| 13 January 2010
So what can be done to improve your energy levels throughout the day so you have enough energy for work, home and most importantly you have some energy left over for you?
The solution in 90% of the cases is to improve the quality and amount of sleep. But what if you're having trouble sleeping? Let's look at how to overcome the three most common sleeping problems...
I know that most health experts and academics recommend that you get a minimum of eight hours sleep each night. To me the experts are dreaming if they think that any man or woman with children and a full time job and other commitments are going to consistently get eight hours of sleep each night. What you need to do first is to improve the quality of your sleep.
The three most common sleeping problems I hear of are:
· 1) Having trouble getting to sleep due to their mind racing.
· 2) Having trouble getting to sleep due trouble winding down.
· 3) Having trouble getting back to sleep after waking up in the middle of the night.
So what are some solutions to a better sleep?
Sleeping Challenge No.1 - Your Mind Is Racing
During a particularly challenging time in my business I would be awake for hours regurgitating ideas and problems in my head. One morning at about 1.30 am after about two weeks of next to no sleep, I got up out of bed and went down to my home office and started to write. Half out of frustration, my pen feverishly scorched over the paper as I tried to write down every thought and idea that was running through my head.
Six pages and one hour later I was finished. I was grateful that my brain had stopped running at a million miles an hour. After a few deep breaths, a heavy blanket of sleepiness soon curled around me and I promptly retired to bed. I was surprised about how fresh I was when awoke four and a half hours later. During breakfast I reviewed the notes that I had scribbled earlier that morning.
What I had written was the basis of the best 12month marketing and business development plan that I had ever done. No wonder my brain wouldn't let me sleep. If I hadn't kept going over it in my head I may have forgotten it.
Now if I find myself lying awake at night staring at the ceiling with things running through my head, I quickly grab a pen and paper and jot my thoughts down on paper. Safe in the knowledge that your thoughts are safely documented your brain then happily switches to sleep mode.
Sleeping Challenge No.2 - Trouble Winding Down
Melanie's major trouble was winding down and after her evening meal. After asking her a few questions it came as no surprise.
Melanie loved watching crime shows on TV in her bedroom and especially documentaries that reported on actual crimes. If there were no such show on TV she would nestle down in bed with a suspenseful thriller in her hand.
"By repeatedly feeding yourself a diet of suspense, in a place that is meant for rest and relaxation and at a time when you are meant to rest, you have trained your mind to go into a state of suspense. It would be impossible for you to sleep well in these circumstances.
"But how can I train myself to relax in the evening when I also have to clean up around the house?"
"Firstly leave books and TVs out of the bedroom. You want to create your bedroom as a place for sex and rest."
"The last 30 minutes of your day is just as important as your first 30 minutes. If you spend that time winding yourself down during the evening it will help improve the quality and effectiveness of your sleep. During this wind down time you can play calming music as you prepare for the following day. You can finish the cleaning up and begin to prepare for tomorrow's meals and plan your next day.
This small amount of planning can save you hours of more restful sleep.
The other way to help get you relaxed and sleepy is to turn the lights out. When you go to bed to sleep, ensure that your room is completely dark. Darkness stimulates the production of a sleep-inducing chemical by the pineal gland called melatonin. Even low levels of light inhibit the production of this sleepy melatonin so make sure to turn off all the lights in your bedroom, including glowing displays from clocks and other electrical appliances.
Sleeping Challenge No.3 - Trouble Getting Back to Sleep After Waking
It might be your child that has woken you or you have had to go to the toilet. Often your natural reaction is to turn the lights on. For your sleeps sake try to keep the lights turned off.
Whereas darkness may be nature's sleeping pill, light is better than a double espresso in terms of giving you an immediate wake up. Light of any form immediately shuts off the production of the drowsy melatonin, letting your body know it is time to get up and get going.
Try these tips to improve the quality of your sleep. The quality of your family life and the quality and productivity of your work will rise greatly. For 21 additional tips on improving sleep quality read chapter 6 and 7 in the book From Burnout to Balance in Four Weeks. Now also available as an e-book.
