AJOURE / SUCCESS & MOTIVATION
How to Sleep Better: Ten Evening Routines Are you an early bird, or a morning grouch? If you admire people who are full of energy and ready for action in the early hours of the day, you’ve probably also wondered where these people get their power from. One of the most basic tricks is a good night’s sleep. We know that adults need between six and eight hours of sleep, depending on your metabolism. But it’s not only getting enough hours of sleep – your energy levels are determined by how well you sleep. Here are ten evening activities that successful people to help them reach their full potential the next day and every day.
Take a Walk or Jog Don’t go out and run a half-marathon right before getting into bed, but taking a short walk in the evening or a light jog will help you process the day, reduce stress, and make you sleepy. Lots of high-level executives swear by this evening ritual.
Spending time with family members or pets calms us down, helps us leave job troubles aside, and sets our bodies on “Home” mode. This quality time, or a phone call to will help soothe your nerves. Do your Avoid Stress and Never Work your parents, can help clear your mind of best to write down the most important in Bed everyday stress. Laura Vanderkam, in her points for tomorrow and then clear them books on how successful people manage to from your mind for the remainder of the Stress right before going to bed is an do it all, presents family as the most imevening. absolute disaster for healthy, restful sleep. portant part of non-work life. All successYour body can’t completely switch off and ful people can find the perfect balance beyour brain will continue to stress overnight. tween work and family, but to make this Create Evening Routines This produces adrenaline and other horhappen, children and partners should not mones that contribute to restless sleep and have to compete with distractions like A chaotic day makes for a chaotic night. bad dreams. This means no working before smartphones. Instead, they should be a Using routines to signal to your body that bed: even quickly checking your email or central focus in life. “Now is bedtime!” will automatically re“just one last thing” means you are activatduce stress. With the mind under control, ing your brain. Studies show that your bed the body will move into a resting state must be a place of retreat and should be Make a To-Do List for Tomor- and prepare for sleep automatically. These completely separate from work-related acrow routines don’t have to be labor-intensive tivities. at all. A set routine in the bathroom can We too often take planning, problems, be enough. First brush your teeth, then and stress about tomorrow to bed with wash your face, then pajamas, then turn Relax and Unplug us. It helps to write out a to-do list for the off the lights, and climb into bed. Keeping following day. Seeing what you have to get everything in order will signal rest time Reducing stress means consciously doing done and what you can’t forget tomorrow for the body. something to relax.
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WINTER
2016/2017
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Spend Time with Your Family