Why 5.55am is Important, For Me

Day 14, Saturday 31st March 2018

Medium is full of motivational bollocks, it’s rammed to the gills with endless evocations of how to be more effective, how to be more efficient and productive. It’s damaging, because so much is written in a shaming, way which sets unrealistic expectations of people.

Laying in bed writing these words, it’s Easter weekend after all, this is supposed to be a time of relaxation. Yet, I’ve written this before 8am and I can’t seem to embrace switch-off relaxation very competantly. For example, I woke this morning at 5.55am due to my adamance that waking the same time seven days a week makes me feel great.

Waking at a consistent time is a simple process and widely reported to be a great piece of sleep hygiene. Embracing a consistent bedtime is less easy. Organising social events around getting home and in bed for a specific hour, affording me up to eight hours sleep is virtually impossible. If an event finishes at 10.30pm in the West End, I’m not going to sleep until midnight, QED.

Therefore, between 6–7.5 hours sleep has become my standard quota. Eight hours sleep is beautiful, yet dangerous ground, as my body quickly rebels and keeps me awake at night if I creep over that boundary for more than a few days.