Karen Main

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Does sleep increase happiness?

October 5, 2013 By Karen Main 14 Comments

I woke up before my alarm.

Sleep

I blinked again and again,my eyes weren’t stinging and sore.

I lifted my head it felt lighter.

I sat up and gingerly touched my feet to the floor, my legs did not ache.

I thought about heading to the kitchen and yet I was not desperate for my usual pot of tea.

What is this feeling?

It continued……..

I had a little skip in my step, I was humming a tune without music.

The chatter in my head was all in anticipation of the awesome day ahead…..my happy spots.

Life looked, seemed and felt incredibly achievable.  My to do list a no brainer, I was energised.

Did aliens stop by overnight and inject me with feel goodness serum, even better had the fairies drifted in and danced with me leaving rose-coloured glasses behind.

Oh wait, hang on, I know.

I slept and I slept well.

Not just last night but all week.  No late, late nights trawling the internet and fiddling with photos.  I had been in bed at a reasonable 10.30pm every night.

Is this how good I can feel at the very beginning of the day with regular, great nights of sleep?  To wake and greet the day with arms wide open.

To not have to build my energy.  Shifting gears with a shower and then another gear with caffeine.  Can I start my day revving.

I do have a sneaky little habit of kicking in at 10pm, grabbing my second wind and soaring into the wee hours.  I then set my alarm and solider through the next day.  I will wake tired and sluggish and then comes the tricky part. I somehow become over-energised, ramping  up more and more as the day goes on.  My late afternoon slump is the only tell-tale sign of a late night.  My crazy self  is therefore convinced I don’t need a lot of sleep.  My crazy self will often then stay up late again and again.

Delusions of how cool this is boost me along.  Wow I can get by on less sleep.

The big question is, Do I want to get by??????

No way, this life, my life is not about getting by  I want awesome, fabulous, bliss.

Maybe awesome fabulous bliss will enter more easily and frequently if I sleep more often and regularly.

Does that mean no more late nights?  Of course not, they will be in moderation.

What do you think?  Does sleep increase your happiness?



Signature large photo Signaturelarge_zps82b3ad36.png

Filed Under: Captured Bliss, Feeling Fabulous Tagged With: bliss, emotion, happiness, nourish

Comments

  1. Sarah says

    October 5, 2013 at 4:41 pm

    My quality and quantity of sleep dictates my mood and diet for the entire day. You are so brave/committed to take on this 31 Days challenge! I find it hard to manage a post every two weeks 😛 Enjoyed finding you through SITSShareFest…

    Reply
    • Karen Main says

      October 6, 2013 at 10:58 am

      Sarah sleep is so easy to take for granted and yet impacts us so greatly. I usually write 3 posts each week so yes this challenge required a leap with my courage tucked under my arm. So far so good and loving it

      Reply
  2. misssrobin says

    October 5, 2013 at 4:42 pm

    Okay, so this feels like a big kick in the pants to go to bed. I’m on it.

    Congratulations on the great sleep. You’ve inspired me to work harder at it.

    Happy Sharefest!

    Reply
    • Karen Main says

      October 6, 2013 at 10:56 am

      I wish you well with your sleep endeavours.

      Reply
  3. Stacey says

    October 5, 2013 at 10:59 pm

    So glad you listened to that little voice in your head! Just got caught up with your 31 day series…Yes, good sleep does make all the difference in the world when it comes to productivity and relaxation. I’m doing the 31 day series, too, so I’m not getting as much sleep as I’d like. But, hey, this is turning out to be fun, isn’t it!

    Reply
    • Karen Main says

      October 6, 2013 at 10:55 am

      Stacey, yes my sleep patterns will be challenged over the next 31 days, having fun too.

      Reply
  4. Kelly McKenzie says

    October 6, 2013 at 1:16 am

    I could not agree more. Very timely post Karen. My dog Poppy woke me up Wednesday morning at the delightful hour of 2:15. We’d been for a long walk the day before and she’d chewed every stick, twig, and branch she encountered. Hence the need to bolt outside at this ungodly hour. Long story short she went back to sleep, I did not. I was so exhausted all Wednesday and did absolutely nothing. It was such a treat to sleep well Wed. night. I’m back to normal. Yep – sleep makes all the difference in the world. Happy sleep to you!

    Reply
    • Karen Main says

      October 6, 2013 at 10:54 am

      Kelly funny how something we take for granted impacts us so greatly. Sleep….well too

      Reply
  5. Sheila Skillingstead says

    October 6, 2013 at 1:25 am

    I count the number of days I wake up before my alarm as triumphs. I love this blog. This morning I woke up five minutes before my alarm and as you said my eyes were not gritty or burning. I’m ready to enjoy the day and get many things done. Keeping asleep is becoming a problem due to arthritis. Maybe I need to make one more run at trying to cut the pain. Medicine makes me sick but I used to do other therapies to help my hands and feet. Your description of a good night’s sleep is inspiring me to work on it again. Enjoy Sharefest.

    Reply
    • Karen Main says

      October 6, 2013 at 10:52 am

      Sheila thank you thank you. Inspiring anyone to work on improving their life in anyway is everything I aim to achieve with my sweet little blog. My Mum struggles to sleep well with arthritis too, she is trying acupuncture at the moment. Keep trying those therapies and I wish you many more triumphs.

      Reply
  6. Sandra says

    October 6, 2013 at 4:55 am

    Oh man that IS the big question isn’t it? I have never been able to wake up before the alarm! I’m a total night owl, so my productivity and alert times are from 8pm-2am. Visitng from SITSSharefest!

    Reply
    • Karen Main says

      October 6, 2013 at 10:47 am

      Sandra give it a try maybe? A week of early nights and you may be surprised. Thanks for visiting.

      Reply
  7. Mo at Mocadeaux says

    October 7, 2013 at 3:18 pm

    That 10pm second wind is the killer! That and the internet. I’m trying to shut down at least a half hour before bedtime to give my brain a chance to “power down”. I’ll let you know how that goes!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. 31 Days of Captured Bliss - Karen Main says:
    October 7, 2013 at 10:17 am

    […] Bliss 2. Why Bliss can be so Elusive 3. Does Contrast Amplify Bliss? 4. Organisational Bliss 5. Does Sleep Increase Happiness 6. One on One Bliss 7 How astonishingly clever is […]

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Karen Main is a Life Leadership Coach for people who are ready to make a change in their lives.
Through her coaching, workshops and speaking gigs she’s here to help you design a life you love — while making it all feel like a celebration.
And when she’s not working, you can find her indulging in a long walk with the dog, laughing with her kids or at her favourite yoga class Read More…

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