Stressed and Out of Control? “Stop, Drop, Nap”

“Someone asked my wife once, ‘Do you wake up grumpy in the morning?’ ‘No,’ she said, ‘I let him sleep.’”—John Ortberg, The Life You’ve Always Wanted.

There sure seems to be a lot of focus on sleep these days.  The need for it, and of course the consequences of the lack thereof.  During these times of uncertainty and crisis I hear from people the whole range of sleep related issues from not enough because of worry and stress, to getting too much because, well, that may be all someone has to do at the moment because of quarantine or self-distancing.

The importance of a good night’s sleep is hard to deny. If we get a good one, we wake up ready to charge into the world full throttle. If we get a fitful rest, tossing and turning, filled with bad dreams, coming awake can feel like waking up in a pool of mud.

The thing is we still don’t really know why we need to sleep.  We do know of course that we need it.  In fact, sleep depravation studies show how people can go through very dramatic changes, including delusions, physical illness and even death.

But why do we need to sleep almost a third of the day away? Some people really need the recommended seven or eight hours; others seem to get by on just a few.  We don’t fully know.  It would seem, though, that to be healthy we need to ‘reboot’ sometime every twenty-four hours, and that re-boot is typically best at night at a regular time with no interruptions.

Dream on, right?

Well the solution may be this: “Stop, drop, nap.”

What a great idea!

I came across this notion (and the above quote) in an article in Domino by Raven Ishak titled “What Happens to Your Body When You Take Naps Every Single Day?” (read it here).

Ok, first a disclosure here:  I am a great fan of “Power Naps.”  That said, I am not a doctor and can only tell you what works for me.  Also, if you are tired all the time and sleeping more than usual it is good advice to check in with your doctor or other medical professional.

Admittedly saying that I like naps sounds like a baby.  But why should babies have all the fun? Just think about all the energy they have when they wake up from a nap!  We should be so lucky.

I first discovered the glory of the Power Nap when our kids were small.  After not much sleep the night before, a Power Nap for just ten or twenty minutes often gave me the gas to power through the rest of the day.  Why my wife could have gone all day without one I don’t know; maybe I am a baby after all!

At all events, Power Naps seem to be an increasingly popular way to relieve stress and recharge during the middle of a busy day.  Akin to meditation, a nap can clear our minds and let go of the stresses that are making us, well, stressed out.

Ishak says that this does not mean sleeping all day is a good thing. Rather anywhere from 20-30 minutes, up to 90 minutes seems optimal.

How to get into a routine for napping?  Well, first you need to find the time, and that is always problematic.  Sometimes the noon hour is optimal because we have a structured time away from our tasks.  Then we need to find a quiet, comfortable place that allows you to nod off for a bit.

Generally, I try to read for a few minutes to get my mind off of my stressors and distract me enough to relax.  A good chair or a couch is perfect for this, and if you are worried about waking up to get back to it, set a reminder on your phone or other device to wake you up when you need to.

What to expect?  If done right, you will probably be thinking about a lot of things right before you nod off.  About 20 or 30 minutes later (longer if you can take the time) you will wake up wondering when you fell asleep. Pretty easy, actually.

I realize by this point in my life I am pretty much a professional at this.  According to Ishak, getting into it right off the bat takes a bit of work.  She says that the first day you should be able to fall asleep pretty much right away.  You should wake up clear headed and refreshed.

However, the next week or so may be a challenge as it takes dedication to carve out the time to take a snooze.  During this time your body may have a hard time adjusting, but you will likely begin to feel the benefits almost right away.  Ishak says you should start to notice better concentration and increased attention span when you wake up. This should feel like it is virtually the start of a new day.

After a month or so you should notice that you are experiencing an increase in your productivity and improvement in your outlook.  After a longer period of time, say six months or so, you may also find physical benefits including a lowering of blood pressure, reduction in your risk of dying from heart disease, and maybe (!) an improvement in your sex life!

Who knew?

Ishak quotes sleep specialist W. Chris Winter, M.D., (The Sleep Solution): “Taking a nap can enhance your sleep cycle, regulate your sympathetic nervous system, help you think and let go of things that are causing you stress, and be used as a circadian marker to help your body understand where you are in the 24-hour cycle. Like meditation, it can be [used] as a quiet time in the middle of a chaotic day.”

So, an alternative to another cup of coffee when you are lagging and stressing out, take a nap!  “Stop, drop, nap”!

A. Alliance Collection Agency, Inc. is a full service, licensed accounts receivable management and debt collection agency providing highly effective, customized one on one management and recovery solutions for our business partners.  Founded in northern Illinois in 2005, we have been proudly improving the bottom-line on behalf of our business partners in and around Chicagoland for over 15 years.

Let’s Not Lose Sleep Over It, But…

“Sleep that knits up the raveled sleave of care,

The death of each day’s life, sore labor’s bath,

Balm of hurt minds, great nature’s second course,

Chief nourisher in life’s feast.”

–William Shakespeare “Macbeth”

I am going to depart from the usual challenging news of the last few months and write about something related more directly to our personal wellbeing.  That would be sleep. More to the point, what is causing the lack thereof for so many of us?

The power of sleep to provide much needed therapeutic rest to both mind and body has been well documented.  I threw in the quote from Macbeth because it describes the benefits of a good night’s sleep so well, something I would bet Shakespeare himself craved as he churned out his prodigious literary output.  The fact that he wrote this more than four hundred years ago tells me that the impact on our lives of lack of sleep is certainly is not a new phenomenon.

Perhaps it is also good to take heart that we are not alone.  Misery loving company, one day at a company meeting one of my associates happened to stretch and yawn during a break and said he had not slept well the night before.  In fact, he said for quite a while he had been waking up early in the morning and had very little luck falling back to sleep.  Then, around the table, one by one, we all sort of said ‘me too!’ which made me feel a little better, but frankly did not help me get anymore sleep.

I hate to admit it, as it will pinpoint me as a ‘man of a certain age,’ but I ran into an interesting article on the subject in AARP The Magazine.  The article, titled “World War ZZZ” by David Dudley, focused on the fact that we get on average an hour or two less sleep per night than the generation preceding us. In fact, he points out that in 1942 only about 11% of Americans reported that they slept less than 6 hours per night, but by 2013 that jumped to 43%.  According to Dudley, this is such a significant change that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) declared this a public health problem.  In a 2015 survey of the top health concerns of Americans, lack of sleep ranked number two on the list!

What is causing this change?  Dudley points out that some of it is ageing.  We are more prone to sleep problems as we age due to sleep apnea and other significant health issues.  He is quick to point out that we need to receive proper medical care if we experience chronic sleep disruption as it can cause additional, serious health consequences.

Other issues such as obesity and the greater use of anti-depressants and other medicines also contribute.

One of the more recent, yet increasingly prominent, culprits seems to be simply the age we live in:  we stay up later because we have more to keep us up rather than going to bed.  More television choices, smart phones, tablets, electronic communications we don’t properly manage at night, all add to disrupting our natural circadian rhythms.  Stress caused by unrealistic expectations in our 24-7 world also contribute mightily.   Additionally, the very light emitted by our devices apparently scrambles our natural day / night awareness and keeps us out of sync as well.

What to do?  Obviously consult with your physician if you are experiencing acute health challenges. A few tips he also suggests include:

  • Set a schedule: Try to maintain a consistent, dedicated sleep time every day.
  • Make your bedroom just that: Take the TV out of the bedroom.  Replace your pillows and mattress if you have not done so in a while.  In other words, use the bedroom for what it is intended for:  sleeping!
  • Lay off the light: Turn off electronics and devices that emit disruptive light before you go to bed and leave them off until you get up.

So, a little self-care is in order for us it would seem.  Let’s just don’t lose a lot of sleep over it!

 

A. Alliance Collection Agency, Inc. is a full service, licensed accounts receivable management and debt collection agency providing highly effective, customized one on one management and recovery solutions for our business partners.  Founded in northern Illinois in 2005, we have been proudly improving the bottom-line on behalf of our business partners in and around Chicagoland for over 15 years.

 

 

 

 

Company Culture: We Are All in This Together

We all know how important company culture is. It’s the collective personality of the organization.  But here’s the thing, No matter how intentional we are defining a variety of its elements like our company’s mission statement, values, ethics, work environment, expectations and goals; we always have to keep our eye on the prize because as the company grows, adjusts and evolves so does our culture.

A strong, positive company culture not only includes things like flexible schedules, fun incentives or encouraging work/life balance; it is also the small conversations and other interactions we have with each other. When we have great everyday experiences, we feel more positive and happier. On the other hand, if someone is having a bad day it too can impact the overall mood on the floor.

As a part of our Health and Wellness program, UCS sponsors Lunch and Learn presentations that bring us all together in an informal setting to collaborate, learn and, of course, eat! We’ve hosted a number of these sessions and have had outside professionals come in to educate us on a variety of subjects like stress management, good nutrition, the importance of exercise and cyber security.

Last Friday we asked Emily Hummel CEAP (Certified Employee Assistance Professional) to join us for our latest Lunch and Learn about company culture.

It could not have gone better. Even though the sessions were relatively short, she was able to give us all great tips.  We learned:

  • how to be more intentional in our communications
  • how to act in a manner that creates an inclusive work environment
  • how to take responsibility for our actions
  • to appreciate the value of diverse opinions
  • to avoid negativity in our daily interactions by not getting caught up in gossip or complaining
  • how to guard against acting thoughtlessly based on assumptions of another’s intent

We really had a lot of fun with the last one. We played a game called, What Do You Really Mean? To play the game, each one of us was given a specific mood (which we kept to ourselves). Then, one at a time, we had to say a statement communicating the mood we were given.  We could use body language, tone and drama if necessary, but could only say the words in the statement—no more or less.

What we found by playing is what you think you are putting out there isn’t always what people see. For example, feeling tired can easily come across as being bored. Big difference, right?! The mood I had to communicate was excited. I thought I had done a great job projecting excitement when I said my statement and was surprised when someone said they thought I was scared. We all took turns playing and more times than not, we had to guess more than once to come up with the correct mood.  It was really eye opening.

Hummel is not only a CEAP but also a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She shared that the same tips we learned here could also be used at home in our personal relationships.

I think the most important take-away from the session is that we all play an important role in the company’s culture and we all need to do our part to maintain a healthy, positive culture.

A. Alliance Collection Agency, Inc. is a full service, licensed accounts receivable management and debt collection agency providing highly effective, customized one on one management and recovery solutions for our business partners.  Founded in northern Illinois in 2005, we have been proudly improving the bottom-line on behalf of our business partners in and around Chicagoland for over 15 years.