The Importance of Sleep (and Relaxation)

the october bed
Originally uploaded by eklektick

Wow, check out this bed! I was searching flickr for a picture for this post of big fluffy pillows and came across this photo stream of beds by eklektick. It seems she creates a bed theme or look each month and posts them on flickr - and actually sleep in it. This halloween one was my favourite, but the others are great too. Worth a look.

So, sleep. As I have said before Mark's Daily Apple is where my primal journey really began in earnest. I check it everyday or so. Today's post is on sleep, and I would recommend reading it even if your aren't in the least primal. The long and short is that sleep is very important and even a little bit of missed sleep has a negative impact on your ability to function. And man, is that a timely reminder for me.

I kind of intend this blog to be a hideaway from non-food and exercises stresses in life, so don't want to drone on about the crapness of my life at the moment (though, hell, it's all relative and I definitely have a better deal that a lot of people). But at the moment the stress is getting in the way of one of the Primal Commandments to get enough rest.

So in the last two nights combined I have had about 7 hours sleep. And I love to sleep. I often get nine hours. And I'm feeling the deprivation. And it is not good. If I get anymore dull-witted I might have to replace my cutlery with plastic to avoid injury to myself.

I think getting more sleep will be my next Primal Priority now I feel a bit more in the groove of eating and exercising.

But what if you can't sleep not because you're out partying like a 20 something maybe should be, but lying there worrying and fretting and gnashing your teeth like a total crazy?

So we come to relaxation. And my inability to do it. Good food and exercise certainly help me to deal with stress. If I were to eat a whole load of sugary, pastry, bready carbs now I'd feel comforted for about an hour and then I'd turn into the carb monster and then I'd feel guilty and worse and in need of more comforting. Not worth it.

Meditation works for me. But I never seem to find the time or be in the mood. Or my neck and back are so tense that being in a mediation pose is just more painful. A doctor once told me I have the tightest neck muscles they'd ever seen, and I was sorta proud, like at least my commitment to worrying was clear to the medical professionals. I was 17 then and life has not got breezier since.

I've developed a weird jaw pain over the past few days and Dr Google tells me it could be stress from clenching my teeth and possibly grinding them in my sleep. Either that or I have moments to live, you know how it is with googling medical problems. The internet must be a hypercondriacs dream/nightmare.

Anyway, when the going gets tough, the tough get going, and the weak, it appears, hobble themselves with back and jaw ailments. How do you calm down primally? Can a seasoned worrier ever really chillax?

And just to say: I total admire that bed. It makes mine look pretty darn unappealing, covered as it is in dressing gowns, books and biro marks.