• Morning light is especially key, so step outside before getting ready for work. Even a couple of minutes of fresh air and sunshine prepare your body for the day.
• Open the sunroof during your commute.
• When you get a phone call, step away from your desk and stand by the window while you talk.
• Take five minutes during lunch to find a sunny spot and just absorb the sunshine.
Feel all the feels. Activating all of our five senses is vital to being awake. Here are some things you can do throughout the day to engage them:
• Stand up and stretch.
• Drink a very cold bottle of water.
• Take short walks throughout the day. This is more about being conscious of movement than about exercise. Make a lap around the office. Go refill your water bottle. Even a minute of movement helps. Set an alarm or reminder on your phone to help you remember to get up and move.
• Experience a temperature change. Turn the AC on max in the car and let the cold air blow on your face for two minutes. If it’ s cold or hot outside, go confirm that it’ s indeed cold or hot. Put an ice pack on that aching joint. You know you have one.
Stop and smell the roses. I mean literally. Smell is a powerful stimulus and can have an incredible effect on our brains. Be aware of every opportunity to use your olfactory senses. For instance:
• Use scented lotion.
• Keep a diffuser with your favorite essential oil in your home or office.
• Pause by the floral display in the grocery store and smell the bouquets.
• Instead of going through the food drive-thru, park and go in. You’ re not only smelling the food inside, you’ re also getting a few steps in.
Those are just a few examples to illustrate the overall point that sleep is really a daytime issue. From the time you wake up in the morning, start engaging those senses every chance you get. This tells your body it’ s awake time so that when the sun goes down and you stop with the sensory stimulation, your
Kelly Charles is a Certified Sleep Science Coach. She also hosts the Nothing Else Mattress podcast and is the owner and founder of The Big Mattress Outlet, with five locations serving North Georgia. She also founded the Big Dreams Bedding Foundation, which provides no- and low-cost bedding to underprivileged children. She can be reached at kelly @ bigmattressoutlet. com. body becomes trained, so to speak, to start preparing for sleep.
Of course, there are many other factors that can contribute to a good night’ s sleep, like a proper mattress and bedding, the temperature of your bedroom, and your before-bed routine. But good sleeping habits should begin much earlier in the day than most suspect. If you’ re not sleeping the best, try some of the tips mentioned and see what a difference it makes. A chronic lack of sleep is linked to all sorts of health issues, including cognitive impairment, depression, and an increased risk of diabetes and hypertension, so it’ s worth the time and effort to ensure you’ re getting the restful sleep you need.
ANSWERS: 1. About 30 %.
2. False. Different people have different sleep needs. Some people only need 6 hours of sleep each night. Others need 9 hours of sleep to work at their best. Find out if you need more sleep by paying attention to how sleepy or tired you are during the day.
3. All of the above. Over time, not getting enough sleep can harm your health. People who don’ t get enough sleep are more likely to have the health problems listed, and may die earlier than people who do get enough sleep.
4. False. Sleep patterns change with age. Plus, not everyone needs the same amount of sleep. Children 5-10 years old should get 10-11 hours of sleep daily, teens 10-17 years old need 8.5-9 hours, and adults need about 7-9 hours.
5. False. Sleeping pills don’ t treat the underlying cause of your sleeping problems, but they may help you get some rest. Changing the habits that make it hard to sleep works for most people.
6. True. If you stop breathing while you’ re sleeping, you may have a condition called sleep apnea. Sleep apnea causes your breathing to stop and start. Breathing pauses can last from a few seconds to minutes. If you’ re getting enough sleep but still feel sleepy during the day, ask your doctor if you might have sleep apnea. nwgeorgialiving. com | 35