Sleep

Sleep is one of the most important activities man undertakes. Also, one of the most under fulfilled.

Kick starting your self into a good sleep schedule is fairly simple. Your sleep schedule is kept on an internal clock. For some people, the clock runs very smoothly and sleeping comes very easily. For most, the clock has no idea what to think of their sleep schedule. These people have difficulty sleeping and experience what is called “insomnia”. The first step of getting on a good schedule is to reset that clock from whatever bad schedule it's built on.

A lot of people try to fix their sleep problems by setting a specific bedtime for themselves. I have found this to be a lacking strategy. The issue is that you don't know how much sleep you will need on any given night and it's not guaranteed to be the same from night to night. Usually, there's a set time when you need to wake up. So, going to bed eight hours before that may not give you enough sleep on any given night. On other nights, it may give you too much. For most people, it's going to be easier to work from the other side: Pick a wake up time and lock it. Wake up every day at that time and make no exceptions.

Our brain links morning and breakfast together and we can use this to help enforce our new wake up time. After eight or so hours of sleeping, you have fasted. Breakfast breaks that fast and tells your body it's morning. If you lengthen the fast, breakfast will have a greater impact on your biological clock. All you need is to pick the time you want to wake up and stop eating during the sixteen hours before that time. This will kick start your brain to the new morning time.

The next step is to start listening to your body when it tells you to go to bed. For the first few days, that may be very late. When you go to bed, look at your alarm clock and say, “I'm going to wake up at XX o'clock.” Then, do it.

As you do this, you'll notice a few changes in your body. For the first few days, it will probably be a terrible experience. Push through. When the alarm goes off, stretch and get out of bed. It's important to show your body that you mean business. After three to five days, you should notice your body adapting to the new schedule, even though it may still be a bit painful. You may start waking up at odd times during the morning, but your body will be much more willing to get up at the specified time.

After a week or so, bedtime should start to snap in. You'll get tired around the same time every night, perhaps off by thirty minutes or an hour. You may still be a little tired throughout the day, but the tiredness you feel at the end of the day will be more acute, almost like you're already falling asleep. When this happens, go to bed, but make sure you go to bed for no other reason. It's important to anchor the bed with sleep in your mind. Don't read there or do other activities. Just sleep.

Finally, after two or three weeks, you should be completely adapted to your new schedule. You'll have all the energy you need to complete your day. Your body will tell you when it's time to settle down and you'll wake easily. A good way to test that your body is completely locked in is to not set your alarm. You should wake up at the correct time automatically if the schedule is set.

With that, I wish you good luck and hope that all your nights are restful.

Caffeine

The beautiful chemical of life. We drink it in our morning coffee to get us through the day. Sometimes we drink it in our mid-morning, afternoon, or late-afternoon coffee as well. It's in our sodas, our teas, and it's slowly killing us all.

Oh, wonderful Caffeine!

I know a lot of people who drink a lot of caffeine. Several of them say they need it. Several of them use the lack of it as an excuse for being in a bad mood. Few of them think it's bad for you. It is.

Caffeine can cause a wide variety of symptoms ranging from insomnia to various heart issues[citation]. I haven't personally seen any of the really bad stuff, but I have personally suffered some of the lesser stuff. The worst part is that you don't even have to drink very much of it. Prolonged use is enough. How many sodas do you drink in a week? If the answer was 5 or more, you're probably in danger. Less than 5? How about coffee? Energy drinks? Sweet tea? Are we at 5 yet?

Several people use caffeine as their primary energy source. It certainly effective. It's quick, but it doesn't last long. You also build up a tolerance to it over time and you'll likely need it more or more frequently to get the same effects. This will help you get to the negative side effects even faster.

The best way to get energy is with a balanced diet and lifestyle. Sleep is a good place to start. If you're not getting enough of it, you're probably low on energy pretty frequently. Exercise is also good. I have found that if you teach your body that you are going to use energy, your body will tell you how to get the energy you need, assuming you can listen to what your body is telling you.

Diet is as obvious one. Everybody knows they need a good diet, but few people have one. Otherwise caffeine might not be as popular as it is. Being that caffeine is most prevalent in drinks, that's probably the lowest hanging fruit for most people. Juice is a good drink, especially if you don't have much fruit in your diet. If you drink a lot of caffeinated tea, give green tea a shot and see how you like it. Sodas do exist without caffeine. So, you could replace them instead of dropping them completely. Although, there are several good reasons to get away from soda entirely.

At first, it could be pretty difficult. Since caffeine has addictive qualities, there are withdrawal symptoms you will have to deal with. After a while, however, you'll have less headaches and agitated moods. Hopefully, life will be generally better for you. You'll be free of the shackles of drugs (at least this one).

Drink to your health.