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IT’S BEEN A long weekend in every sense of the word, and many of you may be feeling a little traumatised at the thought of heading back to work tomorrow.
Sleep is an amazingly under-rated commodity – we all need it but how many of us are getting as much as we really need.
Fear not, nutritionist and health blogger Charlotte Watts (whose new book, The De-Stress Effect, is out now) has written a fantastic blog post for healthista on the subject.
So without further ado, here’s 14 tips to getting the most out of your bed-time.
Find your quiet place before bedtime
It’s a little unrealistic to think that buzzing brains can just switch from wide awake and buzzing to full on sleep-mode. Give your brain a break before you hit the pillows.
Ban the screens
Of any sort. They induce quick eye movements which wake up the brain. Candles are a-ok though for those who love mood lighting.
Keep your temperature regular
A hot bath or shower may be wonderfully soothing, but be sure to bring your body back in check before bedding down. Otherwise the drop in body temperature could wake you up.
Get to bed by 10pm
The most soothing time of day for our adrenal glands is the two hours before midnight. And that means that’s the best time to hit the hay.
Be consistent
Your body responds to rhythm and patterns. Always get up at the same time regardless of how little sleep you may have gotten. Yes, even on the weekends.
Make your bedroom a dark one
Seratonin, a brain chemical which calms us in the evening before sleep, releases the sleep hormone melatonin, but the latter is only released when our body senses low-light levels.
Keep a diary or journal
If your mind is racing, put your thoughts on paper. It will help you empty your mind and is especially effective if you feel you have important things to remember.
Keep the bedroom free from clutter and as a sleep haven only
Your bedroom should be quiet and restful and free from distracting and distressing mess. Make sure all you do there is sleep (and other nice things).
Wear ear plugs
If you struggle to sleep (because of a snoring partner say) ear plugs can be a very convenient solution. The wax ones are best says Charlotte.
DO NOT get up during the night
And if you do, don’t turn on the lights. The less you stimulate yourself the greater chance you have of drifting off easily once more.
If you have a digital alarm clock, turn it to face away from you
Knowing what time it is stimulates your brain. It also stresses you out if you start to think about all the sleep time you’re missing out on.
Waking up is perfectly fine
You are still probably getting a lot more sleep than you think. Enjoy your wakefulness and that wonderful, cocooned feeling says Charlotte. Worrying about lost sleep will just stimulate your nervous system and make it harder to drift off again.
Fantasise
A little fantasy never hurt anyone. Call to mind something pleasant or soothing, or simply relive in your mind something nice that happened to you that day.
Listen to something
Break out the headphones and listen to something, anything, that isn’t your own thoughts, be it a podcast, audiobook, or an Iron Maiden LP (maybe not the last one). It’ll keep the part of your brain that craves language and speech happy and let you happily drift off into nothingness.
Charlotte Watts’ new book, The De-Stress Effect, is out now. You can buy the book here
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Are Tayto considered food?
@BuffaloSoldiersky:
Of course, nothing like a Tayto crisp sandwich washed down with about 12 pints. Wholesome food.
@BuffaloSoldiersky: taytos &purple snacks are considered staple food groups the original pub lunch
@Colonel Grant:
Literally just eating one now
@Edward Fitzgerald: in the good ole days it was the pink snacks that were the connoisseurs choice.
@Stephen Foster: had they run out of yellow schnacks?
@Edward Fitzgerald: Don’t forget the Peanuts.
Excellent news, so the responsibilty shifts more to people to make the correct decisions for themselves. Go to a restaurant or stay at hime if you don’t feel ready. Go to a shopping centre or don’t. With sensible social distance rules until the virus is squashed further. As an SME and employer of 12 I am happier today than the dark months. Thoughts with those that have gone and brighter times ahead.
All going very fast, very suddenly.
@Ann Experiment: The end of the month is not fast or anything like it. I think the Government are finally waking up to the catastrophic damage to the economy this is doing….let’s hope we don’t end up a basket case after all this.
@Peter Hughes: they’ll be a serious rise in George Forman purchases this month!
@Peter Hughes: this was a shut down done for the benefit of public health and the HSE. If we didn’t go into lockdown this would have gotten seriously ugly. Yes it’s taken a toll on the economy and we will have to be on the back foot after this but human life is more important than the economy
@Jake Kelly: ban cars and planes in ireland so and save lives!
@Jake Kelly: The problem is the government after seeing what was going on in Italy left pubs, cafes, restaurants, cinemas etc OPEN and not only that let flights carrying thousands from Italy come here for a piss up….these decisions cost us dearly and kicked off everything. I walked by my local the week before paddy’s day and it was jam packed….I was watching what was going on in Italy I thought we are in big trouble. Now when the virus is crushed we are doing what should have been done at the start, zero logic to.it lol…..comical governance which makes no sense but I expect no different.
@Dino: Silly comment. Cars and planes have a positive and beneficial purpose. Lethal Corona Viruses don’t.
@Peter Hughes: Yeah, with 200 deaths due solely to Covid19 it was a disaster. 87% had health issues.
You must be fuming the number wasn’t higher to somehow give your pathetic existence a bust..
A similar number of people will die from traffic accidents this year, should we ban vehicles until we can be certain no deaths will occur to healthy people due to traffic accidents ?
I’ve been enjoying the peace and quiet myself.
If you live somewhere which has a problem with drunken vandalism get ready for some serious damage to your property in July.
@Billy: quite a strange response. Does that happen a lot round your way?
@Billy: In fairness, ye must live in a bit of a sh!t€hole
@Billy: Not with pubs operating table service only. They’ll probably restrict the time you can book a table for, just like a restaurant
@Stephen Foster: Carlow. ‘Nuff said.
@Thomas O’ Donnell: So book a table and if you have it pass it on to whoever comes after you after your time is up?…am I missing something?
I’ll have a crisp sandwich,… And 45 pints
Great to see things opening up again. 29th of June here we go.
Thank christ for that lol
So surely all will open and offer a sambo for a yoyo with your 14 pints!
@Mel Finn: I can see bookings only, 2 hour limit on tables etc. coming in the coming in the i industry specific guidelines next week. Could be wrong but that’s what some other countries like Australia did. 1 person per 4m squared in their restaurants, although they can sit in groups but that’s the premises capacity rate. Only 10 in a pub.
@NotMyIreland: I think you should run for office…
Bars & restaurants opened here ( Netherlands ) on Monday. Big rush on the first day day but they have been dead quiet since. Only half of them actually opened up again.
Leave the pups closed….open the hairdressers
@Angelika Passet: pubs..
@Angelika Passet: u get your hair done on the black market I’m off for a cup of soup and 12 pints.
Premiership back to if u don’t feel comfortable stay at home and wash ur hair.
Ahhh Gimme 5 pints please , and when I’m done I might order some grub
I won’t take my chances thanks I will leave going to. The pub till 2021 like any normal person will
@BriP75: great craic you are id say!!!!!
@BriP75: thanks to be good you won’t be there
Would that include golf clubs with a bar/restaurant
@James O Lone: if they have a restaurant licence then I’d imagine so
Finally table service in pubs like in a proper civilised country.
@Sam Lowry: brings me back to my first job as a lounge girl at 14 serving drinks and food in Madigans Pubs . Great money in tips. Loved it great crack.
Why has food to be linked to a pub now? It’s no different than going to your local grocery stores
@Anthony Sweeney: Pubs have been applying for a restaurant cert for the last 15+ years. It allows an extra hours drinking up time as opposed to 30 mins. After closing’ for customers having a meal.
If your serving a meal at 9:30 on a Sunday and you can be prosecuted at 11:30 for having customers on premises, it is a necessity.
To gain a cert from the court, you must prove that a large portion of your business is food orientated.
As a cert can cost up to €10000 euro to gain first time (Costs included).
This is why pubs were annoyed at restraunts being allowed to open and not them.
You will have to book an appointment
So they will all open then and serve sambos if they’ve no cooking facilities.
That fellow Chawke stayed on the Duffy show that if one ordered a ‘plate of chips’ or a sandwich at any of his establishments then they could order pints. Not exactly a restaurant. Looking for loopholes!
The pubs will bleeding jammers will their be some sort of unofficial national holiday on the 29th or somethin yup
Wait till you see all the pubs serving sambos
Ahhh come on now Tony, we will at least be having the chicken wings!!
Packet o’ Peanuts please
Pubs that’s don’t normally maybe able to overcome the lack of a licence to make hot food. A licence is not required for one of those giant soup pots. Buy a catering size box of soup mix and make it up and store it in the giant soup pot. Every day go to your local bakery and buy some of their locally made bread to serve with the soup. Or buy a mixture of ready made sandwiches from your local cafe down the street to serve with your soup. All equipment to invest in is one of those giant soup pots and a new fridge solely for storage of the sandwiches and the milk to serve with the teas and coffee.
I have set up a petition for Ireland to only reopen pubs on the weekends to improve people’s health, pockets and to reduce alcohol problems. Please sign if you agree at http://chng.it/PW9vPxtY
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