Maine Street

I spent the weekend up in Maine with my girlfriend. Needless to say, it's been a long time since I have felt so refreshed. Being from Upstate NY, I often miss my small town life. Clean air, clear skies at night, crickets chirping in the summer, and my mom's homecooking. Now that I am living in Boston, it's rare when I can experience a full nights sleep without getting awoken by sirens or drunk Red Sox fans. Or those damn birds that chirp RIGHT outside my window every morning. But I digress.

I can honestly say that I now have a full appreciation of what a few nights of uninterrupted sleep can do. Not to mention the fact that I spent the last three days doing nothing but eat great food (Maine Diner), read (book #5 of Harry Potter), watch movies, and walk on the beach. Aren't I so romantic??

Nonetheless, I woke up this morning and just felt fantastic and my mind started churning. Unfortunately, the vast majority of people ARE sleep deprived and with it, totally shoot themselves in the foot in so many ways (performance in the gym being one of them). People feel like poop, and they are often quick to lay the blame on everything else OTHER than poor sleep.

So, here are some of my tips to help you get a better nights sleep.

1. Make it a rule to leave the television out of the bedroom. The bedroom should be used for two things: sleeping and business time (you know what I am referring to).

2. Use a fan or sound machine for the "white noise." Personally, I can't live without my fan at night. It drowns out many of the outside noises that would normally wake me up. Drunk Red Sox fans excluded.

3. If you're one of those crazy bastards that sets an alarm to wake yourself up in the middle of the night to eat, stop. You're just really messing with your natural circadian rhythm (sleep pattern) when you do this. Instead, drink a large glass of water prior to bedtime. In doing so, your body will naturally wake up in the middle of the night, and on your way back from the bathroom you can down a quick protein shake Rocky.

4. Make the room as dark as possible. Even the slightest bit of light coming through can affect your sleep.

5. Get in habit of starting a routine before bed. Take a hot shower and stretch and read 30 minutes before you go to sleep. I suggest anything written by James Joyce....I guarantee you will only last a paragraph before you start to fall asleep.

For more ideas, read this article written by Maki Riddington of wannabebig.com:

The Art of Napping