What To Do When There's Too Much To Do (16 page)

More good reasons to get a good night's sleep: according to a recent Harvard study, you need a full night's sleep to achieve the maximum benefit from Stage 2 Non-Rapid Eye Movement (NREM) sleep, which helps you learn motor skills.
²⁶
The last two hours of sleep are critical for this. Plus, getting just one and a half hours less sleep for just one night may reduce your alertness the next day by up to 32 percent, which can have tragic consequences. For example, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics reveal that drowsy driving results in at least 100,000 car crashes, 40,000 injuries, and 1,550 deaths annually.
²⁷

Thankfully, most of the negative effects of sleep deprivation are less dramatic, if no less debilitating. Here's an interesting one: Sleep deprivation doubles your risk for obesity, since it increases the production of ghrelin, a natural appetite stimulant, and reduces the production of leptin, an appetite suppressant.
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Bottom line: Not getting enough sleep can actually make you fat!

And finally, your body's ability to fend off infection and sickness is directly linked to sleep. As we all know, nothing slows us down worse than getting sick. Our bodies make the most immune-strengthening cellular repairs during the last, longest period of REM sleep; this period begins after seven hours of slumber, so you're robbing your body of the best chance to stop illness if you don't sleep more than seven hours.

If you suffer from insomnia, try drinking a soothing herbal tea an hour before bed, or consume some dairy products. Avoid caffeine and sugar after about 2
P.M
.

During sleep, your brain and muscles restore themselves. It's as necessary as eating, exercising, and going to the bathroom. People who are tired can't effectively deal with life's little everyday stressors, and stress can cause insomnia, creating a vicious cycle of low energy. So don't sabotage your productivity by trying to steal a few minutes from Morpheus (the god of dreams, in Greek mythology).

Here are some tips to make it easier to get the sleep you need.

Control the thermostat.
The temperature of your room matters. The ideal sleeping temperature is no less than 68° and no more than 72° Fahrenheit. Anything outside this range could affect your sleep.

Shut out the snoring.
Although we joke about it, snoring is often a real source of insomnia. My husband snores, so I wear earplugs (my favorite are Hearos). They drown out his snoring and other background noise but still allow me to hear my alarm clock.

Take a power nap.
Some of you have discovered the rejuvenating effects of power naps. As a recent study published in the journal
Nature Neuroscience
concluded, most people can boost
their afternoon performance on tasks by taking a daytime nap of sixty minutes or less.
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If you go over sixty minutes, you'll risk grogginess and so-called sleep inertia when you wake up. But the American Academy of Sleep Medicine reminds us of a very important caveat: The value of a lunchtime or afternoon nap applies only to those who have no symptoms of insomnia. So if you think an afternoon nap will catch you up on lost sleep from your snoring spouse, it's not true. That's just sleepy time fuel dumped on the insomnia fire.

Keep your bedroom sleep-related.
A sure-fire energy bandit is turning your bed into a second office, meaning your bed is anything but a space for tranquility and enjoyment. You require a positive mental association between sleep and your bed, so that when you get in bed, your brain should tell your body to shut down and go to sleep. But some of us have turned the bed into a work cubicle with cushions. Your TV is blasting over there. Your munchies are sitting right here. Your laptop is humming down here, with a cord snaking across the comforter. Your paperwork is balancing on a pillow over here. Your cordless phone, BlackBerry, and your cell phone are an arm's length away. Associating your bed with a workspace encourages wakefulness, and soon the brain begins to disassociate your bed with sleep. When you're finally ready to go to sleep, it takes you longer, because your brain is essentially confused.

You have to resolve to turn your bedroom into a sleeping sanctuary, where your mind automatically goes to sleep. Conduct any non-sleep activity—eating, watching television, reading, working on your computer—out of bed, preferably in a completely different room. I realize for us business travelers, it's not always possible; but even moving your gadgets and work materials off the bed and onto the hotel work desk is a step in the right direction.

The old saying “you are what you eat” certainly applies to our energy levels. Among other things, the heavier you are, the less energy you're likely to have. Every day, we read about America's growing obesity problem; health and food researchers have become increasingly concerned by our rate of overeating. And, of course, the type of food we use to fuel our bodies is interrelated with our drops in energy. Clearly, we need to cook up some new dietary strategies.

Start by taking a hard, honest look at what you eat. Not what you
think
you eat, but what you
actually
eat. If you keep a food diary for even a week, you'll be amazed at how much energy-stealing junk you'll discover lurking in your diet.

Just as important as what you eat is
how much
you eat—and that's usually too much. Many people are unable to accurately estimate proper portions, especially busy people on the go or those who travel. In fact, most of us don't even seem to realize we're supposed to keep an eye on serving sizes. A
serving
is not the amount you're expected to eat in one
sitting
. It's the weight and portion that correlates with your recommended daily allowance. Food and nutrition scientists find that in our “super-size” culture, we're woefully misinformed about how to estimate proper portions.

So starting today, integrate these portion control tips. Reduce, reduce, reduce!

Put only two things at a time on your plate.
A recent study at Cornell University revealed that people who served themselves just two items at a time ate 21 percent less food.
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Try this tactic when serving yourself food at home or in a buffet line. Getting up more often will make you realize how much you're actually eating.

Cut 500 calories per day out of your diet
. This will amount to about one pound per week (depending on your activity level and how efficiently you metabolize calories). Basically, you just need to slow down your rate of eating. The science on this is interesting. It turns out it takes approximately twenty minutes for your brain to receive the “I'm stuffed” signal. So if you're eating at a restaurant, try going somewhere else for dessert. Chances are, by the time you get there, you won't want that Mt. Everest-sized brownie fudge sundae.

Watch what you drink. Stay hydrated, but limit your intake of coffee and colas. Caffeine has a diuretic effect that can dehydrate you even more.

Eat a salad before your meal
. Researchers at Penn State found that subjects racked up an average of 12 percent fewer calories when they ate a salad as their meal's first course.
³¹
So serve up a salad, go with the low-fat dressing, and hold the cheese.

Change your dinnerware to reflect correct portions
. Try using a ten-inch salad plate for your meal instead of a regular dinner plate. This trick is an eye-opening change. The visual effect, and also forcing yourself to make more trips to the stove for more servings, will help cut down on overeating.

Automatically ask for a box
. The next time you order at a restaurant, before the server even leaves your table, ask him to box half your meal before he brings it out. Or order one meal for two people, and ask the wait staff to split it for you in the kitchen.

One more thing: Always eat your morning meal.
There's a reason why we call it “breakfast”: You're breaking your overnight fast. In fact, don't skip any meals, because it mucks up
the steady flow of glucose. The more you can keep your eating times and routines consistent, the better.

If you do these things, you're on the path to a better, more energetic you.

It's ironic, but the less active you are, the less energy you have. Fortunately, exercise can boost your energy even in small doses. Did you know a brisk ten-minute walk not only increases energy, but the effects last up to two hours? If you do it consistently, your energy levels and mood will lift like a balloon.

I believe in making exercise painless and fun, so I suggest you engage in what I call “Subversive Exercise.” This lets you turn the everyday, mundane acts of life into heart-happy mini-workouts. For example:

• Park at the far end of the parking lot and walk to the door.

• Walk during your lunch break.

• Walk over to see a colleague rather than sending an e-mail.

• Pace around your office while using a speakerphone.

• Forget the elevator; take the stairs.

• Avoid the moving sidewalk at the airport.

• Take the kids out for a family walk after dinner.

• When the kids are playing sports, walk around the perimeter of the field while watching them.

• Watch TV from your treadmill.

• Go to a copy machine or restroom on a different floor.

• Walk around the house while talking on a cordless phone.

• Do squats or leg lunges while reading an article in a magazine or newspaper.

You can use these little tricks to encourage yourself into energy-boosting exercise throughout your day. It doesn't really matter where you work or what you do; being cemented
to your chair all day is an energy bandit of the worst kind. So get up, get out, and get your heart pumping and your blood circulating!

Whether you practice Subversive Exercise or stay true to your workout routine, create rewards for yourself. For example, allow yourself to listen to your iPod only when working out. If you want to watch the television, walk on your treadmill in front of it. Get an audio book of a novel you're dying to read, but let yourself listen to it only when exercising. Or tape your favorite show and let yourself watch it only while working out. You get the idea. If you dangle your favorite motivational carrots in front of your face, you'll find yourself sprinting toward the finish line. The biggest prize of all is the blast of energy and productivity you experience.

Join forces with an “exercise buddy” to help you stay on track, especially if you have trouble maintaining your exercise routine.

Rather than let a dour worldview drag you down and ruin your ability to hold it all together, make a conscious decision to adopt a more positive attitude. Do everything you can to make yourself happy and maintain an upbeat outlook. How can you do this? Here are a few ideas you may want to implement.