Healthy Sleeping Patterns
Posted on 15 December 2011 | 1 response
After many long days on session at the studio, I often find myself with a similar predicament as many others in the audio industry – sleep deprivation and lack of energy.
I decided to do some research about sleep habits, cycles, and found a few interesting things:
1. We sleep in cycles. 90-minute cycles to be exact, and often we feel like we’ve had a terrible sleep if we interrupt at the wrong point of the cycle. It is best to try sleep in 90 minute intervals, so instead of getting 8 hours of sleep (if you can somehow manage that!), try getting 9, or 7.5 and see the difference. I tried this for the last 3 months and the difference is staggering! One thing that is suggested if you get less sleep during the night (like 6 hours, which is more realistic), to have a 90 minute powernap when you get home from work to help out with that.
Here is a charted example of a hypothetical sleep cycle to give you an idea of how we sleep.
Sleep Cycles (from science.education.nih.gov website)
2. “Sleep Debt” is a term that refers to sleepiness that accumulates when you do not get enough sleep in a day. At first, this may not seem like a big deal, but when it piles on (like most debt can), it can cause overwhelming lack of awareness in everyday life.
3. Some hypothesized reasons why we need sleep have come up in many articles, journals and are worth mentioning. Keep in mind, they are just hypotheses, they offer some insight into other reasons we need sleep at night.
- Restoration of Body Systems/Functions
- Memory Consolidation
- Energy Conservation
- Emotional Release
- Brain Development
- Evolutionary reasons such as “Protection from Predation”
All of these possibilities offer insight into why we need sleep, and why we dream. If you are interested in reading more, I have provided some links to related material online and on Amazon.com to check out.
Online:
- http://science.education.nih.gov/supplements/nih3/sleep/guide/info-sleep.htm
- http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/science/what/sleep-patterns-rem-nrem
- http://longevity.about.com/od/sleep/a/sleep_stages.htm
- http://www.mind-expanding-techniques.com/sleep-cycles.html
- http://www.highexistence.com/alternate-sleep-cycles/
Amazon.com:
Some Other Resources:
I strongly suggest trying out some relaxation methods such as guided meditations. One site I have found particularly useful for this is Fragrant Heart. They offer a wide variety of different exercises ranging from beginner to advanced.
The Importance of Breathing
Posted on 7 November 2011 | No responses
Breathing is often overlooked, and is a crucial part of an integral lifestyle. Not only do our bodies need it to produce energy, but it is also used to feed our vital organs, enrich our blood, aid in our healing process, cell respiration, disposal of waste, and reproductive functions. Many of these contribute to what most classify as components of human life. How we breathe will then play a very important role in our lives.
How often are you aware of how you are breathing?
Personally, I spend some time each morning to do a short meditation to calm my mind and slow my breathing. Perhaps you can find time to do the same thing!
I personally like to use the guided meditations from fragrantheart.com. There are a myriad of different purposes and applications for these guided audio meditations that are very useful when first starting to do any form of meditation.
Also, another book on my list to check out for a practice called “Qi Gong”, is The Qigong Year by Michael Bruney. It includes exercises for daily life including breathing, traditional qigong posture and movement, and stretching & exercise from what I understand. Check it out here.
However you decide to approach a healthy lifestyle and some sort of meditation practice, it is important you fit it to your needs. The links I have suggested for you are just that – suggestions. They are tailored to what works for me, and I would hope that at least some of that effectiveness would translate to some of your needs as well.
Put into practice at least 2 exercises that work for you on a daily basis. Once in the morning before you start your day, and a couple times throughout the day. Just take 2 minutes to pay attention to your breath, become aware of what is happening now, and without a doubt, you will notice a better sense of awareness, well being, and focus. You will find that in between setup and recall, you’ll have an abundance of time to put different techniques into practice. Pay attention to how much more you notice when you are breathing consciously and living in the present!
Here is a quote to tie into my next post about being mindful and present in every action.
“Moderation? It’s mediocrity, fear, and confusion in disguise. It’s the devil’s dilemma. It’s neither doing nor not doing. It’s the wobbling compromise that makes no one happy. Moderation is for the bland, the apologetic, for the fence-sitters of the world afraid to take a stand. It’s for those afraid to laugh or cry, for those afraid to live or die. Moderation…is lukewarm tea, the devil’s own brew.” – Dan Millman – Way of the Peaceful Warrior
If what I have suggested doesn’t feel right for you, it may be worth checking out some of these other practices to see if they better fit your lifestyle. They range everywhere from Native Apache to Traditional Medicinal practices.
Session Snacking
Posted on 26 October 2011 | 4 responses
I always say centered food equals centered behavior. – Marilu Henner
One should eat to live, not live to eat. – Moliere
Food is our primary source of energy and it is very important to maintain a high level of energy when working on session. A good way of doing this is by eating smaller portions of food more frequently. Our bodies actually handle eating this way better to maintain more stable energy levels. What you will notice when you eat this way is that you dont experience the typical crash that you do after eating a huge meal.
I personally like to have a couple main meals a day (usually 2) and light snacks throughout the day. Heres an example:
| Breakfast -Medium coffee -Muffin and/or Bagel -Fruit (banana or apple)Snacks -Mixed nuts -Sliced apple -Sweet pepper -Cheese Crackers Lunch Dinner |
Most importantly, remember to eat when your body tells you to. It knows when it needs energy. Try not to make each meal a feast, and snack frequently.
For ideas on some snack foods, check out this book. It gives you alternative ideas to snacks you would normally eat, which would have a negative effect on your energy levels throughout the day.
It can be difficult to change eating habits – trust me, I’ve done it! But having something to guide you through the transformation is always helpful. It’s like having a teacher, or a role model to gauge your progress by comparison. And this is especially hard at the beginning, which is why you might find it helpful to join some sort of program, through classes, text, podcasts, or a personal “trainer” to help you stay on track and keep focus. I find this audio book interesting and worth a listen to help you guide yourself through a tough transformation such as a diet change. Even if it is a small one, it’s good to be informed on where you stand with something that is responsible for our energy intake – food.
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Welcome to ZENinthestudio!
Posted on 1 August 2011 | 1 response
Hello, and welcome to ZENinthestudio.com!
Join us as we start our journey towards living a better lifestyle in the studio.
We will be getting into topics such as Exercise for the studio, Meditation, Eating & Recipes for studio life, Tips & Tricks for the recording engineer, and much more!
Here’s an inspirational quote to kickstart the website:
“When you sit, sit. When you stand, stand. Whatever you do, don’t wobble.” – Dan Millman