Do you want to be alert, dynamic and full of energy all day long? Do you want good concentration and memory? Do you want to be more resistant to illness? Do you want to live longer?To experience optimal living, you can’t take shortcuts. One of areas that is often ignored is “Sleep”. People set aside sleep to live. While, in the long run, the converse is true. The better you sleep, the better you live. It wouldn’t be ambitious to classify the “Four Golden Rules of Good Sleep”:1. Get enough sleep every night.2. Establish a regular sleep schedule.3. Get continuous sleep.4. Make up for lost sleep.
Golden Rule #1: Get enough sleep every night.
Your journey to optimal living starts by identifying the amount of sleep you need to be fully alert all day long. It is different for different people and therefore it will be incorrect to propose a standard duration that applies to everyone. You need to somehow make sure you get that amount every night. Surveys have shown that most people need at least 60-90 minutes more sleep than they are currently getting. The average person needs 8 hours of sleep to be fully alert all day long. Sleeping just one hour longer can boost your alertness by 25%!Golden Rule #2: Establish a regular sleep schedule.
Go to bed at the same time every night, and wake up without an alarm clock at the same time every morning, including weekends. Regularity is vital for setting and stabilizing your internal sleep/wake biological clock. Within six weeks, the hours you spend in bed will begin to synchronize with the sleepy phase of your biological clock.
Don’t fall into the trap of trying to catch up on lost weekday sleep by sleeping in on the weekends. If you sleep late on Sunday, you’ll probably have trouble falling asleep at your regular bedtime that night. When the alarm goes off Monday morning, you’ll still be sleepy. (This is the pattern behind “Monday morning blues”.)Golden Rule #3: Get continuous sleep.
For sleep to be rejuvenating, you should get your required amount in one continuous block. Disrupted nocturnal sleep will cause you to be drowsy during the day. Six hours of good, solid sleep can be more restorative than eight hours of fragmented sleep — as any parent of a newborn can tell you.
Limiting your time in bed to what you need, and no longer, will help deepen your sleep. So keep to a regular bedtime and avoid long daytime naps.Golden Rule #4: Make up for lost sleep.
Living in today’s hectic society, you’ll occasionally fall into “sleep debt.” Probably this information could help: Reducing sleep by one hour for seven nights has the same effect as staying awake for 24 consecutive hours.
Sleep loss does not dissipate over time; rather, it’s cumulative. If you lose several hours of sleep on a given night, you will become more and more sleepy as the days go by. Lost sleep must be repaid, so pay back your sleep debt. Make up for lost sleep by going to bed earlier and return to your regular sleep schedule as soon as possible.The bottom line: if you want to be wide awake, creative and dynamic all day long, get more sleep!
People, especially in India, can keep on dragging and postponing the decision of replacing their existing mattress so as to justify value for money, or due to pure laziness. In a lighter vein, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that mattresses are treated like mistresses! People find it hard to let go! However, such postponement is detrimental to those who use the mattress. It could lead to serious health hazards which could take a long time and lots of money to correct.How can you determine if your mattress needs replacing?
The Better Sleep Council provides this “ABC” checklist: Age, Beauty & Comfort
Age
Studies show that a mattress and foundation provide optimum service for about 8-10 years of nightly use. This is provided the mattress itself will last such a long duration. However, most mattresses in India sag or stop performing optimally after a couple of years of use. Technically, it should be replaced as soon as its stops performing. However, assuming an optimum performance for a very long duration, a mattress should compulsorily be replaced after 10 years.Beauty
Is your mattress marred by uneven surfaces, tears and sagging spots? Such poor appearances also indicate poor performance. If there is sagging or an uneven surface, the mattress has well crossed its useful life.Comfort
Lie down and concentrate on the feel of your mattress. If you find it difficult to gauge its comfort level, visit a local bedding or department store to see how a new, good-quality bed feels. Advancements in betting technology have made today’s beds more comfortable and supportive than new beds were a decade ago. When we spend about 1/3rd of our lives on mattresses, overlooking and compromising on what the mattresses should be offering each day, will be a big mistake.
Teenagers (adolescents) around the world only average about 6 hours of sleep everyday! In fact, adolescents need about 9 ½ hours sleep a night to be fully alert. So they keep carrying forward a nearly 4-hour deficit every night!This explains why most of them drag themselves through high school and college like zombies. It gives us an insight into their moody and lethargic behavior and explains why they are most of the times unprepared or unable to learn. Teenagers actually need more sleep than children because of the significant changes that accompany the transition to adulthood.You can help your teenagers by encouraging them to follow simple guidelines:
1. Enough sleep
A teenager should average as close to 9½ hours a night as possible. Though it sounds like oversleeping, global research has allowed coming to such a optimum duration for this age group.2. Establish a regular sleep/wake schedule
Teenagers maybe forced to stick to schedules on week days owing to the school timings and work loads, however, these schedules (if any) go for a toss on weekends. However, its important to stick to the schedule even on weekends to avoid readjustment blues once the weekday restarts!3. Exercise to stay fit
A good 20-30 minutes of mild exercise at least three times a week can help a teenager. However, they should not exercise too close to bedtime. Outdoor sports activities are apt replacement for an exercise regimen.4. Limit caffeine late in the day
The coffee culture (thanks to Coffee Day) is a growing fad in the metros of India. You see teens thronging these places and making a lot happen over a coffee! For those who don’t hang out at these expensive joints, the high caffeine content in cola, and also in chocolate makes up. Limiting caffeine intake after 6pm will help a teenagers sleep patterns.5. Avoid alcohol
Even a low amount of alcohol if consumed by a sleep-deprived person sets the stage for disaster especially when driving. Exhausted adolescents who are learning to drive and learning to drink are most vulnerable to this deadly combination. Now, even if they are not driving, alcohol should be avoided.
Pregnancy is a crucial phase in every mommy – to – be’s life. While the arrival of the little one is a much anticipated event, it’s also important to remember that her body is going through a lot of changes to nurture the baby. Along with nutrition, rest is a very important factor to ensure a smoother pregnancy. Often mothers of more than one kid aren’t able to get the required rest and self-care they need during this time. Here’s where becoming intentional about sleep comes into action. Following are some suggestions on how to ensure good quality sleep during pregnancy
1. Taking multiple naps
Naps of minimum 30 minutes couple of times a day can give a much deserved break. As pregnancy progresses sleep becomes more and more elusive. Even when not feeling sleepy, merely lying with eyes closed can help. Putting feet up takes away the additional weight off them thus reducing swelling and backaches.2. Ensure the quality of mattress and pillows
Pregnant women often suffer from backaches as they near the third trimester. This is because the body’s natural posture goes through dramatic changes due to the pregnant belly. More the cause for investing in a good quality mattress and pillows. A firm mattress provides support to the body in the right places ensuring long term health of the spine. Also sleeping in a raised position on a good pillow can reduce reflux, a common ailment during pregnancy.3.Create a cohesive environment
A calm environment enhances the quality of sleep and helps the body to rejuvenate. Hence while sleeping, ensure that the room is quiet, clean and pleasant. Limit the use of screens in the bedroom. If using music, choose soft tunes on low volume. Use clean bedspreads and quilts. Diffusers or essential oils can help make the room smell pleasant while being therapeutic. Keep the lights dim to signal the mind that it’s time to wind down for the day. A family member can give light massage to the pregnant lady and help her relax.4.Have a consistent night time routine
A busy day can make us want to flop down on the bed and drift off to sleep. But that’s a sure shot way to wake up next day feeling lethargic. Setting a night time routine and following it religiously contributes a lot towards getting a good night’s rest. Get to bed a little before the usual time. A routine can be as simple as a quick warm bath, changing into comfortable sleepwear, reading a book or meditating for a few minutes before retiring.Pregnancy in itself is a challenging period for women – both physically and emotionally. Protecting sleep during this time becomes vital for their holistic health. And remember, sleep well before the baby comes, because later sleep might be a hard thing to catch.
