The Benefits of a Power Nap

Mothers get grouchy because kids keep them hopping on their feet all day. If done correctly, taking regular day-time naps will give you an enormous surge of energy and make you feel d so you can wake up earlier.

This is not such a strange concept.  In many siesta countries (such as Spain and Mexico), taking a regular mid-afternoon nap is a normal part of the culture. There is wisdom behind this approach to life.  The key is to not sleep longer than forty-five to fifty minutes as this is how long it takes for most people to accomplish one sleep cycle.

During the first sleep cycle, our body enters deep sleep for the longest period of time, it's at this point that our body temperature begins to drop really low, our respiration, heart rate and blood pressure decreases.

If you've ev er been woken up out of 'deep sleep', you know that it's almost impossible to shake ourselves out of it. Waking up during or after a major deep sleep phase makes you feel lethargic, slow, and disoriented.

It takes about 45 minutes to enter the first deep sleep phase. If you limit your nap to 45 minutes, you will sleep mainly in Stage 2 sleep, which is the stage of sleep that is primarily concerned with restoring our physical energy. If you sleep any longer and are suddenly awakened you may feel too groggy to go on as you are entering stages of sleep that more have to do with the mind.

Yet another danger of entering deep sleep during the day is putting your body temperature rhythm out of whack, it may be difficult for you to go to sleep later on in the night. You may also have difficulty sleeping deeply at night, which will have negative consequences for the day ahead, such as poor energy, headaches and nausea.

The correct way to take naps is to keep them short and to take them at the same time every day.Taking irregular naps is one way that sleeping disorders develop. If you feel tired after a nap that is your cue to shorten, not lengthen the nap by a few minutes.

 

If you have never napped before, you are in for a treat. You will be surprised at how energized you feel for the rest of the day when you do take one! Limit the nap to 45 minutes, if you still feel tired after the nap, then shorten the nap time. The amount of time required to enter deep sleep varies from person to person so once again finding your personal threshold for achieving quality sleep can take time and patience. However most people achieve great success by simply setting a gentle alarm for 50 minutes!

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Cool Maternity Wear

For so many years 'maternity wear' meant wearing your husband's tight shirts and I for one am glad those days are over. I love the way nobody is hiding their round little tummies any more …in fact the trend is towards showing that belly off by wearing tighter clothes! Although that is the fashion it is not the best option always. I say when you are pregnant that it is best to go for comfort first and fashion second.
Unless you overeat and gain weight fast or are an unusual case, most women don't need to buy any maternity clothes for three or four months. By month five most women are definitely in need of some kind of clothing that will accommodate their swelling abdomen. Once you are at about four months it is time to buy those low waited pants tor those stretch pants. At the very least wear a shirt that hangs over your belly. Do what is most comfortable for you.
When it is time to shop for clothing the key is to buy it in the size that you were before you were pregnant. Don't try to try on clothes that are way too big as the maternity wear manufacturers have already second guessed that. If you normally wear a size eight in non maternity wear then you will wear the same size in special maternity clothing.
I love the trend towards low rise pants. These snugly fit below the belly. These pants make all women look slimmer but they are also more comfortable. Your belly can hang out above the waistline. Most pregnant women like them because they look like regular low waited jeans. I wore mine with an empire waited top when I was pregnant. However that was only in the first and second trimester. I did find by my third trimester that they were too tight and that it was uncomfortable to bend over. The best types of low waited jeans like this have at least ten percent spandex in them. It is the stretchy spandex that allows your clothing to grow along with your growing tummy.
It is also best to buy maternity clothing in a solid color as stripes and loud prints will make you look a lot bigger than you are. Stick to a solid color if you do not want to look too big. Darker colors make you look thinner too but I warn you — all those neon colors are in vogue for spring.
When it comes to tops for maternity wear you want to try the baby doll look. This is a style with an empire waist and long scoop sleeves. This same type of style also works very well for maternity style dresses. ]
Any wrap around style that can grow with you during your pregnancy and to top it off it is also a very hip look. Any type of wrap around dress is fantastic in fact.
Summer dresses can be easily accommodated to fit pregnant bodies especially if you go for loose cotton styles. Many Indian skirts have loose drawstrings that make the waist adjustable which is of course the most important factor when you are pregnant.

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