As far back as I can remember, I cannot recall having a healthy sleep habit. Even as a kid, I stayed up a late and took that behavior through high school and into adulthood. The thing is though, I was always good at functioning on a little sleep. Well, at least I appeared to be functioning well. My history of illness can probably be attributed to my late nights and early mornings.
Then my life turned down Fatherhood Lane and I could no longer fake being well-rested. Late night feedings turned into consoling a teething baby. The teething phase left and new nightmares pushed children into screaming fits. And now, the preteen angst. And since I have 4 kids, I am guiding someone through each one of those adolescent stages.
Now I’m 42 and getting out of bed is a little more difficult. Getting a good night’s rest is not only desired, but needed. When the alarm goes off, I jump right into a crazy schedule. Kids wake up for school, then homeschool starts for my 10-year-old, and then running around to various activities and coaching soccer occupies every day. And each event/errand, a toddler walks in my shadow. The end of the day results in bath time for the youngest. I can never let sleep deprivation take a hold of me or bad consequences might happen.
This is why I agreed to take part in Beautyrest’s #ISleepTo campaign.
I see the importance of sleep more than ever. I wish I would have set targeted sleep goals earlier in my life so my sleep pattern would be solid by my current age.
But as they say, “better late than never.”
The Beautyrest sleeptracker monitor is a device that pairs with an app that helps you set sleeping goals and monitors how you are progressing. There is a small sensor that you place between the mattress and box springs that monitors your heart rate and respiration rate to provide insights into your sleep each night. Each night I let the app know when I am about to sleep and I check it when I wake up. Unlike wearables, the Beautyrest Sleeptracker monitor is non-invasive and does not require you to wear anything.
My favorite feature is setting my sleep goal. I’m the type of person that can’t do something because it is better for me. I need something to shoot for. With this product, I can decide how many hours of sleep I need each night and in the morning, I found out if I met my goal.
I have a toddler getting her two-year molars and it can even track how many times I get up in the night. You can also use your stats to prove you were up more in the middle of the night than your spouse. Not that I would ever do such a thing.
Sleep is important for alertness and overall well-being. Join us on Twitter and Instagram with the hashtag #ISleepTo and let us know why you need a good night’s rest.
#ISleepTo be an alert and a good dad.
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I have partnered with Life of Dad and Beautyrest for this campaign, but my opinions are my own.