I have never been a morning person. I have had countless jobs that have required me to wake up before 6 AM and my body never got used to the pattern. During the pandemic, I had some time to reflect on my sleep patterns and why they were so inflexible. With an increased amount of time to devote to sleep, I challenged myself to explore why I couldn’t fall asleep at a decent hour and why I couldn’t shift my sleep schedule to an earlier session.

I believe my sleep patterns have a lot to do with distraction before bed, sensitivity to circadian rhythms, and successful productivity during the day. In Stolen Focus, Johann Hari points out that identifying a positive goal creates a stronger ability to focus and creates less distraction.

After losing my job during the COVID-19 pandemic and not having any insight to an overall career purpose every day, I was constantly glued to my phone searching for job opportunities, especially before bed. I frequently took melatonin to fall asleep because without a set wake up time, there was no motivation or exhaustion to get to bed at a decent hour. In Discover’s article, “What Science Says About Using Sleep Medications,” it is proven that sedation from sleep aids is not the same as sleep. The restorative and repair efforts that take place in REM sleep are not reached.

Eventually, I landed a job that I truly enjoyed managing a website and all communications for an educational company. This was not mentally or physically exhausting at all, but I found myself not having to take melatonin to fall asleep. Perhaps, this turning point had evolved because I had found my purpose or as Hari calls it, “flow state” (Hari 56).

I did not miraculously wake up at 6 AM with the sunrise. However, I did find joy and purpose in educating the community during the pandemic through my job and I did not have to resort to a sleep aid to fall asleep at a decent hour.

Three years later, I am back in full swing on a career level and although I have found my flow, I am still making a conscious effort to limit my exposure to light and screens before bed. I believe finding a healthy sleep balance and schedule is a combination of finding your productive flow during the day and consciously limiting distractions that are in your control before bed.

Citations:

Farah, Troy. “What Science Says about Using Sleep Medications.” Discover Magazine, Discover Magazine, 1 Mar. 2021, http://www.discovermagazine.com/health/what-science-says-about-using-sleep-medications.

Hari, Johann. Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention–and How to Think Deeply Again. Crown, 2023.