Written by Sleep is vital to humans. Eight hours is the recommended amount of sleep that we have become accustomed to believing we should have. I recently read an article written on the Sleep Foundation website. Dr. Abhinav Singh, a sleep specialist, medically reviewed it. The article’s author, Eric Suni, discussed the recommended sleep ranges based on a person’s age. For example, teenagers are recommended to get between 8-10 of sleep, while a school-age child between 6-12 years is recommended to receive between 9-12 hours. Adults are recommended at seven or more. (Suni, Singh, 2023) What does this have to do with grinding and using your grief to do it? Absolutely everything. As I read more into the article, it linked to its source, which was the National Library of Medicine. I read several other articles that discussed healthy sleeping and sleep patterns. I noticed that sleep balance is integral to achieving goals and addressing action. One article discussed that people dealing with grief-related circumstances might have difficulty sleeping, affecting their thinking and attitude. This can lead to a more long-term or complicated grief situation for the individual. (Szuhany, Young, et Al, 2020).
I talk about how grief can birth a better version of yourself, and it has been shown various times. For Example, Buster Douglas lost his mother in 1990 and subsequently used that grief as a catalyst to knock out “Iron” Mike Tyson. According to Douglas, his mother’s last wishes were that he would knock out Mike. Brett Farve put on a quarterback clinic in 2003, one day after his father died. It included 399 yards and four personal touchdowns. I am sure that the issues they faced cost them some sleep.
I do not recommend that a lack of sleep will create a superior outcome. In fact, consistent sleep patterns are a valuable part of getting to a better version of ourselves. An article in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports discusses the relationship between optimal sleep and performance in elite athletes (Simpson, Gibb, Matheson, 2017). I see a true comparison to this very intense grind mixed with managing grief to elite athletes’ training regimen. It takes a lot to retrain your mind to believe that you can use grief to extract a better version of yourself. That takes getting the proper rest so that your mind can think better. Believing that you can address daunting mental issues, like a loss, and use it to carry you forward, is not in the normal lexicon of thought. Therefore, ensuring you are well-rested is vital to seeing your beliefs become realities.
Yes, we can become haunted by the images of our grief, which lends to the difficulties in meeting our tasks. Still, we must understand that depriving ourselves of needed sleep only complicates matters and turns our attempts into demons. Getting through a grievous situation is already a challenge, so do not give your challenges additional ammunition to fight you. Lack of proper sleep becomes self-defeating.
I recommend a couple of things to help manage sleep because it will better help to address the challenges and give you the strength to endure and believe you will be able to use grief to your advantage and become that better version of yourself that you are seeking.
- Create a sleep pattern conducive to getting at least seven hours of rest per night.
- Avoid drugs and alcohol because they will “throw off” sleep patterns.
- Do not eat before you go to sleep. Give yourself 3-4 hours of digestion before rest.
- Do not drink caffeine at night.
- Do not waste time by doing things that encourage you to stay awake, like late-night TV or scrolling through the internet or social media.
- Stop hanging out late or with people encouraging such activity.
Yes, the recommendations seem to condemn fun, but that is not the intention. It means that you have decided to focus on getting to a better version of yourself, and that decision means that you must see that past circumstances will not get you to that new freedom you seek. Look at things like boredom differently. Also, look at things that are making you healthier differently. Instead of seeing them as condemnations, see them as pathways to your better. Sleep helps change your thoughts. Remember that this is a fee you pay to get to your better and not a fine.
None of this will be easy. It takes intense work and a change in thinking. Proper rest is a tool that will address both. You will strengthen your body by allowing it to recalibrate, and you are giving your mind the ability to recharge. Sleep creates the ultimate win/win opportunity. Plus, it is something you can take control of. Use it to your advantage to learn how to use your grief to your advantage better as well.
Bibliography
Suni, E., & Singh, A., Dr. (2023, March 22). How Much Sleep Do We Really Need? Sleep Foundation. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/how-much-sleep-do-we-really-need
Szuhany, K. L., Young, A., Mauro, C., Garcia de la Garza, A., Spandorfer, J., Lubin, R., Skritskaya, N. A., Hoeppner, S. S., Li, M., Pace-Schott, E., Zisook, S., Reynolds, C. F., Shear, M. K., & Simon, N. M. (2020). Impact of sleep on complicated grief severity and outcomes. Depression and anxiety, 37(1), 73–80. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.22929
Simpson, N. S., Gibbs, E. L., & Matheson, G. O. (2017). Optimizing sleep to maximize performance: implications and recommendations for elite athletes. Scandinavian journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 27(3), 266–274. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.12703
Watson, N. F., Badr, M. S., Belenky, G., Bliwise, D. L., Buxton, O. M., Buysse, D., Dinges, D. F., Gangwisch, J., Grandner, M. A., Kushida, C., Malhotra, R. K., Martin, J. L., Patel, S. R., Quan, S. F., & Tasali, E. (2015). Recommended Amount of Sleep for a Healthy Adult: A Joint Consensus Statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society. Sleep, 38(6), 843–844. https://doi.org/10.5665/sleep.4716