It has been a fantastic week! We start off the episode with friendly reminders about laying that foundation for success and dedicating the time to working on the company finances. The work you put in today will pay off down the road. Take the time today to lay out your schedule for next week. Identify the items that are truly important and make them a priority for next week. You’ll head into the weekend already set up to be successful come Monday morning. After that we have cover a fun list of 43 things to try to fall asleep faster.
Here are some of the highlights:
Try square breathing:
– Inhale through your nose for 4 seconds.
– Hold your breath for 4 seconds.
– Exhale through your mouth for 4 seconds.
– Pause and hold for 4 seconds. Repeat as needed.
Blow bubbles. Dr. Rachel E. Salas, MD of the Department of Neurology at Johns Hopkins: “When the brain sees the bubble go off and disappear or pop … You visually see something kind of released out of you.”
Read a bit. A 2009 study showed that people who read before bed had by 68 percent less stress and fell asleep faster.
Set the temperature between 65F and 68F.
Stretch. Dutch researchers did a 2012 study in the Journal of Physiotherapy that found that people who didn’t stretch before bed were more likely to be awakened by cramps.
Practice mindfulness. A Harvard study showed people who studied mindfulness slept better than people who studied how to sleep better in general.
Try not to check email. A 2018 Virginia Tech study found that just thinking about checking email increased stress and made it harder to sleep.
Go to the gym. A 2018 study in the journal Sleep found that activity levels were directly correlated to sleep quality.
Take a shower to reduce your body’s core temperature.
Get off your phone (and other electronics). A 2012 study in Applied Ergonomics found that backlit displays reduce melatonin, making it harder to fall asleep.
Practice gratitude. A 2015 study in the journal Spirituality in Clinical Practice found that it leads to better sleep and less daytime fatigue.
Tell yourself it might be better to stay awake anyway. This one is per Colin Espie, a professor of sleep medicine at the University of Oxford: “If you can be comfortable with the idea of remaining awake, then the performance anxiety and frustration that are associated with trying to sleep have nowhere to go and your arousal level drops.”
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