Working hard or hardly working?
08/02/2012
When it comes to sleep, it is remarkable how much the day effects the night, and the night effects the day.
Working hard is only truly possible if you have had a good night's sleep, however, a good night's sleep is only really achievable when you are hardly working. It is important when taking steps to curve sleep deprivation, that you consider both your daily and nightly routine in order to get the most out of the night, which then enables you to get the most out of the day.
During the day, regular physical activity can help relieve stress and calms the mind when it comes to sleeping. One of the most common reasons people stay awake is because of stress. Many of us go to bed worrying about finances or job security, or any one of a number of daily stresses that can keep the mind active and unfit for rest. Walking for 30 minutes a day or participating in other exercise provides a time when the mind can chew through the worrying aspects of the day, which leaves it far more relaxed at night.
According to a recent feature in The Province, Dr Mehmet Oz and Dr Michael Roizen said: "Some things in life are worth overpaying for; two are pillows and mattresses." Getting the right mattress to suit you is essential for a good night's sleep. There is a wealth of variety on the market now, which means that buying a tailor-made mattress is easier than ever. Before purchasing a mattress, think about how you prefer to sleep, and also about your sleep patterns. Are you a restless sleeper? Do you have back problems? Do you keep still in the night? All these are questions you should be asking when looking for a mattress that will best support you and provide you with the necessary amount of comfort during the night.
Coming to a full stop is important for your brain to start hardly working and begin to relax. There should be a period of at least 30 minutes before you plan to sleep that is kept for, excuse the Americanism, 'down-time'. There should be ten minutes spent doing the last-minute must-do tasks, such as turning off lights or emptying the dishwasher (nothing too strenuous), before spending ten minutes on hygiene things and ten minutes just lying down and relaxing. Some may feel the latter is a waste of time, but when you consider how many hours through the day are impacted by a good night's sleep, ten minutes deep breathing or meditation is nothing.
Making the bedroom equipped for sleep is the final piece of advice. Ban bedside TVs or digital devices, and use the bedroom for rest and sleep. Making the bed as comfortable as possible, with a nice duvet and pillow set, as well as the well-fitted mattress will help you drift off to sleep in no time at all.
Lack of sleep has been to blame in some of the most well-publicised disasters of all time. The ill-fated journey of the Challenger space shuttle was blamed on poor decision-making from executives at Nasa, who had been awake for 23 hours straight and had slept for no more than three hours the previous day. The Three Mile Island and Chernobyl disasters, as well as the Exxon oil spillage were all concluded to have been caused by long night shifts and a lack of sleep.
But besides from reading about it on the news, there are many ways that sleep has direct implications on our personal lives. Researchers at Warwick Medical School published a study in the European Heart Journal that linked disrupted sleep patterns to major health problems. Heart disease and strokes were linked to a lack of sleep by the researchers.
The importance of sleep is apparent to us all, even if it is a lack of productivity at work. The lesson is that hardly working could be the answer to working hard when it comes to sleep.
Posted by Elizabeth Mewes
