Why Staying Up Late Is No Longer Serving You

Here is what I found about how evenings affected my mornings...

If I was able to get to bed an hour or half-hour sooner, my mornings went smoother. It’s crazy what a little extra sleep can do for your overall demeanor and energy level!! 

Maybe you wanted to shut me out as soon as I mentioned the idea of cutting out some of your evening time. I get it, night time is often when we get “adult” time. It’s a space where no one is asking for a snack, to watch TV, or to hang out with friends. The hours after 9:00/10:00 is your time to be just you.

Trust me I don’t want to take that away!

Carving out time for yourself is vital to your overall well-being and to a healthy lifestyle. But let me challenge you a little bit...how exactly are you spending those late-night hours!!??

You're Scrolling Social Media

Do you find yourself endlessly scrolling on social media?

That is definitely a rabbit hole you want to avoid! Before you know it, you will be unfriending people for posts they made or investigating stories that have absolutely no implication for your life. Don’t tell me this is an activity you need to make time for in your busy busy life! You won’t convince me sleep shouldn’t be a higher priority.

You're Binge-Watching TV Shows

Maybe scrolling social media isn’t your evening vice. Perhaps you would rather catch up on those TV shows while relaxing in bed. We all love to keep tabs on our favorite TV characters and I don’t see anything wrong with watching the latest episode. But binging on hours of Grey's Anatomy isn’t going to help you in the medical career you don’t have.

Once again, trading a bit of TV time for some much-needed sleep seems like a wise move!

You're Late-Night Snacking

Guess what other nightly habit you can drop by turning in a bit early?? Yup! No more late-night snacking! It’s so tempting to break out the goodies when the kids are in bed and won’t ask for their share. Don’t tempt yourself either! I promise the longer you lay awake, the better a bag of chips or bowl of ice cream is going to sound. A bag of M&M’s makes for a good time, but you will feel regret when you wake up to the empty bag next to you. You can’t eat if you aren’t awake!

I think you get my point by now! A lot of what happens at night are things you're better off without!!  By no means am I saying not to make time to kick back a little and relax, but I want you to recognize there is time to be made for a little extra sleep if it means you will have a more productive next day! 

What To Do If You're A Night Owl

For my night owls, don’t lose heart! An earlier evening for you could look like turning in at 11:00 instead of 11:30. You don’t have to hit the sack at 8:30 if you won’t be able to fall asleep anyways! Some people experience their best productivity in the later hours, and that’s totally okay. Just remember that there are many tasks to complete in the AM that won’t wait because you answered emails until midnight!