Studies show that there is a connection between millionaires and the time they wake up in the morning. In a poll cited by Vanderkam, 90% of executives said that they wake up before 6 a.m. on weekdays. Many believe there is a direct correlation between the two; if you wake up earlier, you're more likely to be successful because you have a head start to the day.
I do not consider myself a morning person at all. And while I have a terrific work ethic that allows me get things done efficiently, I couldn't help but wonder how my life would change if I tried getting up by 5 A.M. for one week.
Would I find myself checking more things off my checklist throughout the day? Would I inevitably see that I was working smarter and not harder? Here are three huge takeaways I noticed after my week-long experiment:
Discipline Is Key.
When 5 A.M. came around, I forced myself out of bed, but I wasn't even mentally in a place to get things done.
While this got easier as the week went on, I personally didn't feel like I was more productive in the morning because I felt groggy and still tired. I think people focus so much on the time of day, instead of making sure that you are getting a good night's sleep and a healthy breakfast in the morning.
You can be up at the crack of dawn and still not be as effective as someone who gets up later but feels well rested.
Your Morning Is Not A Race, Take Your Time
The first thing I did every morning was pray and I immediately jumped into the work right after.
I mean, that's why we're getting up early right? Nah.
When I woke up and jumped right into my work for the day, I noticed that once I started, I couldn't seem to stop, especially when the rest of the world started waking up and checking their emails. My mind felt like it was exerting even MORE energy than before, and I immediately felt mental fatigue trying to dedicate more time working.
Once I realized I felt more mentally fatigued than productive, I tried a new routine. Instead of hopping right into the work day after my morning prayer, I took about an hour to ease into my day.
I would pray and meditate, read a little bit (a book, nothing social or on my phone), eat breakfast, and just relax. I went to the gym and did a bit of exercise, or stayed in and followed along with guided yoga poses. It was the difference I needed. My mind was clearer, and my work started really showin' out.
Work Smarter, Not Harder.
The secret to success behind dope people like Oprah, Beyoncé, and Rihanna, is that they've mastered working smarter, and not necessarily harder. Y'all know how everyone says you have the same 24 hours as Beyoncé? Well, that doesn't really matter as much as how you utilize your time.
I learned waking up three hours earlier didn't do me any good if I was in full go-mode the entire time.
Alternatively, I looked at how I could get the maximum out of my time and get the best return on my self-investment. Nowadays, instead of hopping into all my emails first thing in the morning, I use apps like Boomerang, where I can schedule out emails in advance. Once I had all my responses pre-written out, all I had to do was hit the 'Schedule' button! Also, I made sure to tackle the harder tasks first, so by the end of my workday, all I had to handle was the easy stuff. THAT made a huge difference, because I didn't feel drained by the end of the day.
I would suggest this week-long experiment to anyone looking to challenge themselves, whether you're a morning person or a night owl.
But remember, you were born to be your own CEO and certified #GirlBoss, so don't beat yourself up or determine your success on what everyone else is doing. You slay, all day.
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Again, the answer never changes because, if there is one thing that Shellie Reneé Warren is gonna get, it’s 6-8 (sometimes nine) hours of sleep. However, since my chronotype (check out “Ever Wonder What Personality Traits Make Someone A 'Morning Person'?”) means that I like/prefer to write in the wee hours of the morning, sometimes I will sleep for the night for five hours and take a nap in the day. And y’all, that is just fine with me because I am well aware of the fact that napping does everything from give me more energy, heighten my alertness and even make me more creative to decrease stress levels, strengthen immunity, and reduce my chances of experiencing a heart attack or stroke.
My problem is I will oftentimes go “overboard” with my daytime zzz’s. What I mean by that is, in order to get the most out of a nap, they say thatyou shouldn’t sleep for longer than 25 minutes or so; otherwise, you could wake up feeling sluggish (I don’t but…). Also, it can make resting, soundly, at night a bit of a struggle.
So, what are you saying, Shellie? We should get quickies in? Yeah. And it’s funny that the word “quickie” would come up because just like a sex quickie can do wonders for you (and it can — check out “12 Super Solid Reasons To Have A Quickie Every Single Day”), it’s a full-circle moment when I say that something that can improve the quality of your sex life is to have a power nap (a nap that lasts between 10-30 minutes).
Wanna know how the two things correlate? Honestly, it’s no secret that sleep and sex work together to optimize both (check out “6 Fascinating Ways Sex And Sleep Definitely Go Hand In Hand”). Today, though, we’re going to tap into how a nap, specifically, can have you partaking in some of the best sex that you’ve experienced in a minute. I’ll explain.
Naps Reduce Stress
GiphyIf you’re feeling super stressed out right now, you are not alone. There is plenty of data out here that says that most of us are stressed for at least a couple of reasons at a time — and that can impact your sexual health on a few levels. For one thing, it can bring about feelings of depression and/or anxiety. Stress can also throw your hormone levels off (including your cycle) which can weaken your libido. Stress can make you want to put distance between you and your partner (yes, literally).
Stress can also make it challenging to get aroused or to have an orgasm. And just what can help to decrease stress? Taking a nap. Since sleep has a way of helping you to “get off of the clock” and relax a bit, that can lower your stress levels and “reset” your body so that you are calmer — and that, in turn, can do wonders for your sex drive and ultimately your sex life.
Naps Improve Your Mood
GiphyThere is one person in my life, and fairly 80 percent of the time, she’s in a super good mood. Oh, but let that girl go without sleep, and…who is this woman? LOL. There’s research behind why this happens. When a person is sleep-deprived, it messes with their brain chemicals, and that can amplify emotions like anger, restlessness and sadness. In fact, one study revealed that people who had their sleep disrupted throughout the night, they ended up having their positive outlook on life reduced by about 30 percent.
And geeze, who wants to have sex when they’re not feeling very good? Anyway, since serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps to regulate your moods, your sleep patterns, and your libido and sleep is what helps to keep it in balance — by taking a nap, not only can it help you to feel better, it can also increase your desire for sex (it can also build up your endurance which is also…sexually beneficial).
Naps Increase Your Focus and Concentration
GiphySomething that some of my clients bring up is how, when it comes to having sex, sometimes the flesh is willing while the spirit is weak because, although the desire for intimacy is there, so much is going on that they aren’t able to get still enough to focus on experiencing copulation with their partner. This also tracks because, when you don’t have enough rest, your brain finds itself not working in harmony and that can make it hard to do everything from approaching life with a sense of flexibility to making necessary decisions.
Certain data also reveal that a lack of rest can cause you to have a really poor attention span and not process things in context (the more you know). So, if you really want to get some yet it’s hard for you to focus long enough to make it happen, ask your bae to lie down with you and take a nap. Between the sleep and the snuggling (check out “Fall's Coming: 8 Wonderful Health Benefits Of Cuddling”) — you may wake up with your mind and body totally on the same page. #wink
Naps Can Make You Feel Better About Your Body
GiphyEven if, overall, you feel really good about your body, I think that we all have moments when we feel less attractive than others — and who wants to have sex when they don’t really feel…very sexy? Well, something else that sleep, in general, can do is increase your confidence in your body.
For one thing, if you want to lose a few pounds, sleep can actually make that happen by helping your body metabolize the glucose (sugar) that’s in it so that you can better manage your appetite. Other studies go on to share that since sleep deprivation can impact one’s mental health and emotional stability in a negative way, of course, getting enough rest would increase body positivity.
Shoot, science even goes so far as to say that insomnia can cause people to have an elevated level of dissatisfaction when it comes to their body image. Don’t take their word for it, though. Look in the mirror before a nap. Then look in a mirror after waking up from me. Do you feel better? I’d be surprised if you don’t.
Makes Your Brain Bigger…Which Could Make Your Orgasms Better
GiphyI saved the best for last by design. Now if you’re wondering how in the world a nap can improve (and possibly increase) your orgasms — oh, there is a method to the madness…trust. For starters, the saying that your biggest sex organ is your brain? That isn’t a myth. Long story less long, the brain is what houses your central nervous system and that is what controls how men and women sexually function (yes, literally).
And since the brain also releases feel-good chemicals like dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin during sex and brain activity significantly increases in women during sexual activity (especially right before she orgasms) — well, would it trip you out to know that when you take a nap, your brain actually expands? A bigger brain (that’s healthy) can potentially intensify your sexual experiences (and your climaxes) — and who doesn’t want that to go down?
____
Like I said earlier, I never have to be convinced to get a nap in. However, if your sex life has been a bit stagnant lately, you’ve been feeling a little sluggish and you’re not sure what to do — I’m hoping that a nap can get you right.
There’s enough science to prove that it can. All you need to do is give it a shot.
Now where’s your pillow and sleep mask, chile?
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