As I write this, it is 7:30 p.m. and I just put my almost three-year-old daughter down to sleep. She has always been a good sleeper, but we have always been very regimented about her bedtime, amount of sleep, bedtime routine and not doing things such as rocking her to dreamland. And I have often attributed her calm, happy, even-keeled demeanor to the quality and quantity of her sleep.
What I didn’t realize was how I had been neglecting my own sleep habits for years.
For as long as I can remember, I have been someone who can always sleep. I can sleep on planes, trains, automobiles and even the odd computer desk. I also need a lot of sleep in order to focus, function properly and feel good.
I always just accepted this as part of who I am until one day over a year ago, through my involvement in elite sport, I met with a sleep doctor.
Well, you know what I learned? I learned that bedtime, amount of sleep, bedtime routine and not doing things such as looking at TV and phone screens is just as important for adults as it is for kids!
As elite athletes, we are constantly striving to unlock secrets about ourselves: what helps us perform our best; what helps us perform our best consistently; and what combination of things unlocks those mysteries.
Over the years, I have looked at my nutrition, mental preparation, fitness and, of course, all the action that actually happens on the ice. And although I was always conscious of the need to get as much sleep as possible, especially when competing, I didn’t fully understand before my encounter with the sleep doctor how my sleep was negatively affecting my performance.
Not only does it impact my performance on the ice, I’ve realized more than ever how it affects my performance as a mom and a person in general. When rested, I have much more patience to deal with my daughter when she is exercising her right to the terrible twos.
As parents, we generally know that if our kids sleep, are regularly fed, watered and loved, we will have happier kids. So why did I need a sleep expert to tell me the rules are the same for me to be happy?
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