Can you believe that it’s already January 21st? Where did the first 3 weeks of the year go? It feels like yesterday I was celebrating 2018 making its debut, but yet here we are.

I guess by day 21 we should be well on our way to making our resolutions a reality right? What are your resolutions this year? Is it to live healthier? Is it to spend more quality time with your family? Or to dedicate extra time to your side hustle?

This one is for you fitness buffs.

I know there are a few out there, myself included, that have a resolution centered around fitness. No matter how daunting your physical feat will be- make no mistake that sleep is a vital part of your success.

When we sleep our bodies repair itself. Sleep will heal your tired muscles and even improve athletic performance.

If you’re failing at shuteye you won’t be able to hit it as hard at the gym or recover as quickly as you should. Not convinced? This study shows that pulling just one all-nighter has the same effect on your reaction time as consuming four standard alcohol drinks.

Scary thought isn’t it? And just like alcohol, sleep deprivation will impair your judgment and reaction time. You will be sluggish at the starting line. When that gun goes off you will be slower at making real-time game decisions.

Learning something new this year?

Maybe it’s a new language, a new craft or a computer program at work. If this is you, then listen up.

There are three processes our brains use to learn a new skill.

  1. Acquisition,
  2. Consolidation
  3. Recall.

Without being too sciencey here;

Acquisition is what your brain uses when it receives new information. Consolidation is the process your brain uses to form a memory. Recall is where the brain accesses and uses the learned information.

Sleep deprivation impacts all three processes.

ALL three! Think about a time when you’ve been studying for an exam, or even reading before bed and the need for sleep hits you. It becomes almost impossible to concentrate.

Anyone can tell you how impossible it is to absorb information when you can’t keep your eyes open. And what about staying up late to learn that new skill? Simply put: forget it (pun totally intended.)

The hours of sleep immediately following the learning period are extremely important for memory. So if pulling an all-nighter is your idea of using your time wisely then think again. Without proper sleep, your brain will be less able to retain and recall any information collected that night.

Resolutions that revolve around parenting

I know I definitely have a few of them! Let’s talk about how a lack of sleep can affect our home life.

It’s no secret that we can be downright grumpy after a rough night of little to no sleep.

Many parents have made the link of exhaustion with a quick temper the following day. Or a meltdown when you wake up to an empty cream carton in the fridge (no? is that just me…?)

But did you know that when you’re tired, your face actually has a harder time forming happy expressions? An exhausted person is also commonly perceived to be sad, bored or angry (or all 3!).

So what do you think this is doing to our littles? Especially those young ones right? The littles that are learning emotions by mimicking everyone around them.

Emotions are infectious, whether they are positive or negative, and we want our kids to be happy right?

Our sleep is vital to be our best selves and to be the best parents we can be! And don’t we want to be our best for our kids? Our kids are picking up on everything we do and this includes our emotions!

Getting a full night’s sleep can encourage us to spread joy to our families.

This may mean we are shutting the TV off a little earlier than usual, or letting that email replay wait until the morning (heaven forbid). Or maybe it means getting our children out of our bed once and for all.

Whatever it is, know that your efforts toward healthy sleep will impact any goals you may have. Cheers to that.