Every dawn brings new potential and every dusk brings even more. I’m looking at the horizon with anticipation for the future!
There are so many things that are coming up and I can’t wait to be a part of the biggest events of 2021, so I got vaccinated.
I respect everybody’s personal choice in the matter, and I’m not here to preach. But in case you’re on the fence or just procrastinating, I wanted to share my experience and my reasons why I chose to take the shot.
There’s a ton of advertising out there about getting the shot. I’ve seen it as I pass by different media throughout my day. While they stress getting the shot, none of them focus on how important it is to get a good night’s sleep before you get it. More on that in just a minute.
So here’s some fun context, if you Google “Elvis Presley gets vaccinated,” you’ll see him get a shot on the Ed Sullivan show. The efforts of celebrity vaccinations goes way back, and it looks like 2021 isn’t too far off from back in my day.
The process for me was easy enough. My wife helped schedule the appointment. It was a drive-thru event. I showed up and got my shots. Really it was just that simple. I got Pfizer and I did have a bit of a reaction the day after my second shot. I think most people shared the experience to some degree.
I couldn’t just get the shot though. Each time I pulled up to a station, I blasted the song “Hallelujah” with a choir and orchestra. I tried to add a little bit of humor to what is a repetitive but critical task.
I have a lot of reasons to get vaccinated. For starters, my wife works in a high-risk job. She got vaccinated and I can’t let her do it alone. For richer or poor, in sickness and in health, and if she has to, then I have to! Guys, you know that works.
And I miss the large crowds of 5k races in my hometown community of Lake Norman, North Carolina! Pre-covid, going to a race packed with three to five thousand people was an epic start to a Saturday. If getting vaccinated brings those events back, then I’m in!
Then there is the mattress and furniture industry! Vegas Market! We went to Vegas Market every year. In fact, we were there in January 2020 seeing products and making decisions that would affect one of the hardest and most critical years in business we’ve ever experienced.
Don’t think you need to go? That’s your call. We go to see the latest and greatest. We go to see the options. We go because our local community depends on our expertise and insights so they don’t have to spend days and weeks researching products from top to bottom. Instead, they trust us to do that homework for them. I can’t wait to go back to Vegas market in 2022!
My final reason comes down to two very important words: PRIMETIME BABY!
If you don’t know, PrimeTime is held twice a year by Nationwide Marketing Group. They are the leadership that has helped us lead our independent business through the pandemic. They bring the local independent retailers together to give us the buying power of a giant national chain.
As individuals, we can’t fight big box stores and Amazon. Together, with Nationwide at the helm, we have the means to fight back and thrive. They are amazing x11 to the millionth power.
Primetime Nashville is going to be incredible. NMG has been busting their humps for the last year and a half to help local independent retailers like us and we intend to show up and show our appreciation live and in person. There might be masks, there might not. Doesn’t matter. I’m there to see the crew and rejoice in surviving.
So all of these things factored into my decision to be somewhere around the 110-140 millionth adult to be vaccinated in the U.S. However, you don’t just get vaccinated and this problem goes away. While the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are state-of-the-art, we have some old-school data from our annual flu shots and other vaccines to know that without a good night’s sleep, it isn’t as effective.
You know what keeps me up at night? I think about how many people have gotten vaccinated and say to themselves “Oh well, I’m all set!!” Well, all of them for starters. But the sad news is, according to Dr. Walker’s Master Class “The Science of Sleep,” if you sleep six hours or less each night the vaccine could be up to 50% less effective. They test this on the folks who get the flu shot every year.
While I appreciate modern medicine’s glory and ingenuity, the one thing it can’t fix is our own personal responsibility to bring a body that is able to accept the vaccine at its highest level of effectiveness. Our lives are our own responsibility. I chose to plan out my sleep the week prior to my shots and a few days after. I want to be as immune as possible to Covid-19.
So while America becomes more immune, the question is how effective are we in our technology and caffeinated culture to prepare our bodies for the high-tech vaccines modern medicines can produce?
The science behind your body’s response is twofold. You need both your body to produce the reaction but to also have the ability to recognize the foreign agent. If you lack proper sleep, you’re increasing the risk for all diseases including, the Rhinovirus AKA the common cold. But also Covid and the two-week quarantine you’ll go through if you contract it.
I respect your decision to not get the vaccine if that is the path you choose. If you are on the fence or have made an appointment, you need to challenge yourself!
Get eight hours of sleep the week prior to your shot(s) and continue the 8 hours a few days after. Life doesn’t just get better because you’re vaccinated. It’s up to you to bring your body ready to get the most out of the vaccine. The government and doctors aren’t in charge of your circadian rhythm, that’s all you!
