Are You Out of It in the Afternoon? Take a Nap!

Are you out of it in the afternoon? Take a nap to revive your brain and improve your performance, says Arlene Weintraub.

Sleeping on the job used to be grounds for dismissal. But now, years after Cornell University psychologist James Maas coined the term "power nap," companies are beginning to embrace the practice. Today, Nike and Deloitte Consulting are among those that encourage employees to add a midday snooze to their to-do lists. Sleep scientist Sara Mednick applauds this trend. Mednick, a researcher at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in San Diego and author of the new book Take a Nap! Change Your Life (Workman Publishing), says napping can enhance productivity.

What are the main benefits of napping?
Research on sleep deprivation shows that even at six hours a night, there are all sorts of changes in the body. Insulin rises to pre-diabetes levels. There's an increase in heart disease. Without sleep you don't learn. My research shows that people deteriorate during the day. It's difficult to sustain productivity. Naps can add back to the sleep you're deprived of at night. And a nap enhances productivity even if you have enough nocturnal sleep. Read more

Reduce Snoring for Better Sleep

Have you ever lain in bed and wished that the freight train noise next to you would stop? For the vast majority of people there is nothing worse than sleeping with a snoring spouse. The other side of the problem finds people who are unable to sleep because they themselves snore. Working to reduce this problem is critical and should be a top priority so that everyone in the house can sleep much better.

One of the biggest home remedies that is passed along is the advice of having the serial snorer sleep on his side. For some people, this is easy to do. However, for anyone who is in a habit of sleeping on their stomach or even their back, it can be a bit more difficult. There are some attachments and bumpers that you can buy though, which will help to ensure you remain on your side. There are also some cheaper alternatives, such as piling up books, cushions and other materials to help discourage you from sleeping in a position other than on your side.

If you find that sleeping on your side is either completely uncomfortable for you or you are not getting the desired results, it is time to move along to another common solution. This involves cutting out all meals and alcoholic beverages for several hours before bedtime. Many people who take sleeping medication also experience an increased risk of snoring as well. This is not always something that can be avoided, particularly if you require the medication in order to obtain any sleep at all. However, talk to your doctor to see if there is a different medication that you can try which might reduce the snoring problem.

Obesity is another major factor for snoring. Additional weight can cause the air pipes to shrink slightly due to the increase of fat in the neck area. Losing a bit of weight can help to remove the pressure on the air pipes and often significantly decrease the amount of snoring that you experience. This is also great for helping you to get into shape, and lower the risk of snoring excessively. Lose weight slowly though, in order to ensure that you are losing fat and reducing the skin in your neck area evenly.

Taking some time to find a home remedy for snoring will not only help you get a much better night’s sleep but it will help you to ensure that everyone else in your house can sleep much better as well. Ignoring a snoring problem will not only cause you more difficulties sleeping than necessary but it will also substantially reduce the quality of the sleep that you are able to receive. Getting a grip on better sleep will provide you with ample energy, while avoiding seeking help for snoring can find you suffering from exhaustion and even fatigue.

Get the best sleep you've had in years with proven snoring remedies in a step-by-step guide that quickly and easily cure snoring permanently. To find out how to reinvigorate your love life, restore your energy, and regain the healing benefits of sleep for a more relaxed and stress-free you, click here!

How to Sleep Better

Good sleep hygiene can have a tremendous impact upon the problem of insomnia. WebMD suggests eleven sleep hygiene solutions for better sleep.

From having occasional difficulty sleeping to insomnia, there is a lot you can do to get a better night's sleep, feel refreshed when you awake, and remain alert throughout the day. It's called "sleep hygiene" and refers to those practices, habits, and environmental factors that are critically important for sound sleep. And most of it is under your control.

There are four general areas important to sleep hygiene: Read more

Top Ten Natural Remedies for Insomnia

Popping a pill is quick and easy, but treating insomnia with sleeping pills is usually unnecessary because there are many simple, non-invasive solutions you can try that will help you improve the odds of finding the insomnia cure you need to get a good night of sleep tonight.

While not every person needs the same amount of sleep each night to feel well-rested, most studies show people feel their best when they get between 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night. When people are younger they tend to sleep more than when they are older, although this isn't always true. While insomnia can be a passing nuisance, many people, as many as 60 million people, find insomnia a chronic problem. What can you do to prevent insomnia from overwhelming your daily life? Plenty.

If you find you are constantly struggling to stay awake during the day, or battling lethargy almost daily by gulping down cup after cup of coffee, there's good news on the horizon. You don't have to pop another pill to start feeling your best. Just a few hours of extra rest a night may be all you need to recover from the dull cloud that currently surrounds your head. Here are some simple non-invasive solutions you can try that will help you get the ball rolling and improve the odds you will find the insomnia cure you need to get a good night of sleep tonight. Read more

12 Steps to Better Sleep

From having occasional difficulty sleeping to insomnia, there is a lot you can do to get a better night's sleep, feel refreshed when you awake, and remain alert throughout the day. We all have trouble sleeping from time to time, but you can sleep better every night by following these 12 simple steps.

1) Maintain a regular sleep schedule. Get up at the same time each morning, regardless of the previous night’s sleep, to help set your biological clock.

2) To consolidate and deepen sleep, restrict the amount of sleep to only as much as needed to feel refreshed during the following day - usually 7-8 hours.

3) Arrange the bedroom so that it is a comfortable setting. Insulate it against sound and light by using carpets and curtains. Ear plugs and eye masks may be helpful.

4) Keep the room at a cool to moderate temperature. Excessive heat disturbs sleep.

5) Use the bedroom for sleeping and sexual activity only.

6) Turn off your phone.

7) Avoid liquids before going to sleep to minimize nighttime trips to the bathroom. If liquids are not a problem, try drinking warm milk at bedtime.

8) Avoid alcohol, tobacco, and caffeinated beverages, especially in the evening. Although alcohol may help you fall asleep, it causes subsequent sleep to be fragmented.

9) Avoid napping longer than one hour or after 4 pm.

10) Exercising regularly helps deepen sleep, but strenuous exercise should be completed no later than three hours before going to bed.

11) Try a relaxation techniques, such as, biofeedback, meditation, yoga, progressive muscle relaxation, or massage to prepare the mind and body for sleep.

12) As far as possible, work out family or job-related problems before going to sleep.

It is becoming increasing clear how critical sound sleep is to your health and well-being, Many sleep problems go unrecognized for years, leading to unnecessary suffering, poor quality of life, accidents, and great expense. Following the 12 steps to better sleep can have a tremendous impact upon your overall health and quality of life.

To get FREE access to the exclusive series "What Are the 7 Biggest Mistakes Most Insomniacs Make?" click here. To read my review of the two best resources for better sleep you can choose, go to my blog Better Sleep.