5 Quick & Easy Ways We Recharge

The work that my husband Roy and I are so fortunate to do, requires us to travel. We spend a lot of time going back and forth between our Asheville home to Italy, Holland, China, and many more exciting places.

It’s truly a whirlwind sometimes.

The interrupted sleep patterns, new environments and time zones take their toll on the body, mind, and spirit. This is why REST is a top priority for us.  This is not only important for ourselves, but also for each other, our family, and our students.

It’s especially important when we’re delivering a workshop for hundreds of students. We want to show up 120%, and unless we’re mindful of listening to what our body needs and taking the right steps to get proper rest, sleep can fall to the wayside.

Sleep is one thing that every one of us has in common. There is no way around, through it or over it.

Sleep Is Super Important

It seems that throughout the ages, sleep is becoming less respected. The less you sleep, the more you accomplish… This seems to be the current mantra for many.

“No pain, no gain! Right?” WRONG!

A Sleep-Deprived World:

• A majority of American adults (63%) do not get the recommended eight hours of sleep needed for good health, safety, and optimum performance.
• About 40 million Americans suffer from a chronic sleep disorder, and an additional 20- 30 million are affected by intermittent sleep-related problems. However, an overwhelming majority of sleep disorders remain undiagnosed and untreated.
• Sleep deprivation and sleep disorders are estimated to cost Americans over $100 billion annually in lost productivity, medical expenses, sick leave, and property and environmental damage (National Sleep Foundation).
• Sleep deprivation and sleep disorders are estimated to cost Americans over $100 billion annually in lost productivity, medical expenses, sick leave, and property and environmental damage (National Sleep Foundation).
• 100,000 accidents have been estimated to be caused by a lack of sleep each year in the USA.
  

Why are we so sleep-deprived:

• When our lives get busy, sleep can be the first thing that we sacrifice.
• Our untrained minds will worry, think, fantasize and keep us from truly relaxing, creating a vicious cycle of insomnia.
• We have negative belief patterns around sleeping being a lazy and unproductive activity.

The neuroscience of sleep:

Benefits of getting enough sleep that you will notice them straight away.

• Improved memory and concentration, especially if you are trying to learn something new.
• You have more energy and are easier able to lose weight and stay fit.
• More positive and stable moods throughout the day.
• You will look healthier, and your skin will be more vibrant.
• Your immune system improves, and you are less likely to get sick.
• Less overall inflammation that is linked to heart disease diabetes arthritis, stroke, and premature aging.
• Improved will-power and less reliance on stimulants or sedatives, like coffee or alcohol.

So again we want to stress how SLEEP is the single most important behavioral pattern we have in life.  It is not an indulgence, it is a necessity.

If you want to experience your Grandest Self, you MUST get enough sleep.

Train your brain for sleep:

The 21st century has seen our lives become so busy and overwhelming. There is a non-stop supply of stimulus and entertainment. Sometimes we are bombarded whether we like it or not.

Combine that with increased stress and worry, and you have a recipe for sleep deprivation. Sometimes it can just feel impossible to “turn off” when we need to.

Now more than ever we need to be able to truly relax into the parasympathetic nervous system and switch out of the “fight or flight” mode that many of us are functioning in daily, without even realizing it. Click here to download one of our most popular relaxation brain trainings.

5 Quick and Easy Tips to Get More Zzzzzzzz’s

1. Go to bed 15 minutes earlier each night, then slowly working your way up to one hour earlier. You will be amazed at how easy this is.
2. Do some light acupressure on yourself to put yourself into a zen state more quickly. Tap lightly on the area above the center of your lip and beneath the bridge of your nose and breathe deeply for several seconds.
3. Try using a sleep mask that covers your eyes. When it’s dark, your brain senses pure darkness, and it causes the production of melatonin, which is the chemical of sleep. When you do not use a sleep mask, the optical nerve continues to detect the light making it harder to relax completely.
4. Take a power nap during the day, even a 10-minute “power nap” will boost your alertness and energy. We call our power naps “Power Breaks” as we combine a short rest with listening to a brain training meditation audio. This really maximizes the impact of this short break as our thoughts are re-tuned to positivity, health, and success.
5. OUR PERSONAL FAVORITE, Listen to a guided meditation or brain training audio that will help you enter the brain wave states required for great sleep and a positive rest. A guided meditation will infuse your mind with uplifting thoughts, and upon waking, you feel that you have the energy to do what you need to do in a positive way.

The regular practice of meditation and brain-training have been medically linked to reduced insomnia and a better relationship with sleep overall.

Every time you meditate, the right and left hemispheres of the brain are balanced which helps to quiet the mind and relax every system in the body.

Mindfulness helps us to let go of the day’s events and release the habitual patterns that have been holding us back from the rest we deserve and genuinely need in order to function at our best.

Still need a Guided Brain Training Meditation Download? Get the one we are listening to in the photo here: CLICK HERE

Resources:
Harvard Medical: http://bit.ly/22lCY5N
BrainFacts.org: http://bit.ly/1XuF2VL