Sleepless in Silver Spring

Good (early) morning. The night turned into the morning at some point with a tiny bit of sleep. My biggest request of the day is to make it through the day.

This is my last night of less than 6 hours of sleep (I hope...).

After a good Shabbos rest, my plan (we all know about making plans) is to make it my goal for the remaining 8 nights until the Seder to get 6 hours of sleep. It's not the ideal 7 for me, but it's enough for a good, functioning level.

My biggest piece of advice for this week is to get enough sleep. You may need more or less than I do, but find the number of hours that works for you and make it a goal. Set a timer. Make reminder notes. Whatever it takes - just get into bed at the hour that you pre-determined to be bedtime this week.

What happens if I am in the middle of such-and-such and the time has come for bed?

LEAVE IT!!! I promise you, it will still be there in the morning. Unless you are married to a saintly spouse who will finish it off for you, your cleaning/cooking/kashering will greet you when the sun comes up. By depriving yourself of your sleep, you will most likely be:

• less efficient
• more cranky
• more likely to snap at your spouse
• less patient with your children
• more overwhelmed
• not so joyful (putting it mildly) about preparing for Pesach

Another strong suggestion is to eat 3 balanced meals. Protein, carbs, fat at each one. This is another way to improve productivity and stabilize moods by keeping your "engine" properly fueled.

Have an enjoyable and restful Shabbos!

I have attached a great article written by a local woman here in Silver Spring. A loyal blog reader forwarded it to me from the Aish website. Thanks!


Ten Tips for Reducing Pesach Pressure