Tag Archives: Sleep

An Excuse to Crank Your AC

Posted in Wild Cards by

sleep

With the summer heat wave sticking around NYC, no one needed to tell me to put my air conditioning on before bed. However, now I have an excuse to blast the temperatures even cooler. A study conducted by the National Institute of Health Clinical Center (that I read about on Women’s Health The Scoop) found that sleeping in a colder room (to the tune of 66 degrees) burned more calories while they slept than those who slept in a 75 degree room. Researchers suspect that the extra 7% of calories torched in the cold room sleepers were the body’s effort to keep internal temps at 98.6 degrees. This could lead to an extra 100 calories burned after 24 hours of sleep, the little extra leeway you might need in the season of ice cream sundaes and barbecues.

Desk with a View = Better Sleep and More Movement

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window

 

Another reason to get outta that cube farm! A study presented by the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (I read about it on The Scoop) found that people who worked near windows are more active during the day, and get better sleep at night.  People who had more light exposure slept up to 46 minutes more on average each night than those who didn’t get any sun. And, they moved their bodies 4 times more than those confined to an office with no windows. If you can’t score a corner office, no need to give up your current gig. Just make it a point to get outside on your lunch break to eat, or take a spin around the block to sleep and feel better!

10 Minute Tip to Improve Your Life

Posted in Fill Up Your Cup by

pillowsWhile changing my pillow cases to drop off my laundry the other day, I was horrified to realize that it had been a very long time since I purchased some new filler pillows. I tend to have a lot of pillows (to the tune of 8) on my bed. Three I actually sleep on, while the rest are props for better pillow positioning. For the props, or the filler pillows, I buy cheap ones. I repaired straight to TJ Maxx, and picked up a couple packs of 2 for $12 Laura Ashley pillows, and while this tip may take you a little more than 10 minutes if you’re indecisive once you hit the pillow aisle, friends – it’s amazing how happy a set of fresh pillows can make a gal.

But for my down pillows, those are more of an investment piece. I mean, how inviting does that bed above look?? And when you think about how much time you actually spend in bed, its really worth dropping some cash for comfort. My choice is Charter Club Vail 100% Down Pillows. I could not recommend the medium firmness queen highly enough.  While they go for just over $150 a pop, they often go on sale a Macy’s, and with a couple coupons you can bring them down to a much more reasonable price.

Luxurious? Yes. Worth it? 1000X over. It is like laying your head on a fluffy cloud.