Mastering ZZZs Gives You an A+ in Overall Health
Let’s face it, there’s nothing better for our overall wellness than sleep. No matter how many vacations we take, how much yoga we complete, or how many glasses of water we drink, if we’re not getting enough good-quality rest, everything else we do to boost our health and wellness will suffer.
And, let me tell you – am I ever getting familiar with sleep - and lots of it! Last week I tested positive for COVID and, while I’m very grateful to be experiencing only minor symptoms, I was absolutely exhausted - sleeping up to 15 hours per day.
I’ve Been Where You Are – And I Can Help
Even though I teach people about wellness for a living and embrace a holistic, centered, and healthy lifestyle, I’ve literally been there, done that when it comes to sleep – insomnia; sleep trackers; restless leg syndrome; cramming all night for my Ph.D. dissertation; staying up and getting up all night with my babies, post-menopausal sleep apnea…
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Jerry Seinfeld’s Rules of Sleep – is this your life, too?
Do you remember the hilarious Jerry Seinfeld bit about Night Guy, Morning Guy and Day Guy? It was all about sleep habits. Seinfeld said as a Night Guy, he didn’t care that Morning Guy was going to be exhausted because he stayed up way too late – that was Morning Guy’s problem!
Well… I’m a Night Gal, trying to become a Morning Gal. And I’ve really been struggling...
We’re all guilty of this, especially when facing big work deadlines: We skimp on sleep during the week and then binge-sleep on weekends, telling ourselves that we’re ‘catching up on lost sleep’.
I battled sleep disorders for many years. I did my most creative thinking and writing late at night, often until 4 AM. While studying for my MS degree at Miami University, I was an insomniac. I wanted to get everything done as quickly as possible, and that meant functioning on about four hours of sleep a night.
During the dissertation phase of my doctoral program...
Are Sleep Trackers Keeping You Awake at Night?
If you have trouble sleeping, you know that can wreak havoc on your waking hours. But have you heard about digital insomnia: orthosomnia?
Step trackers. Calorie trackers. Now there are sleep gadgets and trackers to help us fall asleep while analyzing the quality and quantity of our sleep. You know what's ironic about fixating on achieving the perfect sleep or improving sleep scores? We're literally losing sleep over it!
I'm by no means an orthosomniac. Admittedly, I've had sleep challenges for many years, since starting grad school: I've had insomnia, restless leg syndrome, and post-menopausal sleep apnea. Sleep hygiene has become an integral part of my self-care practice. Forget the fancy gizmos and logging every breath you take. Here are my go-to sleep solutions, which I now adhere to nightly:
- Blue light blocking glasses (I wear these while working at my computer or watching TV at night)
- Wireless charger station (I keep it outside my bedroom on another floor of my house)
- Apple...
Kim Bercovitz, Ph.D.
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