Tag Archives: rest

Holiday Sleep Loss

Do the holidays leave you feeling rested? Or are you tired from all the extra stuff — the parties, the running around, the shopping, the extra commitments? Sleep can become a problem during the holiday season. Why? Maybe you’ve got more on your social calendar. Maybe you’ve got to squeeze in shopping between work and family time. Maybe you’ve got unresolved issues with family members you’ll be seeing at the holidays — the worry and stress can cause you to lose sleep. Maybe you’re drinking more — parties often mean alcohol, and alcohol can interrupt your normal sleep cycle. So … Continue reading →

Sleep On It!

How many times do I need to repeat this? Sleep is good for you. Apparently I have to repeat it a lot… a recent survey by Prevention magazine found that more than 50% of all busy women (that includes stay at home moms, ladies with full time jobs, business owners, and more) make sleep the first thing to go when the pressure is on. But sleep is good for you! Really! A study from Harvard Medical School is demonstrating (once again) that a good night’s sleep can make your brain function better. Folks who volunteered for the study were divided … Continue reading →

Exhaustion Impairs Clarity

I do not want to imply that single parents have the market cornered on exhaustion. Parenting, in general, can be incredibly taxing. Add in a full time job (or two), other relationships and responsibilities, and you’ve got a recipe for a fairly frazzled life. However, for single parents where overextension can be the rule rather than the exception, we need to keep in mind that exhaustion can impair our ability to see clearly, make good decisions, and be truly present to meet the challenges of our families. There have been those times when I’ve let myself get so far gone … Continue reading →

How To Get More Sleep

It isn’t always easy to fit in enough bed time. A poll from the National Sleep Foundation found that sixty percent of women only manage a good night’s sleep a few days a week! Around half of all women polled feel like their lack of sleep is interfering with their daily activities. Here are some tips to help you squeeze more Zzz into your night. Prioritize. Yes, you’ve got tons of things to do… but how many of them can wait until tomorrow? An hour before bed, make a list of all the things you think you need to do … Continue reading →

Why You Need More Sleep

I’m not sure if it’s the heat or what, but lately I’ve been dragging. The last few days, all I want to do is stay in bed! When the alarms go off, I hit snooze and head back to dreamland. Yes, I have two alarm clocks — one next to the bed, as a pre-waker-upper and one across the room so I actually do have to get out of bed. It usually works to get me up and moving. As if we need proof that more sleep is better for us than less sleep, here are a few great things … Continue reading →

The “School’s Out” Crash

We’re crashing around here. One of my daughters came home from her last-day-of-school picnic and slogged right upstairs to fall into bed for an afternoon nap. I’m certain the exhaustion was partially brought-about by her staying up until after midnight last night to finish a 12-page paper she’d been given an extension on. The extension was a gift, I think, and she didn’t waste it–stumbling off to the last day of school to turn in her term paper, eat a grilled hamburger, and pick up her yearbook. When my kids were much younger, the end of the school year was … Continue reading →

How To Get Better Rest and Have More Energy!

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Too worried to sleep? Listen to an audio book until you fall asleep. The narrative will drown out that voice in your head that’s reviewing tomorrow’s to-do list. Drink enough water. Dehydration can make you fatigued! Be sure to drink eight glasses of water every day. With all the flavored waters out there and powdered, sugar-free drink mixes, you should have no excuse for skipping the water! Ginseng (especially the Siberian variety) can help boost your stamina. It’s been studied in both animals and humans and can give you a serious boost. Just don’t overuse it — your body will … Continue reading →

The Sabbath in Bible Times

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Why Was there a Sabbath? The Sabbath, or “day of rest”, established by God at Creation is still observed by Orthodox Jews today. God’s purpose for the Sabbath was not simply that His people “take a day off” to remember His act of Creation, but also that they would be set apart from all other nations by their observance of it. The pagan nations, which eventually surrounded Israel, didn’t observe the Sabbath. Therefore, if the Jews continued to keep it, it would help protect them from assimilating into pagan cultures, and also make Israel stand out to its neighbors. Josephus, … Continue reading →

Is Your Sleep Sweet?

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Recently my husband went to our local jail to hold a Bible study with several of the inmates. In the course of the conversation someone asked, “How many of you are able to sleep through the night?” The men each looked at each other and shrugged. Not one of them was able to raise their hand and attest to receiving a good night’s sleep. The reason? Each man had his own burden he was carrying. Whether it was the weight of his crime, thoughts of his family, feelings of loneliness or anger, they had one thing in common other than … Continue reading →

What Do You Do on Sunday Afternoons?

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Sunday afternoons are one of my favorite times during the week. Do I go somewhere exciting? Do I enjoy my favorite hobbies or sports? Not really. Sunday afternoons are for rigorously structured laziness. Our family doesn’t make plans, we don’t take trips, we use them instead, for rest and relaxation. In a society that sees church attendance as less and less of a priority, Sundays have become simply another Saturday. People go to the malls, meet with friends, work on their houses, go to parties and stay out late. In our family, Sundays are a day in which we avoid … Continue reading →