A few of you know that much of my professional career has been in the SLEEP field. I'm a Registered Polysomnography Technician, a.k.a Sleep Tech. I didn't work long in hospitals and independent labs before I landed a position in a Health Technology Company in their SLEEP division, which I had for nearly 15 years.
SLEEP is important to me, in more ways than one.
My garden takes a lot of energy during the hot summer months. I am fully exhausted at the end of every day because I spend long hours in the heat dragging hoses, watering 60+ grow bags and pots, weeding, decorating, fighting bugs and chasing rabbits, and all else that goes with having a successful beautiful garden.
So what is R.E.S.T. I created an acronym.
The 'R' in R.E.S.T. is for RESET. Resetting after a hard push in anything is a must. Your body, mind, spirit and soul needs to recover. If you don't allow time to reset, then your body will often times take a rest without your consent. *cough cough sneeze sneeze*
For me, reset means slowing down in the evenings, more reading, gentler exercises, etc. Discover what works to help you reset. It's different for everyone.
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'E' is for ELEVATE.
Elevate what?
Some people experience S.A.D., Seasonal Affect Disorder when there is less sunlight.
SAD leads to feelings of sadness, depression, blues, negativity and dark thoughts. Before moving south, wintertime in the north was a struggle. The long dark nights and mostly cloudy days affected me badly.
I remember during my high school years I had five lamps in my bedroom and I'd remove the shades from all of them when doing homework. I started using full spectrum lightbulbs which helped a lot too. This problem was completely eliminated once I moved south. Even though the nights are still long, there is plenty of sunshine during the day.
I would also try to remember Bible verses that kept my thoughts in check because once you start to go down the road of depression your thoughts will take you on a downward joyride.
If you are a Christian believer, then you know that Philippians 4:8 says,
Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Write it on your bathroom mirror, or a sticky note if you have to so you see it throughout the day. Remember, much of what you feel could simply be due to the lack of sun.
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Of course, you knew that 'S' was going to be for SLEEP, right?
I love the science of sleep.
Until I got into the field, I assumed that sleep was when your whole body just slowed down and didn't do much until you woke the next morning. Boy, was I wrong.
When I worked in the lab, I'd get patients all wired up and ready for the sleep study. Then I'd go to the computer station and start watching. I monitored brain waves, eye movements, arm movements, leg movements, respiratory, chin movements, oxygen levels and CO2 levels mostly.
There was so much activity going on in the body while patients 'slept'. Sometimes too much activity, which is why they were in the lab. Ha Ha!
Sleep is necessary for supporting good health. Period. During the winter I usually sleep two extra hours compared to summer time.
I set the thermostat to 66 degrees. Colder rooms will help you to sleep much better. Trust this. You won't freeze. Your body temperature is one of those things that will fluctuate while you sleep anyway.
Practice good Sleep Hygiene. Reach out to me if you have problems sleeping and want to know about Sleep Hygiene. Maybe I can help.
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'T' is for TIME OUT.
The world is crazy right now. Everything and everyone is in 'go' mode. Lights, mostly LEDs, are on and flickering throughout the day and lights on various gadgets at night. People also have around the clock work and life schedules.
With all the activity now days, many people have no ability to just sit with themselves, by themselves. Even when their bodies are still their minds continue to race.
Let me suggest you take 10 to 20 minutes of your day, everyday, to just sit. No television, devices, food, music, books, or anything. Find a comfy chair, go sit in it and do nothing. Start with 5 minutes if you have to and work your way up. Try it.
After a while, you will find yourself looking forward to those few quiet minutes each day. Over time you will discover how those few minutes each day helps your body to chill out and reset at your command.
More so, your body will remember how it is supposed to feel when at rest once you get into bed at night. If you have trouble sleeping, be sure to reach out to me so I can suggest some techniques to help you sleep.
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This isn't my typical gardening newsletter but it's important for everyone to get good rest/sleep. So I decided to write about it.
Personally, I'm thankful for this slower season because I would literally work myself crazy in my garden if we had warm weather all year. 😮
Anyway, thank you for being a part of my gardening newsletter. Feel free to share the newsletter with anyone you think might be interested.
Subscribe below if you haven't already. I appreciate it.
Check out my other gardening newsletter editions here: www.gardenease.xyz
That's all for now! I'll see you in the next edition!
Peace and Love,
Jan
