Who said that there’s no free stuff today?Apparently, everyone of us takes this for granted: Sleep. Yes, what are the alarm clocks and coffee at night means? We are avoiding sleep for the reason that time spent awake is more productive and further boots our overall life satisfaction.

It is wrong, according to numerous studies, having less than 8 hours of sleep a day causes more lack of productivenesses. Remember the pillow your officemates have in their desks? If the time spent sleeping at work is channeled to real work, unproductive decreases dramatically.

According to the T.V. show 60 minutes, having a good night’s sleep improves the body tremendously. It repairs nerve connections, aids in regeneration and improves mood. Of course, if the body feels go, so is the happiness levels.

But that’s not all, sleeping is also linked to weight loss: Sleep-deprived people are prone be obese as their hormones are released in different times and ways. Some sleep-deprived people feel hungry even if they just ate and some people eat because they feel the urge to do so.

Sleeping is not a hard habit to do. Here’s some tips:

• Turn off your alarm clock. If you wake in the middle of the night, look at the clock, smile and think, “Hurray! I have three more hours to sleep,” rather than worry about being awake.

• Add a half-hour to your sleep time one day at a time, until you reach eight hours of sleep. Go to bed at 9 p.m. if necessary.

• Follow the rule: Bed is for sleeping and intimacy, nothing else. Take your television out of the bedroom. And stop watching action, murderous TV and evening news programs at least one hour before bedtime.

• Decorate your bedroom to be an inviting, peaceful haven. Just as a nice table setting sets the stage for better digestion of food, climbing into a made bed with clean sheets can aid pre-sleep relaxation.

• If you find yourself worrying or even thinking, “Oh, no, now I’ll be sleep deprived,” get out of bed, read a book sitting in a chair until you feel drowsy. Then go back to bed.

• Warm, not cold milk, aids the sleep process.

• Alcohol impairs the sleep process. Nightcaps can actually cause mid-night awakenings and sleep turbulence.

• Take a luxurious, warm bath an hour before bedtime.

• Create family harmony. If you argue before bed, your stress hormones will be activated and interfere with sleep.

• Work stuff interfering? Make a to-do list for tomorrow before bed. If you are thinking about a task, rather than sleeping, get up and add it to your list.

Source: www.brandenton.com

Way before iPods, Walkmans and the quest for legal music downloading, music had been around, stimulating the minds (and fingers) of Bach, Mozart and many more.

Studies have shown that music is beneficial to the development of the brain. In a study where involving fetuses exposed to classical music, by the time they were born and eventually grew a year older, the babies exposed to music better memory retention, able to talk and walk earlier than those who did not.

But music is not just for babies and the brain. It is also for happiness.

In a study involving participants undergoing an eye surgery, they were allowed to listen to their preferred music. They showed lower heart rates, lower blood pressure and their hearts were not pressured to pump blood than those who was never exposed to music while in a surgery.

In another situation involving participants undergoing colonoscopy, they showed better emotional levels and also a reduced anxiety. The good thing is they also required reduced levels of sedatives.

Moreover, music is also shown to improve sleep and sleeping patterns. People immersed in music before and while sleeping showed an increased production of the sleep chemical Melatonin, thereby facilitating better sleep and better well being.

Source: www.about.com

There is always a subliminal message when someone brags that he need just a few hours of sleep a day. He may want to be perceived as someone who is strong, healthy or a productive person as they are too busy to sleep. But sleeplessness causes serious consequences and may affect one’s happiness indirectly. Sleep expert Donna Arand said that some studies shows a sleep-deprived person has a higher risk of gaining weight. The cause may be scientific and related to metabolism but the thought of gaining weight is surely a horror to some body-conscious people. Also, lack of sleep causes high blood pressure, increased risk of diabetes and other problems like depression and substance abuse, Arand added. With these in mind, worrying turns itself on and puts a sad face to anyone. Of course, no one wanted to get sick. There are also problems in memory retention and performance related to the lack of shut eye.

Better sleep and be happy!

Image courtesy of Rickabbo.

Sources: www.healthyontario.com, www.theherald.co.uk, www.sleepfoundation.org