AUGUST

Get Some Rest!

How many hours do you sleep at night? Maybe you are a night owl, or maybe you have too many things to achieve before you can turn

in for the night. Sleep restores

WHAT AND WHY:

Sleep is essential for a person’s health and wellbeing, according to the National Sleep Foundation. Yet millions of people do not get enough sleep and many suffer from lack of sleep. In the 1970s, most Americans slept about 7.1 hours per night: Now the mean sleep duration has plunged to 6.1 hours. Definitely not a trend that should continue. Our ability to come up with novel solutions to complex problems in enhanced with sleep. The more well rested you are, the less your brain craves stimulants– like coffee, or a sugary snack. The benefits of sleep are numerous, and this month we will spend a little time reminding ourselves that it is good to rest. [INSERT INFORMATION ABOUT THIS MONTH’S ACTIVITY, WHERE TO SIGN UP AND HOW TO START.]

IDEAS FOR ACTIVITIES:

•Track your sleep for one week with a sleep diary. This will help you identify things that may contribute to lack of sleep: http://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-diary/SleepDiaryv6.pdf •Have team members share one trick that they use that is associated with achieving more and better sleep.

•Host a lunch and learn using one of these TED talks:•Russell Foster, Why Do We Sleep? http://www.ted.com/talks/russell_foster_why_do_we_sleep?language=en•Arianna Huffington, How to succeed? Get more sleep. http://www.ted.com/talks/arianna_huffington_how_to_succeed_get_more_sleep •Jessa Gamble, Our natural sleep cycle is nothing like what we do now. http://www.ted.com/talks/jessa_gamble_how_to_sleep•Jeff Ilif, One more reason to get a good night’s sleep http://www.ted.com/talks/jeff_iliff_one_more_reason_to_get_a_good_night_s_sleep

ARTICLES:

•Newsweek; Our Sleep Problem and What to Do About It http://www.newsweek.com/2015/01/30/our-sleep-problem-and-what-do-about-it-301165.html

•Harvard Business Review; Sleep Deficit: The Performance Killer https://hbr.org/2006/10/sleep-deficit-the-performance-killer

•U.S. News & World Report; A Good Night’s Sleep is the Secret to Success http://health.usnews.com/health-news/health-wellness/articles/2015/02/09/a-good-nights-sleep-is-the-secret-to-success

THE MORE YOU KNOW! 25 TIPS, TIDBITS OF TRIVIA AND TWEETS ABOUT SLEEP. SHARE ONE VIA EMAIL EACH DAY OR POST THEM NEXT TO THE

WATER COOLER.

•Why we sleep? For restoration, energy conservation & brain function.

•If you choose to nap during the day, limit yourself to about 10 to 30 minutes and make it during the midafternoon.

•Regular physical activity can promote better sleep, helping you to fall asleep faster and to enjoy deeper sleep.

•Increasing natural light exposure during the day promotes healthy melatonin balance, which can help us get to sleep later in the day.

•The artificial (or “blue”) light emitted by screens can disrupt our bodies’ preparations for sleep by stimulating daytime hormones. Reduce exposure by turning off TVs, phones, and computers at least one hour before bedtime.

•Try a hot bath or shower. Stepping from warm water into that pre-cooled bedroom will cause body temperatures to drop slightly, which can trigger sleepy feelings by slowing down metabolic activity.

•Keep regular hours. Going to bed and getting up at roughly the same time, all the time, will program your body to sleep better.

MORE TIPS:

•Cut down on stimulants such as caffeine in tea or coffee – especially in the evening. They interfere with falling asleep and prevent deep sleep. Have a hot milky drink or herbal tea instead.

•Take time to wind down before bed. The first 20 minutes, prep for tomorrow (pack you bag, pick out clothes; next 20 minutes, take care of personal hygiene, and the last 20 minutes, relax in bed with reading material.

•The ideal nighttime snack combines carbohydrates and either calcium or a protein to boost serotonin, so snack on some cheese and crackers.

•Most studies demonstrate that room temperatures of between 62 and 70 degrees seem to work best for sleeping. The reason is that our core body temperature drops at night.

•The alarm clock should be in your bedroom to wake you up in the morning. Anxious glancing followed by calculating and then ruminating about “when will I get to sleep” or “how many hours of sleep do I have left” is a major cause of insomnia.

•Studies show that not getting enough sleep or getting poor quality sleep on a regular basis increases the risk of having high blood pressure, heart disease, and other medical conditions.

MORE TIPS:

•Most adults need 7–8 hours of sleep each night. Newborns, on the other hand, sleep between 16 and 18 hours a day, and children in preschool sleep between 11 and 12 hours a day. School-aged children and teens need at least 10 hours of sleep each night.

•Want to sleep well? Start your day with omega-3s! These healthy fats lower anxiety and help your body produce the hormones you need to sleep at night.

•Keep a notebook and pen on your bedside table. Begin writing to-dos and reminders an hour before bed so that you aren't compiling a mental list for the next day. If you wake up suddenly remembering an important task, write it down rather than trying to commit it to memory.

•One surefire way to fight your fatigue is to ban the snooze button. You've decided what time you are going to get up every day – and that does not mean 15 minutes early and snoozing until it's time to get out of bed.

•The scent of lavender has noted benefits for sleep. A small 2005 study found that a sniff before bed led to more deep sleep.

•Get some natural light. Fifteen minutes first thing in the morning can help night owls reset their biological clocks and ease into sleep a little earlier.

MORE TIPS:

•Research indicates that people who get less sleep—six or fewer hours a night—have higher blood levels of inflammatory proteins than those who get more.

•Researchers at Harvard University and Boston College found that people seem to strengthen the emotional components of a memory during sleep, which may help spur the creative process.

•Your body uses most of the night (except when you are in REM sleep) to heal damage done to your cells and tissues when you are awake and more metabolically active.

•At the start of the night and during slow wave sleep, your body releases growth hormone. Lack of sleep, on the other hand, is linked to muscle atrophy.

•When people are tired, the way they make financial decisions changes. Instead of trying to minimize loss, they start looking for risky big gains. That's a good reason to make sure you sleep before making any big purchases.

•Sleep is a time for your body to repair damage caused by stress, ultraviolet rays and other harmful exposures.

MORE TIPS:

•Too little sleep can slow memory, learning and cognitive abilities, including critical thinking, math skills and spatial orientation.

•Skimping on shut-eye can hurt your ability to fight off colds, flu and other infections—and affect your response to vaccinations.

•Lack of sleep leads to lack of memory, increased impulsiveness, and poor judgment.

APPENDIX:

We can’t take all of the credit. In compiling this information, we referenced the following organizations and websites:

www.mayoclinic.orgwww.sleepcouncil.orgwww.prevention.comwww.health.comwww.nhlbi.nih.govwww.businessinsider.comwww.mindbodygreen.comwww.huffingtonpost.comwww.greatist.comwww.longevity.comwww.allyou.comwww.ted.com