I have a confession to make, I am Kathlyn and I have a bad sleep schedule. I was afraid to admit it to myself, but my sleeping habits are abismal. In the wake of a series of small mental breakdowns stemming mostly from exhaustion, I’m starting a new sleep schedule. I hope you, dear reader, will join me on this exciting new journey.

Before we embark on this journey, I think you should know a little bit more information about me. I am an International Baccalaureate Diploma Program Student. Any veterans and or active participants in this program will tell you it’s not an easy undertaking. Many schools only allow their top students to participate as it requires drive, intelligence, and sacrifice. As a Diploma student, balance is key to not dying... ok I might be exagerating a little bit but burn-out is a real thing, google it.

For me, homework is one of the biggest struggles of the program and it’s been imperative that I gain an understanding of what time of day my brain works best. For me, that’s early morning. For the last year and a half I’ve been waking up early in the morning to finish my homework assignments. I wake up feeling fresh and ready to take on the day and I’m able to complete my homework assignments to the best of my ability. There’s only problem with this: it is disruptive - actually that may not be a strong enough word - destructive to my circadian rythym.

Scientists don’t understand a ton about sleep but the more we find out about it the more we realise how important our circadian rhythm is to our daily functioning, for more information of that please watch this scishow video: https://youtu.be/UbQ0RxQu2gM.

My circadian rythym, I think it’s safe to say, is all the way messed up. I go to sleep around 8:30-9ish and I wake up at... it really depends on the day. If I have 3 hours of homework I wake up at 3 o’clock, if I have 1 hour of homework I wake up at 5 o’clock. Since the body likes regularity this wreaks havoc on my sleep schedule. My mom, noticing my moodiness and general unhappiness, suggested a fix: a new sleep schedule.

The new schedule is quite simple: I go to sleep at 8:30 pm and I wake up at 4:30 am. This way I get my psychologist recommended 8 hours of sleep (Teens and Sleep).

Today was my first day trying this new schedule... and it was terrible. To be fair, that’s not the schedule’s fault, I do have some confounding variables to look at: lack of electricity and a new puppy. There’s nothing like mosquitos biting you in the heat of the night and a whimpering dog to keep you awake 😂.

I am, however, hopeful and excited for what the future brings and to not be so tired all the time.

This has been the first installment of "Reflections on an erratic sleep schedule". Thank you for reading!

Works Cited
"Teens and Sleep." National Sleep Foundation, www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-topics/teens-and-sleep.