Health, Fashion, Parenting and Women Related Issues

Grabbing a short snooze can give you the lift you need to tackle the rest of your day — physically and mentally — but the perks don’t stop there. Research suggests that napping benefits almost every aspect of human wellness, from lowering your risk for heart disease and repairing cells to lifting your mood and stamina to knocking down stress and making you more productive. All this can translate to living longer, staying more active, and looking younger.

What are the keys to being a power napper? Follow these three simple rules:

* Set aside 30 minutes total — 10 minutes to fall asleep and 20 minutes for the actual nap. Use an alarm.
* Take off your shoes and get comfortable; try to nap in a reclined position on a couch or in your car (but be safe); avoid direct sunlight.
* Avoid napping past 3 p.m. If you nap too late in the day, you can disrupt your nighttime sleep.

Not a napper? Napping isn’t for everyone, so see how it works for you.

Is your evening routine keeping you up at night? Making a few shifts in what you eat, drink, and do in the hours — and minutes — leading up to your bedtime can make falling asleep much easier. Use the following ritual from The Mind-Beauty Connection as a guideline:

* 4 to 6 hours before bed: Stop any caffeine (knock off even earlier if you’re caffeine sensitive).
* 2 to 3 hours before: Don’t eat a full meal. Digesting food (especially a heavy meal) can keep you awake.
* 60 minutes before: Turn off all electronics — yes, the television, too — and dim the lights. Even if you’re in your jammies and not feeling wound up, light signals your brain to stay alert, and mental stimulation (especially from video games, nightly news, Sopranos reruns) makes it harder to fall asleep.
* 30 minutes before: Drink something you find soothing. It could be a cup of chamomile tea; a glass of warm milk; or a splash (not a glass) of brandy, red wine, or some other nightcap that relaxes you. Just limit alcohol intake, because it can awaken you later. If you find it’s a slippery slope, cut it out entirely and switch to herbal tea. Try a warm bath or light reading (no work!).
* 5 minutes before: Make sure your bedroom is dark (or wear an eye mask), quiet (or get a white noise machine or earplugs), slightly cool (crack the window, if needed), and free of distractions (clutter, pets, work piles). G’night . . .

Juggling work and home life robs many of us of restful sleep and leaves us feeling like the walking dead, alternating cups of coffee with cans of Diet Coke — a routine that can definitely unravel a healthy sleep pattern. Here are a few simple tricks from The Mind-Beauty Connection that will get your sleep back on track, so you can get the rest you need to refresh your cells and prepare you for the next day.

Don’t take your to-do list to bed. Jot down tomorrow’s tasks early in the evening, and stick the list in your bag or on the fridge. This can keep you from anxiously making mental notes the minute your head hits the pillow.

Take something. Sometimes, to kick insomnia and get back on a better sleep cycle, all you need is to break the pattern. One cheap, simple method: Take an antihistamine 30 minutes before bed for 1 to 3 nights (regular Benadryl — not a nondrowsy formula — works fine, says Dr. Amy). It makes many people sleepy, and no prescription is needed.

Other people swear that melatonin, the sleep-regulating hormone you can now find in an over-the-counter supplement, helps. But Dr. Wechsler’s not a fan. Why? The amount in different products can vary wildly, despite what’s on the labels. And its long-term safety has yet to be determined. (It’s also highly unlikely that you have a melatonin deficiency; you simply need to establish better sleep habits.) Read more