How to be a Brainiac – Part Three
Posted on February 15, 2012
You can sleep on it! Thank goodness, right? That’s easy and so perfect for lazy people like me!
Did you know that as a rule, 1 hour of sleep is required for 2 hours of being awake? As we get older, that ratio becomes closer to 45 minutes of sleep for each 2 hours awake. And although, there is no question that sleep changes as you get older, you can improve your chances of a good night’s sleep by developing a sleep routine.
How do you do that? Well, you have to give bedtime the same attention and importance as the start of the day.
First, establish regular time for going to sleep and waking up. Even on the weekends. Difficult, I know.
Second, develop a relaxing ritual. A bath, a meditation session, some stretching exercises, a cup of chamomile tea…the key word is relaxing. So don’t call your drama queen sister and allow her to take every bit of tolerance you possess in your body and make you crazy with her stupidity and all the things she brings upon herself and….oh…um…sorry. You can ignore all that. Unless you know what I’m talking about and then you shouldn’t do that.
Third, create an ideal sleep environment. No clutter, clean bedding, soft lighting, a cool room (less than 65 degrees is considered ideal), and no electronics. Yes, no electronics. That means televisions, laptops, computers, or any iThings. Say no to Leno, Letterman, Conan or Kimmel. (Sorry Jimmy. I love you!)
Third, if you opt for a drink, it shouldn’t contain alcohol or caffeine.
Fourth, exercise routinely. That will flush out your stress hormones. Pick an activity that works your heart like walking, jogging, and swimming.
Fifth, clear your head at night. Keep a journal, perhaps. Putting your thoughts down on paper will help you avoid taking them into bed with you. I hate it when my night is ruined by obsessing over things. Some weird morphing happens and problems that I can logically deal with during the day, turn into life altering, overwhelming issues that cause me to toss and turn!
Sixth, don’t eat right before bed. For you to get a good nights’ sleep, your metabolism is supposed to slow down. By eating, you’re doing just the opposite.
Seven, don’t nap. It will throw off your body’s natural rhythms.
Eight, keep your bed for sleep and sex. That means don’t settle onto your bed for homework, Facebooking, online poker, and eating. You get the picture.
Got it? See you tomorrow for “How to be a Brainiac – Part Four!”