i always get made fun of for bringing my pillow along with me but if i’m not going to be sleeping in my own bed i will at the very least have my own pillow

my prompt for you is: orange light!! good luck deciphering that!!

it took a few days but as soon as you said orange light i knew exactly what i wanted to include and what i wanted this to be about. this is actually a very personal and emotional piece for me, so i actually do hope you like it!

i even put this through two spell checks and a grammar check, so i made a genuine effort!

title from a novel by andré aciman called 'plus tard ou jamais', which means 'later or never' in french.

𝐏𝐥𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐝, 𝐨𝐮—

pairing: male!oc x gn!nameless!oc (barely tbh) rating: t cause i think there's swearing? warnings: nothing really, dreaming, revisiting the past, talking about feeling safe, mention of chronic illness, bitching about climate change the heat, this is just a vent piece where my boyfriend catches me at the end that's it lol

masterlist

It’s too hot. It’s been too hot for three days.

The air conditioner is barely providing any relief. In this heat wave, it would probably take three 18k BTU units to satisfy me. It’s horrible; everything is damp, everything smells like humidity and AC condensate. Every 5 hours, I have to force myself up and away from whatever I’m doing to haul The Bucket—used to be used with the mop, but since last summer, it’s exclusively used to collect the condensation from the air conditioner—to the bathroom and back again.

My fingers hurt. My head hurts. My back feels like it’s been twisted out of and back into shape too many time. Misshapen, I feel misshapen.

It’s 3:47AM and I’ve been on my back on my bedroom floor for... too long. Feels like forever, but I know it’s only been half an hour. But there’s nothing to do; I’m in between jobs, I did all the laundry in a bout of mania last night, the dishes were cleaned after I made myself dinner earlier...

There was a time when I would have known what to do with myself in a situation like this. Would have had a list of things that I could easily do whenever I happened to have the time for them. That list is long gone, though.

Maybe it's with my motivation; eloped, and forgotten about. Good for her.

Beneath me, I feel the old wooden floor shake when a loud clap of thunder sounds outside. Ah, finally, I think, something to cut through this wretched humidity and maybe return some sense of normalcy to my life. I pat my hand around on the floor to find my phone, but when I pull up the weather forecast, it’s grim.

92% humidity for tomorrow and yet more thunderstorms.

Carelessly throw my phone in the general area of the head of my bed. Miserable, this is absolutely miserable. I can’t go out like this; ten minutes in that kind of heat and nevermind heat exhaustion, I may as well just go straight to the nearest hospital for the inevitable heat stroke I’d be suffering from.

From its new place, probably half under a pillow from the sound of it, my phone dings. Probably another email to tell me that though my candidacy was appreciated and my résumé was impressive, they’ve gone ahead and hired someone else for the position.

Someone who was asking for a lower salary, probably.

Miserable.

The amount of motivation required to get myself on my feet again is gargantuan. But at this rate, I’m never going to sleep, and I’m not going to do anything productive. So I shuffle to the bathroom at the end of the hallway, pull open the mirror door, and pluck the bottle of melatonin from its shelf.

Mm. No. Put it back and grab the THC gummy bottle next to it instead. That’ll do. I only grab and pop one in my mouth to chew; I made the mistake of taking two once and only once, and I would rather lick the underside of my shoes than do that again.

I don’t both to get under the covers when I let myself fall into bed. Limbs akimbo, staring up at the ceiling, I wonder. I wonder what my life could be like if everything didn’t have to be so... this. There’s a bitter kind of resignation that sank in year ago, when my then-fiancé simply ghosted me the night before our trip to Japan.

Shit always happens. And sometimes who you are matters.

The light-headed feeling from the edible starts to sink in. I should’ve just grabbed a beer from the fridge. Or maybe made myself a rum and coke. I’m always a happy, sleepy drunk.

Forgot that I tend to get too pensive and subsequently high when I’m too baked.

Ah, god dammit.

My eyes feel dry and sore. I feel so much more exhausted than when I fell asleep. At least, I think I do. I don’t remember falling asleep. I definitely don’t remember falling asleep outside, out on the grass. But the feeling on my exposed arms and legs is unmistakeable.

Freshly cut grass that will undoubtedly make me break out in hives.

I remember this place so clearly. It’s the playground behind my old elementary school. When I sit up and twist to look around, there’s a swell of something in my chest. Some unknowable emotion that’s probably an amalgam. The unkept field is still there, and so are the woods behind it. They flattened it all out and made condos there years ago.

So this is definitely a memory, then. Probably of one of the fundraiser spaghetti dinners they would do a week or two before school let out. If I look out to the softball diamond, there’s a mountain of old wood and pallets for the bonfire that would happen later.

There’s only me here, though. There isn’t the tell-tale chatter of parents by the doors, no shrieking children, no firecrackers. I remember, being freshly eleven years old, looking at my friends and the setting sun and thinking, yes, I need to remember this. This is a moment I’m going to need to remember, someday.

Basking in the setting sun, it’s easy to understand why. Despite the lack of people, I can still smell the industrial quantity of spaghetti sauce simmering in the cafeteria kitchen. The heat isn’t overbearing; it feels comfortable, actually. I remember getting a rash on my arms and legs from the freshly cut grass. The small scar on my forehead left there by a burning ember that got blown my way.

The sun never sets, here.

Through closed eyes, I notice the shadow falling over me.

"Go away," I say quietly. There’s no bite in my voice—no one who would be here would be anyone I get angry at. "I’m trying to nap."

A scoff. Then, "The chronic fatigue doesn’t hit for another..." A brief pause, for contemplation, I suppose. "Seven years."

I shrug as nonchalantly as I can. But I recognize that voice. I didn’t know that voice when I was eleven. Wouldn’t get to know it for a few months still. I sigh anyway and prop myself up on my elbows. I keep my gaze ahead when I open my eyes. I don’t want to know which version of him is here quite yet.

"Why are you here, Michael?" I ask, leaning heavily on my hands. I let my eyes flit from window to window, pausing on the windows I know look into the library longer than the others. I can just barely make out the diaphanous curtains my mother hung over one of the couches. The sheer fabric almost glistens in the orange glow.

"I show up whenever you need a reminder," he answers as he takes a seat next to me. Our shoulders are touching. He nudges my arm with his elbow. "What have you been forgetting?"

I can’t help but laugh. What have I been forgetting? Is that a joke?

"Everything," I grunt, scooching back a bit to lean forward and pull my legs up. "A lot."

Michael chuckles good-naturedly next to me. I missed—miss him. I miss him.

"Shooting stars, sib," he whispers, and I can feel the warmth of his fingertips when he starts to dig them into the nape of my neck. "You’ve forgotten that we’re shooting stars."

All at once, my eyes burn and my nose feels hot and itchy. I reach up for the hand at the back of my neck and bring it to my cheek instead. A thumb awkwardly brushes away the first tear to fall.

"I love you though," I manage to choke out. Look up at the sky like that’ll help my eyes dry out. "I haven’t seen you in forever. Did you get married? Do you have kids? Do you..."

Michael’s thumb stills on my cheekbone. I can feel him leaning in closer.

"...do you even think about me at all?"

Micheal sighs and I feel him rest his forehead against the crown of my head. His breath feels warm there, too. I can hear him inhale to answer, but I rush to speak first.

I don’t know if I want to hear his answer.

"I’m sorry. I’m sorry for not having been a better friend to you. I called you a brother, called you family, but I—"

"It’s fine," Michael cuts me off, gently,quietly. Pulls his head up off mine and his hand away from my cheek in favour of wrapping an arm around my shoulder and pulling me in. "We were young and stupid. You couldn’t have known. It’s not like anyone was helping."

"You did," I counter, a bit more petulantly than I’d like. "Even if you just let me get passionate about things, you—I didn’t get that from anyone else. You made it safe to like things."

Ah. There it is, isn’t it. Michael’s laughter is still so wonderfully soothing. A perfect combination with the warmth of the setting sun. The sound of his voice like perfume in the air, sparkling and sweet.

"Yeah," Michael says eventually,giving my shoulder a quick squeeze before letting go to lean back and get a better look at me.

I forgot I didn’t want to look. He’s got the braids in, like I’d done when we were kids. Otherwise looks just like he did last time I saw him nearly a decade ago; smart, dark slacks, a button-up with the sleeves rolled up with no tie in sigh, shoes shining like his eyes. I can't help but reach a hand out for his own face—to feel the thick beard he’s growing, run a hand through the hair I’d straightened and braided and put flowers in.

"He’s done a great job too, y’know," Michael says, looking away with a smirk. He doesn’t take my hand away where it’s brushing back hair at his temples. "Your husband, I mean."

"We’re not..." I start, but trail off. We’re not actually married, which doesn’t feel fair. "Yeah," I settle with. "He does, despite it all. Despite everything."

When Michael turns back to look at me, it’s a boy, and I find us sitting in his mother’s basement, on her dark green leather couch. The outro to Fortier is playing on the TV.

"He’s not the only one," Michael says, and it’s strange to hear an adult voice come from such a young face. I remember feeling that way after his voice changed over summer break in 9th grade, too. He turns to look back at the TV, but grabs the remote on the couch arm closest to him to turn it off.

I can hear his mother talking to his younger brother upstairs. I hear plates being taken out of a cupboard and pots and pans being moved.

"You were always welcome, you know," Michael says, throwing an arm over the back of the couch. His fingers just barely reach my hair to play with it. "Mom worried about you like her own."

"I felt that," I laugh, quiet and airily. "I just never wanted that kindness to be revoked."

"Dinner’s ready!"

"Come on," Michael urges me to stand up. "She made shepherd’s pie just for you."

The smell of a fresh, home cooked meal lingers in my nose when I wake up. It’s a slow process; I eventually remember that I fell asleep, and work carefully to unstick my clammy limbs from the floor beneath me.

"There they are," I hear next to me, and I can only muster the energy to hum in acknowledgement. "Floor comfier than the bed?"

"F’koff," I mutter, rolling over on the side before pushing myself up. Rub a hand down my face when I taste salt on my lips. Sniffle a few times while running my hands through my hair to try and loosen up some of the knots.

I can still feel the hand on the nape of my neck.

"Bad dream?"

I shake my head. "No, not bad, just..."

"Hmm, just maybe a bit too much?" When I don’t answer, my boyfriend—husband?—crouches by me and guides me to my feet with patient hands. Brushes the hair out of my face and kisses my forehead before pulling me in. A hand at my lower back and the other on the back of my head until I let my forehead rest against his shoulder.

"It’s okay," he whispers, kisses the top of my head. "We’ll go to sleep and you can tell me all about it in the morning."

"Even if it’s ab—about Mike?" The question is out before I can think better of it. He exhales like it’s funny.

"Obviously."

When I wake up again, the sun filtering through the thin curtains above the bedroom window make everything look like molten gold. The dust in the narrow sunbeams coming through look like glitter. Boyfriend pressed up against my back, his nose pressed against the top of my spine, a leg between mine, and a hand curled over my stomach.

I want to tell Michael that he’s right. Despite everything, I do feel safe, here.

I won’t know until I’ve had breakfast and I’ve gone down in sleep shorts and an oversized Five Finger Death Punch shirt that definitely doesn't belong to me, with a coffee mug in hand, that there’s a wedding invitation waiting for me in the mail box.

Best Roasted Pumpkin Seeds Recipe

Pumpkin seeds (pepita) are edible kernels of fruit pumpkin The seeds, indeed, are concentrated sources of several well being-benefiting vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and vital amino acids such as tryptophan, and glutamate. Leaving all the gunk on prevents  sunflower seeds 11cm from receiving good and toasty. Pumpkin seeds are packed with vitamins and minerals , and they are a excellent supply of fibre Plus, although a packet of prepared-prepared pumpkin seeds from the wholefoods aisle is quite reasonably priced, there's absolutely nothing greater than the feeling of saving money by making use of up a item most people would throw away. Toss the seeds in a bowl with olive oil , salt, garlic powder, paprika , and black pepper. The nutty flavor of pumpkin seeds tends to make them a organic addition to creamy, slightly sweet soups such as butternut squash soup You can also add them to veggie chili, thick potato chowder or spicy pumpkin soup. This cornbread is packed with pumpkin flavor : Pumpkin filling on the inside and crunchy pumpkin seeds on the outdoors. Pumpkin seeds are extremely nutritious and packed with potent antioxidants. The Vitamin E identified in pumpkin seeds that aid make them a truly considerable source of antioxidants. Spray your baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray or coat with a thin layer of olive oil. Roast the seeds in the oven until the seeds turn out to be golden brown, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Take away the pumpkin guts: You may possibly be tempted to try roasting pumpkin seeds without having cleaning them, but that'll give you chewy pumpkin seeds. Since it can be difficult to separate the endosperm envelope from the shell, eating the entire pumpkin seed—shell and all—will ensure that all of the zinc-containing portions of the seed will be consumed. There are 2.9 milligrams of zinc in every ounce of roasted, unshelled pumpkin seeds and, given that adult males need to have 11 mg of zinc day-to-day and adult ladies need eight mg of the mineral per day, pumpkin seeds can prove invaluable in assisting you meet your day-to-day nutritional wants (Ho, 2013). Ingredients: Fresh broccoli, quinoa, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, raw pumpkin seeds, sea salt, black pepper, Dijon mustard (optional), vinegar, added virgin olive oil, maple syrup. We advocate that you obtain certified organic raw pumpkin seeds and then light-roast them oneself (see next section on how to do so). In addition to minerals, these mighty seeds are also packed with cell protective antioxidants, including carotenoids and vitamin E In addition to minimizing inflammation, antioxidants aid fend off premature aging and chronic illnesses. Spread the seeds in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for about 45 minutes or till golden brown stir sometimes. Pumpkin seed oil is used in salad dressing as nicely as in cooking. Crunchy, scrumptious pumpkin seeds are high in calories about 559 calories per one hundred g. Also, they are packed with fiber, vitamins, minerals, and many well being promoting antioxidants. I utilized to heavily season the pumpkin seeds prior to baking, but I discover that if you bake with lots of spice coating the seeds, the spices tend to more than bake or even burn. Pumpkin seeds have a malleable, chewy texture and a subtly sweet, nutty flavor. Season seeds with kosher salt to taste. Yes, although an allergy to pumpkin seeds is rare and they are not regarded to be a very allergenic meals, in contrast to sesame seeds. This go-to method is the easiest way to appreciate pumpkin seeds, especially simply because there's so many ways you season them. Pumpkin seeds—also identified as pepitas—are flat, dark green seeds. Develop pumpkins for pies, roasted seeds and jack-lanters. Make your own pumpkin seed butter (like peanut butter) by blending complete, raw pumpkin seeds in a food processor till smooth. Each varieties of pumpkin seeds make for delicious dishes. Confession: For years, I threw away the seeds following carving pumpkins. 3. Toss pumpkin seeds with orange juice. Initial and foremost, because Wholefully is all about discovering foods that make you feel excellent, let's dive into the nutrition of roasted pumpkin seeds. Pumpkin seeds are high in manganese, magnesium and zinc, and pumpkins themselves are loaded with Vitamin A in the type of beta-carotene.

The World's Healthiest Foods site is a major source of info and experience on the Healthiest Way of Eating and Cooking. If you have problems sleeping, you might want to eat some pumpkin seeds prior to bed. Pumpkin seeds are wealthy in omega-3 important fatty acids, which act as a precursor of prostaglandins - hormonelike substances crucial for sexual well being. As soon as you have the seeds largely separated, fill up a massive bowl with warm water and dunk in the seeds. Though they are also pumpkin seeds, pepitas come from distinct pumpkins than the ones you may possibly recognize. Starting with dry seeds permits the oil and any seasonings to adhere effectively, and also encourages them to crisp up far better. As a kid I loved tearing them out of our carved pumpkins at Halloween, and cleaning them to roast in the oven. I've tried it both ways—dried overnight and just towel drying—and the difference in baking time was only a handful of minutes. Add spices: Toss the seeds with olive oil, salt and your option of spices - return to the oven and bake until crisp and golden, for about 20 much more minutes. In salads, pumpkin seeds add flavor and texture. Hand-on-heart, this is not like a single of these occasions in which folks suggest you consume the complete apple - core, seeds and all - or gnaw the gristle from your chicken bones roasted pumpkin seeds are merely a joy, via-and-through, and it is a single of the fantastic foodie crimes that so a lot of thousands are discarded like yesterday's coffee grounds, year after year. Ingredients: Gluten-free of charge rolled oats, peanut butter, dried tart cherries, pistachios, flaxseed meal, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, agave syrup. Components: Pumpkin seeds, tomatoes, garlic, cayenne pepper, olive oil, cilantro, salt. NOW Genuine Food® Organic Raw Pumpkin Seeds are a tasty and crunchy treat, best for snacking or as a delicious addition to salads, homemade breads, snack mixes, and desserts. Pumpkins seeds are also a fall favored for their nutty flavor and added health rewards. Separate the seeds from any pumpkin flesh and pat dry with paper towels or a clean kitchen cloth. Possessing a handful of pumpkin seeds ahead of bed, with a tiny quantity of carbohydrates such as a piece of fruit, may be beneficial in offering your body with the tryptophan necessary for melatonin production. Boiling the seeds in salted water for five minutes prior to roasting helps to clean and season them. That identical cup of roasted pumpkin seeds also boasts 168 milligrams of magnesium, a lot more than half of the 310-320 milligrams adult ladies must consume everyday, according to the National Institutes of Wellness (NIH). Spread the seeds evenly in a single layer on your prepared baking sheet. Browse our variety of pumpkin seeds beneath for inspiration. Wealthy in antioxidants like carotenoids and vitamin E, pumpkin seeds can assist to minimize inflammation and safeguard your cells from damaging cost-free radicals. You can, of course, buy pumpkin seeds in the retailer. You will want to Pin this sweet and salty pumpkin seed recipe for next year, too. Just a quarter cup of pumpkin seeds involves 42 % of a person's advisable every day intake of magnesium, a potentially easy answer for nearly half of Americans who never get adequate magnesium in their diets. Antioxidants have a wide range of utilizes, like minimizing inflammation 1 study, published in 1995, found that, in rats with arthritis , symptoms enhanced soon after taking pumpkin seed oil. Toss seeds in a bowl with the melted butter or oil and the seasonings of your choice. Parchment paper is going to give you the greatest roast: I really like utilizing reusable kitchen items wherever feasible, but this is a job for parchment paper instead of your silicone baking mat I've tested it each methods, and the parchment appears to wick away moisture from the pumpkin seeds far better than the silicone. Pat the seeds dry with a paper towel. When removed from the flesh of a pumpkin, they can be rinsed and roasted, either plain or with other flavours such as oils and spices, to produce a scrumptious, crunchy snack.

5 Sleep Tips For Professionals Who Work On Their Feet

Sleep experts recommend that adults receive 7-9 hours of sleep each night to maintain their physical and mental health, but what happens when our job is preventing us from getting a full night’s rest?

Interestingly enough, research from a study by the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania reveals a possible link between high-activity jobs like construction work, and sleep deprivation. Some might assume that high-activity workers since they’re constantly engaged in physical activity, would sleep like a rock when they return home after a long day.

Results from the Penn study, however, and perhaps from your own personal experience, suggest otherwise. University researchers studied the sleep habits of over 17,000 professionals whose jobs were classified as low, moderate, and or high-activity. The individuals in the low activity job category sat or stood for most of the duration of their workday, while those in the moderate category like UPS delivery drivers spent the majority of their time at work walking. Lastly, the high-activity category was reserved for those whose job descriptions mostly consisted of manual labor. 

Compared to the professionals in low activity roles, those with high-activity jobs were more likely to be short sleepers, or in other words, sleep less than the recommended 7 hours a night. If you’re somebody who works in hard labor, you might’ve already noticed the toll your job takes on your quality of sleep. So, what exactly is there to do about it? 

Researchers have offered three possible explanations on why high-activity workers aren’t sleeping as much as their office-working counterparts:

These types of jobs require long hours that may interfere with a full night’s sleep.

The stress from high-activity jobs keeps you awake in bed at night.

The physical activity from work causes you to be alert, and awake around bedtime. 

The key to getting a good night’s sleep is relaxing both your body and mind so it’s easy to drift off into a slumber when bedtime comes around, but that’s difficult to do if you’re stressed out from work, wide awake after physical activity on the job, or working late-night hours. Here are some helpful sleep tips for individuals who hold high-activity positions and can’t seem to fall asleep after working on their feet all day. 

1) Make Your Bedroom A Sleep Haven 

Once it’s time for bed, you should be able to retire to a room that’s set-up to maximize your sleep. Ideally, it should be clean, dark, quiet, cool, and of course, comfortable. Make sure lights are turned off, outside noise pollution is blocked off, and your thermostat is set to a moderate temperature between 62-68 degrees.

For those of you who work late into the night and sleep in longer than sunrise, you may want to invest in blackout curtains in order to prevent the sun from disrupting your sleep in the morning. You should also keep anything relating to work out of the bedroom. It’s a stress-free zone reserved only for two things: sleep and sex. Nothing more is allowed, especially not matters relating to work. 

Most importantly, though, your mattress should be especially cozy and accommodating. As the centerpiece of your bedroom, you want to make sure your bed works for your body type, sleeper type, and specific personal needs.

For example, if heavy lifting or other physical activity at work is causing you back pain, you probably want a firm mattress that’ll keep your spine properly supported. The best extra firm mattress is one that contains coils because they add another layer of reinforcement for support underneath the bed’s firm top layers. 

2) Abide By A Bedtime 

Even if you’re returning to work late at night or in the early hours of the morning, it’s still important you give your body at least seven hours of sleep so it has enough time to repair, restore, and refresh. It might seem silly to restrict yourself to a bedtime considering you probably haven’t had one since you were eleven years old, but bedtimes can be just as beneficial for adults — especially for those who work late hours.

Irregular bedtimes can interfere with your circadian rhythm, the body’s natural process that regulates your sleep-wake cycle. Once you’re consistently going to bed at the same time each night, your body’s circadian rhythm will begin to recognize when it’s time to start winding down for sleep and will signal the release of melatonin. Melatonin, a.k.a. the “sleep hormone,” is a hormone that our body produces to let us know that it’s time to wind down for bed. 

Accordingly, set a bedtime approximately 7-9 hours before you want to wake up, and make sure you give yourself enough time to get home and run through your nighttime routine. If work clock out at 1 a.m. and want to be up and at ‘em in the morning by 11 a.m., make sure you’re in bed by around 2:30 a.m. or 3 a.m. 

3) Unplug Before Bed

Like irregular bedtimes, electronic devices like your phone or television can also disrupt a person’s circadian rhythm. For starters, the light and darkness have a significant influence on your body’s internal alarm clock. The blue light that emits from device screens can prevent or delay the release of melatonin in your body, making it harder for you to recognize that it’s time to hit the hay. 

Constant buzzes from text messages, phone calls, incoming emails, and social media notifications can also prevent you from getting quality sleep. Keeping electronic devices at your bedside, with your phone probably being the biggest offender, can keep your brain on high-alert because those notifications act as a stimulant for your brain. This is obviously counterproductive if you’re trying to reach a relaxed state of mind before bed. To ensure your electronics aren’t taking away from the quality of your sleep, stay away from them at least an hour to an hour and a half before bedtime. 

4) Beware Of Caffeine Intake Too Close To Bedtime

Every once in a while, you may rely on an afternoon or evening cup of coffee to harness enough energy to get through the rest of your work shift. Unfortunately, those late-afternoon coffee cravings could be contributing to your lack of sleep. According to a study published in the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, those who were given about two or three cups of coffee six hours before bed received over an hour less sleep. So if you’re yearning for one or two cups more of caffeine, make sure you drink it early enough in the afternoon the after-effects don’t linger on through bedtime. 

5) Practice A Nighttime Routine

Practicing a consistent nighttime routine is arguably just as important as your morning one. You likely have a routine after you wake up to help you get energized ready for the day. A regular routine around bedtime essentially does the same thing except it helps you wind down, and induce sleepiness so you’re ready to fall asleep when you eventually get in bed. Here are some great pre-bedtime activities you can do at night to help relieve stress, ease tension in the body, and prepare yourself for a full eight hours of sleep. 

Light Yoga Stretches —Researchers expect anxiety to be one of the possible culprits behind high-activity workers’ sleep deprivation, and doing light pre-bedtime yoga stretches is one of the best-proven ways to overcome it. Yoga can help ease stress and anxiety, plus it’ll give your muscles good relaxing stress after a long day of hard labor. 

Read A Book — The no electronics rule might have put a damper on your usual pre-bedtime ritual of watching your favorite show before you go to sleep, but sticking your nose into a good book is a great alternative. Reading can be a good distraction from things that are causing you anxiety, and even just six minutes of reading a day can reduce stress levels by 65%. 

Write A To-Do List — If tomorrow’s responsibilities are the main root of your stress, make a to-do list of all the tasks you have to complete the next day. Getting them down on paper will help relieve them from your mind, and keep you organized so you’re better prepared to tackle those responsibilities. 

Listen To A Sound Machine — Some people struggle to fall asleep in absolute silence and are more susceptible to relaxing sounds. Instead of falling asleep with the TV on low volume, consider investing in a sound machine. They’re pretty affordable and can help lull you to sleep much better than the sounds of a TV can. 

20-Minute Rule — If you finish your nighttime routine and find yourself unable to fall asleep after lying in bed for 20 minutes, get up and practice a relaxing activity you enjoy until you begin to feel sleepy. This prevents you from entering the vicious cycle where you become more stressed because you aren’t falling asleep, which only perpetuates your inability to fall asleep even more. 

The Negative Effects Of Sleep Deprivation  

We may not immediately recognize the negative impact that sleep deprivation has on our performance and personal well-being, other than a few extra yaws here and there at work and an extra 5-minute break. The fact is, however, a lack of sleep can really have an impact on your brain function and in the long term, can even lead to serious health issues. 

i) Short Term

Aside from daytime fatigue and grogginess, functioning on little sleep can also be harmful to your decision making and overall response time. As you could probably imagine, this means bad news for your productivity when these side effects are carried over into the workplace. 

For starters, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences reported that those who sleep 7-8 hours a night or 20% more productive than those who received 5-6 hours, and 29% more productive than those who slept less than five hours. Ultimately, higher production leads to a higher payout, meaning a full night’s sleep can put extra money in your pockets. 

One study found that individuals who suffered from a lack of sleep had up to 50% slower response time than usual, and even made less accurate decisions than somebody with a BAC of 0.05%. This kind of behavior could be detrimental for anybody in the workplace, but especially individuals like hard laborers who find themselves in high-pressure situations where a wrong decision could potentially compromise their safety, or that of another individual. 

ii) Long Term

This is where sleep deprivation really takes a toll; not only in the workplace but also on a person’s physical health. The possible long term effects of non-stop sleepless nights include: increased blood pressure, weight gain, obesity, depression, memory loss, decreased fertility, a weakened immune system, and even a heart attack or stroke. For somebody who depends on their body’s abilities for a living, sleep can help play a role in the longevity of your well-being and physical capabilities. 

As far as sleep’s impact on your profession, a study by the Department of Economics found that workers who slept 7-9 hours a night saw a 4.9% increase in wages over the long term, as opposed to a 1.5% increase in the short term. Those who sleep less than they’re supposed to, however, contribute to America’s yearly economic loss of about $411 billion because of employee and managers’ lack of sleep. 

iii) When To Consult A Doctor 

If your insomnia continues for four weeks or more and is affecting the way you live your day-to-day, it may be time to consult your doctor. They can recommend you to a sleep specialist who will assess your symptoms, come up with a diagnosis, and go over possible treatment options with you. It’s crucial to nip the problem in the bud before sleep deprivation gets the better of you, your health, and your professional life.

The post 5 Sleep Tips For Professionals Who Work On Their Feet appeared first on CareerMetis.com.

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5 Tips Friday 3-31

5 Weekly Tips That Will Change Your Life are here! Every Friday you’ll receive a list of:

1 Thing you can get that will make a difference 1 Exercise vid you can do to change things up, prevent boredom and break plateaus 1 Supplement you can take for body or mind 1 Person to follow on IG or Twitter that’ll inspire you 1 Interesting Fact I learned this week that’ll make you say “Hmm, that’s interesting.”

FRIDAY, MARCH 31, 2017

1 Thing

  Inversion Table. People like Joe Rogan swear by them for relieving back pain. They’re supposed to be able to decompress the spine and leg muscles and ligaments. Apparently, standing and sitting all day causes our body to compress and we actually lose inches off our height every day! We get it back a bit when we sleep due to laying horizontally but you still lose height every day. Using an inversion table regularly helps combat that as well as relaxing you after a tough workout. In fact, you can incorporate the table as part of your abs workout by doing inverted sit ups. If going fully 180° is too difficult to perform a situp, you can adjust the angle so that you are minimally inverted while still being challenging for sit ups.  Get it here.

1 Exercise vid

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpbB9VBpQvQ

10in30 Bench Crunches. These are some really good UPPER AB crunches. You shall feel the burn with 3 sets of 10 reps. The beauty of these is that you bend your upper body past parallel, causing your abs to WORK to pick your heavy ass up. Thanks for the lasagna, mom. For added spunk, add a kettle bell or dumbbell behind your head.

1 Supplement

Alteril Sleep Aid. These are the only sleep supplements I take. I love these because they are all natural. They have a cocktail of supplements so you don’t have to worry about buying them separately. The competing, non-natural pharmaceutical sleep aids are not healthy because they either knock you out so bad you are groggy the next day or they don’t let you get into deep REM sleep which is the most beneficial sleep cycle for repairing our body and mind. These Alteril sleep aid pills contain: Valerian root, Melatonin—a hormone, plus 2 amino acids, namely L-Tryptophan and L-Theanine. I’ve taken all of these separately, especially the L-Theanine for calmness while being alert when taking it in the morning with caffeine. L-Theanine calms the mind from restlessness and over thinking. And if you say that a little weed or wine before bedtime is all you need, sorry but both prevent you from getting good quality REM sleep. That’s why Alteril is the way to go.  Get it here.

  1 Person

Lisa Morales. Lisa is a Miami Fitness pro and philanthropist. Check out that video pictured above and follow her on Instagram for some amazing leg and BUTT exercises :P. And while you’re there, follow 10in30 too!

  1 Interesting Fact

Scientists Can Now Reverse DNA Ageing in Mice. And humans are next! They said human testing can begin in as little as six months. Not only did the DNA treatment prevent further age-related damage to good cells, but it also reversed aging and the old little mice actually looked better after treatment. Wow.

  That’s it! Let me know what you think and be sure to share with your friends!