This blog item is the first in a series about the rhythms we choose for our lives. Today the topic is daily rhythms. In upcoming weeks I’ll post items about weekly, monthly, and annual rhythms. There will be a final post for rhythms that don’t quite fit into a daily/weekly/monthly/annual cycles or the rhythm is set by a metric other than time.
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For most people, consistent and healthy daily rhythms for sleeping and eating optimize how we feel about everything else.
- Being asleep for about the same length of time each day and starting/stopping the sleep period at about the same time is a key to feeling rested and alert during the waking hours. Generally 7 to 8 hours of sleep is required. Try this experiment for a week:
- Set a timer for a bit longer than you think you need to sleep.
- Go to bed at the same time each evening.If you wake up before your timer goes off and after you have been in bed for at least 7 hours (you can make this shorter if you think you need less) - get up. Many people will feel warm at this time because their metabolic rate has already increased to the ‘awake’ state.
- Otherwise - get up when the timer goes off…no snoozing.
- Make some notes about how rested - or not - your feel during the day and make adjustments to the timer if you need to.
- At the end of the week, make some decisions about the optimal sleep duration for you and set your alarm clock accordingly or continue the timer technique. Many people are surprised to find that they almost always get up before the timer goes off. The benefit to waking up on your own is never being jolted awake by an alarm.
- Three meals a day work for most people but not for everyone. If you have times during the day that you feel sleepy, start keeping a record of what and when you eat; make adjustments. I am an extremely early morning person and I find a small meal (2 squares of dark chocolate and vitamins/mineral supplements) first thing in the morning followed by another small meal (a piece of fruit or small muffin) is better for me than combining everything into one breakfast. I eat lunch and dinner at about the same time each day and frequently try to have the largest meal of the day be at lunch.
There are hygiene related daily rhythms that are good habits. There are some examples below. Think aboutyour daily habits. If changes need to be made commit to making the change for at least 3 weeks before re-evaluating since habits take time to establish (or break). In either situation - it takes conscious effort to make the change.
- Brushing teeth
- Showering
- Clean socks
And there are metrics that you make check daily to provide the feedback loop for your health related goals - things like:
- Weight
- Blood pressure
- How many steps you took
Again - evaluate the metrics you are checking. Remember that metrics can warp your actions to make sure that warp is in a direction you intend.
Annie Dillard is right: "How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives."
Rhythms that build your appreciation of the day for yourself and for others are the most important rhythms of all - intentionally look for those pleasant surprises - the serendipity - that makes life interesting. All the rest of the rhythms discussed above are the administration behind the scenes so that we are primed to live the day.
