sleep | St. Louis Corporate Yoga

7 Relaxation Tips Before Falling Asleep

Do you find it hard to relax at the end of a long day? Do you find falling asleep a challenge? Are you worrying and stressing over situations in your life instead of enjoying a good night’s sleep?

The following 7 tips will help you relax before you go to bed, so you naturally sleep restfully and start each and every day at your fullest potential.

Routine is your best friend

Develop a set pre-sleep schedule of activities. Let your brain know it is time to shut down. This means limiting stressful thoughts and outward influences before bedtime. “Wind down” by consistently reading for 1 hour before bedtime. Your brain will eventually recognize that 60 minutes of reading in the evening is a signal that sleep is approaching.

Same time every day

You go to work at the same time, eat lunch and dinner about the same time, and have several consistent daily routines. When you go to bed and awaken at the same time consistently, you program your internal clock to shut down your busy brain and wake up on a given schedule. Putting your sleep pattern on autopilot will help you relax and you don’t have to anxiously try to force yourself to sleep.

Exercise but not too late

Exercise and other forms of physical exertion immediately deliver a boost of energy. Soon after, your body tells you that you need rest and recuperation. Exercising in the evening, 2 to 3 hours before you go to bed, signals your brain for rest and recovery, rather than a stressful “how will I go to sleep” mentality.

Start counting sheep or … apples

There is a good reason the sheep counting strategy works to help you go to sleep. What you are actually doing is replacing stressful and worrisome thoughts with a simple and boring, repetitive mental exercise. You can accomplish the same by thinking of objects or foods whose names start with each letter of the alphabet. Your brain only focuses on one thing at a time, in this instance a simple mental exercise instead of stress and anxiety.

A moment of gratitude

Before falling asleep, think about all the reasons you have to be grateful. It is hard to be anxious and stressed out when you realize you have so many things to be thankful for. Praying can also be a very valuable tool in creating calm before sleep. Doing this right before falling asleep implants positive thoughts on your nighttime brain.

Meditate

Mindful meditation focuses on the present moment. You concentrate on your breathing and your present state. Give no room for focusing on past problems or future issues which have yet to arrive. Lifelong practitioners of meditation can even slow down their heart rate and fall to sleep quickly, enjoying a healthy night’s rest.

Clear the chaos

Ideally, the place where you sleep should have minimal distraction so no consumer electronics, cell phones, MP3 players in the bedroom, please. The fewer pieces of furniture in your bedroom the better. As you are preparing for bed, your mind unconsciously takes in all of the distractions and objects in your environment. This can negatively affect your ability to fall asleep.

You – Burning Out?

Spotting burnout early can be a real challenge. You might be so stressed that “spending time” on noticing the early symptoms is not possible. And even if you notice that something is gravely wrong in your life, denial might be the first answer. “It will get better… It is not so bad…It is just this week” – we can get really creative coming up with good reasons not to worry just yet.

Learning to spot burnout is the first crucial step in getting a handle on it. You can’t fight what you can’t see – learn to identify the warning signs when they first emerge.

Signs you might be suffering from burnout

Here are a few early signs that you might be experiencing psychological and physical burnout:

Difficulty to wake up in the morning or get to sleep in the evening – any issues you experience around sleep you must take seriously. Sleep deprivation causes serious health issues and influences all parts of the body. Also falling asleep at unsuitable times/in unsuitable places is a symptom you cannot ignore.
You find it hard to concentrate at work or at home. Do you try to focus on a priority just to experience your thoughts wandering and getting nothing done? You get started but stop doing your project and look for a distraction? Do you find yourself engaging in activities for a short time (maybe only minutes) then starting another thing and then another …. and not finishing any of them? We all have this distracted pattern from time to time but if you begin experience this every day, you need to pay attention!
No motivation to get out of bed in the morning and losing your enthusiasm for things that would normally excite you. You forget how to believe in yourself. You lose hope. You experience dark depressive thoughts. All signs that you need to take some time to consider if you are just having a bad day or getting burned out.
When you work out, you might notice symptoms of overtraining such as lethargy and achy joints that make it hard to train. Those small “aches and pains” become more prominent and hard to ignore. You might even decide to reduce your fitness activities as a result.
Irritability with yourself and others. Do you find it increasingly difficult to deal with family, friends, and coworkers? Feel like screaming at your kids all the time? No tolerance with yourself when you make a mistake? Your closest family members complaining about how difficult it is to live with you? All warning signs of burning out.
You procrastinate even more than normal – and spend precious time on mindless activities. Playing games on Facebook or surfing online is all fine unless those become the major activities you practice in your off time.
Changes in your weight and appetite. A sudden loss of appetite and losing weight is a warning sign especially if before you had difficulty managing your weight. On the other hand you might turn to high calorie “distractions” and with the loss of interest in fitness as discussed above – you might well put on weight.
You become ill all the time, you easily catch all colds and flus going around. And then it takes longer than normal to get back to your healthy self again. Skin problems can be the first signs of burning out! Also getting headaches, indigestion, IBS or Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) can be signs of burnout. Please take some time and talk to your GP about these health issues. The sooner you seek help, the quicker is your recovery.

Not everybody experiences all the same symptoms, of course. You won’t necessarily find that all of the above apply in your particular case. Nevertheless, these are some of the biggest signs of burnout and some of the things you are most likely to notice if you are experiencing it.

The Power of 4-7-8

Do you have a problem falling asleep? Looking for some tips on how to increase the quality of your sleep? This article is a must-read for you!

At St. Louis Corporate Yoga we truly believe in the power of proper breathing. There are many special breathing exercises we share with our corporate yoga students during on-site classes. There is really an appropriate breathing style for nearly all ailment of body and soul.

Would like to fall asleep fast and stay asleep longer? Discover the power of 4-7-8!

The mysterious 4-7-8 means a certain breathing rhythm. Let’s explain!

4: Breathe in through your nose for four seconds,
7: hold your breath for seven seconds,
8: exhale through your mouth for eight seconds!

Please note that the exact counts are important in this sequence. Also when practicing this breathing keep it to max. 4 sequences otherwise you might get light headed.

How does this work? Most of the issues around falling asleep reflect your stressed out state. You might be breathing shallow and even not breathing for a few seconds. Your heart rate is too high which is not conducive to sleep. You need to use your breathing to trigger a more relaxed state and lower your heart rate in order to fall asleep.

Do you have difficulty to practice this special breathing? Watching a demonstration is always best! Below is a detailed demonstration of 4-7-8 breath by Dr. Weil. After watching it once you will be able to “put yourself to sleep” much easier tonight!

Would you like to read an enthusiastic account of how this special breathing rhythm works for falling asleep and sleeping like a baby?

“It was the week before my best friend’s wedding, and my anxiety (nerves, plus excitement) had reached epic levels. I wasn’t sleeping, to say the least. Part of that had to do with the maid of honor speech I would be giving. I was terrified and could not shut my brain off to fall asleep at night.

After day three of lying awake until the wee hours of the night, I sheepishly admitted to her that I was too nervous to fall asleep, and she—the bride, who was sleeping like a baby the week before her own wedding—told me I needed to try the “4-7-8” breathing trick….

…I couldn’t wait to put the trick to the test, and to my complete disbelief, I woke up the next morning unable to even remember getting to the eighth second of the exhale because it knocked me out that fast. For the next four nights leading up to the big day, even as my stress increased, I was able to fall asleep the minute I tried the 4-7-8 trick. I also used it to relax in the moments leading up to the speech.”

Source: http://www.byrdie.com/how-to-fall-asleep-fast

Watch the demonstration by Dr. Weil then put the special 4-7-8 breathing to test tonight. It worked for us!

6 Ways To Take Care Of Yourself Every Day

You know how important it is to take care of yourself. The question that always comes up is this: how to get it done during your busy workweek with so many other obligations filling up life?

There are 6 ways to practice self-care we suggest you try to integrate in your everyday life. Just pick one to start with as you don’t want self-care getting on your major stressors’ list!

Exercise

Have you found the form of exercise that you are actually willing to do regularly? If working out in the gym or at home does not excite you, then it is time to try other forms of exercising until you find something that you look forward to doing.
There are so many ways you can get active! Have you tried yoga, pilates, walking, swimming or bicycling? Even if you tried an activity years ago and didn’t really like it – give it a try again. We change so much during the years, maybe those activities are more fitting to your needs now.
Don’t forget about fun activities! Dancing can be a strenuous form of exercise!

Eat Healthy

Before you get on the next diet, start listening to your body as far as knowing what to eat. Over time, you will figure out what makes you feel good, what keeps you full between meals and what kinds of food gives you the energy you need to make it through busy days.

You can take the first step today towards making healthier choices! Please read our recent article on our Clayton Yoga site about how to move from junk to healthy food through substitution.

Make Your Health The Priority

If you want to practice good self-care, you will need to put your diet and exercising ahead of everything else. If might mean getting up 30 minutes earlier to get in a yoga workout before going to work. Or eating the healthy lunch you brought from home while your colleagues eat cafeteria food. You are worth it!

Get Enough Sleep

Sleep is one of the most underrated parts of taking care of ourselves. Getting enough sleep is paramount to your wellbeing!

While you are sleeping, your body is busy repairing itself. By getting at least 7-8 hours of sleep each night, you’ll be healthier, happier and fitter.

Be In The Company Of Likeminded People

It is just easier to keep your focus on taking care of you if you associate with others who have the same goals. Do your friends are constantly getting fast food, eating donuts and sitting on their couch watching TV? Invite them to yoga class or plan the next get together at a spa. Look for activities for healthy cooking or take organized bike rides.

Always Look For New Ways To Pamper Yourself!

Finding new ways to practice taking care of your self is very important because you can get into a self-care rut, too. A spa day, a wellness massage or simply walking in the part can be exciting additions to your routine.

Practice these six things and enjoy the perks of practicing extreme self-care! You will be happy you did!

The Productive You

Have you ever wondered how others manage to be more productive than you? Every person on earth has the exact same 24 hours every day and still some people get so much more done in that time every day. It is easy to get envious… but instead let’s look at 3 ways you can increase your productivity today!

Sleep more!

It feels like you will add to your productivity if you cut back on sleep. You will have more time every day to get stuff done. But it is all a lie. If you don’t sleep enough… you will pay a high price the next day: you will not be able to concentrate. Focus is the secret to getting tons done.

Now you might think that less sleep has no impact on your productivity. Well, you might get away with less sleep for a few days, even a few weeks without noticing the impact this has on you. But try to cut back on sleep for a longer period of time and you will not only lose your ability to focus – you might even get ill or put on weight!

It is better to find out how much sleep your body needs every night and protect your sleep time. Some people thrive on 6 hours rest per night – some others need 8 hours to jump out of bed ready for the day. Keep your sleep sacred!

Learn to say NO!

Is this a challenge for you? We were all brought up to say yes – it was the expected behavior at home and in school. Especially women feel that saying no to requests means letting the other person down. But what happens when you say yes to all new projects, new opportunities while still doing your routine tasks? You will guaranteed become overwhelmed and stressed. Nobody can do 120% all the time.

You need to set your priorities and adhere to them. Try to develop a “cooperative”, solution based communication style. It is important to be able to renegotiate priorities with your boss and coworkers. The best is to begin practicing saying NO today!

Never start a day without a plan!

Plan tomorrow already today – in the last 15 minutes at work or before going to bed. Take 5-10 minutes to write down the plan and if possible do some preparation, too.

If you have an important meeting the next day, you can gather and organize your presentation, write down your questions, pack up your materials, etc today. How calm would you enter that meeting without the drama of not finding the things you need? How confident would you feel totally prepared to answer questions and share your opinion? Taking the extra 10-15 minutes today for tomorrow’s success is so worth it!

If you just manage to get a good night’s sleep to replenish your energy, practice to say No and make a plan before you go to bed… your life will change – there is no doubt about this!

Sleep For More Productivity

Want to become more productive in your job? There is a surprising answer to this question: sleep more and you will get more done on a daily basis – no matter what you do for a living!

Do you have a mile long to-do list that is getting longer every day? Do you feel like there is never enough time to get at least a few projects done? Do you begin new projects without finishing old ones? Could you just scream when you think about all the stuff that needs to get done in a short time? If you answered Yes to any of these questions, you know so well the stress this causes in your life.

The easiest way to handle the never ending to-dos in your job might be to work some more instead of taking some time off for recreation. You might take work home or spend more time in the office.

How do you fit all this extra work into your day? You might think about sleeping a few hours less, burning the midnight oil to get at least the most important stuff done. Unfortunately you will pay a high price if you sacrifice sleep.

Sleep is precious! Your body needs sleep to process the information flow you get throughout the day. This is the way it was constructed. Now we might try to test the limits of our systems…. But what price do we have to pay for this little experiment?

I am sure you know the feeling of fog spreading in your mind after a sleepless or short night. The ability to think clearly weakens and you feel you need to think twice to understand simple things and taking action is just a dread. Remembering things you want to get done becomes a chore and creating creative solutions is just out of question. You function but at base level at best. Now try to get productive in this foggy brain state… what are the chances of succeeding? Zero!

And no matter how we try defy the natural law of getting enough sleep, the reality is we cannot.

Protect your sleep no matter what! You need to get between 6-8 hours of sleep per night. How much sleep you need exactly is very personal. Some people thrive on 6 hours, some other need their 8 hours of zzzzzzzz….

In order to find out your natural sleep demands, lead a sleep diary for a few weeks. Note when you go to bed and how long you sleep. Also note your sleep quality. A few words or giving a note is sufficient (1 for a terrible night to 4 for an excellent night of sleep for example).

Plan for at least 7 hours of sleep per night. If you consistently wake up earlier than the 7 hours are up – this is an indication that you might need less sleep. If you cannot wake up without an alarm clock, you need to experiment with sleeping 8 hours or more.

One of a great indication if you got enough sleep is the fact that you wake up without an alarm clock feeling refreshed and ready to begin a new day full of energy.

Practicing yoga will add relaxation to your days and with a more relaxed brain you will get more done than you thought possible!