Rest – Get Some

Everyone always brags about how they get no rest or sleep and can still function like a normal human being.

Its like a badge of honor nowadays.

Like wow, you don’t need 8 hours of sleep?

Someone get you a medal.

“I get like 5 hours of sleep a night, that’s all I really need.”

“Sleep is overrated. I can do fine with 4 hours of sleep along with some red bull or a coffee . . . then I’m good to go.”

Are you writing this on your resume under the “Skills” section?

If I was your doctor I would say that you need to start taking better care of yourself – seriously.

A good night’s sleep is probably one of the best things that you can do for your body. It gives you the ability to build a strong physique, keep your wits, and just plain feel good.

And I get it – you’re busy. You have a job, a family, errands to run, fun stuff you like to do, and more and more it seems like it would be great to add a couple extra hours throughout the day.

The solution: less sleep makes more time. More time for your job, for your family, for your errands, for fun stuff, right?

Hmm . . . let’s take a look at what less sleep does to you:

1. Makes you dumber – yea it does. You need to concentrate, reason, solve problems, etc. in your day to day life. Lack of sleep results in poor decision making, short attention spans, and forgetfulness (Your clients and employer won’t be happy with that either, just saying).
2. Kills Libido – everyone likes getting laid. It’s fun and feels GREAT, need I say more?
3. Screws with your metabolism, insulin, immune system, and various other hormones that help retain LEAN muscle and keep your body in check – And since this is the look that you are striving for, it might help to get some sleep. As a matter of fact, studies show that lack of sleep makes you eat more, gain weight, and lead to obesity.
4. Makes you look older – lack of sleep suppresses release of growth hormones, so any skin and muscle repairs aren’t going to be their best with only a “solid” 4 hours.
5. Gets you depressed – exhaustion over time leads to symptoms of depression, and no one likes a negative Nancy.

So, it probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to get those 7 or 8 hours in.

You want to be more alert, leaner, younger, healthier, and happier? Rest those eyelids  . . . for solid 7 or 8. You’ll feel better and your clients will too. The reasons are so good it’ll make your boss proud that you came in 15 minutes late to catch that extra shut-eye.

Don’t quote me on that though.

Now, how are we going put in these hours? I thought you’d never ask.

1. Exercise – You’ll build up that lean frame of yours and sleep like a baby. You only need like 15 to 20 minutes to get that workout in.
2. Chill with the caffeine – The morning rush will get to you, but caffeine messes up your sleep patterns. Not to say you should abolish it altogether. Just chill with it. Want to wake up in the morning and start the day off right? Try stretching or some kind of physical activity. You can also read a good 2 part article by Eric Cressey on how coffee is actually pretty good for you too:

http://www.ericcressey.com/coffee-consumption-and-health-1

http://www.ericcressey.com/coffee-consumption-and-health-2

3.Turn stuff off – The lights, the TV and the laptop, whatever. Just turn it all off. That email can wait and you can probably record that late night show. Read a good book and just pass out.
4. Pencil it in your calendar – Get your body adjusted to sleeping at a certain time, that way you’ll be able to wind down and get started on those 8 hours of awesomeness.
5. I’m a big fan of technology – use an app.

Here’s some links to solid apps that help you sleep better for both iPhone and Android users:

iPhone users:

http://mashable.com/2010/06/25/iphone-better-sleep/

Android users:

http://www.gottabemobile.com/2011/07/15/13-android-sleep-apps-for-quicker-better-sleep/

Done reading? Good. Go to bed.

did you miss our previous article…

Eat Lots of Food

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