THE POWER OF SLEEP

Sleep to be SEXY, SMART and SLIM. The need of sleep is growingly being viewed as a sign of weakness for some people. However, by not sleeping, you feel groggy and none of your systems are firing on all cylinders. You don't think straight, make good decisions, remember where you parked your car or feel like making love.

And worst still, the resulting chemical glithches will put you on the fast track for heart disease, stroke, diabetes and even obesity.

Here are some strategies for a good night sleep.

The daily schedule
1. Wake up at the same time everyday. Sunlight activates the brain and activating it at the same time every morning teaches your brain that at midnight it's supposed to be asleep and at noon it's supposed to be awake.
2. Give yourself an hour right before bed. You need to wind down and make the transition from the person-who-can-do-everything to the person-who-can-sleep. Do not do housechores, take care of children, do activities with family members, go online nor catch up with work.
3. Put yourself first. Put your needs ahead of others. If your partner snoring wakes you up, help him get treatment. If he refuses to cooperate, put him in another room.

Work and life
1. Dump the 24/7 stuff. Draw up your to-do list, then take a big breath and start crossing things off. You'll realise that you really don't have to do it all.
2. Don't work so late. The prevailing thought is that you have to stay late to get the job done. The truth is that it's better to go get some sleep, then come back to do more work in the morning.
3. Manage the electronics. Turn off your mobile in the evening, and the instant notification on your email too. Switch off the monitor ditch the night light and rotate the clock-radio display. Total darkness tells your brain that it’s time to sleep.

Interested to know more? Read Reader's Digest July 2008 issue :)
And no, I'm not advertising.