Workout hack 5 – catch some rest

Sometimes it’s what you do when you’re not working out. Everyone needs sleep to stay healthy – especially if exercise pushes your body into repairing itself. Thomas Edison claimed to sleep only four hours per night and some people experiment with even less.

Most people need 7-9 hours – including me.

Unfortunately, I’ve been working heaps. Between work and the rest of life, I’m getting up earlier and earlier. This morning, it was 4AM.

I keep a close watch on myself for sleep deprivation. Not just drowsiness. Also that throat tickle when a cold is coming on.

There’s an answer: treat yourself to an occasional siesta. The first time I catnapped, I could not believe how refreshed I felt afterwards. Of course, naps seem wildly impractical and a little too luxurious.

You can’t just nap in the middle of the workday.

• What if someone finds you sleeping?
• What if you oversleep?
• What if you can’t fall asleep?

Your iPhone can help.

1. If you can’t close an office door, head out to your car at lunch and lean the seat back
2. Open the clock app and set the timer to thirty minutes
3. Play some music (I love using Portishead) through your earbuds
4. The timer finishes – the music goes soft and your alarm plays through the headphones

You’ll wake up immediately – feeling great. The second time you try this, you’ll fall asleep smoothly knowing you’ll wake up on the dot.

Related posts:

1. Workout hack 1 – get a good alarm clock
2. Workout hack 3 – got a light?
3. Workout hack 6 – great music
4. Workout hack 2 – pick a friend
5. Workout hack 4 – dilute your efforts

Tagged as: Health, iPhone, Sleep, Workout hacks