How To Get Fantastic Sleep

On a tip from a savvy movie critic, I took my 7-year-old out to see his second ever Marvel movie the other day (he’s a big fan of Norse mythology so he’s seen Thor: Ragnarok and sorta liked it). We sat back, donning our 3D glasses (he was very into the novelty of this) and took in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. What a pleasant surprise. The movie is, in fact, as my movie critic colleague promised, The Best Marvel Movie for Families.

For the kids, there’s a lot to love. There are the action montages, a bright retro futuristic setting, a visual style that is gee-whiz superhero cool, but in a comic way — shiny and light and not over the top. The movie is just more palatable for kids than most other Marvel movies, emotionally and cognitively. The superheroes are relatable as family but they also play the part of role models well, interacting with and caring deeply about the public they serve. The villain, too, is not so much motivated by evil but by an unstoppable appetite (for planets, granted) that he is actively trying to rid himself of. A little sympathy goes a long way to take the teeth out of a monster. But most importantly there’s Franklin, the baby.

The Fantastic Four are a family and have arguments and issues that are familiar to all kids. One big one is the strain (and joys) that having a baby puts on, well, everyone. I especially loved seeing Reed Richards and Sue Storm, superheroes with doctorates who no doubt have seen their share of sleep debt, complain about tiredness. Even genius superheroes can’t face the superheroic task that is getting baby to bed. It’s a tension that gets the screen time it deserves. Just ask any parent.

Sleep has been on my mind a lot lately. I always thought that I would crush sleep once my baby grew up, but some 6 years later I realize maybe it wasn’t the baby? I’ve never met someone who doesn’t have a tenuous relationship with sleep. When I was in physical prime either during my senior high school years as a soccer player and middle distant runner or during my marathon-happy thirties, I slept so very soundly. At least that’s how I remember it.

Now that I’m older I juggle more — so much more — work out a little less and do a lot more staring at the ceiling in the middle of the night. With age, I maybe need to admit, I need an assist.

I’ve only just started to give sleep tracking a fair shake. I’ve been pairing up a new Samsung Galaxy 8 watch with a Samsung Galaxy Ring (I’ve been a Samsung man since I converted to their Flip phone, which pairs seamlessly together, requiring no third-party apps).

So what have I found? That data is in fact motivating. I won’t get too into the weeds but I will tell you that late night snacks, screens, night caps, and work are bad for my sleep. Evening walks, reading, and days with lighter fare and more quality workouts lead to more quality sleep.

It’s all fairly obvious stuff, but what the tracking does is force the attention. Good sleep matters and is, for those of us without babies, a fairly controllable thing. We can create habits that help sleep. We can choose to prioritize our health and well being. Stats don’t tell us what to do, but they do show what our current priorities.

When my son was a sleepless baby (he really was the worst) the only two priorities I had were to keep him healthy (alive) and to find sleep. My world is a little easier now and my list of priorities has grown immensely. I want to be outdoors more, to find new fitness, to take on new passions (birding is kind of fun, everyone), to embrace a new phase of marriage, to learn new skills, and meet my kids where they are. But sometimes you have to remember the basics. Without good sleep, everything is more difficult. Only a superhero can defeat the eater of worlds on a new parent’s sleep schedule. The rest of us need all the help we can get.