Thursday, February 26, 2015

Part 2. Sleep. How do I get enough and why is it important?

Here is the 2nd part of our 3 part series on sleep and getting the most out of it. I have reprinted an article that I read in "Natural Health magazine Jan/Feb 2015". Here are some of the questions that were asked in the article to determine what sleeping patterns you may have.

Quiz 1

Are you a Happy Hibernator or Rapid Recharger?
Don't mess up my Sleep

1. Your alarm goes off after eight hours of sleep. What do you do?
a) I hit the snooze button and sometimes fall back asleep.
b) My eyes snap open before it buzzes

2. How late do you sleep on weekends?
a) As late as I possibly can. Those "do not disturb" signs were made for me.
b) I get up around the same time as I do on workdays.

3. You got your usual amount of sleep last night. How do you feel at 3:00 PM?
a) That's the time for my second - er,fourth-double-shot-latte.
b) Not bad. My energy dips, but soon enough I get a second wind and get a ton accomplished. Take that, to-do list!

Answers:

Mostly, A's then your a Happy Hibernator!. Get back between the sheets and keep reading: Your body needs more rest than most.
Mostly, B's then you're a Rapid Recharger. You need less sleep than the average bear. But if you still feel tired or are logging fewer than six hours, read on:

Quiz 2

What's Keeping you up at night?

1. How do you tend to react when life pitches you a curve ball?
a) It throws me, but I bounce back quickly.
b) I usually get weepy, and sometimes isolate myself.
c) My mind starts spinning like a hamster wheel, and I get jumpy or anxious.

2. Do you have periods of wakefulness at night?
a) No-I turn in on time and I'm out cold till morning.
b)Yes-I have a hard time drifting off even though I know my opportunity to rest is ticking by.
c) I fall asleep fine, but the littlest things wake me.

3. Bedtime: friend or foe?
a) I love it! Heading to bed is the natural conclusion to my day; I earned it.
b) It's stressful: I get worked up thinking about how terribly I'll sleep.
c) Bedtime's not the problem-it's the morning, when I'm frustrated with myself for not sleeping the whole night through.

Answers:

If you answered mostly A's you're a Stellar Sleeper. Lucky you, shut eye comes naturally. Scoot over to the next quiz.

if you answered mostly B's you're an insomniac. Roughly 1/5 of American women are 1/3 more likely to suffer from this snoozing problem than men, the National Sleep Foundation reports.

If you mostly C's you're a light sleeper. your brain struggles to mask outside sounds, per a Harvard study, so anything can wake you. Stay asleep.
Lovely Pups!

Quiz 3

Are you a morning Lark or Night owl?

1. How hungry are you after Breakfast?
a) Ravenous. Don't get between me and my omelet!
b) Me. I usually eat in the a.m because I should.


2. What if you drink caffeine after 2 p.m. ?
a) I'm up and down all night,
b) It doesn't faze me.

3. How did you sleep as a kid?
a) My poor parents: I woke them up every morning by jumping on their mattress at 6 a.m
b) My poor parents: I snuck out of bed a million times a night, asking to stay up "just a little later."

Answers

Mostly A's your a morning Lark. Early to bed your the first one at your desk-but you tend to crash early. If you have mostly B's. your a night owl. naturally thrive in the dark and would rather sleep in.

Now take the time to study your answers and see the patterns that you may have. Now jot down on a post-it a few solutions to your answers. Place them somewhere you can see them regularly to help remind you. In part 3 I will offer you a few solutions that you can choose from based on you're lifestyle and personality. Let the solutions you pick be your way forward to improving your sleep!

Hope you find value in this article.

Regards,

NEXT LEVEL
Abu Pigott DC