FamilyInShape

12 days to a new you - sleep

Water, fruits, vegetables and now sleep.  Sleep probably should have been the first on this list but at the time I really wasn't sleep deprived and did not give it much though.  Children generally get all the sleep they need because as parents we not only encourage this good habit but we need it for our own sanity.  It is not all that uncommon to hear parents say "they look like angels in their sleep." Ok maybe that's just me but that mid-afternoon nap is a welcomed break for me and my little Bear, now two years old.  I know, that will soon will end but for now I will cherish every minute of his nap.  

Then kids start school and the nap goes away, which is fine because they are a little older and can tolerate staying up all day for the most part.  However, we generally ensure kids get to bed early enough so that they still get all their needed rest.  In my house, bedtime for the little Bear and Peanut (6) is 8:00 pm, both wake up at 7:30 the next day.  Sometimes I wish I could do that.

Now the teenagers in my house have a completely different sleep pattern.  It is amazing to watch this metamorphosis in my kids.  It's like they need more sleep then when they were babies.  However, teens tend to stay up later and still wake up at the same dark hours of the morning to go sit in a class where they will most likely be present only in body.  Their brain is still sleeping. It's like they're afraid they'll miss something if they go to bed at a reasonable time.  On the other hand, many kids are just loaded with school work and after school activities, therefore, as important as sleep may be, they just don't have the time to fit in the 9+ hours they really need to function properly.

After some time we become accustomed to sleeping a certain number of hours at night, maybe seven or eight; in my case five or six.  We have our reasons.  I generally stay up past the time when everyone goes to bed because it's quiet time for me which I use to study, read, catch up on some funny TV show previously recorded (love the DVR) and even catch up on chores.  I almost always wake up five or six hours after I got to sleep and my goal is to change that pattern to seven or 8 hours which means I need to manage my day time hours with more precision.  Here are some things I've learned about sleep:

Risks of sleep deprivation:

- fatigue

- higher risk of disease

- compromised immune system

- lack of concentration, inability to learn

- weight gain--ugh!

- mood disorders, depression

- difficulty processing daily tasks such as driving

Some Benefits of sleep

- sleep is right up there with eating, it is food for the brain

- improved ability to function

- improved mood

- restores what is lost during the day- muscle tissue, hormonal balance

- improved memory and ability to learn

Resources for sleep can be found all over the web.  I found these sites to have great information on sleep for everyone in the family, check it out:

1. Healthy Sleep: Understanding the third of our lives we so often take for granted.  

2. The National Sleep Foundation has an excellent article on Sleep and Teens 

3. BabyCenter.com covers in great detail their sleep patterns and even tips on how to get them to hit the rack without complaining.  

4. My younger kids like Kidshealth.org because it speaks directly to the kids about any health topic.

Sleep tight! Stay Well,

Sleep, my toddler needs to do that

According to babycenter.com  my little man, Bear, needs approximately 13 hours of sleep, that is about 11 at night and 2 during the day, for proper growth and development and so that mommy gets a break. That, however, is not happening these days.  Maybe I bragged one too many times about what a great sleeper he was until he turned 23 months--then, everything changed.  I can almost compare that to the day my 14 year old turned thirTEEN. Scary times, but that's a story in itself.  

From what I can see, this is a study based only on my children, around the age of 18-20 months they figure out that they can walk, run, climb, push, pull, say NO!, MINE!, STOP! and get away with a lot, at least for a little while.  It wasn't long before my little angel,the baby that slept all night long, from 8:00 pm until 7:00 am AND took three hour naps during the day, started changing his routine. Was I consulted about this?  Did he submit a request to change his sleeping habits?  I DON'T THINK SO!!

Unfortunately, this change in sleep schedule affects me more than it affects him because he eventually goes to sleep and recovers from his late night partying. I, on the other hand, must continue my daily routine running on caffeine and little sleep. UGH!! It's exhausting.  He wakes up refreshed expecting me to chase him around the house or yard, the other kids come home full of energy expecting me to hear all bout their day, hubby comes home expecting dinner, my boss expects me to go to work and my teachers expect me to turn in my assignments.  OK too many expectations, not enough energy.

Last night was particularly special.  Bear had a hard time going to sleep at his usual time - 7:30 PM. He skipped his nap so naturally I thought going to sleep should not be an issue. We have had a pretty excellent routine around here so these sleep issues do throw a wrench in things.  But anyway, he eventually went to sleep around 8:00 PM--GREAT!!  He woke up at 1:30 AM--Yes, he did.  He stayed up until 4:30 AM!! I made life pretty boring for him; we sat on the couch and read, watched a little TV, played some music, I even went as far as rocking him--no luck.  One thing I have to say, we smiled,talked,hugged and kissed...it was really sweet.  At one point I didn't want to put him back in his crib---YEAH that lasted about 10 sweet seconds!

I have a plan...I must or I will crash and my patience will go out the window.  

Obviously my little Bear is growing and his needs are changing.  I need to adjust his schedule and his routine to make sure that he is eating enough during the day and getting enough active time as well. He plays a lot in the house but I have to admit, yesterday we did not go outside at all.  Give me a break I'm recovering from a head cold. :-)  Today we will go for several walks, we'll rake the leaves and play in the yard.  I have to work on getting things quiet around the house when his bedtime comes around because with three other sibblings making noise downstairs one could understand his hesitation to go to bed- he doesn't want to miss a thing and I don't blame him.  Now that he's older I have to let him pick a book to read before bed, that will give him something to look forward to as well.

As for me, I will have to recover from my lack of sleep by eating healthy, drinking lots of water (not coffee) and taking a nap. Maybe if I tire him enough he will sleep then I can do the same.  My workout for today will be with my sleepless little Bear, at least that will give me the energy I need to make it through the first part of the day.  Wish me luck!

Stay Well,

Stress...it sometimes does that to you

 

Photo by Inkygirl

Over the last few days, weeks, maybe even months (not sure, I've lost track of time), I've been working through all my to-do's and following the schedules given to me by my children's schools, my job and my own schooling.  As one would imagine, something had to give eventually.  Remember me? I was the one feeling excited because the kids were going back to school and we were going back to a "routine."  Oh wow, routine it is.  Unfotunately, the kids' school schedule is not flexible, therefore, many things have to be planned around them, not me.  Anyway, somewhere along the way I skipped a chore, postponed an appointment and procrastinated on a project which means I personally threw the schedule off balance, leaving me with more to do in a shorter period of time.  Great!  Just what I needed.  However, I think if I stay up all night for several nights I will be able to get back those lost hours and hopefully get all  the projects done yesterday.  Have I learned my lesson about procrastination -- YES!  If you're gonna do it, do it right!

But seriously, I started to feel the pressure of what I HAVE to do last night when I was up at two A.M. working on a simple 250 word essay about Hammurabi's Code.  Then I spent the next few hours dreaming about how it really didn't take much for someone to get severly punished back then.  Well, at least he had the laws written in stone, pun totally intended.  An hour later the alarm went off and it hit me... this was my last chance at sleeping until bed time tonight.  CAFFEINE, where are you my friend!!  

Now, here's what happens when I'm stressed AND tired:

1.  I eat more carbs than usual because I want fast energy.  Who cares what happens an hour later, I can always eat more carbs.

2.  I crave salty and sweet foods because sometimes I can justify how I feel and treat my symptoms with food crap!

3.  My workouts are not efficient and I do repeat to everyone within ears shot "I didn't sleep well last night," as if they cared.

4. I don't sleep well because for some reason I need to go over my to-do list in my head.

5. I'm cranky (not be confused with hormonal).

Unfortunately, this causes a cycle of bad choices and bad attitudes and more stress because even though I have a to-do list dictating what I HAVE to do as opposed to the general chores that should get done before company comes, I stress about each and everyone one of those items on my list I should have done two weeks ago.  Meanwhile, nothing gets done and I get overwhelmed.  What the hey!  I got up this morning with a plan to get over this issue because the last thing I need is to add bad carbs and inefficient exercise to my routine. (oh yes and lack of sleep zzzzzzz).

1.  I will do the bare minimum chores because no one is coming to visit--but if someone shows up, just put them to work.

2.  I will break down my projects (school essays, redecorating, organizing closets, etc) so that I do a little everyday, therefore completing the project over several days or weeks instead of several hours.

3. Take a nap... I will take a nap today... I must!

4.  I will continue to exercise--that's a habit not worth breaking.

5.  I will make a concious effort to feed my body not my cravings

Check out this article about Stress on MedicineNet written by  Peter J. Panzarino Jr., MD, FAPA  where he states that "Stress is related to both external and internal factors. External factors include the physical environment, including your job, your relationships with others, your home, and all the situations, challenges, difficulties, and expectations you're confronted with on a daily basis. Internal factors determine your body's ability to respond to, and deal with, the external stress-inducing factors. Internal factors which influence your ability to handle stress include your nutritional status, overall health and fitness levels, emotional well-being, and the amount of sleep and rest you get."

I like the first step solution; according to this article "Exercise on a regular basis helps to turn down the production of stress hormones and neurochemicals. Thus, exercise can help avoid the damage to our health that prolonged stress can cause. "

Well then, go to the gym, get a really good workout, eat a healthy lunch, drink plenty of water and get some well-needed rest.  Most of us know this but it doesn't hurt to hear it, read it and do it again!  As a last resort or maybe I'll put this higher on the list, Get a professional MASSAGE!

Stay Well,

Mental health

This week's focus is on exercising your mind.  Too many times we get caught up in the daily to-do's and when we do take time to rest we end up thinking about what we could be doing or what we plan to do later or what we could have done.  Instead of wasting your precious quiet time on those mindless worries, why not feed your mind by feeding it, nourishing your thoughts with mind games, reading, puzzles and the like.  Check out these ideas and maybe share some of your own ideas: 

Exercise your mind:  an article on CNN.com states that, "Just as physical activity keeps your body strong, mental activity keeps your mind sharp and agile. One way to do this is to continually challenge yourself by learning new skills. If you continue to learn and challenge yourself, your brain continues to grow, literally. An active brain produces new connections between nerve cells that allow cells to communicate with one another. This helps your brain store and retrieve information more easily, no matter what your age." With news like this, what have we got to loose, except our minds.

Read: Mike on livelife365 says, "Anything that occupies your mind differently, works another part of the old gray matter, is beneficial. Reading is great for you. Toss out that TV and read, every day. Fiction, non-fiction, magazines, newspapers, ahh, blogs? Yes, those too. Expand your knowledge, learn new things--you will enhance your life now, and really help yourself as you age."  Keep a book in the car to help you kill time while waiting for your kids at the baseball field (or wherever they may be), keep one by your bedside table, replace your remote with a book every now and then.  So pick up a book, keep it handy and read a page, read a chapter when you can and throw your mind into a story or a learning  activity that will take you away from your daily tasks.

Puzzles: Tarun from Paranoid Escapes suggests "A few ways to exercise your mind is to do some crossword puzzles, or play common games like solitaire or chess to keep your mind sharp." She also suggest Yoga for mind and body health. I think jigsaw puzzles are fun and progressive.  They take a little longer to complete, but the end result can be a beautiful landscape photo along with a feeling of accomplishment--that makes anyone feel pretty good on a bad day. The idea is to get your mind involved in something that will not only improve your memory and sharpen your mind, but also, take your mind off anything that might me causing stress.

Laugh: Chris from ThatsFit! points us to a study that "examines the total body connection; an understanding that the mind, the body, and the spirit work in conjunction to regulate our psychophysiology."  It's seems clear to me--we all need to start laughing a whole lot more.  Read the Sunday comics, these can be sent to your inbox via email, find humor in life.    Improve your mood and reduce stress watching stand up comedy or funny movies.  Don't miss the opportunity to laugh.

Sleep: Need I say more!  We all want to sleep more, well why not get a cat nap during that scheduled relaxation time.  Colleen from 3DayMom says, "Just snoozing for 20 to 30 minutes can work wonders for a stressed out, tired old body."  She adds that "... you’ll feel better, you’ll have more energy, and your productivity in the afternoon will go through the roof."  I will have to agree with that, even though I am guilty of denying myself a nap in place of doing chores or catching up on emails, homework or other activity.  On days when I listen to my internal mechanism and let myself take a nap, I do feel better the rest of the day.  Granted, when I first get up from a nap I feel groggy, I just drink a tall glass of cold water, iced tea or hot tea and the groggy feelings are replaced by a superb energy.

Music:  I love listening to all types of music.  It can be therapeutic, calming, entertaining and energizing. Whether I'm listening to oldies, classic rock, country or Latin music--it all just boils down to me and my not-so-great singing voice.  In the end, a very happy heart evolves.

Time will pass, the chores will always be there, and the callers and emailers can leave a message.  Don't miss the opportunity to play, read, laugh, and sleep.  Now go play some mind games and stay sharp!

Stay Well,

"It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop."--Confucius