#lovemenatural

“What is life without periods of rest will not endure”- Ovid

Most everyone knows about the benefits of a healthy diet and regular exercise, but many overlook the important role of rest and sleep. Even if we are aware of the benefits, we fail to slow down, relax and sleep.

Last week found me sick in bed, unable to move, weak and in an unfathomable amount of pain.  I’ve always been taught to ascertain the cause, but I could not pinpoint what led to my sicken state.  I  thought back over the past few months that have been filled with travel and deadlines, and realized, without a shadow of a doubt, that I was suffering from overwork.

Rest is incredibly powerful. It refreshes, rejuvenates, regenerates, and rebuilds the mind, body, and soul. Because our society revolves around its own concepts of “success”, may people have become pressed by work and their personal desires to achieve that “success”. The day is filled with many important and seemingly urgent responsibilities, so rest is easily dropped to the bottom of the list. Yet, many do not realize how much more effectively and efficiently their minds, bodies, and souls would function, and how much more likely the would reach their goals of “success” if they gave themselves the right kind of rest at the right time.

Research presented at the 1993 annual conference of the World federation of Sleep Society reported that losing three hours of sleep on any given night cut in HALF the effectiveness of an individual’s immune system. Lack of sleep is also associated with a decreased ability to to perform tasks controlled by the frontal lobe, such as planning, concentration, motor performance, and high-level intellectual skills. One somewhat scary fact about sleep deprivation is that individuals who were sleep deprived for fourteen days reported feeling only slightly sleepy; that is-they were unaware of how impaired they really were! The cognitive performance deficits included reduced ability to pay attention and to react to stimulus such as when driving or monitoring security at airports. It goes without reason that getting enough good sleep is important. But how much sleep should we be getting? Studies show that for adults seven to eight hours a night is best. This figure was associated with the greatest longevity. Those who go to bed early and get up early have lower rates of heart disease, diabetes, and overall lower death rates than those who stay up late and get up late. The familiar quote from Benjamin Franklin contains a lot of wisdom. “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”

I am blessed to be surrounded by like-minded, dedicated, hard-working friends. My friends juggle careers, develop their own businesses and manage families and/or have significant others-at the same time. I’m always telling my friends to take time for themselves-even if it’s just 5-10 minutes a day. Daily relaxation is important in helping to refresh yourself. Relaxation can come in the form of a daily vacation, “a piece of time when you wholeheartedly pursue something you TRULY ENJOY. “A daily vacation can be packed into as little as ten or fifteen minutes and still be stimulating and invigorating. Make your daily vacation practical, simple and personal.  Something as simple as taking deep breaths of fresh air outside during a work break can help energize the body for the rest of the work day.

Personally, I LOVE drinking herbal tea. On days that I’m feeling overwhelmed with the long list of duties associated with working two jobs, building a business and my favorite of them all, being mommy to two beautiful girls,  I brew a pot of tea, sit down and  take a pause!  A few minutes of progressive relaxation can renew your personal energy on a stressful day. Find whatever daily relaxation works for you, and commit to doing it for at least ten minutes each day.