Happy & Healthy
5 THINGS GOOD SLEEPERS DO DIFFERENTLY
I used to be really into sleeping. If you laid me down, the rest would happen automatically. I could do it sitting too, on the back of a scooter, in a restaurant, no problem. I thought people who brought their own pillow when they went on vacation were just being fussy. But I might still think that a little. But now, when I wake up at five in the morning again, I'm not a happy person. That night I also lay awake for a quarter of an hour.
Here's the thing. My neighbors have rabbits. And because my neighbors are animal lovers, the rabbits hop around in the garden, in the open field. But every time a rabbit comes near the side door, a light turns on. And off. And on. And off again. And there I am lying, watching it. Watching while I think about all the more useful and inspiring things I could be doing instead of tracking a Flemish giant. But I'm too tired for that.
Sleeping is the best gift you can give yourself. No cream has the effect of a full night’s sleep and it makes you incredibly productive. But you can’t order that kind of round-the-clock sleep. So I searched and found help from my favorites at Huffingtonpost.com. An article about five things good sleepers do differently. And don’t do. Here they come.
1. Have sex
To start with the most enjoyable, a good round of sex helps you sleep better. I’m not saying that, but a famous psychiatrist is. And it makes you thinner. At least, you burn calories. And you feel happier and more content, and your partner probably doesn’t mind as much if you slide their credit card along Net-a-porter the next day. Do I sound very unliberated now? I don’t care.
2. Warm bath, cold bed
I’m such a wimp that I always want it warm. Or at least: not cold. So the heating is always set to 21 degrees (yes, you could also shop nicely with my annual heating costs). I hate a bedroom where the clouds come out of your mouth when you breathe. But it seems to be better for your sleep pleasure. Warm bath (also works for babies), cold room. Brush teeth, check, bath, check, sex, check, and sleep.
”Going to bed angry is the worst sleep tool there is”
3. Don’t go to bed angry
Do you have a nagging little rodent in your head when you step into bed? That only gets worse throughout the night. Going to bed angry is the worst sleep tool there is. Now I understand that it’s hard to give your boss a piece of your mind around 10:57 PM, but maybe it helps to write down what you would like to say, prepare an email (by the way, you write difficult emails) or to talk it over with a friend. Just make sure to choose one who is better at reassuring than inciting, otherwise you’re definitely lost tonight.like this 4. Don’t stay up too late.
There are people (present!) who can manage with not much sleep. I do best to close my eyes around 11:30 PM (usually during Pauw, sorry Jeroen) and to be up again at 5:45 AM without a morning grump. But researchers say: why would you, even if you can? Sleeping will yield you more than that one hour of being awake. Namely more energy so you can do more, have an even better mood, and oh yes, also take a look at your skin after a night of horizontal recovery.
5. Eat light.
Do you know that feeling? You’ve been out to dinner and had eight courses and three amuse-bouches. Each course accompanied by a matching glass. Then you’re lying there feeling like you’re just not having fun anymore. Keep your meal light, then you won’t be chewing it over all night and you won’t accidentally look like a cow later. These researchers say that by the end of the evening you should steer clear of that bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape, but I’ve also read somewhere (I believe it was) that a glass just before sleep is very good for the waistline and I’ve decided to stick to that last one. Nothing opportunistic is foreign to me after all.
I used to be really into sleeping. If you laid me down, the rest would happen automatically. I could do it sitting too, on the back of a scooter, in a restaurant... here I used to be really into sleeping. If you laid me down, the rest would happen automatically. I could do it sitting too, on the back of a scooter, in a restaurant, no problem. I thought people who brought their own pillow...
