Sleep is possibly the most underestimated, under-appreciated part of our day. Browsing through an assortment of books for sale, I came across Lisa Morrone’s “Sleep Well Again” (pub. 2012) and decided to give it a try. I was rewarded with new insight into a fascinating common activity.
For starters, the day starts at night. One need look no further than the Biblical account of the first day: “there was evening and there was morning, the first day.” Makes complete sense in that we are to properly rest first to get ready for coming day.
Next is advice for parents: don’t use something as precious and valuable as sleep as a punishment, as in: “You’re going to bed an hour earlier tonight!” Same as with writing or reading – don’t associate a good or healthy activity with the negative aspect of punishment. (Or like the cross country t-shirts: “Our sport is your sport’s punishment.”)
Experts say the average person needs a solid seven to eight hours of sleep each day, and make that 9.25 hours for teenagers.
The body has a Circadian rhythm on roughly 24-hour cycles, during which it undergoes numerous physical changes as it literally repairs itself for the next onslaught of wakefulness. Miss out on just two of those necessary eight hours and you lose 25 percent of the time that your body’s nerves are being fixed and tested to be ready to go for the next day.
Keep doing that and you quickly fall into sleep debt. Just like spending more dollars than your income, it is not sustainable and will catch up with you, generally to the degree that you overdo it.
Morrone offers numerous tips on preparing for a good night’s sleep such as lower lighting, a comfortable temperature, avoiding stimulation (noise and video) in the last hour before bedtime, and even doing certain things during the day to prepare for the night such as stopping caffeine intake early enough, etc.
Once in bed, posture goes a long way toward getting rest and even overcoming pain distractions. There are more details than we can go into here, but it is highly advised to never, never sleep on your stomach.
The book also has chapters devoted to dealing with physical and emotional issues that cut into sleep. If better sleep appeals to you, give it a read.
Good night – sleep in heavenly peace.
Mouth-watering Omaha Steaks
Showing posts with label sleep. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sleep. Show all posts
Saturday, February 1, 2014
Monday, October 28, 2013
World Series: sleepless in St. Louis
With the Red Sox holding a 3-2 lead going back to Fenway, it’s been three straight nights of tardy bedtimes.
But it’s been a great show. Not always perfect baseball, but exciting baseball. Games ending on obstruction calls and pick-offs. The Red Sox making errors almost every game, but getting the clutch hits when they need them.
The World Series is especially great to watch on TV (free TV!) because of detailed coverage with numerous camera angles. There are countless replays showing the spin on the ball, the bats vibrating as they make contact with a pitch, you can count the gray hairs in the pitcher’s beard.
The pitch tracker shows how often the home plate umpire misses the call, which has been surprisingly often. It goes both ways – both teams, balls instead of strikes, strikes instead of balls – so I guess it evens out at least.
Most enjoyable is being able to enjoy the sport for the sport itself. It took me decades to learn not to hate certain sports teams. Somehow, the more I hated them, the better they did.
Now, I might or might not have a rooting interest, but have settled down to the point of being able to like just about every team. My cheering this week is for the Series to go a full 7 games.
The final out means no more baseball until next spring, and another long winter is nearly upon us.
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I vaguely remember a few years ago when the baseball coverage would show the statistical chance of success in each current situation – for example, how often a team would score, say, with a man on first and one out in the eighth inning. This feature disappeared as quickly as it surfaced – I suspect, because it ruined the game for fans.
Baseball is about hope – hope that something good will happen in each situation even though the chances are somewhat remote. There’s a chance of a home run on every pitch, but if you figure out how often a home run actually occurs, it’s not very often (it appears to be safely under 1 percent). I suppose it’s like if at a casino, you were clearly informed before each bet how much the odds are against you. That’s no fun.
But it’s been a great show. Not always perfect baseball, but exciting baseball. Games ending on obstruction calls and pick-offs. The Red Sox making errors almost every game, but getting the clutch hits when they need them.
The World Series is especially great to watch on TV (free TV!) because of detailed coverage with numerous camera angles. There are countless replays showing the spin on the ball, the bats vibrating as they make contact with a pitch, you can count the gray hairs in the pitcher’s beard.
The pitch tracker shows how often the home plate umpire misses the call, which has been surprisingly often. It goes both ways – both teams, balls instead of strikes, strikes instead of balls – so I guess it evens out at least.
Most enjoyable is being able to enjoy the sport for the sport itself. It took me decades to learn not to hate certain sports teams. Somehow, the more I hated them, the better they did.
Now, I might or might not have a rooting interest, but have settled down to the point of being able to like just about every team. My cheering this week is for the Series to go a full 7 games.
The final out means no more baseball until next spring, and another long winter is nearly upon us.
--------
I vaguely remember a few years ago when the baseball coverage would show the statistical chance of success in each current situation – for example, how often a team would score, say, with a man on first and one out in the eighth inning. This feature disappeared as quickly as it surfaced – I suspect, because it ruined the game for fans.
Baseball is about hope – hope that something good will happen in each situation even though the chances are somewhat remote. There’s a chance of a home run on every pitch, but if you figure out how often a home run actually occurs, it’s not very often (it appears to be safely under 1 percent). I suppose it’s like if at a casino, you were clearly informed before each bet how much the odds are against you. That’s no fun.
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