Series: Tackling Work-Life Balance (30)
Getting Enough Sleep to Maintain a Healthy Work–Life Balance
Full-time Staff
Academic Affairs Division
Social and Educational Outreach Office
Yu Takagi
▲Taken when my son turned two (that’s me on the far right)
Sleep is crucial for achieving a healthy work–life balance. Therefore, I would like to discuss what I have been doing to get enough quality sleep.
I cannot offer science-backed advice, but I hope that describing my trial and error process will give you something to contemplate regarding the importance of getting good sleep.
I want to have it all. I want to perform well at work, but I also want to spend time with my family. I also want some alone time, which is especially important. When one has all these goals, the 24 hours in each day pass very quickly.
Of course, there is simply not enough time in the day for everything I want to do. My son was born 2 years ago, and I spent many nights putting him to sleep, falling asleep myself, and then waking up in the middle of the night just to have some alone time with a bag of chips and a drink. I tried to get up early in the morning before the rest of my family so that I could read, but I would end up falling asleep at my desk. This went on day after day. There was so much I wanted to do, and I found I was sleeping less over time. I simply was not getting enough quality sleep.
▲He can sleep anywhere and wakes up full of energy. I’m envious! Was I ever like this?
My stiff shoulders and sore back pained me, and I became easily fatigued, with no way to relax and feel better. I became irritated and began taking it out on others. I knew what I needed to do: balance how I was spending my time and return to a normal life. It sounds easy, but it is hard for someone like me to stop a habit, even if I know that it is bad. That left me in a difficult situation. One day, I was commuting to work via train and feeling exhausted, when I suddenly realized: “Wait a minute. Even if you can’t sleep as much as you used to, how about sleeping better? You’d feel less tired all the time.” This seemed like a great idea, and I knew that I had to try, or I would be up all night thinking about it! To start sleeping better sooner, I examined my sleeping environment.
The first step was buying a new futon and mattress. I did not want to spend too much, so I kept my budget below 10,000 yen. I went to the store and selected a futon from a well-known manufacturer that an athlete had endorsed. I also bought a nice, thick mattress. I admit that the new items felt strange at first due to the mattress’ thickness. I felt like a sacrifice lying on an altar. However, it worked, and I was amazed at how comfortable I felt in the morning. Nevertheless, my shoulders were still stiff, and my neck was still sore, so my next step was to ask my massage therapist to recommend a pillow. The new pillow somewhat alleviated the pain in my shoulders and neck and helped to minimize my tossing and turning at night. With it, I felt even better when I woke up. Another change that helped was wearing recovery sleepwear, a special type of pajamas made from a fabric that removes far-infrared radiation from the body to promote circulation and provide a soothing effect. I was skeptical at first, but these really worked for me. My shoulders felt mostly fine in the morning, and I was able to sleep even better. I didn’t stop there. I started stretching and changing my clothing after bathing. I also installed an app on my phone to monitor my sleep and adjusted the temperature in my bedroom. My sleep quality continuously improved, and I started feeling better too.
▲My new mattress is very springy, and my son often uses it as a trampoline on mornings.
Everyone is different and has a unique lifestyle, such as devoting oneself to work and hobbies, raising children, or serving as a caregiver for family members. No matter what your situation is, sleep is incredibly important to maintain a healthy work–life balance. I have incrementally carved out personal time in the early morning and have started to see signs that the ambitious work–life balance I want is coming to fruition.
If you have been feeling tired lately, why not try improving how you sleep?
I for one am looking forward to getting to bed tonight. Pleasant dreams everyone!
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