Lessons Learned In My Sleep

I recently bought a FitBit® so I could see what my activity level looked like, not only during the day, but at night as I slept. I was able to see what my sleep patterns were- how long I was in a deep sleep, a light sleep, and how many times I had awakened during the night.

I found the information fascinating, but I had no idea what it meant. How long was I supposed to be in a deep sleep? How many times should I be waking during the night?

I decided, that in order to get the most from my purchase, I needed to add some context to the content I was now receiving. In my research, I learned that I was supposed to be in a deep sleep 45% of the night. 45%?! I wasn’t close. Even when I felt refreshed upon awakening.

This was when my real dilemma began. I now knew how much deep sleep I was getting, and how much I was supposed to get, but had no idea as to what to do differently to achieve the goal. Go to bed earlier? Sleep longer? Eat dinner earlier? No caffeine? All of the above?! I was totally confused.

I had the knowledge, but the understanding seemed beyond me, and not important enough to take the time or effort to pursue. It all became too frustrating and (quite frankly) not worth the effort.

So I returned the FitBit®.

How often does this kind of thing happen in your workplace? You fill your employees with training and knowledge, but spend little or no time on the most important piece; helping them understand what it means to them.

And this information is crucial to the success of any effort you put forth, whether it’s a rollout of a new system, or asking them to do a simple task.

Take the time to ask the question, “What more do you need to know to get on board with this?” Believe me, it’s worth it. Your results will be amazing, and you will learn so much more about the people you work with.

And then, once things are running smoothly, and you feel more relaxed in your job, you might be able to start getting 8 hours of sleep each night. When you do, you can get a nifty device that lets you know whether (or not) you’re sleeping better. You can find them in virtually any sporting goods store or electronics department.

When you do so, if you figure out how to be in deep sleep 45% of the night, please let me know.

CLICK HERE to order a FITBIT Wristband (Please know that I am not endorsing this company, but I bought mine from here so placing the link for interested folks.)