4:30 AM Came Early Today

I was so happy to get my daughter to bed by 8:00 last night. Victory! This summer has been chaos — bedtime’s been creeping dangerously close to my bedtime (I’m looking at you, 9 PM). But last night, we got back on track.

We climbed into bed, read a couple chapters of the latest First Cat in Space graphic novel, and she asked if I’d stay with her until she fell asleep. She’s eight. I don’t do it often. But last night? I welcomed the cuddles. She’s been so good lately, and she deserved the moment.

Of course… I dozed off. Not for long, but just enough to throw a blip into my usual nighttime rhythm.

Eventually I made it to my own bed and queued up my go-to Yoga Nidra (or the more official term: NSDR – Non-Sleep Deep Rest). It’s my secret sleep weapon — helps me unwind and boosts sleep quality like magic. One Stanford study found NSDR protocols can increase dopamine by up to 65%, enhance learning, and speed up recovery.

I’ve got a few favorites I cycle through, and this one was on repeat. It’s a 45-minute session, but I usually set a 30-minute timer. No joke, I’m out within 5.

Except… last night, I wasn’t.

I started noticing cues I’d never heard before. My brain was too alert. Eventually, the timer shut the episode off — and I was still lying there, wide awake.

Cue the 4:30 AM alarm. I check my Garmin — because naturally — and bam: Sleep score: 50. Big yikes.

Now what?

Do I roll over, chase more REM, and hope to salvage the day?
Or do I remember Huberman’s advice — that a bad night’s sleep doesn’t have to cancel a workout?

He says it’s totally fine to train on poor sleep once or twice a week — and sometimes, it’s better to keep the rhythm than break the streak.

So I dragged myself up. And I moved.

First run in the books. Then I got my daughter ready for summer school and on the bus. Quick core session. Out the door for run number two.

Am I tired? Absolutely.
Am I sharp, motivated, and grateful I didn’t skip? 100%.

The truth is, NSDR still delivered some sneaky recovery benefits, even though I didn’t sleep well. And while my Garmin tried to throw shade with a “50,” my body knew what it needed: movement, not more mattress.

Here’s the takeaway:

Maybe we’ve put too much faith in scores, wearables, and “optimal zones.”
Maybe the secret isn’t in the data.
It’s in the decision to show up anyway.

You don’t need a perfect score to chase progress.
You just need the will to move through imperfection.

So lace up. Shake off the numbers. And go do what you were built to do.

Want my go-to Yoga Nidra episode? Here’s the one I love. Just don’t blame me when you’re snoring by minute six.