Some people say that, “Not all that gets measured matters. However, “sleep” is something that can be measured and trust me, sleep really does matter.
It was not until I had children that I realized how important it was to “measure” and “manage” my sleep and my sleep habits.
In the first two years of my children’s lives I was so sleep deprived that there were times I had to pull off the road and sleep for a few minutes in my car. I was so sleep deprived that I saw meetings and sporting events as opportunities to sleep.
My sleeping in staff meetings got so out of control that my colleagues held a vote while I was sleeping and elected me chair of the meetings; and trust me, being chair of the meetings is an “honor” nobody wants.
I was so sleep deprived that I didn’t even wake up when they changed the constitution of our organization so that I was elected chair for two years without a break.
After getting elected chair of the staff meetings I began to realize just how bad my sleep “hygiene” had become and I was reminded of Peter Drucker’s words, “What gets measured gets managed.”
Now that I am chair of the meetings I sleep to be alert and in control of myself and the meetings I attend – and chair. I sleep to be the best person I can possibly be for my work and perhaps more importantly, for when I am at home with my family.
Although my work is very important to me, the really important part of my life is my family: my wife, my children and my mother and my sister are my inspiration to be the best person I can be. And now I sleep to be best person I can be and to do that, I need to better manage my sleep.
To be brutally honest with myself, when I do not get a good night’s sleep, I am not a pleasant person to be around. I am snippy and … well, unpleasant.
So what can I do to manage myself better? Like other parts of life, I can now use technology to measure and manage my sleep.
I recently received a Beautyrest Sleeptracker monitor which has a powerful processor, highly accurate sensors, and an intuitive app that has integrated seamlessly with my bed – leaving my arms free of any gadgets so I can sleep in comfort while the Beautyrest Sleeptracker monitors my heart rate and respiration rate to share a minute-by-minute snapshot of my time in deep sleep, light sleep and R.E.M. sleep.
Beautyrest Sleeptracker generates data, personalized coaching tips and the individual sleep score for up to two people simultaneously, based on a variety of key sleep metrics – including sleep efficiency, progress toward sleep goals, how long it takes to fall asleep, how long users spend in each sleep cycle and how many times they were awake throughout the night.
Remember Peter Drucker’s words, “What gets measured gets managed.”
To that end the user-friendly app translates precise data into smart, actionable coaching tips designed to help you unlock a better night’s sleep and a more productive next day.
I am very much looking forward to seeing how my attitude during my “awake” hours change as I learn more about my sleep patterns from the data provided by the Beautyrest Sleeptracker monitor. Because as I said, #ISleepTo be the best person I can be for my family, and so that I can be the best chair my staff has ever had!!
Disclosure: I have partnered with Life of Dad and Beautyrest for this campaign, but my opinions on my sleep and the Beautyrest Sleeptracker are entirely my own.
Amen! Sleep deprivation is torture, not just for the tired person, but everyone else they have to deal with. I hope this gadget works for you. Sleep is important to our health and well-being.
BTW Your co-workers have a twisted sense of humour…which I find absolutely hilarious.
The funny thing is, I run the meetings with a very strict approach. I am frequently heard saying, “You’re out of order!”
My husband has used a sleep tracking app but I don’t think it was anywhere near this detailed, I’m going to tell him to check out this post. Thanks for sharing Stacey!