Sleep Type: The Procrastinator
You get tired early in the evening, but by the time you go to bed, you’re wide awake.

What’s Going On?
Our bodies have two different mechanisms, one for sleep and one for wakefulness. Paul Glovinsky, Ph.D., coauthor of “The Insomnia Answer,” calls them the sleep drive and the alerting force, respectively. The problem is, these two forces can often be at odds with each other.

“The sleep drive depends on the fact that we’ve been up for a certain amount of hours, building the need for sleep,” he says. The longer we’re awake, the more intense it gets. But napping early in the evening or zoning out while watching TV can partially satisfy that sleep drive — so come bedtime, the alerting force has the upper hand, making it hard to nod off. For many people, adds Rubin Naiman, Ph.D., director of Sleep Programs at Miraval Resort, there’s “an ideal window of opportunity for falling asleep.”

What to Do
For starters, be aware of your sleep drive. If you feel yourself starting to doze off in the early evening — at dinner, for instance, or while reading or watching TV — get up and walk around. “It doesn’t take a lot. You don’t have to get up and run a mile,” explains Charles Atwood, Jr., M.D., associate director of the Sleep Medicine Center at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. “Just walk around your house a little bit. Usually that’s enough to keep you alert for another hour or so.”

However, if you feel yourself getting tired later in the night (say after 9 p.m. or so), don’t force your body to burn the midnight oil unless you really have to. As Bala Manyam, M.D., a neurologist and Ayurvedic expert, puts it, “Mother Nature is telling you, ‘You silly human being. You’re tired. Go to sleep now.'”

Waking up in the morning should be as pleasant as falling asleep at night. The Zen Alarm Clock’s gradual, gentle awakening is transformative.

“The Zen Alarm Clock,” uses soothing acoustic chimes that awaken users gently and gradually, making waking up a real pleasure.  Rather than an artificial recorded sound played through a speaker, the Zen Clock features an alloy chime bar similar to a wind chime.  When the clock’s alarm is triggered, its chime produces a long-resonating, beautiful acoustic tone reminiscent of a temple gong.  Then, as the ring tone gradually fades away, the clock remains silent until it automatically strikes again three minutes later.  The frequency of the chime strikes gradually increase over ten-minutes, eventually striking every five seconds, so they are guaranteed to wake up even the heaviest sleeper.

Adapted from Body + Soul Magazine, May 2008 by Sarah Schmelling

Boulder, Colorado—an innovative company has taken one of life’s most unpleasant experiences (being startled awake by your alarm clock early Monday morning), and transformed it into something to actually look forward to. “The Zen Alarm Clock,” uses soothing acoustic chimes that awaken users gently and gradually, making waking up a real pleasure.  Rather than an artificial recorded sound played through a speaker, the Zen Clock features an alloy chime bar similar to a wind chime.  When the clock’s alarm is triggered, its chime produces a long-resonating, beautiful acoustic tone reminiscent of a temple gong.  Then, as the ring tone gradually fades away, the clock remains silent until it automatically strikes again three minutes later.  The frequency of the chime strikes gradually increase over ten-minutes, eventually striking every five seconds, so they are guaranteed to wake up even the heaviest sleeper.  This gentle, ten-minute “progressive awakening” leaves users feeling less groggy, and even helps with dream recall.

Now & Zen’s Alarm Clock and Meditation Timer Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383