Episode 25 - Nursing, Sleep, and Becoming Your Healthiest Self with Jennifer Johnson
By Jessica Garrison
Jennifer Johnson joins the F.E.E.L Podcast this week to share her journey which hasn’t come easy, but it has changed her for the better. Describing herself as empathetic, resilient, stubborn, and a multitasking queen, Jennifer is taking the world by storm as the healthiest, most authentic version of herself.
Professionally, Jennifer is a nurse, and there isn’t much she hasn’t seen through this line of work. From nursing school to rigorous COVID shifts, Jennifer has needed to pay extra attention to her physical, mental, and spiritual health. She discusses the importance of sleep, and I cannot express how much I love to hear people talk about its health benefits because I love to sleep. I’ve also found out the type of person I am when I don’t get enough of it. My first year of college I really struggled with falling asleep, and I became a short-tempered, irritable, and unfocused person. I knew I needed a change but couldn’t figure out what to do. With my discovery of melatonin gummies, I was finally catching up on some well deserved rest. Sleep aids shouldn’t be used on a daily basis, so I knew I had to find a night routine that worked for me to settle in for the evening; I’ve found this to also be a version of self care. I take my time brushing my teeth, doing my skincare routine, spritzing my pillow with a calming mist, and taking a deep breath because it’s time to get some rest after a long day. Everyone has their own way of doing things, and you just have to find what works best for you. It might not come easily at first, but believe me as well as Jennifer when I tell you it is worth it in the long run.
Jennifer shares with us how she’s worked nights most of her career while her husband worked during the day. With two young children, she wasn’t able to get the proper rest she needed, and this was negatively impacting other areas of her life. I can’t imagine doing the influential and traumatic work a nurse does on a daily basis, let alone without sleep. People tend to think that if they don’t sleep enough they’ve “won.” They had more hours in the day to get stuff done or they brag about not needing a lot of sleep at night. Even if you don’t feel affected at first, not getting enough sleep can negatively affect your immune system, nervous system, brain function, and more. One way or another, it will catch up to you, and you’ll thank yourself later for allowing your body to rest.
To dive deeper into behind the scenes of her nursing career and her journey to F.E.E.L, you can read Jennifer’s book Nursing Intuition. We can all take a piece of what Jennifer has learned and shared as we continue to grow on our own. Then others can look at us and hear our experiences, and continue to grow on their own. It’s a never ending cycle that can be a positive force in the world.
Ways to Engage: Start focusing on your sleep schedule. Are you getting enough hours of rest? Do you wake up a lot throughout your sleep cycle? Are you on your phone right before you go to sleep or right after you wake up? Sleep is one of the most important aspects of your health, and we should be treating it as such.