Improve Your Sleep, Improve Your Life
The circadian clock is built into our genes. Having a job and working nights is a violation of everything natural. Many otherwise tough people have tried to do it and failed. They found it too challenging mentally, physically, and socially. When the night shift people are coming, the day shift people are going—Vice versa. It’s…
To nap or not to nap: that is the question. Some people swear by the power of naps, actually calling them “power naps.” They’re powerful, they say, because they feel recharged, refreshed, and rejuvenated after they wake up. Others, not so much. They insist that if you’re struggling through your day after a night of sleeplessness,…
More is not necessarily better when it comes to melatonin. Look for melatonin 1 mg—it’s not always easy to find. Can’t sleep? Take melatonin, people say. Melatonin can help you if your days and nights are all mixed up. It’s valuable for shift workers who are trying to sleep at night after a string of…
Beeeeep! You wake up, muttering a curse. You’re sitting in the driver’s seat. You fell asleep at the traffic light and the driver behind you laid on his horn. A couple of miles ago you finished working 12 hours, right through the night. You’re headed for the early class over at the university. You know…
Ancient Greeks also had a mixed relationship with sleep. The stigma didn’t start with us. It might not have begun with them. Hesiod and other ancient Greek writers had a choice. They could have made the god of sleep part of a family of positive deities. They didn’t. Instead, the family consists of a bunch…
When we were leaving Sunday afternoon, your wife was all smiles as you backed the car out of your driveway. She looks really happy, I thought. I didn’t think much about it at the time. I have figured out why now. She was looking forward to a full night of sleep! The poor woman hasn’t…
Look, everyone, now and then, has difficulty falling asleep. It’s the way life is. It’s aggravating. Consider the situation stoically: it’s your turn to have trouble tonight. There could be a lot of reasons you’re having trouble right now. Did you drink too much coffee or have one of those energy drinks too close to…