Many nights, I binge watch, read, or play Scrabble on my phone until the wee hours of the morning. I want to finish the plot of the story line. Or my mind races with thoughts of grandeur. Generally, I have an all or nothing attitude when it comes to staying up late. It is SO healthy, I know.
The first benefit of staying up late is that I have time alone in a household of four rambunctious boys. It can be very loud in my house during the day. I am in 1590 square feet of space full of toys, boys, and noise. I need an hour or two of silence at night. Being the youngest child, I became used to silence. The problem is staying awake beyond an hour of two of silence.
The second benefit of staying up late is the brain function. First comes the headaches. Then comes the feeling of decreased decision making. For example, my boys watch the game show Awake on Netflix where contestants are awake over 24 hours and they perform poorly. After 72 hours of sleep deprivation, people are certifiably mentally ill.
The third benefit of late nights is gazing at the stars. I grew up in Southeastern Utah where I could see the Milky Way in all its glory. The night is so crystal clear in the rural desert. When I look at the stars, I feel connected to my Creator.
The fourth benefit of late nights includes enjoying more food. I increase my calorie intake by at least one extra meal. This leads to the overall weight gain. The issue is mindless eating and making poor food choices the next day.
I know the roots of my addiction and much of it has to do with bipolar too. I have stayed up late since I was eight or nine-years-old. It began on weekends when I would read a book late. But I would sleep regularly the rest of the week. As a teenager, I knew I could stay up late reading books or watching TV over the weekends or school breaks. I often did when I had no schedule. I carried this mentality into college of late-night weekends. When I worked and went to school, I only had one day a week I could stay up late. As a stay-at-home-mom, my hours are more flexible, but I have greater stress. I turn to staying up late to "cope" with stress. I have times I reset to a better sleep schedule.
It has been more difficult since last March when my third son accidentally strangled himself and my husband revived him. (My third son fully recovered.) My husband, the older boys, and I have PTSD from the event. I have "coped" more with food and staying up late. We all have had individual counseling. Other events have upset my equilibrium as well.
Bipolar makes it harder to change addictions because it is more difficult to focus on a habit long term. That is a difficulty with losing weight. I have two separate "personalities" from day to night. I can be a planner for an hour until my impulsive side kicks in. Then I am ready to just go get it done. It can drive my husband nuts sometimes because he is likes to think about purchases for a long time.
Obviously, the benefits of late nights have consequences. I continue to work on my mental and physical health with mixed results. One day I will go to sleep before midnight.
*I write about this hoping that someone else can benefit from my mistakes. That they can improve where I am trying to improve too. I hope others can gain insight into why their loved ones might be so stuck in their addiction and maybe find a way to empathize or know how to help.
The first benefit of staying up late is that I have time alone in a household of four rambunctious boys. It can be very loud in my house during the day. I am in 1590 square feet of space full of toys, boys, and noise. I need an hour or two of silence at night. Being the youngest child, I became used to silence. The problem is staying awake beyond an hour of two of silence.
The second benefit of staying up late is the brain function. First comes the headaches. Then comes the feeling of decreased decision making. For example, my boys watch the game show Awake on Netflix where contestants are awake over 24 hours and they perform poorly. After 72 hours of sleep deprivation, people are certifiably mentally ill.
The third benefit of late nights is gazing at the stars. I grew up in Southeastern Utah where I could see the Milky Way in all its glory. The night is so crystal clear in the rural desert. When I look at the stars, I feel connected to my Creator.
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| Via Public Domain Photos |
The fourth benefit of late nights includes enjoying more food. I increase my calorie intake by at least one extra meal. This leads to the overall weight gain. The issue is mindless eating and making poor food choices the next day.
I know the roots of my addiction and much of it has to do with bipolar too. I have stayed up late since I was eight or nine-years-old. It began on weekends when I would read a book late. But I would sleep regularly the rest of the week. As a teenager, I knew I could stay up late reading books or watching TV over the weekends or school breaks. I often did when I had no schedule. I carried this mentality into college of late-night weekends. When I worked and went to school, I only had one day a week I could stay up late. As a stay-at-home-mom, my hours are more flexible, but I have greater stress. I turn to staying up late to "cope" with stress. I have times I reset to a better sleep schedule.
It has been more difficult since last March when my third son accidentally strangled himself and my husband revived him. (My third son fully recovered.) My husband, the older boys, and I have PTSD from the event. I have "coped" more with food and staying up late. We all have had individual counseling. Other events have upset my equilibrium as well.
Bipolar makes it harder to change addictions because it is more difficult to focus on a habit long term. That is a difficulty with losing weight. I have two separate "personalities" from day to night. I can be a planner for an hour until my impulsive side kicks in. Then I am ready to just go get it done. It can drive my husband nuts sometimes because he is likes to think about purchases for a long time.
Obviously, the benefits of late nights have consequences. I continue to work on my mental and physical health with mixed results. One day I will go to sleep before midnight.
*I write about this hoping that someone else can benefit from my mistakes. That they can improve where I am trying to improve too. I hope others can gain insight into why their loved ones might be so stuck in their addiction and maybe find a way to empathize or know how to help.
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