6 Quirky Tips for a Better Night’s Sleep
The benefits of a good night’s sleep are well understood, and I'm hardly about to argue.
But what about when you just can’t get any sleep at all?
Lately it seems to be an issue for many in our community, with the ongoing anxiety and stress from longer work hours, demands on home life and the constant shifting between focused attention. All of which leads to complete exhaustion, and an increasing number of nights of interrupted sleep or insomnia.
We are all familiar with the much-touted tips: avoid alcohol before bed, turn off screens, limit digital time, and avoid hot, spicy and fried foods. Here, in addition, are six more unusual tools that I have found to help myself get to, and stay, asleep.
Journaling Before Bed
The mental health benefits of handwriting are supported by science, and picking up a pen or pencil before bed can help reduce anxiety and increase the chances of a good night of sleep. I find that it helps to spend two minutes before lights out getting thoughts out of my head and onto paper. Sometimes it’s the to-do list for the next day, or the “Sh*t List” of things that didn’t get done, or a simple download of what’s bubbling in my emotional state after the day. (Mostly anxious, for the record.) No matter what the focus, I find that writing helps to start the process to get things out of my head and reduce my inner noise. To learn more about the power of writing and journaling, visit ABG Community supporter Pen2Paper Project here.
Natural Vitality – Calm Magnesium + Calcium
Magnesium is a well-known supplement to support sleep and the Natural Vitality brand is the best source I have found for magnesium and calcium supplements to help support sleep and manage stress. Supplements come in powder, capsule and gummy formulations, which are perfect for travel and they’re easy to take. The unflavored formulations can be too alkaline for my taste, so I prefer the Orange or Sweet-lemon flavored powder. (Pro Tip: using warm to hot water will help the magnesium powder dissolve quicker and easier.)
Air Purifier
An air purifier in any room helps clear spaces of odors, mold and stagnant air, and has been a gift in helping prepare my sleeping space for a good night of shut eye. The Levoit room humidifier has made a world of difference to my sleep surrounds. The unit comes with two bonus attributes – the airflow mechanism drops the room temperature slightly which can help aid sleep, and emits a noise much like a white noise machine to muffle exterior noises.
Earplugs
As a light sleeper and city-dweller, the smallest disturbance still wakes me, so I find earplugs very helpful to block out unwanted distractions. Having tried many types of in-ear and over-ear silicon ear plug styles, I can vouch for the simple 30 dbs CVS pharmacy-brand ear plugs to be most effective.
Alternate Nostril Breathing - Nadi Shodhana
Nadi shodhana (channel purification pranayama) is a breath practice aimed to help clear and balance the mind, and kick in the parasympathetic nervous system – the one that tells your body to rest and digest. It can be practiced in bed (hooray!) and needs no props or set up. As little as two minutes of this practice will help clear and balance your nasal passages, and facilitate the path to sleep. A simple video explains the practice here, or you can watch a more in-depth video explaining the philosophy behind the practice of this pranayama here.
Legs Up the Wall Pose - Viparita karani
Viparita karani (or inverted in action pose) is a gentle inversion yoga pose that helps to relax the body. Laying on the bed and popping your legs vertically up the wall or against the headboard helps blood and lymphatic fluids drain away from extremities back to the heart and central organs. This pose also has the potential to relieve headaches, relieve lower back pain and brings relief to tired legs and ankles.
If you have more time for an evening practice and want to crawl into bed early, here is a short pre-sleep yoga sequence with yoga teacher Sara Clark, sure to get you ready for a relaxed night ahead.
Sleep deprivation can have serious impacts on individual mental and physical well being. While this post barely scratches the surface, the subject of sleep, insomnia and exhaustion will be explored in much greater detail in upcoming posts. We hope to be able to share some practical tips to better manage your health and well being.
Nite, nite and namaste,
Beck
What We're Reading:
Here's what has piqued our interest this week in the world of wine and mindfulness.
This Is Exactly How Financial Stress Affects Your Body – Bustle.com
It's not just the economic burden of circumstances that make coping with financial issues so difficult — it's also how financial stress impacts your health.
How to Stay Motivated When You’re (Still) Stuck at Home – Harvard Business Review.com
After months of being stuck inside due to the COVID-19 pandemic, limiting exposure to friends and family, and juggling responsibilities at home and at work, it’s no surprise that many of us are dealing with frustration, anger, and burnout.
Two Supplements That Could Help Your Sleep – Psychology Today.com
Valerian and melatonin can help people fall asleep more easily.
Beyond High-Profile Scandals, Wine Fraud Is Rampant - Lana Bortolot for SevenFiftyDaily.com
How the pandemic-fueled increase in online sales and decrease in vetting has led to more counterfeit bottles—and how wine professionals can spot them.
This Week's Reminder:
Keep these short meditations and inspirations bookmarked for when you need them.
This 5-Minute Guided Meditation is a Love Letter Waiting to be Sent – Mindful.org
For the lovebirds in community, Nate Klemp and Kaley Klemp guide you through a visualization practice to bring a sense of gratitude to your relationship and reconnect with your partner.
Meet the Community!
Here we meet some of the talented folks who make our community and profession so dynamic.
Icy Liu, Founder of Ungrafted Podcast and Asian Wine Professionals (beaune, France)
Years in Industry
I moved to the wine industry in 2015 after an unsatisfying career in finance. I worked in retail (Crush Wine and Spirits & Eastside Cellars), distribution (Bonhomie), and auction (Acker Merrall). I moved to Burgundy in 2018 for my Wine MBA at the Burgundy School of Business and Enology Diploma at the University of Burgundy. I worked in the vines at Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux in Vosne Romanée and Domaine Chanterêves in Savigny-lès-Beaune. I am currently working for Becky Wasserman & Co.
Climate change, #metoo, and the Black Lives Matter Movements all affected me profoundly and inspired me to launch Ungrafted, a podcast about wine, humanity, and the planet in October 2020. I also helped found Vines4Votes, a wine auction that raised over $50k for the ACLU of Texas to fight voter suppression. Lastly, I am starting a group called Asian Wine Professionals, whose directory and articles are additional resources for diversity and inclusion in the wine trade.
My Top Three Challenges to Wellness
Without question, my top challenge is facing my own inner critic. Chinese culture loves to honor accomplishments and portray a perfect image, so my whole life I have tried to achieve academically or professionally to prove my worth. I also struggled with an eating disorder when I was young, so being surrounded by people who comment about their weight and mine is very hard for me. It’s so hard but I’m trying to learn that I am great just the way I am and to let go of judgement.
I was diagnosed with breast cancer last October. I have learned that there is a link between alcohol and cancer, so now I am cautious about overindulging. Yet, I still want to attend wine dinners and tastings; I take a thermos to use as a spittoon so I can still have fun!
Trying to do everything.
How I Keep It Together to Stay Well:
I am obsessed with dogs and seek them out wherever I go. They’re my happy place. My good friend Drew said “If you take the best qualities from 10 different people it would amount to one dog.”
I am currently in Taipei and I’ve found a dog park where I can start playing with dogs! I also watch @whataboutbunny and @goldie.swag on Instagram daily.
To stay grounded and positive, I listen to podcasts such as “On Being with Krista
Tippett”, “Oprah’s Super Soul Conversations”, and “Unlocking Us with Brene Brown.”
I have been an athlete since young and physical exercise has always been very important to me. I spin, weight lift and practice yoga.
What Inspires Me:
People: specifically wine growers who are stewards of the land and work so incredibly hard for the promise of a moderate return: Mimi Casteel, Tomoko Kuriyama, Steve Matthiasson, Yoshi and Kyoto Sato, to name a few…
Pamela Busch at the Vinguard and all my fellow volunteers who are helping craft the Wine Industry Equity and Justice Pledge.
Nature: nothing makes me more awestruck about the wonders of the Universe than standing next to a California redwood, a Patagonia glacier, or a beautiful and fragrant rose bush.
Animals: not only are they cute and furry, they remind us to take care of the Planet that we inhabit together.
A Quote I Love
“That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” Friedrich Nietzsche
You can connect with Icy on Instagram @ungraftedpodcast , @asianwineprofessionals , Facebook and online at Ungraftedpodcast.com and asianwineprofessionals.com
Let's Get Connected!
Sharing Events from our Global ABG Community.
Engaging the Senses: An Exploration of Flavor and Sound
March 25, 2020 5pm PT | 8pm ET
Join wine pro Devin Parr and Toronto Symphony Orchestra musicians Clare Semes and Kelly Zimba -- AKA Sonority Sisters – online, as they pair beautiful wines with beautiful music. This 90-minute tasting and music session will invite you to indulge in a total sensory experience that is a feast for the eyes, nose, mouth and ears. Tickets in link.
Have an event that our ABG community would love? Email to events@abalancedglass.com for consideration.
Shop our ABG Merchandise
Hydration, safety and style are important so pop via the ABG shop for our handy merchandise.
The offerings are a small list of high quality items that we have road-tested and reviewed, and hope they help support your self-care, while staying hydrated, safe, and stylish! << Check it out here >>
Join the Community.
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