Sometimes it seems, we just can’t get to sleep. Whether we are nervous about an important meeting tomorrow, a mistake we made today, or simply because we’re celebrating, late nights are rare, but sometimes inevitable.
However, there are a few tricks to help manage the day after and turn it into a less unbearable affair, physically and psychologically. Because even if you haven’t slept a wink the night before, you need to keep it together long enough for a day at work before you can spend some quality time with your pillow again. So, here are some useful pieces of advice to help you stay up to speed during those days which drag on and just never seem to end.
First of all, think about your breakfast. It’s at this precise moment that you need to take your vitamins! Opting for fruit, wholemeal bread, a bowl of cereal and one or two big glasses of multivitamin fruit juice is a winning combination.
Next, take a good shower and think about energising your body. Try lukewarm water – a little more cold than hot – to help wake up your body. Vigorous drying, perhaps even to music, can also help you get in the mood for the day ahead after the night behind.
Then it’s off to work you go! Don’t forget to bring a bottle of water with you as dehydration favours apathy – try to drink throughout the course of the day. To help you get your focus, try to take a route with as much fresh air as possible, ideally with at least quarter of an hour’s walk to help you get in the swing of things. Physical activity stimulates those famous pleasure hormones, endorphins which should see you through the day.
Also, if during the day you start to feel tired, or if the work is getting you down emotionally or intellectually, try taking short breaks to get some fresh air as this stimulates your grey matter and gets you back into balance. A stuffy brain is one that doesn’t work well…
At lunch, try not to eat food that is too heavy. Dishes that are difficult to digest require a lot of energy and can make you more tired, more quickly. The best choice after a sleepless night is fish with vegetables or starchy food – the best way to charge your batteries for the second half of the day.
And so, the end of the afternoon arrives – and you don’t feel as tired as you’d expected! But be under no illusions – you’re probably not going to be able to go to the cinema tonight, or even go out for a drink with your friends. Now is the time to think about going to bed early to catch up on all that sleep you lost last night.
As soon as you get home, prepare yourself for a calm, restful evening. Leave stimulants such as tea, coffee and tobacco to one side. Also forget a warm bath as in certain cases it can raise the body’s temperature and stop you dropping off easily.
A quick shower, a light meal, a good book and whatever your age – you’ll be sleeping like a baby…
 Raphael DELVOLVE
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20/12/2021 | 
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