Get Sleep, Get Smart, Get Sane

GET SLEEP, GET SMART, GET SANE

It's hard not to comment on the financial doom surrounding us this week like a darkening tunnel, but I want to point something out that's very positive and that can potentially help you to navigate these uncertain times. It's the value sleep can have on your smarts. Yes, you read that right: sleep can make you smarter. And saner.

Unlike a stock that you buy and declines in value (with your sanity), if you buy yourself more sleep you could add value to just about everything that makes you, well, you. And perhaps one of the best payoffs to more sleep is getting smarter. Simple as that. A sharper, wittier mind can make better decisions, manage stress more easily, put things into perspective, and generally make sense of a world that oftentimes seems so crazy and out of balance.

An article I read online yesterday reminds us just how critical sleep is in our ability to maintain our wits. It's no joke that sleep increases our judgment, creativity, and memory. Our bodies may be resting up and repairing before the next day at battle, but our minds are hard at work in the night—performing all the actions that need to get done behind the scenes for us to be able to learn new things, complete difficult tasks, solve challenging problems, and capture profound memories the next day so they don't just dissipate. In fact, memories can have emotions attached to them, which help us keep track of what's safe or not, what brings us joy or pain. Those memories could be critical to our survival, and sleep is what allows us to keep them.

I say all this knowing, though, that sleep is so hard to come by, especially given our current economic climate. You may be watching the news like a hawk and having nightmares about your retirement fund. You could be worried about your job and ability to pay the bills next month. None of this bodes well for a good night's sleep.

This week, I have a 3-piece recipe for you to try; get our your daily agenda or calendar out and mark these down as reminders:

1. Within EIGHT HOURS of bed (between 2:00 and 3:00 PM for most people): quiet the caffeine and sugar. Stop consuming highly-caffeinated and sugared beverages. What I'm really getting at here is halting coffees and sodas. We tend to drink them mindlessly, then wonder why we're wired and tired, and having a hard time sleeping later on. All that sugar and caffeine will feed your worries and distort your perspective. 
2. Within THREE HOURS of bed:  quiet your mind by eliminating all sources of stress and anxiety. This means avoiding certain conversations, work, media (including the Internet), and anything that will bring stressful topics to your eyes and conscious.
3. Within ONE HOUR of bed:  quiet your body by engaging in an activity that is soothing, relaxing, and pleasurable. It could be a warm bath, light reading, light stretching, or even sex. Have a cup of herbal tea if you like.

Keeping the mind nourished and nurtured is much easier that you think. The mind is a terrible thing to waste in sleep deprivation. Remember, get sleep to get smart! It also helps to remember this: stocks are NOT necessary for survival, but sleep is. The more refreshing sleep you get, the saner life seems to become.

Source: The Insomnia Blog 

Relaxation 101

Try these five easy tips to get your body and mind ready for sleep:

1. Have a light snack.

Turns out, Mom was right—a glass of warm milk before bed can help send you off to dreamland. That's because milk is rich in tryptophan, a sleep-inducing amino acid. Additional research indicates that pairing tryptophan with carbohydrates has added benefits—they help make the tryptophan more available to the brain. So to boost the effect, pair that glass of milk with carbs such as crackers, toast or cereal.

2. Don't try to force it.

The more you toss and turn and focus on trying to go to sleep, the harder it will actually be. Instead engage in a relaxing activity that will help calm you down, or even bore you to sleep. Try reading a book or meditating. Even imagining a dull speech or lecture might do the trick.

3. Nod off to Relaxation Tunes.

Listening to soft music or nature sounds can help relax you and get you ready for sleep. Soft and soothing classical music is a good place to start, but you should experiment with what's right for you. Just make sure to program your music so it shuts off on its own.

4. Create a bedtime ritual.

Reading in a comfy chair, writing in a journal, taking a warm bath or shower or simply dimming the lights can be a relaxing ritual that signals to your body that it's time to slow down. Resist the temptation to check your e-mail or pay bills in bed—these activities will keep your brain buzzing.

5. Build the right sleep environment.

Your physical environment can play a huge role in the amount and quality of sleep you get each night. Edit your bedroom and remove anything that might produce sensory overload—too much light from bright lamps and sheer curtains or energizing music from the stereo. Use our interactive tool to design your ideal sleep sanctuary and gets tips for improving your sleep along the way.


Written by: Laurie Herr with minor modifications by the Relaxation Tunes team

Published By: Healthline Networks Inc.

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Relaxation Tunes

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Relaxation Tunes available on iphone and other smartphones and music players

Download Relaxation music and put it on your iPhone. You can listen to it when you work out, when you study or when you have a lot of work and you need to concentrate. With the ipods or smartphones you can listen to your Relaxation Tunes all the time in a very convenient way.

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Relaxation Tunes 

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Depression and Migraines Eased With Exercise and Relaxation

Women who suffer from migraines may be able to reduce the intensity of their pain and their risk of depression by regularly taking part in a simple exercise and relaxation routine, according to a study conducted by researchers from Innsbrook Medical University and published in the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine.

Thirty women migraine sufferers were randomly assigned either to stay with their normal migraine treatment or to supplement that treatment with specific routine involving 45 minutes of aerobic exercise and 15 minutes of progressive muscle relaxation two times per week. After six weeks, the women who took part in the exercise and relaxation routine reported significantly less intensity of migraine pain than the women in the regular treatment only group.

Women in the exercise and relaxation group also reported significantly fewer symptoms of depression after six weeks than women in the control group. Overall, however, the level of psychological well-being was found to be the same in both groups.

Previous research has suggested that while exercise appears to have no ability to prevent migraine attacks, it does appear to reduce the intensity of pain experienced -- a conclusion supported by the current study.

The researchers were unable to determine the reason for the exercise and relaxation therapy's effect on migraine pain, but they speculated that the treatment might improve feelings of self-efficacy and thus improve people's ability to cope with pain.

Up to 28 percent of people will suffer from a migraine attack at some point in the course of their lives. In any given year, 6 to 15 percent of adult men and 14 to 35 percent of adult women will suffer from at least one migraine attack.

People who suffer from migraines - especially young adults, women who use hormonal contraception, and women who suffer from migraine with aura - have two to three times the risk of undergoing a stroke as those who do not experience migraines.

Sources for this story include: www.reuters.com and Natural News

Sincerely,
Harvey Billiet

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Relaxation Tunes 

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What to expect in the future

Relaxation Tunes is an online music store that want to relax people through music. Many people in our society are very nervous and never have time. On this new blog one will find news, information and advice on relaxation, times management, massage, yoga, meditation and much more.

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