Oscar-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow is about to make her debut as a country music singer, but it seems she is getting weak in the knees at the thought of performing at the Country Music Awards (CMAs). Paltrow has admitted that she is a little bit nervous about her live performance, reports Usmagazine.com. “I actually feel [...]
Posts Tagged ‘sleep’
IBM Talks Deep Sleep Mode for Power Processors
August 24th, 2010 |
No Comments
An IBM engineer reveals at the Hot Chips show that the company will add a deep sleep mode to its Power line of chips in which the processors draw virtually no power while idle. – IBM will be adding a new sleep mode to
its Power processors that will essentially enable the chips to consume
virtually no power when idle.
According to an IBM presentation
at the Hot Chips conference at Stanford
University in California
Aug. 23, the company will be adding what it is calling a…
Sleep Announce Reunion Dates
June 24th, 2010 |
No Comments
PUT DOWN THE BONG AND GO GET A TICKET!
Legendary purveyors of top shelf stoner metal Sleep have announced a string of six reunion dates, starting at All Tomorrow’s Parties
in Monticello, NY on September 3. The band will be performing their classic album Holy Mountain in its
entirety.
Jason Roeder of sludge metal gods Neurosis
will be replacing original member Chris Hakius on drums for all announced dates. The band previously
reformed in 2009 (with Hakius) for two special performances at All Tomorrow’s Parties in England.
All reunion dates are available here.
Sleep
Tour Dates
::
Sleep News ::
Sleep
Concert
Reviews
Sleep Hack: A Simple Strategy For Better Rest In Less Time
May 17th, 2010 |
No Comments
Do you start every morning with an internal argument over whether or not to hit the snooze button on your alarm clock again? Do you struggle to fall asleep at night and end up catching a “second wind” that lands you on the couch watching TV at 4am? If so, this sleep hack is for you.
Sure the term “hack” has been used a lot. But in terms of simplification of a very complex process into two quick steps, this hack takes a very large cake. Keep reading to see what I mean. 
I stumbled upon this sleep hack weeks ago. Like some of the better hacks in existence, this one was unearthed by necessity. I’d reduced my belongings to fit into two carry-on’s (another post entirely) and headed to work in Boston.
I’d only given myself 6 days to find a place to live and it wasn’t until my final day of searching that I finally found an apartment. It was cheap. It had a bed and desk. It was Sunday night. By the time I’d signed a lease it was too late to go shopping for bedding. There was a clean fitted sheet in the bedroom closet that fit the mattress. I had no soft pillows, no 1200 thread count sheets, and no down comforter.
I took the bath towel from my bag, folded it a few times, and used it as a pillow. It was a warm night and I slept easily. I woke in the early morning chill of darkness. It was 5am. I didn’t need to be up for hours.
But I had no reason to stay in bed. Bed was cold. Bed was unwelcoming. I had slept. I was awake. The day had begun.
As days slipped by, I continued to sleep on that fitted sheet and mattress. Each night I’d get tired around 10:30pm, drink some water, and fall asleep immediately. Each morning I’d wake, grab my towel and head to the shower. I no longer had to argue with myself over whether or not I’d get out of bed.
If I woke very early and still felt tired, I might fall back asleep for another hour but only if I really needed it. Those accidental morning naps I’d experienced in the luxury of my previous bed no longer haunted me. I was free.
I now have a regular sleep schedule with better rest than I’ve had in years. I wake on-time without an alarm and enjoy an extra 10-12 hours per week that I’d have spent awake but in bed in years past. It’s really, really good.
So here’s the hack.
Step 1: Treat your bed like a recharging station.
Get rid of the temptation to treat your bed like anything other than a recharging station. You won’t need books by your bed. You won’t need fancy pillows (unless your doctor says you must). Your bed is a place to help you get from wake to wake in as little time as possible with optimum rest. If you’re young like me the mattress won’t be such a big deal. If you’re over 40 you’ll want to make sure you’ve got a good mattress though.
Step 2: Get rid of your bedding
If you’re really, really tough you can just fold all your bedding up and put it in another room. Chances are good that you’ll give up and drag you bedding back in the middle of the night if you can though. I recommend giving your bedding to a local homeless shelter or, if it’s really ratty, throwing it out.
Step 3: Try it for at least 7 days
One night won’t work. You need to give yourself time to get used to this lean way of sleeping. If you wake up at midnight and feel cold, don’t grab a blanket. Throw on a sweatshirt instead. Most of us live in climate controlled housing so there’s really no excuse for all the bedding we tend to heap on ourselves.
Does this sound crazy? Sure. Does it work? Absolutely yes. I love sleeping in a big bed with warm blankets and big pillows. But I don’t need that extra sleep right now. I don’t need the morning arguments with my alarm clock. I need productivity. If you feel the same, I suggest you give this a try.
Have you tried something similar? Do you have a specific question? I’ll get back to you in the comments.
Image: Freddy The Boy
Click Here to follow Lifehack on Twitter!
I’m an editor here at Stepcase Lifehack. I know the value of long walks, good books, joyful repartee, and a well-made martini. Say hello in the comments here, find me on my blog or hit me up for a follow on Twitter.
9 Tips For Better Sleep
March 24th, 2010 |
No Comments
This article is the 4th in the 6-part series, Lifehack Challenge: Become An Early Riser In 5 Days. If you’d like to join, leave a comment that includes your promised wake-up time. The hard part is actually getting out of bed!
Whenever I see a toddler or small animal sleeping in a ridiculous position, a little part of me gets terribly jealous. Not because I want to be a small child or a furry kitten. Because I want to enjoy that same sort of rest!
I had a lot of trouble sleeping a few years back. Through a lot of experimentation and a bit of help from some very cool experts, I was able to take charge of my sleep and learn how to not just sleep, but find true rest.
At first glance, most of the tips listed below will seem familiar to you. They’re straightforward, simple ways to get better sleep. It’s okay if you’ve seen them before. The question is, have you actually put them into practice since the last time you saw them?
Hmm?
If not, let’s have another try and maybe get some better sleep tonight!
1. Learn your sleep position
Your “sleep position” is the position you always move into right before falling asleep. If I’m not very tired I’ll spend some time on my back, stomach, or other scenario until I feel like sleeping. Then, as soon as I feel like sleeping, I move onto my side and get down to sleeping business. Once you know your sleep position you can move into it immediately once you get into bed. Take a few deep breaths, relax, and your body will assume that it’s time to sleep and you’ll be drooling on your pillow in no time.
2. Create a sleep ritual
Not unlike your morning ritual, a sleep ritual is a few things you always do before going to sleep. Do you brush your teeth (you should be), listen to a bit of some favorite song, or stretch for a few minutes before bed? Figure out what helps you relax and make a habit of doing those things every time before you plan to sleep. You’ll soon find it’s easier to rest, even in circumstances that otherwise might have kept you awake, because the rhythm of your sleep ritual has lulled you into a relaxed state.
3. Build a sleep cocoon
Please don’t start spinning silk and wrapping yourself up to sleep. If you can actually do that, your problems are much bigger than a simple lack of sleep! (Do spiders sleep? Anyone?) What you should try is creating a “cocoon” of silence and cool darkness that makes it easier for you to sleep. Experiment a bit with earplugs or noise-cancelling headphones to counteract the loud neighbors, air conditioning or a fan, and a blackout curtain to keep the street lights from keeping you awake at night. You know your situation best. Now optimize it so you can sleep better!
4. Experiment with naps
You could take an extreme and try polyphasic sleep (been there, really hard to get started, kinda fun once you’ve got a groove going) which is only naps. I’d recommend something more along the lines of a quick cat nap in the afternoon when you’re feeling tired. Napping doesn’t work for everybody. In fact, it might make it harder for you to sleep at night! The easiest way to find out if an afternoon nap will work to help you get the best rest is to try napping over a weekend and see how you feel afterward. Keep it under 30 minutes long and you should be able to avoid the bewildering effects of longer naps. There’s always the caffeine nap, but that might conflict with the next tip.
5. Skip the late-afternoon caffeine
If caffeine can affect you for up to 8 hours after consumption, what are you doing sucking down coffee at 8pm? Skip the caffeine in favor of a tall glass of water and a few minutes of aerobic exercise. You don’t need to put on a purple leotard and dance in the hallway. A few flights of stairs in your normal clothes should do the trick.
6. Maintain a sleep schedule
“Get up at the same time every morning and go to sleep at the same time every night” says the Mayo Clinic. Seriously? Life rarely allows such a luxury as that! If you’re not one of the few who can arrange their schedule around sleep, do your best by keeping your sleep and wake times within an hour at each end. For example, if you can get to bed between 11pm-midnight and wake up between 7am-8am, a few minutes given or taken each day shouldn’t be a problem in the long run.
7. Go to directly to bed when you’re tired
You know what happens when you start to feel tired and decide to stay up for just a few minutes answering emails: you get a second wind and end up watching Youtube videos until 3am and paying for it the following day. Enough! If you’re within an hour of your normal bed time and you’re feeling tired, go to bed and try to sleep. Anything else is a waste of your time and future productivity.
8. Have clean bedding you love
“Love” might be too strong a word. It’s hard to find anybody other than a mattress salesperson who sounds passionate about a mattress. That doesn’t mean your bedding doesn’t matter though. The clean part, which results from laundering your sheets and pillowcases, matters very much though. Who doesn’t like the smell and feel of freshly clean sheets? (Put your hand down. That’s gross.) Take a look at your pillow, too. If it’s old and the filling is clumping up, it might be time to treat yourself to a new one.
9. Exercise early, don’t eat late
Two tips in one? What a deal! There are some who can exercise right before bed and not have it affect their sleep. If you’re one of those, good for you. If not, consider exercising when you get up in the morning as a healthy way to get your day off to a running start. Exercise, amazingly enough, can also work well to fight off the fatigue you feel after sitting in an office chair all day. Turn away from the coffee and get moving! You might associate eating with feeling sleepy because of the “carb coma” you get after a big meal. Take a break from the late-night stuffing and focus on relaxing instead. Perhaps a glass of wine? That’d be nice.
Any thoughts or tips you’d like to add? Fire away!
If you’re participating in this week’s Early Riser Challenge, you’ll want to check out reader blogs: PeterxPark, TinaRenee, and LiveLighter.
Follow Lifehack on Twitter Here
I’m an editor here at Stepcase Lifehack. I know the value of long walks, good books, joyful repartee, and a well-made martini. Say hello in the comments here, find me on my blog or hit me up for a follow on Twitter.
Sleep Well And Stay Healthy
March 17th, 2010 |
No Comments
(CNS): Sleep is a basic human need, much like eating and drinking. It is crucial for our overall health and well being. Research shows that we spend up to a third of our lives sleeping. Good quality and restorative sleep is essential for day-to-day functioning. Studies suggest that sleep quality, as [...]
Innovation@Intel: Sleep Talking PCs
November 30th, 2009 |
No Comments
Emerging “anytime” device usages pose a difficult choice for consumers: either having a fully powered-on system that is energy inefficient and costly; or, shutdown their systems to conserve power, but prohibit “anytime” services access. Intel researchers have developed technology that allows devices to enter standby (S3) sleep state while maintaining full network presence, so the system can wake up on network service requests. Energy savings estimates are more than 40 TWhr over 100 million devices. See blog for more information.
ATP New York 2010 Stooges, Mudhoney, Sleep
November 27th, 2009 |
No Comments
ALL TOMORROW’S PARTIES RETURNS LABOR DAY WEEKEND
 Stooges |
To continue their year-long celebration of “Ten Years of ATP,” All Tomorrow’s Parties will return to Kutshers Country Club in Monticello, NY for it’s third ATP New York festival over Labor Day weekend, running from Friday, September 3 through Sunday, September 5, 2010.
On Friday, September 3, 2010 they will present their regular day of Don’t Look Back performances, with a very special list of acts set to perform:
Iggy and the Stooges performing Raw Power
Sleep performing Holy Mountain
Mudhoney performing Superfuzz Bigmuff and Early Singles
The Scientists performing Blood Red River (first ever U.S. Show)
More acts to be confirmed, and Friday will also feature DJs, a Comedy Stage and Cinema curated by the Criterion Collection.
ATP will be confirming the line-up for Saturday and Sunday over the coming weeks. ATP also confirms that this year the bars, food vendors and Djs will continue until 6 p.m. on Monday, September 6 so that all guests can enjoy a later check-out and a more relaxing start to their post-ATP week.
Weekend and Day Tickets are available, with a Layaway Ticket option available. Tickets are available now via www.atpfestival.com.
Tickets priced at $250 + booking fee for the weekend, or Friday day tickets priced at $110 + booking fee are on pre-sale now via Paypal direct to ATP. To buy tickets email write to feedback@atpfestival.com with NEW YORK TICKET BUY in the subject line and specifying how many tickets you would like to purchase.
Accommodation at Kutshers is also on pre-sale via ATP. Rooms are priced at $150 + room tax per person and available for groups of 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7. To buy a room email feedback@atpfestival.com with NEW YORK ROOM BUY in the subject line and specifying what size room you would like to purchase. All room payments must be made by Paypal.
Layaway Tickets: To make it easier for some people to pay for their weekend tickets, ATP will allow guests to pay $125 of their weekend ticket price now, with the second $125 payable by March 31, 2010. For more information and to take part email deposit@atpfestival.com with NEW YORK LAYAWAY in the subject line.
Kara DioGuardi’’s sleep eating disorder made her raid Paula Abdul’’s fridge!
October 15th, 2009 |
No Comments
Former ”American Idol” judge Paula Abdul has revealed that Kara DioGuardi, who became the fourth judge on the show, had once raided her fridge because of her Sleep Eating Disorder.
Abdul, 47, who discovered the songwriter-turned-reality star ten years ago, and had also shared a house with 38-year-old DioGuardi, was puzzled when her food disappeared.
“I literally [...]
7 Surprising Facts About Sleep
July 27th, 2009 |
No Comments
Can’t sleep? You have plenty of company. About half of all adults experience insomnia on occasion, and 1 in 10 battle insomnia on a regular basis, according to the Cleveland Clinic. If you fall into one of those groups, chances are you’re alre…
It’s official: active kids sleep better
July 23rd, 2009 |
No Comments
A new study has confirmed what many parents already knew – running around in the day means your child may fall asleep faster at night.
The study of 500 children also found that children who fall asleep faster tend to stay asleep for longer.
The study, by experts from Monash University in Melbourne and the University of [...]
Dr. Michael J. Breus: Sleep Paralysis Gets Screentime–But Not as a Horror Flick
July 19th, 2009 |
No Comments
Ever wake up and it feels like your mind woke up but your body didn’t? Now that’s a nightmare in real time, and it can…
Experiment For Optimum Results
July 15th, 2009 |
No Comments
Many times when we are looking to improve in any aspect of our life, we search for someone who has already achieved the results that we are looking for, and we do our best to mimic their actions, expecting their results. The problem with this approach is that there are too many variables to consider in pretty much any aspect of life, and therefore too much is out of our control. We would be better off creating a plan that takes into account the success of others’ actions, and then tweaking our own actions to better fit our needs and expectations.
For instance, I just finished a 30 day biphasic sleep experiment. For 30 days I slept only 4.5 hours total each day, with a 3 hour core sleep each night and a 1.5 hour nap midday. This schedule was very different than any other biphasic sleep schedule that I had read about. The problem with the other schedules was that they just didn’t match my lifestyle and day-to-day schedule. I knew that in order to be successful with my experiment I would have to follow a schedule that worked for me. So I set about researching the amount of hours of sleep I could function on, then with the help of a neuroscientist friend created a schedule that we thought could work. I decided not to get too attached to this newly created schedule till we could observe whether or not it worked, and having gone 30 days with it, I can safely advise that the Universal Man sleep schedule (as I later named it) was a great success and can be used by anyone with a few days to adjust.
Had I followed other schedules, I can’t assume that I would have been as successful as I was with the Universal Man schedule. That’s not to say that I wouldn’t have been successful, but that there would have been schedule conflicts initially, which would only lend to less success. As I went through the experiment there were days when I needed to make minor changes, though. And thus the idea of tweaking your experiments as you go. I started summer school mid experiment, which meant that I would need to have higher levels of focus from 8 am to 3 pm. This led me to have a really sleepy mid day lul. I supplemented my sleep with a 15 minute nap at 1 pm (I just walked out of class, went to the library, and slept for 15 minutes). This allowed me to “recharge” and when I got back to class I was better focused and able to stick to the experiment. Had I not tweaked the experiment to allow for this nap, I’m quite sure I would have failed.
This is not to say that it’s not good to follow the trails of others who have found success, because it’s always better to follow someone who has done what you want to do than to try it alone. But we need to understand that we are all different, and because of that we all have different needs and requirements. By learning your own needs, you will be better equipt to tweak every aspect of your life for optimum results. And what is the use in all of this self-improvement if not to become the optimum human, right?
Ibrahim Husain is the creator of ZenCollegeLife.com, a college blog dedicated to helping students succeed in and out of academia. He also journals his lifehack experiments at BrainVault.net. Offline Ibrahim is a fitness addict, motorcyclist, avid reader, guitarist, digital artist, adventure seeker, and so much more.
Follow him on Twitter: @IbrahimZCL
Therese Borchard: Sleep Is Sanity
July 13th, 2009 |
No Comments
Thanks to James Bishop’s Optimism Software, I’ve become meticulous about my sleep hygiene this summer. I go to bed every night between 9:30 and 10:00…
Nap time
June 3rd, 2009 |
No Comments
Napping is one of the best, most underused tools for busy people. It is frowned upon by many people and is viewing as something for the elderly and children. Mention napping and you could be seen as lazy, depressed and unwilling to work. The majority of people experience drowsiness in the afternoon and notice their productivity and mood starting to slip and napping will help combat this. It is completely natural and helps to fight the affects of fatigue such as burnout, stress and a lack of mental clarity.
Even though there seems to be a taboo on napping, there have been many famous nappers who swear by the midday snooze to keep them awake and alert. Famous nappers have included Richard Branson, Margaret Thatcher, Bill Clinton, Lance Armstrong, Winston Churchill and Leonardo da Vinci. No one can claim that these people didn’t achieve anything and spent all day napping.
Research on napping is constantly showing positive effects. The results suggest that napping can make you more alert, reduce stress and improve cognitive functioning compared to working all day without rest. A mid-afternoon sleep means that productivity can last long into the night. Researchers at NASA showed that a 30-minute power nap increased cognitive functioning by 40%. The volunteers on the tests found that their memory improved as well as experiencing an increase in concentration. Those who didn’t nap would score lower on IQ test than those that did (after a day of work).
If you feel a slump in the afternoon and from then on don’t perform at your best, I recommend taking a short power nap to get yourself feeling alert and ready for work. You will feel rested and you’ll notice your mood and alertness improve. I advise keeping the nap between 15 and 30 minutes as you want to avoid getting into deeper stages of sleep. If you do, you’ll find it harder to wake and may experience the groggy feeling for a while.
For those who are worried about the after affect of a nap, there is the caffeine nap. A caffeine nap is taken after an intake of caffeine, so that you are asleep while your body digests the caffeine. After a 15-30 minute nap, you wake up and instantly have the caffeine in your system. This is great if you instantly need to be on the move after a nap, and you can bounce out of your sleeping state and jump into work feeling refreshed and energised.
Finding 15-30 minutes in a day can sometimes seem difficult, but doing so could mean a great deal to your productivity. Even 10 minutes a day will be better than nothing at all, and may give you the energy you need to be successful. If you’re willing to give it a try, make sure you can find a comfortable place (both physically and mentally) before setting your head down. If you can feel secure and let go, then you’re rest will be even more beneficial.
A lot of people who wish to start their own businesses but are currently working 9-5 will benefit from a nap. The majority of the work on their own business will be done after 5pm and it is hard to stay enthusiastic and inspired at this time. Taking a nap during a break at work or just after finishing work could effectively increase your concentration levels and allow you to keep working, allowing you to further your own business after the 9-5 grind.
Try this for a few days and see if you see the benefits. I did, and now I’m off for a nap!
Paul Dickinson is the author of SolopreneurProductivity.com, a blog designed for the sole purpose of providing productivity tips and tricks for solopreneurs!
Follow me on Twitter: @pauldickinson