66 days to build better sleep habits: ‘By Saturday afternoon I am utterly listless’
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How long does it take to change a habit? It varies, but one paper suggests it takes an average of 66 days. We asked writers to change one thing in their lives within that timeframe … and tell us if it works. Growing up in Sydney, I knew the city prided itself on its “first light culture” long before the state government made it the focal point of its tourism campaign. It’s hard to miss the golden rays lighting the masses returning in their Lycra from runs in Centennial Park or surfing Bondi’s waves long before the work day has even begun. For one glorious morning, I joined them getting myself up to go to a 6am pilates class followed by a dip in the ocean. The beauty of the morning combined with the supercilious sense of having accomplished so much before my alarm normally went off was intoxicating.
![[Natasha May]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2024/11/22/Natasha_May.png?width=75&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
There was only one problem. I cannot get to bed early to save my life. As a child, I would get out of bed and feign an interest in overseas tennis tournaments to join my mother watching them late on television. In my teenage years I’d stay up past my bedtime to watch interviews on YouTube, and at university pulled more all-nighters than I care to remember. In recent years, influenced by a culture increasingly concerned about sleep hygiene, I have tried my best to curb what feels like a bad habit born out of a lack of self-control.
![[Guardian Australia’s Natasha May attempts 66 days of better sleeping]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/64557a7b4950d16e4aff6942494371cd53654dae/0_267_8015_4811/master/8015.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
In my mind, accepting this challenge of getting better sleep was synonymous with becoming a morning person, something I have never been able to do. So it is somewhat of a relief when Dr Moira Junge, the chief executive of the Sleep Health Foundation and an adjunct clinical associate professor at Monash University, tells me this is not a result of laziness on my part but a product of my genetics. “It’s like our eye colour and our hair colour, we are predisposed to being naturally a night owl or a morning lark. But because of work and family commitments, not many of us have the luxury of living true to our chronotype,” Junge says.
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