Take Whatever Life Throws At You. In Your Sleep

Now, before you think this blog is all about doom and gloom, take a deep breath, and read on to the end. There’s a voice of reason here. These are tough times. Most of us are feeling the pinch. Family, friends and work hold us together, as long as we’re also being a support to our family, friends and colleagues.

Some of us might have it easier than others. But it’s not a competition. Everyone, at some time in their lives, will have to face a hard knock or three. Regardless of how focused and caring we are about our family, work and personal wellbeing, there’s always that curveball when it’s least expected, let alone needed.

It might be easier said than done, but your go-to emergency position should absolutely be keeping to your regular sleep routine. As much as possible. Why? Because sleep releases stress. It helps revitalise the energy you need to see through the next day. When you’re facing down perhaps your worst moment ever, the best chance of making sound, rational decisions and managing the impossible situation around you, is straight after a good night’s sleep. Or, at the very least, the best quality sleep you can spare.

No. And just to make the point again – NO! You’re as good and helpful in a crisis as the level-headed, clear-thinking person you usually are. No sleep? Brain fog! And if you happen to be someone who doesn’t deal too well in an emergency, it's best to step back and let the sleep-focused person make the decisions. Here’s why.

In extreme circumstances, when it feels like the world is closing in, our adrenalin, emotional distress and physical exhaustion push us to a ‘breaking point’. This is often seen in sudden, uncharacteristic, irrational reactions or behaviours. In many cases, they are not responses we care to remember. So, if anything, sleep becomes even more essential in the middle of a pressing emergency.

Apart from catastrophic events over which no-one can possibly have control, there are typical experiences that can affect everyday life:

1. A major injury or life-threatening illness.
2. Losing a job and the knock-on of financial insecurity.
3. Losing a family member or a lifelong friend.
4. The breakdown of a relationship or marriage.
5. And, weirdly enough, moving home.

Some of us are more profoundly affected by adversity than others. While this list of stressful experiences could happen to anyone, let’s deal with the task of moving home, because it just seems to be a little dramatic. Doesn’t it? And yet not. Consider the young family scenario of moving home. Whatever the reason, the immediate concerns are not just selling and buying a home. Where will the kids go to school? How will the move affect work commutes for single, dual or shared parenting? What sort of community involvement and support are you leaving behind? How do you manage your kids saying goodbye to their playmates? Have you supported and encouraged your kids with the impending move? And! What will the first night’s sleep be like in your newly acquired home?

Injury, job loss, death, divorce. These, unfortunately, are simply part of the unintended realities of life. But what should be prized above all else, including even our financial status? Health! Without a functioning, healthy ability to greet each morning with purpose, we neglect every night’s sleep. Even with injury, especially with injury, sleep brings us back to the life we all strive and hope for.

Get real. No-one can possibly sleep normally during a crisis. But the point is that we sleep to manage a crisis. If you’re a co-parent with a family, organise your optimal sleep-tagging hours. Work as a team. If you’re a single parent, things can be tricky. Calm things down at home towards bedtime and try not to let your kids overly pick up on others’ anxiety. If there’s a clear and present emergency inside the home, like a loved one in distress, arrange sleeping routines to afford the best quality rest for everyone. Your home patient is absolutely the focus, but your supporting family and friends need proper rest to help with that focus each day.

Value the sleep you’re able to manage in even the most confronting of times. And absolutely protect the sleep environments of those closest to you. It’s an odd thing, really. We’re more likely to value and even treasure our sleep when it’s denied to us. Sleep is so often something we take for granted. We get tired, we sleep. But the stress of prolonged sleep deprivation, the anxiety that brings on insomnia, experiencing erratic or interrupted sleep, will soon have us realising that sleep is by no means a luxury. In difficult times, especially in the most confronting times, sleep is all the more a necessity.

Take care. Do all you can. Extend yourself beyond. But know when to turn in, rest, and ready yourself for the next day. If you jealously guard your sleep, sleep will look after you. We asked above if sleeping during a really confronting time might be a bit self-absorbed. It might reflect as not really caring, not engaging in the crisis of the moment. Absolutely not. The better we sleep every night, the more constructively we’re able to engage and manage each next day. We can be the best support for ourselves. And an even better support for loved ones and the situations we face. Now that’s just a human truth if ever.

When things get tough, the tough go mattress hunting. And not for long. The Bed Store is where you want to take care of your sleep business. One time. The trusted brands. The amazing range of sleep solutions. The “can-I-help-you” service when you step into The Bed Store. Of course, we want to be the team that finds you your next happiness mattress. But most of all, your best sleep is priceless. Every night, whether it’s the best of times, or not. There is simply no value to put on your very best sleep.

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