P&G Check-in: 1st of March 2021 - 7 March 2021
Hello wonderful people of the P&G Community !
The proposal I bring you in this Check-In is to investigate your sleep.
Promoting Positivity has many dimensions to it.
Among others, to sustain a positive attitude during the day, it helps a lot to sleep well at night.
There is abundant information on this very well-established fact. A trustworthy basic source, with links to more specific issues, can be found in Medline HERE
Analyzing your Sleep
Tracking the hours you go to sleep and get up, and how rested you are after waking up, can in itself have a great impact, by getting more conscious about it and giving sleep higher priority.
You can go a step further, by noting under which circumstances you get better or worse results. Did you have a long walk or worked out the day you slept so well ? What did you eat for dinner ? Was your room clean and neat ? What time did you go to bed? Did you drink coffee during the afternoon ?
What are the factors that influence your sleep the most ? You can use this information to improve your wellbeing.
Besides writing it down in a "sleep log" (you can add your dreams here too !) or just noticing and remembering, you can "go high-tech" with a free phone app, a "sleep tracker".
There are many, but most work the same. You mark when you go to bed, place them over your mattress, under the bottom sheet, and click again when you wake up. In this way, your cellphone registers your movements and sounds during the night, distinguishing quiet from agitated periods of sleep.
Times of going to bed and waking up, amount of resting versus agitated sleep, all get recorded. Also, you can rate how rested you woke up, and write tags that identify the possible influencing conditions we talked about.
The app converts all this info into tables and graphs, and, as days pass on, you begin to get a clearer picture of your sleep pattern, and the factors that affect your sleep the most.
To help you stay positive and energetic during the day, those are the factors to focus on.
Questions
- How are you feeling these days ?
- What helps you sleep well ?
I look forward to your comments, and wish you all the best !
Marcelo.
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@WelcomeToChat
Hi, Marcelo! (^_^)/
- How are you feeling these days?
I've been feeling okay, actually! Recently, I finished my homework a day early, so I used the following day free of assignments to just kick back and relax.
- What helps you sleep well?
A talisman from my closest friend. It comes in the form of a necklace, so I wear it almost all the time. When I go to bed, I tuck it underneath my pajama shirt. It serves as my grounding object in case I have sleep paralysis or nightmares since I can always feel the cold metal against my skin to remind me that I'm safe. Oh, and listening to soothing music prior to bedtime helps, too!
Thanks for the check-in! I appreciate you! 
@TheAutumnWitch
I am glad that you are feeling well !
Great to have days to relax interspersed between working days ! Feels good ! You deserve them !
Lovely having that talisman necklace with you, day and night ! It carries its meaning, as a gift from your friend, reminding you, even subconsciously of her love for you. And maybe love at large... It might also have some broader symbolism. It becomes even more valuable at night.
I also use a necklace during day and night !
And sleep with it.
It's a simple cord with an obsidian spear point as pendant. Obsidian was for hundreds of thousands of years the most valuable material for humans (before metals appeared). It's a black volcanic glass that breaks with very sharp edges when struck for making stone tools. I practiced doing this as a hobby for some time. My "talisman" calms me by putting me into the "big time" perspective of the long, long story of the human species.
It also makes its cold, calming presence been felt at night.
So I totally relate with what you tell ! We are on the same page on that ! Amazing, huh?
Listening to soothing music at bedtime is very powerful. It's mysterious to me why music has such much influence on us. I do the same as you do. I have my favorites that I listen time and again before slee., Like Chopin's Nocturnes and Bach's Goldberg Variations (I like classical piano...)
It's amazing we have so much in common.
I appreciate you too !
Keep in touch !
All the best !
Marcelo.
@WelcomeToChat
Great post ,Marcelo, sleep does play an important role in our well being , agreed .
How are you feeling these days ?
Feeling okay
- What helps you sleep well ?
One thing that really helps is to switch off or keep away from any devices , or any sites or apps that can be addicting or disrupting sleep .
Listening to music or doing a quick 5 minute meditation just to relax the mind and body are quite helpful too .
@Sunisshiningandsoareyou
Thank you for tour compliments, Sun ! And for participating in this ckeck-in !
I'm glad you are feeling good these days !
it's wise, as bedtime approaches, to keep off "blue light" devices that make it difficult to get sleepy. It's easier said than done, it requires considerable willpower, so congratulations on that !
You are right about the risk of site of app addiction at night. That's what makes switching off so difficult. I even read, in some 7 Cups training material, a warning against 7 Cups addiction !!! Yes, that 7 Cups and its app can become addictive too !
Listening to calming music is a classic and rightly, so. Meditation is a much more advanced practice. Very powerful to calm down and gain a peaceful perspective on life, so helpful for promoting good sleep.
I am glad that you give sleep such a high priority, and have the willpower, knowledge, and skills to promote sound sleep, with all the benefits it brings you.
Thanks again for your participation.
Keep in touch.
All the best !
Marcelo
@WelcomeToChat
This is such an informative and important post Marcelo. Sleep is vital because it influences our mood, well-being, behaviour and a lot of our cognitive functions. Improved sleep quality can do musch more for us and our productivity. This post spoke to me personally so thank you for that.
- How are you feeling these days ?
I am feeling pretty content these days. Not too rushed, not lazy either. I feel like I'm in a balanced place right now, which is great!
- What helps you sleep well ?
This must be the 4th time I mention it here on 7cups but fireplace sounds put me into a very relaxed state mentally. The crackling of the wood along with the thought of being surrounded by books and warmth is AMAZING ^o^
Great suggestion about the sounds of crackling wooden fire. Sometimes I will pull up on Netflix the holiday fireplace even if it's the month of February :-)
@DaisyDaph
Dear Daphnie:
I am glad you have found the post so valuable ! I appreciate very much your compliments, particularly worthy coming from a professional specialized in wellbeing like you !
It's great that you are living a well-balanced life. Besides being good in itself, I suppose it helps to speak to your patients from a healthy place you have achieved by yourself. So you feel more sincere and trustworthy, your mere presence becomes beneficial, and you can better help them.
It's interesting how the feeling of a nearby fire, which is ultimately a dangerous thing, is so calming to us humans. Except for our pets, as far as I know, no other animal feels calmed by fire... Quite the contrary.
Might be our brains are hardwired to enjoy fire, an acquisition that protected our ancestors from predators, brought them heat and light at night, and so has been decisive for the survival and development of our species.
I get into a trance watching fire in a fireplace or outdoors. It's so powerful to my mind...
So I can relate very much to your feelings, how the sound and thought of fire calms you down and helps you sleep well...
Thank you, Daphnie, for participating in this check-in !
Keep in touch !
All the best,
Marcelo.
Meditation and yoga before bed work best for me .
@braveShade8118
Thank you for participating in this check-in !
Meditation and yoga are powerful calming practices (besides all the many other important benefits they bring).
It's a great achievement that you have acquired these advanced skills, and can put them to good use to improve your well-being.
Let's celebrate that !
All the best,
Marcelo.
- How are you feeling these days ?
i've been doing alright, trying to stay positive despite my circumstances. just trying to look forward to future stuff and not focus on the bad things happening right now.
- What helps you sleep well ?
i used to have a lot of trouble sleeping, but i've found a lot of stuff that helps! i use a white noise machine and play sounds like waves or thunder. i also sleep better when the room is cold but i'm bundled up with a lot of blankets. i have a 20lb weighted blanket which helps me sleep when i'm feeling anxious.
thank you for this check-in!
@TheMeadowSystem
Hi !
You achieve a great victory each time you focus on positive things.
Often, this is not easy at all.
So you show you have a lot of strength by doing it.
And it strengthens you even more.
I wish you the best in these efforts. They help you immensely in all sorts of ways.
More in general, it shows that you are very resourceful and smart, and you put all these talents into the service of living better.
For example, how you assembled such an advanced and effective set of devices and practices to improve your sleep. How you fine-tuned them to your specific needs.
Also, the mere fact that you identified sleep as a key priority, and the success you achieved in improving such a fundamental factor for wellbeing, shows how smart and capable you are.
In the process, you have become a successful "good-sleep engineer" !
Let's celebrate that !
Thank you very much for participating in this check-in !
All the best !
Marcelo.
@WelcomeToChat thank you so much this really means a lot to me!
@TheMeadowSystem
Thank you for your kind, lovely comment!
All the best !
Marcelo.
- How are you feeling these days ?
I am feeling good these days. I was working through something that was making me feel a bit anxious but I feel like I am prepared for the situation.
- What helps you sleep well ?
I know what doesn't help - when I get anxious right when I try to go to sleep, that makes it hard to fall asleep and I have a bad sleep. In those times, I try to calm down my mind so that I can get to sleep.
@purpleWheel873
I'm glad you are feeling well these days.
Congratulations that you could overcome your anxiety by yourself, and prepare confidently for your upcoming challenge ! This is a great achievement !
Another great achievement, I think, is that you have identified the main obstacle to get good sleep, and that you take appropriate action when it appears.
It is usually recommended that, if you can't fall asleep, get out of bed, do something to calm you down, and get back to bed only once you are calm enough. So not to associate, in your mind, your bed with anxious insomnia, but only with peaceful sleep.
Thank you for participating in this check-in !
I wish you all the luck in the world in your forthcoming challenge.
All the best !
Marcelo
@WelcomeToChat
I've had a lot going on and been feeling a lot of frustration. It has definitely been messing with my sleep. I'm working on doing more yoga and gratitude meditation before bed. It helps alot when I make time for it , which I should be doing more often. I'm definitely a work in progress.
Thanks so much and have a great day.
@courageousSoul9182
I'm sorry you are going through rough times.
I wish you that things get better soon.
It's great that you have identified the impact on sleep. And that you give sleep such a high priority to think of ways to improve it, and actually take action. You are proactive about it.
Yoga and gratitude meditation seem like a great combination to establish as a habit before sleep.
Establishing a habit requires some willpower at first. To do the thing no matter what.
Until you get used to it, and it becomes natural.
I wish that you can establish this wonderful routine that you have devised yourself, as a daily habit before bedtime.
We are all works in progress !!!
"I am a very poor practitioner, but I keep trying..." - The Dalai Lama. (complete text here)
Thank you for participating in this Check-in !
All the best !
Marcelo
@WelcomeToChat
Your welcome and thank you for your time.
- How are you feeling these days ? tired and i have unfocus energy
- What helps you sleep well ? knowing everything is done
@Rebekahwriter13
Dear Rebekah:
Nice to see you again !
I am sorry that you feel so tired.
I can relate to your need to have everything done as a condition to sleep well. It happens to me as well. As that is often impossible, my second best alternative is to have everything I have to do, well organized and written down in to-do lists, scheduled in calendars, etc. That brings me a similar peace of mind that allows me to sleep well.
You seem very professional, conscientious and demanding to yourself, with very high standards for your writing. As I told someone else in a similar situation, maybe you could include taking breaks to rest, not only as being good to yourself, but also as part of your professionalism, as a means to achieve high-quality work.
As Stephen Covey said, to achieve the best results, we have to stop every now and then to "sharpen the saw". He tells the parable of a logger that doesn't stop to sharpen his saw, and (with the idea of not wasting time and doing more work) continues sawing with a dull saw, thus getting exhausted and not doing his job well and in time.
So you could think of resting and taking breaks as a necessary condition for doing more high-quality work. That way, you might give yourself more "permission" to devote time to rest and sleep.
As I commented elsewhere, the other day, I heard a comment by Garry Kasparov, 10 years Chess World Champion (the best player ever, according to many) saying that the key strength he had to win tournaments, wasn't intensifying last-moment training, or some trick, but the fact that, even after losing several matches in a row (that is, under very heavy pressure), he was able to relax, rest and sleep well at night before the next (increasingly crucial) match.
So his "lesson" is that taking sleep and rest seriously was a crucial part of his professionalism as a chess player, and not a "luxury" or self-indulgence.
I hope you can prioritize rest and sleep, have the time to get enough of it and find the best ways for you to sleep better.There is a good guide in 7 Cups about "How to Sleep Well", that you can find HERE
Thank you for your participation !
All the best !
Marcelo.
@WelcomeToChat
Thank you. I have sleep apnea and some night I just do not sleep well even with my cpap
@Rebekahwriter13
Thank you for your reply.
I see. It's not just about some small bad sleep habit.
I also have some slight apnea. I need to sleep in a perfectly ventilated room, even in cold winter (w/down sleeping bag...). I go from time to time to sleep at the hospital, all wired to sensors, with an oximeter, etc. I use a pulse oximeter at home to check myself when I wake up.
I wish you find ways to sleep better. Maybe some sleep pills, melatonin, etc could help.
All the best !
Marcelo
@WelcomeToChat
My sleep apnea is so bad. . . without my machine I stop breathing up 100 times per hour.
I cannot take meds with with as my doctor is afraid even with the machine I will not wake up. I sleep too hard and heavyu as it is. Sometimes I cannot even hear my alarm clock.
@Rebekahwriter13
I am sorry about your sleeping problems.
You are right to feel sad and worried about them.
They are big, not a small thing.
I wish that you find some calming practice that makes you feel better during the day.
I also hope your condition gets better with time.
Keep in touch !
All the best !
Marcelo.
I have not been feeling well. I let my anxiety get the best of me. It is really taking a toll on my relationships and capacity to perform at work. I want to get past my issues so I joined 7 cups. As for sleep. I have been having chronic nightmares lately. Random things of distress really. I have insomnia so I wake up and go to sleep all through the night. I started sleeping with the light on to make me relax. I also use noise from jazz stations or TV shows to help me distract myself.
@Taertytsat
Hi ! Welcome to 7 Cups !
I am sorry that you have so much anxiety and sleep problems.
As for Anxiety, I recommend you to read the 7 Cups self-help guide on this matter HERE and join the Anxiety Support Community HERE where you can also ask the Chatroom Moderators for the next Anxiety Group Chat. HERE they are listed under "Chatroom Moderator"
Anytime you can go to the 24/7 Support Chat Room HERE
Or choose a 1 to 1 Listener to chat HERE
Regarding sleep problems, I suggest you read the 7Cups "How to Sleep Well Guide" HERE
As a personal tip, I suggest that you get a free "white noise generator" phone app to mask ambient noise, instead of music or voices.
At bedtime, you can listen any of the calming guided meditations and visualizations offered by 7Cups HERE
I hope these resources help you in your journey to get better and feel well.
Let me know of any inquiry or doubt about these by posting below.
All the best !
Marcelo
Thank you for your advice. I will look into it.
@Taertytsat
Great !
I wish you the best !
@WelcomeToChat
I loved the post. It made me analize so many things I do wrong. Maybe I should change some of them, like turning off the TV when I go to sleep or some other "disasterrific" habits I have.
- How are you feeling these days ?
I've been feeling well. Anxiety growing strong now that I'm back to online school and my mom has left again, but I have good friends who care for me and distract me from silly thoughts or bad memories.
- What helps you sleep well ?
I'm not too sure. As I mentioned before, I have a lot of bad habits. Lately I've been forgeting my antideprassants when I go to sleep, so my schedule is messed up and I end up falling asleep pretty late. I can't sleep without some noise so I turn the TV on but I find it interesting and I spend one hour or two watching videos.
I guess there are tons of things I should work on but I don't have too much motivation for that.