How to Sleep Better

UC Riverside psychology professor offers free course online to improve sleeping patterns

By Mojgan Sherkat

“How to Sleep Better: And the Secret Power of Naps,” is a free course, online

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (www.ucr.edu) – Trying to aim for eight hours of sleep, but end up with only six?

We all know we need to sleep more, but somehow can’t find the time, or don’t know how. Lack of sleep has been linked to obesity and chronic disease. It causes depression, anxiety, and stress, and impairs judgement.

Sara Mednick, psychology professor at the University of California, Riverside, and a sleep expert, wants to help you sleep better – and is doing so by offering a free online course.

“Consistently getting a good night’s sleep is one of the most important things you can do. It can improve your health, lower your stress, make you more productive at work, and improve your relationships,” Mednick said. “In my course, I will help individuals understand how sleep works, and with an emphasis on the secret power of napping, I will help people develop practices for getting more and better sleep into their life.”

The course is available on “The Big Know – Life Reimagined,” a website dedicated to providing free courses to improve one’s lifestyle. “How to Sleep Better,” is broken into two units, with a total of eight lessons. Throughout the course, Mednick teaches the science of sleep and how you can sleep better – knowing that good sleep will improve all aspects of your life.

“How to Sleep Better,” course breakdown:

• Unit one: “Getting Good at Sleep.” In this unit, Mednick teaches the science of sleep and explains exactly what happens in your mind and body as you go through the various stages of sleep. She also shares best practices for helping you get to sleep and to get a restful night’s sleep. Then she shares some of her exciting research on naps and all the benefits they can bring.

• Lesson one: The Fatigue Epidemic

• Lesson two: Sleep 101

• Lesson three: Getting a Good Night’s Sleep (The Basics)

• Lesson four: Take Back the Nap

• Unit two: “The Secret Power of Naps.” In this unit, Mednick teaches how to be a strategic napper. She explains how timing and duration of naps can bring specific benefits to your life. She also helps create a sleep program ideal for your specific needs.

• Lesson five: The Shadow Sleep Cycles

• Lesson six: Strategic Napping

• Lesson seven: Your Sleep Profile

• Lesson eight: Ask Dr. Mednick

The course can be completed in less than an hour. Or, as Mednick will tell you, in less time than it takes to go through an entire sleep cycle.

RELATED LINKS
How to Sleep Better - free online course
More about Sara Mednick

Moksha Yoga: Hottest off-the-mat challenge

Classic neck stretch

TORONTO, Canada, – Moksha Yoga, North America’s leading collective of highly accessible, socially and ecologically conscious hot yoga studios, unveiled today Grow Your Yoga, a 30-day off the mat challenge to bring together the global yoga community, educate on the roots of the Moksha practice and raise funds for a significant cause.

Formerly known as Living Your Moksha, Grow Your Yoga is the third annual challenge for the Moksha collective focusing on topics that promote vitality in every day life.  Kicking off May 1 and running through May 30, Grow Your Yoga will celebrate the seven pillars that Moksha Yoga is founded on including health, peace, accessibility and support for others.  Funds raised during the challenge will go to the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust (MWCT)—an organization backed by actor and activist Edward Norton that works to protect the legendary ecosystems and astounding biodiversity of East Africa.  

See what Edward has to say about it here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fUOm2OoMRg&list=UULTzYzVDnrvCsXm7WnIg6hw&index=1

“Moksha Yoga’s mission is to promote a healthy awareness for our practice on the mat, while living by a set of philosophies that carry our practice off the mat,” said Moksha Yoga co-founder, Jessica Robertson.  “Grow Your Yoga provides us with an opportunity to remind our community of our foundation, to challenge ourselves to live by these ideas and to give back to a great cause.”

"We are thrilled to partner with Moksha for the Grow Your Yoga campaign," said Edward Norton, American actor and President of the U.S. Branch of MWCT. "MWCT shares Moksha's vision to protect and serve the natural world and it starts with education and awareness. Yoga teaches us that we are all connected, and that how we choose to act today will be our legacy for the future. As an avid Moksha practitioner myself I can't imagine a better way to embody the values of yoga off the mat than by committing to Grow Your Yoga and supporting the MWCT.”

The Grow Your Yoga Challenge will be broken down into 4 weeks, encouraging the community to showcase their success online through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #growyouryoga. Additionally, each challenger will be set-up with a personal profile via Crowdrise—a unique fundraising platform that allows challengers to set fundraising goals, personalize their page and reach out directly to their contacts—to fundraise throughout the campaign.  

Week 1: Be Healthy

Eat environmentally sustainable foods including locally grown, vegetarian, organic or vegan and share  a recipe or image of your dish online with hashtag #growyouryoga.  20 participants will receive a cookbook by Renee Loux.

Week 2: Be Peace

Practice 10 minutes of meditation every day and pay attention to what your voice is saying when your mind is silent. Share your reaction to this challenge, an image or quote that evokes peace online with hashtag #growyouryoga.  20 participants will receive a Manduka meditation and travel cushion.

Week 3: Be Accessible

Practice one week of no gossip and be accessible to deeper conversations. Share the impact listening rather than reacting has on you via the #growyouryoga hashtag. As a bonus – bring a friend to class for free.  20 participants will receive a 90-minute Moksha CD.

Week 4: Reach out

Participate in a worthy cause. Moksha Yoga is trying to raise $100,000 for the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust Fundraiser. To do this Robertson suggests sharing the fundraiser URL on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or uploading your cutest animal photo using the #growyouryoga.  20 participants will receive handmade Maasai bracelets.

Interested participants can find the studio nearest them, sign up and receive ongoing community updates at www.growyouryoga.ca. Registration for the challenge doesn't cost anything although there is a suggested donation of $10. All proceeds collected benefit the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust (MWCT) and will contribute to the $100,000 goal.

For more information on Moksha Yoga, please visit www.mokshayoga.ca, or join us on Facebook: Facebook:www.facebook.com/MokshaHotYoga, Twitter: www.twitter.com/mokshayoga @MokshaYoga, Instagram:www.instagram.com/MokshaHotYoga, Pinterest:www.pinterest.com/mokshayoga/grow-your-yoga/  or YouTube:www.youtube.com/user/mokshayogavideo

About Moksha Yoga®:

Moksha Yoga® is a Toronto-originated yoga studio model dedicated to helping students find a calm mind, fit body and inspired life. With over 65 independently owned studios across the globe, Moksha Yoga’s unique hot yoga series makes ancient yoga traditions accessible and practical for life in the modern world. Moksha Yoga provides a body-warming physical regimen with a peaceful, fun and insightful mental and spiritual practice that encourages students to become healthy, passionate members of the planet. All Moksha Yoga studios are committed to community initiatives, eco sustainability, social causes and having good fun with good Karma. Find the nearest studio at MokshaYoga.ca

Health-Based New Year's Resolutions Work Better with Sleep

As the New Year approaches, Americans are ready to make their resolutions for a healthier, happier, more prosperous 2013. Statistically speaking, nearly half of the country will make a New Year's Resolution. Losing weight tops the list of most common resolutions, but a more general "stay fit and healthy" is the fifth most popular goal people set for January 1.

With health and weight-related goals, much of the focus falls on food and exercise. Maintaining a balanced diet and exercising regularly are essential to reducing body fat, improving organ function, and boosting overall health. However, getting enough quality sleep can help improve health and weight loss efforts.

Research has shown that people who get the proper amount of sleep each night (typically eight hours for an adult) have an easier time sticking to an exercise regimen and making healthier food choices. Better sleep has also been linked to better mental health and, for children, better behavior in school.

"Barriers to sleep include lifestyle choices, caffeine consumption, and even the bed itself," says Mark Wells of Sleep City and Sleepcity.com.