Helpful Insights Online» Health

Sleep…Is It Really All that It’s Cracked Up To Be?

Gil Pizano — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 15:48:42 +0000

Sleep. Now there’s a word that many people working today wish they had more of. If you’re one such person who wishes they had more time to sleep (I’m raising my hand here too), then know that you’re part of a growing group that believes they just have to deal with not getting enough sleep. With the ever increasing complexity of people’s lives over the last few decades, it may appear that we are just doomed to putting up with feeling a little tired all the time. But how true is that? Do we really have to deal with not getting the amount of sleep that we need? Can we really learn to function on less sleep than we may actually need? How much sleep is enough? Is how sleepy we feel a good judge of whether or not we are getting enough sleep?

You Can’t Handle the Truth! (Jack Nicolson as Col. Jessup in “A Few Good Men”)

How do we know if we are getting the minimum amount of sleep in order to function? According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), the following are signs that you are definitely not getting enough sleep:

You have a hard time paying attention during meetings.
You feel tired and lack energy during the day.
You are unmotivated and have trouble “getting going.”
You need to use an alarm clock to wake up on time in the morning.
You are irritable, grumpy or lose your temper easily.
You start to doze off when you are driving a car. (DANGEROUS!!!)

A poll conducted in 2005 by the National Sleep Foundation showed Americans averaged about 6.9 hours of sleep per night. This represents a drop of about two hours per night since the 19th century, one hour per night over the past 50 years, roughly 15 to 25 minutes per night since 2001. In another study done at the University of Pennsylvania, investigators found that subjects who slept four to six hours a night for fourteen consecutive nights showed significant deficits in cognitive performance equivalent to going without sleep for up to three days in a row.

How would you like to go to work (or lead a group, or attend a business and/or social function for that matter) on the equivalent of not having gone to sleep for two or three days!?!

So What Can We Do?

The world we live in is an exciting and wonderful place to be. The means of communication, travel, the sharing of ideas and images has never been as easy and readily available as it is today. Because of this, it’s also a very fast and complex world that demands more and more of our time and energy. In order to function well we all need to rest well.

Sleep hygiene is defined as “the controlling of all behavioral and environmental factors that precede sleep and may interfere with sleep.” It’s the practice of following guidelines in an attempt to ensure more restful, effective sleep which can promote daytime alertness and help treat or avoid certain kinds of sleep disorders. Trouble sleeping and daytime sleepiness can be indications of poor sleep hygiene (Wikipedia).

Below are some excellent tips (provided by AASM) for getting a better night’s rest:

Don’t go to bed unless you are sleepy.
If you are not sleepy at bedtime, then do something else. Read a book, listen to soft music or browse through a magazine. Find something relaxing, but not stimulating, to take your mind off of worries about sleep. This will relax your body and distract your mind.
If you are not asleep after 20 minutes, then get out of the bed.
Find something else to do that will make you feel relaxed. If you can, do this in another room. Your bedroom should be where you go to sleep. It is not a place to go when you are bored. Once you feel sleepy again, go back to bed.
Begin rituals that help you relax each night before bed.
This can include such things as a warm bath, light snack or a few minutes of reading.
Get up at the same time every morning.
Do this even on weekends and holidays.
Get a full night’s sleep on a regular basis.
Get enough sleep so that you feel well-rested nearly every day.
Avoid taking naps if you can.
If you must take a nap, try to keep it short (less than one hour). Never take a nap after 3 p.m.
Keep a regular schedule.
Regular times for meals, medications, chores, and other activities help keep the inner body clock running smoothly.
Don’t read, write, eat, watch TV, talk on the phone, or play cards in bed.
Do not have any caffeine after lunch.
Do not have a beer, a glass of wine, or any other alcohol within six hours of your bedtime.
Do not have a cigarette or any other source of nicotine before bedtime.
Do not go to bed hungry, but don’t eat a big meal near bedtime either.
Avoid any tough exercise within six hours of your bedtime.
You should exercise on a regular basis, but do it earlier in the day. (Talk to your doctor before you begin an exercise program.)
Avoid sleeping pills, or use them cautiously.
Most doctors do not prescribe sleeping pills for periods of more than three weeks. Do not drink alcohol while taking sleeping pills.
Try to get rid of or deal with things that make you worry.
If you are unable to do this, then find a time during the day to get all of your worries out of your system. Your bed is a place to rest, not a place to worry.
Make your bedroom quiet, dark, and a little bit cool.
An easy way to remember this: it should remind you of a cave. While this may not sound romantic, it seems to work for bats. Bats are champion sleepers. They get about 16 hours of sleep each day. Maybe it’s because they sleep in dark, cool caves.

Have you ever gone through a day wishing that you had gotten more sleep?

What are some ways you relax at the end of the day (let’s keep it clean here. This is a family friendly blog )?

What are your thoughts on how much sleep we are or aren’t getting today?

What Does Exercise Have to do with Leadership?

Gil Pizano — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 04:58:58 +0000

Exercise. Some of us dread it, others can’t wait to get to it. It’s true that exercise can become additive and almost an obsession at times to some people (I myself have been bitten by the exercise workout bug). When I’m forced to go more than a couple of days without working out, I find myself having more trouble getting through the day unscathed by life’s all too familiar stresses and challenges.

The other day, I was in the gym working on my cardio and I remember feeling my mind begin to relax and get into what I was doing. It was at that time that I would also begin to remember things that I had thought about earlier. Things that I thought were great ideas at the time I was thinking about them but for one reason or another had forgotten to write down and so forgot the idea. Has that ever happened to you? Forgetting something you thought earlier was a good idea only to have it escape your mind? Come on, be honest! It’s only you and me here at the moment.

The word “exercise” comes from a Latin root that means “to keep, to maintain, to hold off.” For me exercise has to be one of the most beneficial things in life that we are able to partake in. I’m not just saying that because of the obvious health benefits that one can get from exercising on a regular basis, but more so from the mental clarity that it gives a person. When a person exercises on a regular consistent basis, toxins from the body are naturally extracted at a higher rate. Muscles that would begin to atrophy over time from lack of use, will in fact remain strong. If one of your goals is to lose weight or maintain the weight you’re at, keeping muscles strong and conditioned make it much easier to do so. When a person’s muscles are strong, weight is at an ideal number and toxins are diminished, a person cannot help but feel better. Both physically and emotionally. Why? Because the way a person physically feels affects their emotional state. This better feeling of themselves usually translates into having a better and more positive attitude in life that can easily be seen by subordinates, colleagues, friends and family.

Leaders who appear physically fit are viewed as better leaders. According to an article on weeklyleader.net:

“Fitness does so much more than just keep the extra weight off and prevent us from blaming the cleaners for shrinking our clothes. It increases mental stamina and endurance as well. It helps one weather stressful events with aplomb, and to keep ones head when all around them are losing theirs. The leader of the group, the one expected to make a good decision under stress and chart an effective course, should take advantage of the extra mental acuity and sharpness that comes with being physically fit.”

I have to say that recently I became a little fascinated with how exercise was helping me to become a better leader and so I decided to see if anyone out there had made any kind of study on the connection. One study that I found, from the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL), found that individuals who exercise are significantly more effective leaders than those who don’t. According to the study, executives who exercise rate significantly higher on skills such as leading others (interpersonal savvy, inspiring commitment, and creating synergy), leading by personal example and results orientation than non-exercisers.

Probably one of the simplest and easiest exercises to do is to take a walk. According to the Franklin Institute, walking is very beneficial to the brain because it “increases blood circulation and the oxygen and glucose that reach your brain.” As you walk, you effectively oxygenate your brain. Maybe this is why walking can “clear your head” and help you to think better.

So the next time someone tells you that leadership and exercise do not have anything to do with each other, you can rest assured that you know better and are (hopefully) the wiser.

What’s your favorite exercise?

A Little Note: Some Good Ways and Some Not So Good Ways to Network

Gil Pizano — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 04:25:52 +0000

If you want to network with others, there are at least two things needed. First and simplest of them is that it helps to go where there are people. Second, and probably the most important is that it helps to be genuinely interested in people.

Dale Carnegie, one of the most influential people of the twentieth century when it came to winning friends and influencing others, once said, “You can make more friends in two months by becoming really interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.”

What kind of people do you want to network with?

Given the choice, would you rather network with people who care mostly about themselves or would you prefer to network with people who have a sincere interest in you? If you’re like most people, my guess is that it would be the later.

I recently attended a networking social after work. The event was sponsored by a local professional organization and it promised to be a huge gathering of professionals from the surrounding area. When I got there one of the event’s organizers came up to me and welcomed me to the event (being welcomed by someone is always a great experience when attending a social gathering, whether you know them or not). This particular event was quite large indeed, with over 200 people gathering in this downtown hot spot all with the main purpose of meeting other professionals and entrepreneurs.

The event was great! I met a large number of people from all different backgrounds. Each person had something to offer others and it never ceases to amaze me how much I continue to learn about people at events such as these.

One person who I will remember unfortunately is a young lady who I met due to her standing next to someone I knew. The person I knew said hello to me. I said hi back and starting to ask him how he was and what he had been up to. After a brief sentence or two, my friend motioned over to the person standing next to him and I proceeded to introduce myself saying that it was a pleasure to meet her. But almost immediately she appeared to not care much about knowing who I was (not that I was selling anything or telling her anything about me other than introducing myself). She proceeded to speak with my friend and not give me much thought. My friend proceeded to speak with both her and me discussing a couple of recent events that had occurred locally. What was soon apparent, or so it seemed, was that this young lady did not care what I had to say with respect to what the topic of conversation was. The young lady needed to leave the event a few moments later, but before she did she proceeded to give my friend a warm professional handshake and a smile saying it was a pleasure meeting him. She then turned to me, raised her hand up to the side of her face and with a slight smile waived her fingers slightly at me without saying a word and proceeded to leave the event.

Now I don’t let these scenarios effect my enjoyment of an event. I make it a point to choose to enjoy my time at social gatherings and help others enjoy their time if they wish to do so. At this particular event, I met a lot of great people and had a great time overall.

What’s the reason for me sharing this little story? The reason is because, even though this young lady didn’t appear interested in knowing me, she left a not so good impression. If she was at the event to meet people and network, she failed with me because I have little choice than to remember the way she made me feel “as though I was not of any importance to her in that brief conversation.” How do you believe I should treat her if (and when) I run into her in the future? How would you be if you were me meeting her at future social or professional events? I’ll leave that up to you to think about how I would and should treat her.

My message here is that why burn bridges and make enemies with people you don’t know. Granted we can’t please all of the people all of the time, but making bad impressions is not always the best way to network with others. As I’ve mentioned in other posts before, whether you intend to network with people or not, we are always networking!

Do you have any networking advice or stories to share? What is your advice to people who want to network? There are many people (including myself) who would love to know!

Cheers!

Helpful Insights Online» Health

Sleep…Is It Really All that It’s Cracked Up To Be?

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What Does Exercise Have to do with Leadership?

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A Little Note: Some Good Ways and Some Not So Good Ways to Network

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