Category: Life in General

beating the battle of wakefulness

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Sleep is one of man’s greatest pleasures in life. All of us long for that zzzz’s after a long day’s work. Problem is, some of us have trouble going to sleep- our eyes maybe drooping yet our brains are still lingering around every bit of idea that pops into our head. Annoying isn’t it? Wish our brains could just have the SLEEP MODE in our laptops. What’s worse, when we are able to finally go to sleep after an hour of tossing and turning, we then wake up in the middle of the night and tada!!! our brains’  booting again!  And the cycle would go on until the alarm clock goes off leaving you feeling and looking like a zombie.

So how do we deal with insomnia? Here are some tried and tested ways( by me of course)  to beat the zombie look we dread to have.

  • Have a regular sleeping time. Let’s say, you want to sleep at 10 pm so you can have a full 8 hour sleep when the alarm hits 6 am on the next day. By the way, an average adult needs 7-8 hours of sleep during the night. They say its variable but many experts believe that this number is the ideal.
  • Do your bedtime routine an hour before your bedtime. Most of us take a shower before we sleep. Try adding lavender oil on your bathroom floor before you step in. The scent of lavender removes nervous tension keeping you relaxed and calm. Lukewarm water is also a yes when taking a shower before bedtime since it has a soothing and sleep- inducing effect.
  • Avoid stimulating activities an hour before your bedtime. Watching television, surfing the net or playing computer games can lure you into sleeping late. Try to disconnect from these activities an hour before going to sleep. Consider this 1 hour as your “me” time-  try to reflect on the day before you and plan out the day ahead of you.
  • Warm milk and banana contains the chemical tryptophan that can help promote sleep. A glass of milk or a piece of banana before hitting the sack can help you sleep, just try not to overeat.
  • Don in the lightest and softest bedtime clothes. You don’t want to sleep feeling too overdressed do you?
  • Reserve your bed for sleeping only. This means that no watching television from your bed, no laptop, psp nor any activity other than SLEEPING.
  • Keep all the baggage under your bed when you hit the sack. When you are worrying about something, shut it out when going to bed. Remember, your bed is your throne, its a a holy place for you. Problems and worries will never have a chance to sleep on it.
  • A soothing music helps. Every time I go to sleep, I listen to my iPod’s relax melodies application. It’s a collection of  sounds from nature. I especially like the combined sounds of river flowing ,oceans rushing  and rain pouring.  And before I know it, i’m already drooling!
  • Avoid all sleep medications and alcohol. Sleep medication could just worsen the problem leading you to an increasing dose over time. Although alcohol is a depressant, it disrupts your sleep states leaving you groggy and tired in the morning.
  • When you still can’t sleep despite everything, don’t remain in bed tossing and turning around. Instead, get up, grab a book or try to do something until you are tired enough to do it. Try to wake up on your predetermined time no matter how zombie- like you may feel. Remember that correcting insomnia is not a one-shot deal. It is a process since your body has yet to adapt to theses routines. A week of repeatedly doing this can correct the problem.

the morning after- simple tips to boost your day

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Be it another boring day at work or a special day for an anniversary or birthday, we find ourselves sulking  to the same morning routine that we have- pressing the snooze button 2-3 times, then finally waking up, cursing and hurrying our way to the bath, to dressing up and having breakfast(a tall coffee and a bagel) on our way to the office. Then a series of paper works overwhelms us in the office and we get to go home late in the evening-  tired,  dreading our work, cursing the boss and everything around. We sleep, sometimes with our office clothes on, and hitting the snooze button xx times again in the morning.

Thing is, we always start our day hurrying and everything else would follow. Starting your day an hour earlier would make you enjoy the simple pleasures of waking up relaxed and smiling in the morning. Here are some activities that you can do to make your mornings stress-free as possible.

1. Personalize your alarm. You can choose your favorite song or a song that would make you feel MOTIVATED. Personally, I have the song  Empire State of Mind by Alicia Keys to keep me motivated in going to New York (my dream city). If your favorite song is kinda mellow and would make you want to continue sleeping, you can opt it out for a fast, feeling good song. Our motivational speaker has the song I Feel Good by James Brown since it would make her all revved up for the day.

2. Fluid up! The 7-8 hour sleep you had will make you dehydrated hence drinking a glass or two of water first thing in the morning will do wonders.

3. Stretch. Stretching loosens up our muscles. Some sleep all curled up in bed, while others have those military positions (straight and up) and a few take really odd positions in bed (my cousin rotates 360 during his sleep). This makes some of our muscles compressed for a couple of hours. Stretching relaxes these muscles and prmotes blood circulation throughout our body.

4. Have some sun , take a morning walk. As Hippocrates said, ” Walking is man’s best medicine”. A 15-20 minute walk under the sun will help us clear our minds from all the worries and stress. The sun also has this feel good effect on us, making us more in tune with nature. Try walking without thinking of anything else- it  can put your mind at ease.

5. Make your breakfast. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day hence it is a sin to skip it. It increases our energy levels and  prepares us for the challenging day ahead. Choose a healthy breakfast and try making it special by cooking for yourself  and enjoying every bit of it.

6. Take and enjoy your shower. Most of us stick to that “wet body-shampoo-soap-rinse” shower routine, and ola! all is done in just 3-5 minutes! We need to pamper our bodies. Pampering does not necessarily mean applying every hair or skin product in the market. Enjoy your shower, put on some Beyonce or Rihanna and sing and dance with them. We owe this to our bodies.

7. Plan your day. After clearing your minds up through your morning walk and shower, it is best if you list the things that you have to do aside from working- list it according to the degree of importance. Do not overwhelm yourself, plan one at a time so that you won’t feel bad if you are not able to achieve all your to-dos  at the end of the day.

8. Dress to Kill. Dress to impress. Even if your day will all just be a series of errands, you still have to dress nicely and neatly. Who knows a ” someone ” might bump in to you. Right?

9. Arrive 15-20 minutes early. Arriving early at the office would spare you the time of having to rush all the workload. It might even give you the “me time” you’ve been craving for in the office. Take this time to clean the clutter, arrange your desk and have some chit chats with girlfriends.