Stress Management Tips

The year is almost over and I am watching people all around me under a tremendous amount of stress because of various things, like the economy, relationships, health, etc. Everyone experiences stress from time to time, so it is perfectly normal. BUT, normal doesn't mean healthy or inevitable!

Believe it or not, you can learn how to largely eliminate stress. I don't mean eliminate the pressures in your life – those will probably remain.
Pressure is what is happening to you. Stress is how you react to those pressures.

(Read that again!)

Recent Study "Stress in executives": Shows that low and middle level executives show many stress symptoms, like ulcers, high blood pressure, tension, burnout and so on. Top executives, however, as a group show much fewer stress signs.

Why do folks at the top show fewer signs of stress?

There may be many reasons, like more control over their lives, but it is hard to believe they don't have pressures. So why don't they get as stressed? The main reason is that they have learned how to handle the pressure without letting it eat them up.

The next 25 days will have a tip a day to deal with stress. Again, these are amazingly SIMPLE techniques and they will help you.

I have heard people that have taken my stress class say, "I tried your techniques and they don't help me." Let me address this comment: First, these are not my techniques. I have learned them from smarter people than me! Second, if one doesn't work, try another technique. Not every technique will help in every case; however, having a strategy to deal will stress is vital to your survial.

Trust me when I say this, "Stress kills!"

Stress Tip #1 tomorrow. Makes sense, right, Tip 1, January 1, see you tomorrow!

Akhil...

Sleep Tips #12

Morning Sunshine. Avoid letting sunshine in the room when sleeping. Sunshine will activate your natural biological clock to stay awake.

Close those curtains, put on a face mask, cover your head with a damp wash cloth.

Keep the light out.

If you live in Alaska and it is daylight all the time: Move. Ms. Palin will understand.

Sleep Tips #11

Sleep in bed. Make sure the bed is for sleeping, train your mind to think sleep = bed. If you do other active things in bed, your mind will lose the connection with sleep = bed.

This is a FABULOUS Tip! If you play games in bed, work in bed, etc. Your mind doesn't connect the bed with a place to sleep. Of course you will wake up in bed and start thinking, let's get the laptop and knock out a few emails.

Sleep Tips #10

Cool it. Keeping the temperature in your bedroom on the cool side can help you sleep better.

If it is too hot, your body will not get a good nights sleep. If you get up sweaty, odds are very high that you didn't enter REM sleep.

If you are too hot, try this tip: Take a damp wash cloth and put it on your eyes, this typically does the job of cooling you down.

Sleep Tips #9

Have a good sleeping environment. Get rid of anything that might distract you from sleep: noises, bright lights, uncomfortable bed. Turns out that the most important part of a bed is the pillow. Save your money on the mattress, spend $$ on the pillow.

If your bed is a mess, clean it up. Make sleeping a PLEASURE. Make your bed inviting.

Spend on those pillows. They make the most difference.

Why do you think your wife wants to take her pillow with her when she travels? Because she is SMART!!!

Sleep Tips #8

Take a hot bath before bed. The drop in body temperature after the bath may help you feel sleepy, and the bath can help relax you.

This is one of my favorite tricks to get to bed. Wow, do I sleep well after a HOT SHOWER or HOT BATH.

I am so relaxed, just typing this makes me want to go to bed!

Sleep Tips #7

Relax before bed. Take time to unwind. A relaxing activity, such as reading or listening to music, should be part of your bedtime ritual.

This is why we read books to our children. Unwind.

BTW: An idea + a man = Bad News! Tickling is fun, I like to have fun, my daughter likes to have fun, I have an idea! Tickling your child before bed, not a good idea. I found that out the hard way!

Next night, no tickling, just reading Harry Potter, doing the voices of course!

Sleep Tips #6

Don't take long naps. Short Naps can boost your brain power, but late afternoon naps can make it harder to fall asleep at night. Try one hour max.

Also, if you want to get over jet lag, DON'T SLEEP until you are ready to follow a routine. I know the first day is hard, but then you are over your jet lag!

Small price to pay to get a good nights sleep.

Sleep Tips #5

Avoid large meals and beverages late at night. A large meal can cause indigestion that interferes with sleep. Also there is a small problem with acid reflux when you eat too late at night. Also, drinking too many fluids at night can cause you to awaken frequently to urinate.

Man, I hate that when I have to get up at night. I am all warm in my bed and then I have to go to the bathroom. I become completely awake and then I have to fall back to sleep. GOOD LUCK with that. Now, not liquids enter my body a couple of hours before bed. Works for me!

Sleep Tips #4

Avoid alcoholic drinks before bed. A "nightcap" might help you get to sleep, but keeps you in the lights stages of sleep. You also tend to wake up in the middle of the night when the sedating effects have worn off.

"Oh I will have a quick drink, that always makes me fall asleep!" so say some people. But they actually don't get the proper sleep that they NEED.

Avoid alcohol before bed, period!

Sleep Tips #3

Avoid stimulant. Caffeine, cigarettes, etc. The stimulating effects of caffeine can take as long as 8 hours to wear off fully.

I know this is a, "Duh!" tip, but, you would be surprised how many people drink caffeinated beverages before going to sleep. People react differently to stimulants, so watch what you intake before bed.

Sleep Tips #2

Exercise, but not too late in the day. Avoid exercising closer than 4 - 6 hours before bedtime.

A good workout does wonders for sleep. Your body is ready to relax = Relax = Sleep!

Go Figure. By the way, the 4 - 6 hours is because when you exercise you also get energized. You don't want to get charged up just before you go to bed.

Sleep Tips #1

Having trouble sleeping, try sticking to a schedule. Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day-even on the weekends.

This is an excellent way to regulate your body's clock. I have become so used to a schedule, that I seldom need an alarm clock! My body just gets up at a certain time and when I am tired, I know it is around 10:00pm.

Sleep Tips - What is Sleep

When you need more time in a day do you cut back on your sleep?

Many people think that sleep is merely a "down time" when the brain shuts off and the body rests. I found out that I was wrong.

Sleep studies show that sleep has distinctive stages that cycle throughout the night. Your brain stays active throughout sleep, but different things happen during each stage. For instance, certain stages of sleep are indeed for us to feel well rested and energetic the next day, and other stages help us learn or make memories.

In brief, a number of vital tasks carried out during sleep help maintain good health and enable people to function at their best. Most adults need 7-8 hours of sleep each night. Newborns, on the other hand, sleep between 16 and 18 hours a day, and children in preschool sleep between 10 and 12 hours a day. School-aged children need at least 9 hours of sleep every night.

So I asked, “Does it really matter if I get enough sleep?” “Absolutely!” Not only does the quantity of your sleep matter, but the quality of your sleep is important as well. People whose sleep is interrupted don’t get enough of certain stages of sleep. In other words, how well rested you are and how well you function the next day depend on your total sleep time and how much of the various stages of sleep you get each night.

Performance: We need sleep to think clearly, react quickly, and create memories. The pathways in the brain that help us learn and remember are very active when we sleep. Studies show that people who are taught mentally challenging tasks do better after a good night's sleep. Sleep is needed for creative problem solving.Skimping on sleep has a price. Tough to focus the next day and can slow your response time.

Mood: Sleep also affects mood. Insufficient sleep can make you irritable and is linked to poor behavior and trouble with relationships, especially among children and teens. People who chronically lack sleep are also more likely to become depressed.

Health: Sleep is also important for good health. Studies show that not getting enough sleep or getting poor quality sleep on a regular basis increases the risk of having high blood pressure, heart disease, and other medical conditions.In addition, during sleep, your body produces valuable hormones. Deep sleep triggers more release of growth hormone, which fuels growth in children, and helps build muscle mass and repair cells and tissues in children and adults.

Another type of hormone that increases during sleep works to fight various infections.Hormones released during sleep also affect how the body uses energy. Studies find that the less people sleep, the more likely they are to be overweight or obese, to develop diabetes, and to prefer eating foods that are high in calories and carbohydrates.

Sleep Tips

Hi all! It is Halloween and I am seeing a lot of night owls!!

I have discussed staying up late in some of my classes and there has been one one common complaint from many people that take my class: I can't sleep!

Are you suffering from a lack of sleep?

There are many forms of sleeplessness, one is an inability to get to sleep, stay asleep, wake-up STILL TIRED! These are very common for people as they age. I will give you some tried and true tips that will keep from being tired!

I have to tell you that I used to have a really hard time with sleeping and my attitude was:
Sleep is for the dead! While I am alive, I am going to stay awake!

I considered sleep annoying and envied people that could go on little to no sleep. As it turns out my view on sleep was WRONG!

My health suffered because of my lack of understanding with sleep and my body paid the price. I will tell you more about the pain and suffering on a later date; however, this blog is for you! Tips to sleep.

Tomorrow, we will look at why sleep is important!

Share theses nuggets with others and get some rest. Akhil