Sleep

Ever had those days where just keeping your eyelids open was a chore on its own? Those days when you felt tired and achy right when you woke up? I felt like that today, I was in Hamilton Ontario last night hosting a hip hop show and had to drive back at 1 am. I took a back road route (BADDD IDEAAA) to avoid the police as I was speeding home hoping to get as much shut eye as possible since I had work at 10 am the next day.

Needless to say, I woke up groggy, tired, agitated, and was just downright pissed off. It's easy to see why; studies on sleep demonstrate the increase in stress as a result of lack of sleep, and the greater likelihood that people will not be able to function properly or worse even doze off at the wheel.

So here are some sleep tips I've compiled from a variety of sources around the net! Enjoy and sleep easy!

1. Get 6 or more hours of sleep each night
2. Keep your sleeping patterns regulated (meaning try not to sleep 4 hours one night and 8 hours the next, throws your body's rhythm right off)
3. Avoid eating anything too filling or heavy before you sleep
4. Give yourself 5-10 minutes to cool down before you hit the hay (read a book!). Let your mind ease into sleep
   
5. Try not to sleep if you're stressed or anxious. Refer back to tip 4, and try to mellow out, allow your mind to calm itself.
   
6. If you've been drinking alcohol, water is a must!

And here's an interesting tidbit.....according to a sleep deprivation study by the National Center on Sleep Disorders, in the U.S. alone, $15.9 million dollars are lost every year from unproductive workers as a direct result of sleep loss, and $50 - 100 million are indirectly lost as a result of sleep loss as well! Seee???? Sleeping does pay off!