Sleep tips

 A friend just said they have trouble sleeping. I've had lots of issues from time to time. And I feel like I just really got a handle on it (knock wood). But also, I've read a ton of articles and tried many, many techniques. So I figured I'd share. In no particular order: 

My newest realization is that I always said, and my parents always said, "Get ready for bed." But that doesn't help your mindset. So don't think, "I'm getting ready for bed." Think, "I'm getting ready for sleep."

• Very important is to get into a regular habit of going to bed and getting up at the same times, daily. Because otherwise you're just jetlagging yourself on a regular basis. You have to fight through getting up to go to the bathroom (don't drink anything for hours before bed), or eat or walk around. And if there's a night that you stay up late, still get up at the same time. And if you have to take a nap, keep it to 20 minutes. Even if you don't fall asleep but just quietly lay there for 20 minutes. If you nap longer, then it throws your sleep cycle off. 
• If you have lots going through your head, keep a pad and paper nearby, write everything down that you need to think about the next day and then give yourself permission to wait until tomorrow to deal with it. Nothing important will happen overnight. 
• Turn your phone off. 
• Don't eat anything before bed, and no caffeine for many hours before bed. I know I need to not eat anything stimulating after 9. Really 8, depending. 
• gentle stretching/yoga before bed can be helpful. 
• My dad's idea was, after getting into bed, to focus on each part of your body to relax and work your way up from your toes. He said he never made it to his knees, he was already asleep. 
• meditate before bed. Or try any of the apps that have sleep meditation or sleep stories. 
• My new trick I mentioned. Focus on the breathing from your nose. And/or use earplugs. You'll hear yourself breathing louder. I used to focus on a white noise machine. But that didn't always do it. 
• If you have stuff to talk about, do it before you get into bed. 
• Read or play very mindless games. It's not just about relaxing. It's about getting rid of all the thoughts keeping you up. 
• Other people have other tricks. I don't like the idea of medication. It's very addicting, very fast. And you don't want your body getting used to it. 
• If you wake up with a tense jaw, you need a mouthguard to protect your teeth. 
• If you wake up with a stiff back or neck, you probably need a different pillow. 
• Best to sleep on your back so your body lays out flat after sitting a large part of the day. 
• If you roll on your side, try to not tuck your neck. Keep it in line with your back. You don't want to wind up hunched over when you get older. 
• When I was young, I found specific music that had a very repetitive guitar (or any instrument) line that I could focus on. I would listen to the song over and over until I meditated/lulled myself to sleep. Easy to do now if you have an Alexa. I used to wake up when the tape ran out and I could take my headphones off and go to sleep! 
• Relaxing before bed is really important. I sometimes wake up very tense. I have nightmares, and that doesn't help. 
• A short mantra can help. Like, "I am sleeping." 

Some added jetlag and beauty tips: 

• Drink lots of water, just not before bed. 
• sleep face-up so fluid doesn't pool, giving you bags under your eyes or a puffy face. 
• Try to get into the timing of the new location FAST. So force yourself to stay up if you have to. Or go to bed early if you have to. 
• Get into the sunlight and breathe! 

For more travel tips, see my previous post! 

If you appreciate the tips, please forward. 

Be well, sleep well!

Travel Tips (flight and other)

Several people recently have asked me for travel tips since I travel a lot. I'm telling you all my secrets, so you better use them wisely! Flying info is on top, and other travel is below that. 

 TRAVEL TIPS FOR FLYING:

PACKING:

·               Obviously, don't check a bag if you don't need to. If you do need to, bring all your valuables, plus a change of undies and any medication in your carry-on. 

 

·       I put all the big stuff, the heavy stuff, the solid stuff, on the bottom (foot) of the bag and the light stuff that shouldn't be crushed, on the top. I put all clothes into separate plastic bags and push the air out. Makes more room, and separates it out for easy finding of stuff. 

 

·       I pick a color theme for each trip. And no, it's not always purple. It's usually neutral bases with all blue, or all purple, or all black, etc. Then I can mix and match as needed. 

 

·       Always pack layers. And always wear your biggest and heaviest shoes and clothes on the flight, so you don't have to pack them. 

 

·       I don't wear a purse. If I need to bring a purse, I take everything out and pack it in my bag. So that my computer backpack fits under my seat as my personal item. I have shoe bags, but plastic bags also work, and are useful for wet bathing suits or laundry, although I also carry a laundry bag (super thin and can suck the air out). I have nothing that requires ironing. I will roll several dresses within each other and hope for the best. 

 

·       Fill shoes or boots with other stuff. Glasses, or anything that needs protection. I always leave room in my bag for purchases on the trip. Never over stuff. Then they might explode, especially if checked. 

 

·       Since checked bags have to be 50lbs or under, I put the heaviest thing in my carry-on, like books. And, like I said, I wear the heaviest stuff too. And I weigh it before I go, again, leaving enough wiggle room for purchases of heavier things too. Then I won't worry. 

 

·       I have packing lists for every occasion. And different suitcases for every size and type of trip. The perfect one for every occasion. They're almost all purple, of course. I have a cool cover for my checked bags to make them hard to break into, but also easy to spot. And for other bags, lots of fun ribbons or name tags. 

 

AIRPLANE SEATING:

·       When I book, I pick a row very close to the back, where there’s an empty row. Then I check the seats again a few weeks before, a few days before, and when I check in to see if there's still no one sitting next to me. The plane always fills in from the front to the back, so if you sit all the way in the back (not the last row, those seats don’t recline) then there's less chance of someone sitting next to you. And of course, people often travel in pairs, so middle seats fill in last. So if the plane is getting full, pick an aisle or window seat with an empty middle seat and chances are it'll stay empty. You can also ask at the airport. And if you want to be closer to the front to get off faster, pick the masthead. You can't have your bag in front of you during take off and landing, but only then. The flight attendants will move them for you and return them. And you have more legroom, and they leave the seats there empty for wheelchairs. So if they're not booked, they often stay empty. I just had the whole row to myself (which happens a lot) because that's where I sat. Great view too. And it was actually the first row behind First class, so I could even keep my bag under the seat in front the whole time. 

 

·       I’m right handed, so I sit in the window with the window to my right. Then I never bump into people.

 

·       I'm also spoiled because I fly Jetblue and am Mosaic, so I can upgrade to extra space with no cost. And every time I just ask them if they can keep me away from people as much as possible. So I get an empty row a lot. And if it's full, at least I have an extra space seat. I have the Jetblue credit card and use it for everything. I also have frequent flier numbers for every airline. My #2 airline is Delta. And I have that connected to all my online purchases so I get points. You can connect some FF to Lyft, Avis, and other things too.

 

FOOD:

·       I have lots of food restrictions. So I don’t always know if I’ll have access to food. So I always bring lots of food with me. And an empty water bottle that I fill at the airport after TSA. Bring hand cream and eye drops. Get up and walk around when you can, don't cross your legs. I drink a ton of water before, during and after. Gotta stay hydrated. No caffeine or alcohol. That just depletes. I put Airborne in my water. Little extra vitamins/zinc/C

 

TSA and BOARDING:

·       I have global entry, So I have TSA Pre-check. Totally worth the cost.

 

·       I wear comfy pants and layers. I don't put on a belt, or jacket, or carry my phone until after I go through TSA. It's all in an outside pocket in my suitcase so I can breeze through tsa and then put it all on. 

 

·       I wear slip-on shoes and bring fuzzy over-socks with me. I have a scarf that is actually made for travel and is antibacterial. So I wear that when I get chilly and it's supposed to give me extra protection. And I got it BEFORE covid! I also have a blow-up neck pillow. 

·       I take a decongestant and a nasal spray before take-off. It keeps my sinuses and inner ear clear and helps me sleep. If it’s a long flight, I’ll do nasal spray just before landing too. I also sleep on planes.

 

·       I board the second I can, so that I have first choice of putting stuff in the overhead. I like being able to keep an eye on it, so I keep it over my head. But if I really want to be smart or fast, I'll put it in the first empty overhead closest to the exit. Then I can skooch out fast and grab it right before deplaning when no one's crowding the aisle. And I can also get situated before someone is next to me. Get out my headphones. Nasal spray. Drink water. Bookmark tv/films to watch. Charge my phone, etc.

 

 

JETLAG TIPS:

·       I usually go to the bathroom at about 40 minutes before landing. That's just before descent when the seat belt sign goes on. I brush my teeth and hair (different brush 😉) so that I feel fresh when I deplane and then I don't need a bathroom in the airport (where the lines are so long) or on the ride home. 

 

·       Flying West is easier. You won't have too much jetlag. You'll just wake up earlier. The only thing to get you more into a routine is to stay up late the first night you land and then you may be on west coast schedule immediately. Going back east is much harder. You have to try to work your way into the east coast schedule the last few days of being west. So keep trying to go to bed earlier and get up earlier, which is hard if you're working. 

 

FOR OTHER TRAVEL:

For traveling to places I haven’t been before, I do a ton of research ahead of time:

·       Restaurants I can eat at (bookmarked on yelp)

·       Power outlet type

·       Local transportation options

·       What currency they use

·       Will my phone work there? (I have Verizon, and a daily international plan for when I use my phone overseas. I try to use local wifi everywhere so that I’m not using up minutes and can make wifi calls)

·       Are there hotels where I have memberships? (M Life, Hilton, Marriott, etc, all have their own rewards). AAA gets you a discount in most places, also for car rental. Or AARP. Or SAG AFTRA.

Lastly, I have a complete set of toiletries/makeup/night creams, etc. All ready to go. So I don’t need to pack that. It’s all set. If I’ve run out of something on a trip, I refill it as soon as I get home. No full size liquids!

Lastly,

I keep a chart like this:

Dates

Place

Plane/train/car

Local transpo

lodging

Notes

 (If you can't see the chart correctly, it's DATES, PLACE, Plan/train/car, local transpo, lodging, and NOTES) 

Then I can easily keep track of everything I need. Plus a schedule. Then I keep it on my desktop. Email it to myself, and usually print it too. Then I have it wherever I am.

 That’s the scoop! Be safe. Be considerate. Have fun.

Tamar