This week I decided I want to dive further into my topic of making a good sleep schedule a habit! in order to do this, I wanted to track my progress by using a mood chart to examine how my mental health is being impacted by the development of this habit. Each morning when I wake up I have entered how I am feeling into this chart that I made, in doing so I hope to discover the negatives and positives behind waking up and going to bed at the same time every night and the impact it has on my well being.
The first chart is how I would rate my sleep out of 10. The second chart is what I would describe my mood throughout that day.
Monday: 8/10. Feeling: Productive. On Monday I woke up at 7:00 and felt energized as I had a full day of classes but still managed to get my homework done without getting tired or bored! I went to bed at 10:00 and fell asleep quickly as I had been busy today.
Tuesday: 5/10. Feeling: Normal. On Tuesday I had to get up at 6:30 for work and for some reason it seemed so much harder then waking up at 7:00. Since I was busy all day my tiredness didn’t bother me too bad. I had a bit of trouble falling asleep this night.
Wednesday: 4/10. Feeling: Tired. Wednesdays are always exhausting and I’m sure many of my classmates can agree since we are in school all day observing classrooms. I still had a lot of stuff to do when I got home and I had to stay up late to finish and went to bed later than I wanted to.
Thursday: 3/10. Feeling: Anxious. I was flying home today, which caused some anxiety because airports are scary. One of my flights got delayed, and I was overwhelmed by how much work I had to complete this weekend. On the bright side this tired me out and I fell asleep fast this night.
Friday: 8/10. Feeling: Happy. I had a good day today because I was home and got to see my pets and family again! I also got my meals cooked for me! Sleeping in my bed at home led to a great sleep and I woke up feeling rested and calm.
Saturday: 10/10. Feeling: Happy. I woke up in a good mood right away! I got to spend today with my whole family to celebrate thanksgiving and got to read a really good book before bed which helped me fall asleep quickly!
Sunday: 6/10. Feeling: Normal. Today was an average day, I got a good sleep but was sad that I had to go back on Monday. Overall I had a good sleeping schedule this weekend and I had an awesome weekend at home as well!
Through tracking my moods this week I was able to notice the connection between my sleep and my moods. When I had a bad sleep the night before I would usually end up feeling anxious, tired and disorganized. Also these moods can lead to getting a bad sleep again that night which can create a cycle that is hard to break. Similarly, having good sleeps led to me feeling energized the next day which set myself up for positive emotions throughout the day. In conclusion, it is clear that sleep and moods are connected to each other so by prioritizing a sleep schedule and healthy night-time routines (like I discussed in my previous post), you are setting yourself up for a better mood the next day!
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! Hope you all eat lots of Turkey and get a good sleep 🙂
October 12, 2022 at 6:51 pm
Hey Lexi!
I loved how you use charts and emojis to track your sleep! That’s a great way to keep track of how much sleep you get and how it can impact your emotions/mood throughout the day. I know for myself that if I don’t get enough sleep or if I have to wake up really early my mood usually reflects this. I know you used the charts for your inquiry but this could also possibly be a good idea to include in a future classroom. If you are doing a health unit, or talking about sleep you could get students to record like you did and than draw how it made them feel.
I’m also glad you got to go home and see your family. I totally relate to the fear of airports. I always sleep worse before a travel day as I get soo anxious. While sleep definitely plays a part in what impacts are mood, so if how and who we spend our day with. Sounds like you were able to have a good thanksgiving with your family, friends, and your pets. I hope you were able to rest a bit while you were there too.
Thanks for sharing 🙂
October 13, 2022 at 2:04 pm
Thank you so much, Kari! I’m glad that I got to go home too. I love the idea of incorporating this into a future classroom, teaching students how to manage their mental and physical health early on is so important!
October 13, 2022 at 1:22 pm
Hi Lexi! Your sleep/mood chart is so well made and I feel like the connection you made between your quality of sleep and mood makes so much sense. I think I want to try doing my own personal chart to prioritize good rest. I have a really bad sleep schedule so trying out the chart might be a big help to keep myself accountable. Thanks for sharing!
October 13, 2022 at 2:05 pm
Hi Yireh! Thank you so much! I definitely recommend trying to track your sleep, it helped me realize that I was probably getting too little of it!