An Invernessian in America: Sleep is a necessity, and my Apple Watch helps

I have always been a champion sleeper. I love my sleep; I NEED my sleep!

From baby to toddler, to teenager to adult, I have relied heavily on getting my full eight hours.

I think the only time of my life I didn’t fulfil my sleeping quota was those good ol’ university days where you wear your lack of slumber like a badge of honour. Too busy having fun to sleep!

I look back now and feel tired just thinking about it.

I’m one of those people who can fall asleep almost instantly. Mid-conversation with hubby at the end of the day, and in a split second I’m out for the count (that’s no reflection on his standard of chat…!).

I did breakfast radio for many years so became the master of an afternoon power nap – bed, couch, car, it really didn’t matter. I remember times I’d be DJing into the wee hours, would drive to the radio station, kip on the couch for a few hours before bouncing into the studio and sounding like a very wide awake presenter.

Gosh, the thought of DJing (or doing anything!) until 3am now fills me with fear.

Garrett bought me an Apple Watch for Christmas, and while it’s been great for tracking workouts, checking emails and texts on the go and having my podcast library wrapped around my wrist, the sleep tracker app has been the greatest addition to my routine.

The app I use is called Pillow, and each night it tracks your sleep pattern – total time in bed, total time asleep, the various stages of sleep, how long you were getting the best quality sleep, etc. I am more than happy to admit that I’m in bed pretty much every night by 8.30pm and up around 5.30am for the gym (give or take a couple of snoozes). I’m almost competing against myself on this app to beat my total from the previous night! I’m yet to hit the 10 hour mark, but I feel I’m very close. “Student Diane” is ashamed of me right now.

Not that I need any help with relaxation (clearly), but at the beginning of January I started receiving acupuncture. I’ve talked a little bit about the fact Garrett and I are trying to start a family, and acupuncture was recommended to me by a lot of my pregnant friends. I didn’t really know too much about it before I started, but you basically get pricked with very thin needles at strategic points that correlate to the inner functions of your body. These acupuncture points are believed to stimulate the central nervous system, releasing chemicals into the muscles and brain to treat pain, stress, overall wellness and fertility. It’s all about creating better flow through the body.

It’s a strange feeling, as though you feel a light tug on your whole body from this tiny needle! And once all the needles are inserted, you lay on a heated bed for an hour to relax – you just have to be careful not to move too much and disturb the needles. I’ve already had one slightly bloody incident due to the fact I pass out HARD. I’m not sure how well it’s all working,only time will tell, but that one hour a week is the best nap of them all.

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