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Tag: Sleep Habits

  • Beat Work-Induced 'Jet Lag' With These Tips | Entrepreneur

    Beat Work-Induced 'Jet Lag' With These Tips | Entrepreneur

    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    “I love jet lag!” said no one ever. Well, that’s not entirely true. Recently, a Washington Post contributor made a case for embracing jet lag, rather than fighting it. She explained the benefits of catching sunrises and exploring sleepy streets when most residents are still snoozing.

    I used to lean into jet lag as well. When I’d visit my family in Turkey or Jotform‘s office in Ankara, the flight back home to San Francisco would set me 10 hours behind. Instead of trying to overcome the effects of jet lag, I’d wake up in the middle of the night and get to work. I figured I’d put in a day’s work and get to bed early. But I’d find myself dozing off by lunchtime, wired at night and very grumpy. What’s more, my mind felt so fuzzy that I couldn’t make headway on meaningful projects.

    Related: Use This Hack to Schedule Important Tasks for When You’re Most Productive

    Aytekin Tank

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  • 7 Tips to Avoid Falling Back When We Spring Forward with Daylight Saving Time | Entrepreneur

    7 Tips to Avoid Falling Back When We Spring Forward with Daylight Saving Time | Entrepreneur

    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    As entrepreneurs, most of us have traveled across time zones and do so frequently for both work and leisure. And do we complain? So despite knowing that it will happen, why do many of us complain every year when the clocks spring forward by one hour for Daylight Saving Time (DST)?

    I encourage you to take a different approach this year. First, the most important thing you can do is to change your attitude towards the clocks springing forward. Here’s how: Mentally prepare yourself in advance, and tell yourself and those around you that DST is nothing to complain about because we face it every year. We’re better off preparing for it and finding the silver linings and benefits of the time change.

    For example, more daylight in the evening allows for after-dinner walks. Such a walk fosters family time, lowers your blood glucose level, and it’s likely a deterrent from excess evening snacking or drinking. Is that a win or a win?

    I recall weekday mornings from past DST days when everyone in my house was slow to move, and nobody except for the clocks was springing forward. Friends called me to talk about their double doses of caffeine and how they yelled more at their kids to rush them out the door for school.

    Research shows increased car accidents and injuries at work after DST because our already sleep-deprived country is less alert. So, while we will still feel the time change because of our circadian rhythm, the 24-hour cycle that’s governed by our body’s internal clock, below are some tips that should help make DST more manageable and help you better prepare not to fall back when the clock springs forward.

    Related: How Daylight Savings Time Affects Productivity

    1. Gradually prepare yourself with an earlier bedtime

    You may not feel tired at night but try to schedule an earlier bedtime before DST. By moderately making these changes before the time change, you’ll begin daylight saving time having almost adapted to the time change.

    From exercise to meals to your bedtime routine, move everything forward by 15 minutes each day. Particularly in the evening, be disciplined about washing your face, brushing your teeth, going off screens or whatever sleep routines you have earlier than normal.

    2. Don’t snooze, rather wake up 15 minutes earlier

    I’ve never used the snooze button. I feel it’s torture and not efficient nor motivating for the morning routine you’ve set out to do, so I mentally trained myself never to snooze. Now for you snoozers, you can call me crazy but give yourself some wiggle room during the week of DST for the morning time. Most of us adjusting to the time change will be slow-moving, and rushing will lead to a stressful morning, so use the extra time to prevent this rushed and chaotic feeling.

    The same goes for getting kids ready for school. Time is valuable, and the extra time will make the morning less hectic. Just please do not “snooze,” as this will keep your circadian rhythm from adjusting to the time change.

    Related: Stop Hitting the Snooze Button and Start Intentionally Building Your Life and Business

    3. Prioritize daylight exposure

    Get your sunshine early, within an hour of waking if you can, even if it’s stepping outdoors for a 5-minute gratitude practice, walking the dog or looking towards the light of the day while taking deep breaths. Light is the central driver of our circadian rhythm, and this morning sunlight alone will help your body’s internal clock best acclimate to the new timing of light and dark.

    I’m not a biohacker, but I do keep on top of the latest research and science in health and wellness, and I encourage you to check out this guide from Neuroscience Professor at Stanford, Dr. Andrew Huberman. Even on a cloudy day, natural light provides more brightness that helps to align the circadian rhythm than artificial indoor lighting.

    Related: 6 Benefits of Unchaining Yourself From Your Desk to Take a Break Outside

    4. Keep active and keep moving

    I personally look forward to and need my morning workouts as they help get my body, brain and soul moving and kickstart my day. But if exercising first thing in the morning isn’t what you enjoy, plan to get outside or move every day this week, even if just a brisk mid-morning or lunchtime walk (or even a ‘sweatwork’ walk meeting), which will energize all parties involved and help everyone ease into a better night of sleep.

    Added bonus? Walking as little as 2 to 5 minutes after any meal will help lower your blood glucose level, according to a 2022 study in the Journal of Sports Medicine.

    5. Eat well and go easy on the caffeine

    Proper nutrition is directly correlated to sleep. Eliminate added sugars, stay well hydrated with water and electrolytes and focus on eating good sources of protein, carbs and fat, such as fish high in omega 3s, nuts, vegetables and fruits. Eat dinner at least a few hours before bed, and limit spicy and heavy foods.

    Whenever my schedule allows, I prefer to eat what I call “linner,” meaning that it’s a combo lunch/dinner, and I eat this meal between 3-4 p.m. If this isn’t conducive to your schedule or ability to prepare a healthy meal, try making lunch the bigger meal of your day. Be aware of caffeine in beverages, including soda which is also loaded with sugar.

    It’s human and forgivable that most people will be doubling and even tripling up their coffee and green tea this week just to survive. But don’t overdo it. Too much caffeine will make you crash, so aim to stop drinking caffeine after 2 p.m. And particularly for this week, plan to ease up on alcohol intake as alcohol can interfere with a good night’s sleep.

    Related: Is Caffeine Boosting or Sabotaging Your Productivity?

    6. Ask for and give yourself some grace

    If your boss is flexible, ask if you can get to the office a little later for a couple of days so you can take the time to happily ease into the time change and avoid sleep-deprived and frustrated commuters at rush hour.

    If you lead a team or company, have a little compassion. Offer your team a slightly later start to the morning in exchange for meeting a specific deadline that week or having them agree to 15–30 minutes of fresh air early in the morning or the middle of the day. Happy employees = productive employees.

    7. Power nap

    More health and wellness professionals, experts and entrepreneurs are treating themselves to power naps for rejuvenation and mental wellness. The key for napping is 30 minutes or less; otherwise, you’ll feel like you got hit by a bus when you wake up! A nap should both calm your nervous system and energize you.

    Early afternoon naps are best, as naps late in the day can make it difficult to sleep. Not necessary, but if you’re curious about prioritizing a deeper night’s sleep, look into sleep tools such as weighted blankets, sleep meditation apps and light therapy.

    With these tips, you should be able to spring forward along with the clocks. As human beings, and especially as entrepreneurs, we are strong, and our minds and bodies can adjust. So when the clocks spring forward, shift your mindset to when the alarm goes off at 6 a.m. on Monday morning, and think that it’s 6 a.m. instead of saying, “I can’t believe it’s really 5 a.m.!” The better we prepare, the better we position ourselves for positive outcomes and longer, brighter days full of sunshine.

    Elisette Carlson

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  • 6 Sleep Hacks That Are Also Good for the Environment

    6 Sleep Hacks That Are Also Good for the Environment

    Sustainability is a growing concern for people all over the world. Seventy-six percent of American households state that they want to live greener lifestyles for their children. Another poll shows that 77% of people want to live greener lifestyles, in general.

    Unfortunately, despite the growing commitment to green living, many people don’t know what they need to do to achieve these goals. They admittedly have a number of gaps when it comes to their perspective on sustainability. Many are considering investing in renewable energy or hybrid cars, but don’t know what other steps that they can take.

    There are a lot of things that you have to take into consideration if you want to live a greener life. One of the issues that many people don’t think about when they are trying to embrace sustainable living is their sleep habits.

    Related: The No-Excuse Approach to Sleep and Work Performance for Entrepreneurs

    Eco-friendly sleep hacks

    There are several great reasons to live an eco-friendly lifestyle. In addition to helping the planet, green living tips can also improve your health. One of the ways that eco-friendly lifestyles can improve your health is by making it easier to get a good night’s sleep.

    Here are some reasons that green living hacks can help with your sleep:

    1. You will sleep much better if you turn off your electronic devices before going to sleep. This will also help the planet, because you will use less energy. You will also ensure your electronic devices last longer by using them for shorter durations, which helps with the e-waste crisis.
    2. You will find that most natural sleep aids like melatonin (or better yet not using sleep aids at at all) are better for your sleep habits long-term. Most pharmaceutical sleep aids have a huge, detrimental impact on the environment.
    3. You will sleep better if you have a room with plants because they produce higher-quality oxygen and remove CO2.
    4. Most eco-friendly diets are also better for your sleep. For example, red meats and junk food are much worse for the environment than plant-based diets. One study shows that switching to a plant-based diet can reduce your agricultural carbon emissions by 61%! They also have many more chemicals and saturated fats that are more likely to keep you up at night.
    5. Reducing alcohol consumption is also better for both your sleep and the planet. Alcohol takes a lot of energy to cool and the alcohol production process is destructive to the planet.
    6. Reducing the heat is another change that will help your sleep and the planet. You will sleep easier in a cooler room and be more likely to enter deep REM. You will also obviously reduce your carbon footprint, since it takes a lot of energy to generate heat.

    There are some clear benefits of living an eco-friendlier lifestyle if you want to sleep better.

    Health benefits

    We have established that living a greener lifestyle can improve your sleep. However, it is important to know why you should follow them in the first place. What are the downsides of not getting enough sleep? When you know the answer to this question, you will better appreciate the benefits of green sleeping hacks.

    Oversleeping affects your health and can even lead to depression and headaches. You need to know how to control sleep to make the most of the time you get. The National Sleep Foundation has published guidelines for how much sleep people need at different ages.

    The dangers of oversleeping

    Sleep is necessary for our health, but if we sleep too much, it can have negative consequences. It can make us feel exhausted, disoriented, and drained. It can also cause depression. The effects of oversleeping are many, but one of the most common is sleep deprivation.

    Sleeping too much can damage the brain. In addition, it can affect your mood and cause thought processes to change. It has also been linked to degenerative diseases and psychological disorders. While oversleeping cannot be reversed, it can be treated with cognitive-enhancing medications and therapies.

    The best way to avoid oversleeping is to practice good sleep hygiene. Keeping a regular bedtime and avoiding caffeine and alcohol close to bedtime can help prevent sleep deprivation. Other measures to improve sleep quality include avoiding late-night activities and exercising regularly.

    Headaches

    Oversleeping can cause headaches because it affects the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain. It’s important to get enough sleep to prevent headaches and set your alarm a few hours earlier if you need to get a restful night’s sleep.

    Oversleeping causes your brain to change its internal clock. It triggers a shift in the circadian rhythm, and this causes changes in the way your body processes pain. This changes your sensitivity to pain, which can increase the chance that you will develop a headache in the morning. Sleep disturbances can also increase your chances of getting a migraine.

    Another cause of headaches is sleep apnea. While this is not always the cause, snoring can result in headaches in the morning. Sleep apnea is a medical condition that affects the quality of sleep. People with this disorder experience frequent morning headaches because they can’t fall asleep and stay asleep. In addition to headaches, people with sleep apnea have poor posture and may experience dry mouth in the morning.

    Reduced energy

    Oversleeping can reduce energy and prevent you from doing your best work during the day. This habit reduces your ability to concentrate and recall information and can lead to fatigue and headaches. It can also worsen existing health conditions, such as depression. Consequently, a regular sleeping schedule is crucial to prevent oversleeping.

    Oversleeping can also have a negative impact on your body’s biological clock. Generally, you should aim to get between seven and nine hours of sleep per day. When you sleep for longer than this, you throw off your biological clock and may have to get up earlier than usual. During the day, you may feel drowsy, irritable, or even depressed. If you feel these symptoms, consult your doctor to determine whether you should get more rest or stop oversleeping.

    Depression

    Oversleeping can seriously interfere with your daily activities. In fact, it can even lead to depression. It can keep you from doing what you love, including socializing and meeting friends. It can also make you feel lonely, which can only fuel your feelings of depression. Oversleeping can also be a symptom of a sleep disorder called hypersomnia. People with this condition are often disoriented and tired during the day.

    If you are constantly oversleeping, you should see a doctor. There are many sleep disorders that can affect your ability to function properly during the day. A physician can diagnose oversleeping and help you find a solution that will work for you.

    Sleep disorders

    Oversleeping can be a sign of many health problems, and it may be an early indicator of an underlying sleep disorder. People who spend 11 hours or more in bed each night are more likely to develop a sleep disorder than those who sleep fewer than six hours. In fact, oversleeping has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease, which makes it a serious health problem.

    In some people, oversleeping is caused by several reasons, including depression.

    Depression makes people sleep more than necessary and causes them to experience low energy levels. In other cases, an individual may be suffering from a condition called narcolepsy, a neurological sleep disorder that causes extreme daytime sleepiness. When this condition is accompanied by other health problems, the condition is known as hypersomnia.

    Diana Hope

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  • Score Post–Prime Day Savings on This Innovative Sleep App

    Score Post–Prime Day Savings on This Innovative Sleep App

    Disclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you’ll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners.

    Sleep is important. Ground-breaking stuff, right? But while you might have resisted the urge to address your insomnia in high school, sleep is especially crucial in entrepreneurship. So, if you weren’t taking it seriously then, it’s time to prioritize your sleep now.


    StackCommerce

    It’s a good thing that Restflix is included in our overstock deals, a collection of special deals that are available for Prime Day–like prices from October 24 to 31.

    Restflix is a revolutionary streaming service that’s designed to help you fall asleep fast and rest better, the company says. Using binaural beats that harness the brain’s responsiveness to sound, Restflix says its videos are scientifically optimized to alter your brain and help you achieve better sleep.

    Featuring more than 20 channels of hundreds of videos, this clever service offers 10 personalized channels full of sleep meditations, bedtime stories, calming visuals, and more to get you into a meditative, restful state so you can awaken each day feeling more refreshed and rested. In addition to developing better sleep habits, the ad-free service can also just help you relax and recover mentally after a tough day. Restflix is updated with new content weekly so you’ll never run out of resources to help you overcome insomnia, tinnitus, anxiety, and other daily stressors that can impact your life.

    Restflix has earned a 4.5/5-star rating on the App Store and was named the Best Sleep App to Drift Off To by Livestrong. CNN writes, “Whether you’re looking for nature sounds as white noise, relaxing music paired with dimly lit videos, or a soothing voice that reads you stories and meditations, Restflix has you covered.”

    As part of our Overstock Deals special, you can get a lifetime subscription to Restflix for nearly 90 percent off at just $69.99 (reg. $599.99). Just make sure to purchase by October 31.

    Prices subject to change.

    Entrepreneur Store

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