Catching Up on Sleep

I've heard many people say that catching up on sleep is impossible, and that the best way to move on after sleep deprivation is to start sleeping your usual 7-8 hours per night again. For me, this simply does not work! After days, weeks, or even months of exhaustion after working tirelessly for extended periods of time, I need a lot of time to recover, and this weekend was no exception.

I had been burning the midnight oil for 6-7 weeks now. My body was screaming for sleep, yet I had work that needed to be done with strict timelines. Sacrificing my health, I slaved away to meet my deadlines, only to see how useless I had become. Everything was taking longer, which only prolonged the amount of time I had to stay awake to finish projects. This past weekend, I decided I was not going to use my alarm clock and sleep and sleep until my body felt recovered.

The first night, I slept 14 hours! Yep. That's what it needed. I thought that would be it and I'd be caught up. Nope. The second night, I slept 10 hours. Wow... I had no idea my body needed this much sleep. Onto the last and final night of the weekend... 9 hours! Hmmm, still not at the 7-8 hours yet. My conclusion is this... our bodies NEED ample sleep to stay healthy, and making up sleep takes days or weeks, not just one night! Today, after 3 days of making up sleep, my skin glowed like I hadn't seen in months. I had no idea sleep could make such a difference! The dark circles underneath my eyes were gone and my skin which looked pretty pale over the past few weeks now has a pinkish undertone to it. Who knew that sleep could make such a difference!

So, my advice to you, for all of you who are sleep deprived out there! Make sleep a non-negotiable part of your life. That's my mission I plan on sticking to from here on out. It's just not worth it. And you'll work much more effectively and efficiently by getting ample rest.