-offers-new-comprehensive-guide-healthy-sleep

Another interesting page, not scholarly work:
https://www.artofliving.org/in-en/meditation/meditation-for-you/meditation-for-better-sleep

Pink Noise:
https://youtu.be/ZXtimhT-ff4

Guided Meditations:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgdxvG3Ulbidz8n_l3rZdcAADnDJ6NFHO