Social Media is like New York - It Never Sleeps. But You Should.
This guest blog was written by Petra Neiger, CEO & founder of Red Pantz. Her mission is to help improve the well-being of leaders and teams, which she has been able to observe first hand as a business executive in Silicon Valley.
She is also one of my (social media) marketing inspirations.
Photo: Creative Commons License via commons.wikimedia.org.
Social Media is like New York - It Never Sleeps. But You Should.
Several years ago when social media was still shiny and new, I spoke about best practices at an event in New York. During my presentation, I pointed out that “Social media is like New York City - it never sleeps.” Fast forward to today and social media continues to never sleep – somewhere, someone is always talking. But that doesn’t mean that you should trade in your bed. In a world that’s always connected, taking care of ourselves is ever so important.
If you love social media, you probably find yourself glued to your phone – or whatever device you use - a lot. Maybe it’s your last act of the day before you go to sleep. It’s in our best long-term interest to break this habit– pronto.
Here’s why:
1. Let your body complete the cleansing process
This is the time when your body and mind assimilate the foods you ate, and thoughts and emotions you experienced during the day. You know the saying: “you are what you eat”, but in reality, “you are what you assimilate”. So let your body assimilate and eliminate by letting your liver and other organs do their work at night.
2. Recharge your brain
Our brains need us to sleep to be able to perform important functions. Eastern medicine has been saying for thousands of years that this is the time your brain takes out its trash. And finally, Western medicine has found proofthat your brain’s trash disposal system kicks into full gear at night.
3. Keep yourself healthy
When you let your system get rid of toxins at night, you’re helping your muscles, bones and organs to repair themselves, and boost immunity.
Photo: Creative Commons Licsense via http://pixabay.com/p-391654.
4. Boost your performance
If you wake up tired the next day, you can’t do your best. Not to mention increased irritability and stress can put a strain on your relationships at work and at home. Especially if lack of sleep is an ongoing challenge.
10 Tips to Reduce Insomnia
Our habits during the day, and especially in the evening affect the quality and quantity of our sleep. Before you reach for a sleeping pill, consider some of these lifestyle options:
- Avoid caffeine after lunch
Creative Common License via http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep.
- Finish dinner at least 2 hours before bed time
- Eat your biggest meal during lunch time instead of dinner time
- Drink a cup of warm milk with a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg (just a pinch!) or 2-3 threads of saffron in the evening
- Stop working at least 2 hours before bed time
- Turn off all electronic devices at least 1 hour before bed time
- Avoid electronics and blue light in your room
- Be in bed by 10pm
- Meditate before falling asleep
- Wake up every day at the same time (even on weekends)
If you’re scratching your head as you read through this list, fear not, you’re not alone. In our always-connected world, reading on our iPads before going to bed and checking emails one last time have become the norm. Don’t get me wrong, there are many good things that come with technology - it helps us stay connected in different ways. We just need to be mindful of where, how and for how long we use it each day. Let's start today.
Power off and good night, everyone! Many thanks to Della Davis at Mount Madonna Institute for her edits.Thank you to Petra Neiger for sharing this blog.
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About Petra Neiger & Red Pantz
Petra is Sr. Director, Integrated Marketing at Polycom. Prior to joining Polycom, she oversaw a global team that managed digital, social and traditional communications at Siemens Healthcare as well as held several social and digital marketing positions at Cisco.
She has an MBA and is pursuing her Masters degree in Ayurveda, a form of holistic medicine. She is also a certified health practitioner and a yoga teacher. She recently launched her new adventure, Red Pantz, with the mission to help improve the well-being of leaders and teams. Petra's goal is to provide her clients tools and methods to create a healthy environment for themselves and others around them - #OnePantzAtATime. @petra140
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