With Sunday’s time change, this week’s focus has been adapting to a new schedule. To be fair, I am taking this opportunity to alter my sleep/wake norms by two hours, not just one. I expect that my schedule will need a modification in the May/June timeframe, and instead of going through this exercise again, I am reworking everything now. Imagine my surprise when I discovered this is Sleep Awareness Week.

The National Sleep Foundation, whose purpose is to “reemphasize the important connection between your sleep and your health,” sponsors the event. They conduct an annual “Sleep in America Poll,” and 2022 survey results are on their website. They state:

“We share valuable information on how people have been sleeping the past year while offering research-based advice on the benefits of quality sleep and how it affects health and well-being.”

Additionally, I’ve been binge-watching the Huberman Lab Podcasts and found Andrew Huberman’s interview with Dr. Matt Walker very informative. Dr. Walker is a Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology and the Founder & Director of the Center for Human Sleep Science at the University of California, Berkeley.

As creatives, we are all tuned into the benefits of morning pages to help get our day going. But in the Podcast’s section titled “Unconventional Yet Powerful Sleep Tips,” Dr. Walker advocates a Wind-Down routine that incorporates the use of what he calls a Worry Journal. I think that is a genius way to bookend your day. A writing session in the morning followed by another session as you prepare for a good night’s sleep.

The Podcast is full of other science-backed information on how to optimize your sleep. The link is below, but it is a three-hour intensive. So grab a cup of your favorite beverage and enjoy.

Did you write yesterday? Are you writing today?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer