Friday, August 3, 2012

Ten Tips to Fall Asleep

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We’ve all had nights when no matter what we do, sleep eludes us. Whether it’s because our minds are going a million miles per hour or we’re simply not tired, it seems that no matter what we cannot fall asleep. So, what do you do when you must sleep because you have a long day of driving ahead of you and you can’t afford to be tired?

In this article, you will find ten tips that will give you what you need to fall asleep and get a good night’s rest.

1: Turn off your TV and computer.

Both your TV and computer are stimulating devices. They encourage your mind to be alert by a consistent wave of information. By turning off these devices, you will be able to relax your mind will not have anything to keep your mind occupied. Once your mind is relaxed it is easier to drift into the sweet oblivion of sleep.

2: Make your room dark.

Light is another stimulator for the mind. Light tells you that it is time to be awake and active. This does not include only lamps or sun light, bright clocks or cell phone lights can also make it harder for you to sleep. Besides telling you that you need to be awake, light can encourage your eyes to look around, which will in turn stimulate your mind.

3: Don’t play video games right before bed.

Playing video games is yet another way to… can you guess it... stimulate your mind. The fast movement or interesting story line of a video game wakes your mind up and gets the juices going. For instance, playing a game like Modern Warfare gets your thinking about strategic places to hide, ways to invade the enemy territory and better your ratios. Now that’s a lot for your brain to go over and will wake you up, not put you to sleep. Have you ever wondered why when you started playing the game you were getting tired then the next thing you know it’s hours past your bedtime?

After these first three tips, are you starting to see a pattern? In most cases, too much brain stimulation before bed equals staying awake. Now that you know a few things you shouldn’t do, here are a few that you should.

4: Drink a relaxing beverage.

Drinking something like warm milk or warm herbal tea is a great way to relax your muscles and get you in the perfect mindset for bed. This works because heat relaxes muscles while cold makes them tighter, so drinking a warm beverage is a great way to let go of the stresses of the day.

Herbal tea, particularly chamomile tea, also has a soft fragrance to help you relax and a smooth taste that is not too strong, but rather light to help you sink into your sleep.

5: Make yourself comfortable

Being in a comfortable position is vital to getting a good night’s sleep. By making sure your body is inline and your neck isn’t scrunched one way or the other, you are able to relax and let yourself go to sleep.

6: Find a white noise.

For some people, noise is very distracting while they are trying to sleep. A dog barking next store, a loud car passing the house and a train barreling down the tracks can make falling asleep seem impossible. So, try drowning out these noised with a soft and consistent noise. There are machines or CDs that replicate noises such as a steady heartbeat, soft waves against a sandy beach, a light rainfall and many other sounds. One of the key elements to good background noise is constancy. You don’t want something that will suddenly change tone and wake you up right as you were falling asleep, we all know how annoying that is.

7: Healthy habits during the day.

The things you do during your day have a very big impact on how well you are able to fall asleep. If you had a stressful day, you may find yourself staying awake thinking of what you should have said or what you will do tomorrow. It’s a fact of life that we are all going to have stressful days here and there, but there are things we can do to make sure it doesn’t have such a big impact. One of these things is exercise. Exercise is one of the best stress releases, even better than chocolate. It is also proven that good daily exercise actually improves sleep. It both helps you fall asleep faster and have a deeper, more restful sleep.

8: Relaxing techniques.

Before going to bed, try a few techniques to relax your body and mind. These can include stretching, but not a strenuous stretch, just one that will help you rid your body of tension. While you are stretching, try playing soft music. Close your eyes, breathe deeply and move slowly, focusing on your actions, letting both your mind and body relax.

9: Read a boring book.

I know that at the beginning of this article it was clear mind stimulation is bad, but a boring book definitely not stimulating. Who hasn’t had the experience when you are reading a text book and for the life of you, you just can’t stay awake? Try getting out a text book at bed time, read a few boring pages then easily fall asleep. Besides helping you sleep, reading a text book at night will help you learn.

10: Daydream.

How often during the day do you look out the window and get lost in dreams? Then you look at your clock and get surprised by how much time has gone by. Daydreaming is a great way to relax both your body and your mind. While you lay in bed, imagine yourself flying through the starry sky, nothing around you but a gentle summer breeze. Your body is weightless and you can fly forever… Soon you will find yourself flying straight into dream land.

The question of how to fall asleep faster is a life-long question, one that billions of people have been asking for years. There have been studies on it and doctors who have dedicated their entire career to finding an answer. There are plenty of methods out there and not all of them work for everybody. Sleep is a vital part of our daily lives. It affects everything we do and not getting enough of it can be very damaging. Don’t sell yourself short, use these helpful tips to make sure you get the sleep you need. Pleasant dreams. 

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Managing your mile per gallon

Did you know that 25 percent of all operating costs for a fleet of trucks come from the cost of fuel? Think for a second how much 25 percent really is… Say you make $100 per day. 25% of that is 25. This means that every day you are paying $25 for gas, meaning that you are really only making $75 per day.

To some people, this may not seem like too much, but $25 a day really adds up. In fact, in one week $25 per day adds up to $175, in one month it is $5,425. Imagine having the expense of $5,425 a month for fuel. Just looking at that number hurts.

Knowing how the price of fuel adds up, you might now be asking what can you do about it? Fuel is a necessary part of any truck driving job, unless you can find a truck that can run on electricity. So, since fuel is a must-have part of your job what you need to do is figure out how you can get the most out of each and every drop. Remember that even a two or three percent difference can make a big impact.

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