The ABCs of a Good Night’s Sleep

Journal Entry February 23, 2010: Weight = 172.4 lbs.; Coinage = $1.70, 35 pennies, 3 nickels, 2 dimes, 4 quarters (one super find of 2 quarters in a phone return, also one quarter in a newspaper vendor, and one under a retrieved beer bottle near a bus stop); Glass bottles retrieved = 14; Ground scores = 5 including two articles of clothing worthy of recycling.

Jounral Entry February 24, 2010: Weight = 174.0 lbs (multiple food slippages including a big piece of cake with yummy sugar and butter icing at a night civic meeting); Coinage = $1.36, 41 pennies, 3 nickels, 3 dimes, 2 quarters (on both days, very little money was found at the car wash, competition at these sights are increasing); Glass bottles retrieved = 13; Ground scores = 6 (getting ready for my “ground score charity yard sale.)

Feature Entry: The ABCs of a Good Night’s Sleep

For people seeking to maintain good health, much is written about proper exercise and nutrition, but less about the importance of a good night’s sleep—the body’s time to slow down and unwind. Dr. Rubin Naiman, clinical psychologist is convinced that healthy sleep is critical for physical, emotional, and spiritual well being. Several researchers have demonstrated that proper sleep is essential for daily personal effectiveness and even leads to a longer life. A good sleep helps the body repair tissues and renew itself by a process whereby internal chemicals trigger slow-wave sleep and rouse the immune system into action so as to help the body protect itself against viral and bacterial infections.

This blog will explain how the MoneyWalker “reclaims the night” by using exercise, good diet and nutrition, and stress management to keep stress and anxiety under control; and his technique for getting back to sleep when he awakes during the night. Also the following blog provides seven great tips for getting a good night’s sleep from Helpguide.org:

http://www.helpguide.org/life/sleep_tips.htm

First, I walk for 60 to 90 minutes every day. My friend the Numismatist

http://numismaticallyspeaking.blogspot.com/

often takes longer walks and calls the time her “2 hours of bliss out on the streets.” For me, long walks give shape to emotional energy and helps for gaining resolution and shaping reality. Thus, I rarely take serious problems to bed with me. Caution, long walks or any serious exercise should not be taken 2 hours before bedtime.

The MoneyWalker practices good nutritional habits in order to facilitate a good night’s sleep. We avoid late night snacks and evening beverages are consumed before 8 p.m. if possible. We eat three meals each day that feature ample fruits and vegetables. Bed time snacks are forbidden and we avoid sleep inducing medications. We do not have a television in the bedroom. We often prepare for sleep with a few minutes of friendly reading or Sudoku. Coffee is always decaffeinated and the last cup is consumed prior to 10 a.m.

As for what to do if I wake during the night, the MoneyWalker practices a relaxation technique that I call the ABCs of pleasure. Starting with A and working through Z, I systematically think of some activity, place, or thing that provides pleasure. A few examples follow:

A = Astros Baseball and my week-end trip with to Houston with Mark
B = Blogging and the pleasure derived from the MoneyWalker blog
C = Coinage and how much fun it is to find change on the street
D = Dental Appointment (no, no, block that)
D = Semiannual trip to Destin, FL with friends and the beach
E = Entertaining friends
F = Folsom, LA and our retreat house
G = Gardening
H = Herrenzimmer, the name of my study where these blogs are created
.
.
.
Z = ZZZZZZZZs for a good night's rest

And so the exercise goes. Usually I am back to sleep before I reach W which would be represented by my daily walk.

Opps, it is nearly 2 p.m. in New Orleans, time for my afternoon nap, another good thing to do.

MoneyWalker