As we saw in the first booster in this threefold series of practices aimed at fastening our mental faculties, it calls for a deliberate action. In our pursuit of mental wellness, we will go to the next practice which is of immeasurable significance in this journey of no return.
The second vital practice is also a simple one, and to our advantage affordable. Whether rich or poor, young or old, educated or otherwise, you are not discriminated against. This is Quality Sleep ?.
Sleeplessness is a global catastrophe. Insomnia is becoming a new normal to a lot of people more than ever before. A lot of people cannot sleep without some drugs, mostly caffeinated drinks. Most people have their circadian rhythms characterized by inconsistencies and accidentals. A lot of people cannot wake up on time unless harassed by alarms and not without a stubborn snoozing after every five minutes.
I remember with a lot of sympathy how we used to handle the night as little restless teenagers. Chatting almost the entire night with the little girls we admired. Some of my friends were so proud of their nocturnal iniquities, of chatting till 3 am non-stop, and then sleeping till mid-day. This may not work in the part of the third planet I grew in, for at 5 am it was time to harness the oxen for serious business, and this was strictly non-negotiable. I am proud of this system which has raised men who are members of the 5AM club.
So, you may be asking yourself a vital question: “How do we achieve Quality Sleep?”
This is going to be the most beneficial part of this discourse. We must know how to make things work. A lot of people confuse quality sleep with quantity sleep. They think that after wasting time till the wee hours, they can sleep forever and still get the benefits of a good sleep. Apparently, it does not work like that.
A maximum of eight hours is recommended for an average human being, especially the young and the old. But the youthful can do with between six to eight hours a day. However there is more to sleep than just eight hours. A good sleep brings together a few factors that must be considered.
A good sleep should be in a cool dark place with no noise. Everyone can afford darkness and reasonable silence depending on the neighborhood. This ensures a peaceful sound sleep.
Also the time one gets to bed is very important. While eight hours is resuscitating, it is different in effect depending on when one goes to bed. The best sleep is that which starts before midnight. In fact, to be very deliberate, I will say that an hour before midnight is worth two after midnight. When you apply this technique, you can achieve a lot in a day by counting every hour of sleep before midnight as twofold. This simply means that a healthy person who goes to bed at 9pm, can comfortably be up at 2 am and be good for the day.
Also for quality sleep, one needs to be keen on their nutrition. At the time you get to bed, digestion should be a relic of the past. Don’t eat your evening meal at 8pm and be asleep at 8:05pm. This is a recipe for disaster. A lot of nightmares are to some degree, attributed to overeating just before bed. The time to bed and supper should be so far apart that it ensures the digestion is done. The entire body should retire from the day’s labor.
You can use yourself for the experiment. Repeat these tidbits religiously for twenty and one days, then share your results. Some of the benefits you will have include better memory, increased concentration, emotional intelligence, and general mental stability and endurance.
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