Monday, July 10, 2017

Poor Sleep Quality Comes from All the Things You Do Since Morning

When I was twenty-something, I didn’t really care much about my sleep quality because I could recover very quickly even if I had a bad night’s sleep. Since my first son was born, it became a totally different story. Partly because I’m older now, partly because I’ve had many more responsibilities. I could no longer work as productively as I could before if I didn’t sleep well the previous night.

To make sure I sleep well at night, I started to pay attention to everything I did throughout the day. And unlike what most people advise us, it’s not just a good bedtime routine that helps, it’s about everything we do – from the moment we wake up in the morning to going to bed at night.

Morning (7am – 12pm)

Wake up at the Same Time Every Day to Build Patterns

That means even weekends and days off. Why? Because our bodies are intelligently rhythmic and thrives on consistency. By waking up at the same time, we regulate the circadian rhythm that co-ordinates hormones and metabolism connected to sleep and wakefulness. Our bodies prepare to wake up around 1-2 hours before doing so, so making sure we wake up at a consistent time will be much easier and less stressful on these important rhythms.

Making sure you wake up (and actually get up) at the same time every day will help you get a better night’s sleep later on as you build a gradual, strong desire for sleep during your waking hours. Try consistently for 1 to 2 weeks to allow your body to create the perfect rhythm.

Eat Breakfast First Thing to Calm Your Brain

Fuelling yourself for the start of your day is common wisdom but did you know that it can also positively affect your sleep cycle? It’s all down to our evolution.

Dr. Nerina Ramlakhan believes eating first thing in the morning actually calms parts of the brain that are linked to our caveman behaviour of preserving energy and avoiding predators [1]. In other words, by eating first thing, we’re reassuring the brain that there is a good supply of food causing it to remain in a relaxed state ready for sleep, which in our modern day case, is at the end of the day.

Step Away from the Snooze Button. It Confuses Your Brain

As mentioned above, our sleep patterns need to be consistent and nothing ruins that more than hitting the snooze button.

In fact, using an alarm altogether may be doing more harm than good. This is because our bodies start to reboot around an hour before we naturally need to wake up. It’s in this phase that adrenaline and cortisol is released allowing us to get into a gradual lighter sleep and prepare for waking. An alarm can jolt our bodies awake too early causing that groggy feeling we often get that takes ages to shake off.

The snooze button is an illusion. While we think we’re getting a few extra minutes of much-needed sleep, it’s really very bad quality sleep. If you do need to use an alarm, set it for the very last time you need to get up with no leeway for snoozing.

Afternoon (12pm – 6:00 pm)

Avoid Napping for More Than 20 Minutes. Otherwise You’ll Enter Deep Sleep

Napping can be a good way to recharge as long as it’s not for more than 20 minutes. This is because longer naps cause us to start entering a deep sleep which can be harder to wake up from. This is why we can sometimes rise from a nap feeling groggy. Set a timer for 20 minutes so you don’t go over. This way you’ll feel much more refreshed when you wake up.

If you do need to nap, try to avoid laying your head down later in the day. This is more likely to make it much more difficult to fall asleep at your usual bedtime and will disrupt your sleeping patterns.

Protein-Rich and Complex Carbohydrate Foods Make You Less Likely to Nap

Our diet has a massive effect on our sleep quality but we often don’t consider this when grabbing lunch or snacking throughout the day.

Protein-rich and complex carbohydrates foods (e.g. wholewheat pasta) take longer time to be digested and make our blood sugar level increase gradually instead of suddenly compared to simple carbohydrates foods (e.g. cookies). This makes us less likely to become so sleepy after lunch and take a nap which can easily affect our sleep cycle and find it harder to sleep at night.

Get Exposure to Natural Outside Light. It Synchronises Our Master Clock 

The light we absorb during the day plays quite a big part in our sleep cycles. It synchronises what’s called our master clock which, amongst many things, allows our bodies to enter our sleep cycles efficiently. It’s part of the important circadian rhythm that regulates the body’s daily cycle.

Aim to get bright outdoor light exposure for 30-60 minutes a day especially around midday.

No Midday Coffee. It Takes Longer to Wear off Than You Thought

We might feel we need a pick-me-up half way through the day (although this won’t be necessary once your sleeping patterns are well established) and we can instantly reach for the coffee granules.

But reaching for that midday cup of coffee can create problems later on. Caffeine has a half-life of 3 to 5 hours meaning it takes this long for just 50% of the caffeine to wear off. The rest can still stay in our bodies for longer. You can see how drinking caffeine even in the middle of the day will cause havoc for sleeping later on. Save your coffee-drinking to mornings only.

Don’t Eat Too Little or Too Much. It Makes You Overeat/Undereat at Night

The amount of food we eat at mealtimes is also conducive to how well we sleep at night. Regulating our eating is crucial if we want a good night’s sleep. Eating too little during the day will more likely cause overeating in the evening close to bedtime. Our bodies don’t have enough time to digest the food meaning a night of tossing and turning.

Alternatively, if we eat too much for lunch, it’ll be hard to resist taking a nap, which can affect our desire for sleep at night.

Evening (6:00pm – 12:00am)

Do Exercise If You Want. It Doesn’t Affect Your Sleep

While exercise during the day can help towards feeling invigorated, we often think going for a run or anything rigorous in the evening will have us bouncing off the walls when it comes to getting to sleep. After all, our body temperatures and heart rates rise with exercise not to mention adrenaline.

However, this has actually found to have no effect on our ability to sleep even right before bedtime. Exercising at any time of the day will actually help induce sleep naturally so don’t be afraid to go for that evening run.

Go to Bed at the Same Time Each Night. You’ll Be More Successful

Like waking up at the same time, going to sleep at the same time makes for a more efficient sleep cycle. Scientists have even found students who go to bed at a consistent hour each night were more successful and healthy while those with irregular bed times less so [2].

Develop Your Own Bedtime Ritual as Your Brain Loves Consistency

Creating bedtime rituals will help your mind unwind and prepare itself for sleep. Reading and meditating are two great ways to calm the mind before hitting the pillow and in turn creates a perfect entrance into deep, good-quality sleep. Try to stick with these rituals as much as you can since your brain loves consistency.

Keep Your Alarm Clock out of Sight (but Within Reach) to Avoid Pressure

Lying in bed and checking the clock can be a massive sleep-killer. If we can’t sleep it can cause anxiety not to mention the artificial light beaming from the LED halting the natural melatonin production needed to send us off to dreamland. Try turning your alarm clock around or if you use your phone, keep it well away from your bed.

No Gadgets 30 Minutes Before Bed. The Blue Light Will Keep You Awake

The blue light from smartphones and tablets reek havoc on our brains when it comes to trying to fall asleep. They suppress melatonin and wakes our brain up because it’s busy absorbing information when we check emails or social media.

It’s important to, not only stop checking our phones around 30 minutes before we go to bed, but to also keep it out of reach. Late night texts, emails and messages can wake us up or our constant urge to check Facebook or Twitter in the middle of the night keeps our brains active so move it away.

Avoid Hidden Caffeine Sources Like Chocolate and Ice Cream

Avoiding caffeine before bed is an obvious one, but it might surprise you that a lot of foods secretly contain more of this stimulant than you think.

Chocolate, energy drinks, flavoured waters, ice cream and even some pain relievers contain enough caffeine to keep you awake. Make sure you check nutrition labels on the foods you eat around bedtime to make sure they don’t interfere with your shut eye.

Reference

The post Poor Sleep Quality Comes from All the Things You Do Since Morning appeared first on Lifehack.



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Cangemi Architekten - Fire station, Klosters 2014. Photos ©...

Photography by Makoto Sasaki Makoto Sasaki (born 1971... crss



















Photography by Makoto Sasaki

Makoto Sasaki (born 1971 Yubari-shi, Hokkaido, Japan) is a photographer who graduated from Osaka University of Foreign Studies (majored in Arabic language) in 1994. In his photos artist attempts to capture the essence of the city full of lights and movement.


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Photography by Makoto Sasaki Makoto Sasaki (born 1971...



















Photography by Makoto Sasaki

Makoto Sasaki (born 1971 Yubari-shi, Hokkaido, Japan) is a photographer who graduated from Osaka University of Foreign Studies (majored in Arabic language) in 1994. In his photos artist attempts to capture the essence of the city full of lights and movement.


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posted by Margaret

jacksachs:Here come dem boyz



jacksachs:

Here come dem boyz

jacksachs:Here come dem boyz crss



jacksachs:

Here come dem boyz

crss

Why We Have Known More Stuff but Aren't Getting Any Smarter

When you scroll through Facebook, you can see posts about simple stretches to relieve back pain, how to make a s’mores, and how to be single and happy. Or maybe you’re more like a Youtube person, watching gurus talk about makeup tips, or some Youtubers teaching guitar. I’m sure you read and watch some of these every day.

Technology has brought a surplus of information to our fingertips, but has it made us smarter? How often do you try those stretching exercises? Do you really know how to make a s’mores? Are you making yourself happy being single? Are you good at doing makeup now? Or can you play guitar better?

If more information made us smarter, we’d all be geniuses at this point. But mere exposure to data doesn’t make us better thinkers and learners.

The fact is, we’ve never learned how to learn properly.

No matter how many articles you’ve skimmed through, you are not getting smarter.

How many times have you caught yourself scrolling through Facebook, watching video after video on Youtube, or digging through blog posts? On average, we’re spending 50 minutes per day on Facebook alone.[1] Being exposed to information is not the same as internalizing and adapting the knowledge to make it relevant to us. Even during our formal education, turning what we learn into wisdom that we can apply throughout our lives is uncommon. At school, we acquire knowledge quickly to write papers and take exams.

Our conventional systems of knowledge acquisition fail to make use of the brain’s potential.[2] We don’t often get the chance to apply what we’ve learned.

Instead of trying to grasp tidbits of information from the vast amounts online, you can hack your brain to learn in an authentic way. Unless we use that information, we’re bound to forget it.

The thing is, how we apply knowledge today is too different from that in the past.

The way that we apply knowledge is different today because we are exposed to so much information every day. Traditional learning styles often involved apprenticeship or immediate active application of skills.[3]

If you were trying to learn to ski before the Information Age, you’d likely start by finding an instructor. The experienced skier would help you understand the equipment and act as a guide while you learned the mechanics of the activity. You’d constantly work to apply what you learned by practicing on your own time, the bulk of your learning was done on the slopes. Eventually, you wouldn’t need your instructor, and you’d consider yourself a competent and confident skier.

Today, when you decide that you want to learn to ski, you spend hours perusing the internet for every blog post and article about skiing. You watch videos of people skiing, research the best gear, and join a Facebook group for winter sports enthusiasts.You may feel like an expert in all things ski-related after you dig into these resources, but have you actually learned to ski? There’s a big difference between reading about putting on skis and actually hitting the slopes.

When we learn now, we have to deal with so much more interference from an overabundance of information.

Today, we have sacrificed the quality of the knowledge for quantity.

There’s an imbalance between the knowledge we take in and the information that we use.[4] Your brain is working as quickly as it can to send data from your working memory to your long-term memory, but it can’t retain everything.[5]

We’re also thrilled by the chase for more information. Our desire to keep up sends us scrolling through social media on a frequent basis. We are plagued by our own fear of missing out (FOMO) to the detriment of authentic learning.[6] We are up to date on sensational stories, and we’re sharing like mad on Facebook and WhatsApp, but convenient access to knowledge is no replacement for deep learning through effort and concentration. How much of that easily-accessed information do you apply?

While it’d be perfect to absorb and apply 100% of the information, it’s not quite possible.

Perhaps there are a few hyper-productive individuals who can achieve this level of success. But most of us aren’t Albert Einstein, and we’re pressed for time. We have to be pragmatic about how we approach information if we want it to stick.

If you want to hang onto information for the long-haul, you’ll need to be selective about what you choose to absorb. Without a plan, getting information from the internet is like trying to eat the entire buffet in one sitting. Break the overabundance of resources into easily digestible pieces so that you can give the information time to become meaningful to you.

If we can’t take in everything anyway, how can we really learn?

1. Get your brain a filter — filter out information that won’t improve you.

Scrolling through the internet is a passive form of knowledge acquisition. When we waste time skimming through the latest trends, our FOMO supersedes our drive to acquire knowledge in a meaningful way.

The amount of information that we can access is always going to be more than we can process. To filter the information you take in, focus on what you need to improve. What must you learn to be successful? Taking this simple step enables you to pass over unrelated and tangentially-related information.

As you continue to grow your knowledge and skills, you can update the parameters of your filter.

If you return to the skiing example, you establish your filter by deciding what you need to learn about skiing right now. Are you trying to figure out how to put on the skis properly? Do you know how to stop when you’re heading down a slope? If you are working on the fundamentals, it won’t be valuable to spend time learning about advanced tricks. After you’re proficient in the basics, modify your filter so that you continue to grow your skills.

2. Take information into the real world — do what you’ve read to confirm your learning.

You know that reading about something once doesn’t guarantee that the information is yours to recall at will. Knowledge isn’t useful until you can apply it. If you are trying to learn a new skill, you’ll have to do the things that you’ve read about in your research. Until you’ve made multiple attempts to master the ski-trick you saw on Youtube, you haven’t internalized it. When you can land the trick without thinking or recall information without struggling, it is yours.

It isn’t always easy to take information from your computer screen into the real world. There’s a fair chance that you are going to fail the first time you attempt something.

When you are learning to ski, you are going to fall. You’ll probably fail to execute a smooth turn, and even when you do succeed, you’ll undoubtedly compare yourself to all the other skiers on the slope that day. Giving up when you fall or allowing your brain to spin a self-defeating narrative keeps you from learning. Making mistakes is a potent part of the learning process.[7]

Practice, get feedback; and practice, and get feedback.

Getting into the habit of applying what you’ve learned is excellent, but there is only so much that you can do on your own. You need the input of others to take your skills to the next level.

You can initiate a feedback loop by performing a self-assessment to take stock of where you are in the learning process, but if you want to make more growth, seek feedback from others.[8]

It is easy to stop at the self-assessment stage and convince yourself that you are doing everything well, but you don’t know what you don’t know. Insights from others can help you determine where you should focus your learning efforts next so that you are always improving.

When you start to build new skills, you may be able to process instructions in the moment, but if you don’t continue to practice, you won’t internalize the knowledge. You’ll have to repeat your actions or process until it becomes second-nature.

For example, when you learn a new word, you have to go through the slow process of looking it up, repeating the definition, and using it in a sentence several times. If you don’t use the word, you will forget it, but if you use it enough, it comes to mind with ease.

3. Stay alert to what to learn next — avoid wasting time on unnecessary information.

You can’t take in every bit of information at once, but you can choose to learn more about things you’d like to improve. You’ll retain more information when you target your searches as opposed to mindlessly scrolling.

Take opportunities to reflect on what you have learned along the way. You’ll not only feel better about your progress, but you’ll be able to make use of what you already know when you take on a different challenge.

To refer to our skiing example for a final time, imagine that you’ve mastered the basics of movement. You can turn smoothly and stop when you need to. What do you need to learn next? How will the things that you already know about skiing impact the way that you approach new techniques and challenges?

To get smarter, it’s not about how much you’ve known but how much you’ve brought into play.

To know something deeply, you’ll have to engage with it on a consistent basis while giving yourself plenty of opportunities for self-reflection and objective feedback. Knowledge is cumulative. The greatest minds and most skilled athletes of our time didn’t become that way by scouring social media or reading books — they put in the time to make meaning of their the data that was relevant to their studies.

True learning is not always easy. You’ll experience struggles as you tackle new challenges and wade through the ephemera of the Digital Age. If you can focus your efforts and make deliberate choices about your learning, you can navigate the abundance of resources to make meaningful gains in your life.

Reference

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This weekend I got to play with the 2017 Mazda CX-5. I had a...











This weekend I got to play with the 2017 Mazda CX-5. I had a blast playing with the car especially since I own the previous model year and they’ve made some cool upgrades (especially in the Grand Touring version). The only problem is now I want the new one  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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Pop Culture DystopiaNew work from Czech artist  Filip Hodas.... crss











Pop Culture Dystopia

New work from Czech artist  Filip Hodas.  You can see more of Filip’s work on Instagram.  


This is just the beginning  - See more on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.

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Pop Culture DystopiaNew work from Czech artist  Filip Hodas....











Pop Culture Dystopia

New work from Czech artist  Filip Hodas.  You can see more of Filip’s work on Instagram.  


This is just the beginning  - See more on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.

Posted by Lisa.