25 Jun 2021

Get 40 winks more often

by | posted in: Uncategorized | 88

I’ve got a friend who is a Policeman. He reckons I should take a vacation, relax and sleep more often but I can’t right now… he said I’m ‘resisting a rest’!

For anyone who doesn’t know, ‘Getting 40 winks’ means to have a light sleep or a nap. Like how to wink means to close an eye, we might close it for ~40 times longer than that to just ‘rest our eyes’ but actually have a quick rest. I heard Einstein used to take such rests say up in an armchair with a spoon in his hand. If he got into too deep a sleep the spoon would drop on the floor and wake him up. There’s loads of research on line and I’m no expert but there seems to be a consensus that about 20 minutes in the middle of the day is optimal for most people.

I didn’t used to take any rests. I didn’t like it, waste of time. Why would I want to lie down feeling frustrated when I’m wide awake and wanting to be doing stuff?

I might have gone back to bed for one reason or another but a siesta, no way! This also translated to lying on a beach for an afternoon. Sure, I want to swim or surf or dive or fly a kite but simply lying there drives me insane. It happened once when I was inebriated but I woke up sun-burnt and full of regret.

‘I’ll sleep when I’m dead’ was the cocky phrase adolescent me would coin.

So ‘getting 40 winks more often’ presented quite a challenge for me. I had come to appreciate that that not sleeping enough generally was causing me some issues. Often I would feel a bit run down or have bad skin and be irritable and my athletic performance might be poor yet this was resolved by a good night’s sleep. I therefore reconciled that if I could manage the occasional top-up, this may also help.

This was highlighted throughout my 40 day fast. During that time, I found that between 10 and 12 hours after I’d first woken up (at 04:40), I became super sleepy and often actually needed a lie down. I quite like the feeling of compete exhaustion, needing to switch off and allowing yourself to do so but it’s not something I naturally succumb to very often and it was likely exacerbated by the early morning and the fasting.

To that end, I found that training in the morning helps encourage me to sleep in the afternoon, whereas training only in the evening seemed to leave me with a slightly elevated heart rate and alertness that was hard to shake in time for getting a proper sleep that evening.

Upon reflection, what I had been afraid of was sleeping a little, reinvigorating myself and then finding it difficult to fall asleep at night so addressing this is key.

Indeed, the answer could be as simple as this: eat less, wake up earlier.

I went to the Doctor this week to discuss my fingers remaining numb from the 40 hour cycle three weeks ago and pain in my left heel. It seems I have bilateral ulnar nerve neuropathy and plantar fasciitis, the onset of which is common for those in their 40s who run long distances (old age does not come alone!).

He and I discussed getting 40 winks. The Doctor said that our natural rhythms tend toward a routine that is at odds with how we modern life currently is. He said for example working in the morning and then having a two hour break between 12 and 2pm would be ideal. If you led with your feet up during that time, any fluids that have been ‘stuck’ down there are brought back into a more central location (pressure change due to centre of gravity changing) and are processed by the kidneys. You will likely waking up after about 40 minutes needing the toilet; following this process will leave you refreshed and revitalised.

I reckon resting with my feet up for 40 minutes in the afternoon could be very beneficial, not least for my plantar fasciitis.

Anyway, I’ve been doing it. The 2020 and 2021 lockdowns have made it easier to be or at least more likely that I will be at home and therefore that little bit more likely to take a break. I’ve not only enjoyed it, I think it has become essential. I think it is possible to restore better balance by taking short naps between a solid nights sleep to overcome feeling overworked and being over-tired and needing to crash.

To this end, I maintain that sleep hygiene is really important. I may now be able to dose on the sofa for a while but getting a quality sleep that includes all the right phases and leaves me refreshed requires proper planning and preparation, consistency and discipline; that’s a whole different story.

88 Responses

    • CJBurgoine
      |

      Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for your comment!

    • CJBurgoine
      |

      Hi,

      Thanks for your comment. I’ll be posting regularly over the next few months – hope you enjoy them!

      Regards,

      Craig

    • CJBurgoine
      |

      Hi,

      Thanks for your comment, it’s nice to read 🙂

      Regards,

      Craig

    • CJBurgoine
      |

      Hi,

      I’m really glad my blog was of some use and you appreciated it.

      Thanks and regards,

      Craig

    • CJBurgoine
      |

      Hi – thanks for your comment and support! I have updated the most recent post with social media and subscription links.

      Regards,

      Craig

    • CJBurgoine
      |

      Hi – thanks for your comment.

      Regards,

      Craig

    • CJBurgoine
      |

      Hi – thanks for your comment.

      Regards,

      Craig

  9. Dcfarmsalsa.com
    |

    First of all I would like to say excellent blog! I had a quick question which I’d ike to ask if you
    don’t mind. I was interested to knoow hoow you center yourself annd clear youur thoughts before writing.
    I have had trouble clearing my mind in getting my ideas out there.
    I ddo take pleasure in writin but it just seems like the
    first 10 to 15 minutes tend to be wasted just trying to figure out how to begin. Any recommendations or tips?
    Thank you! http://dcfarmsalsa.com/ripple-wallet-how-to-set-up-and-create-an-xrp-account/

    • CJBurgoine
      |

      Hi – thanks for your comment. I often find it challenging to get going and to find the time to keep up with the blog. Sometimes, I dedicate a whole day or a weekend to catching up and then simply do a bit on the blog between other things. This allows me to enjoy getting distracted by other stuff and not stress about making progress. The flip-side by way of example is when I dedicate on hour to it one evening and lose it all to procrastination – it’s too easy to fritter away a single hour! To your point, I always need quarter of an hour to get back into it!

      Regards,

      Craig

  10. Best Crypto Wallets For Ripple
    |

    Hi there I am so glad I found your webpage, I really found you
    by mistake, while I was browsing on Aool for something else,
    Anyways I aam here now and would just like to say cheers for a
    remarkable post and a all rpund interesting blog (I
    also love the theme/design), I don’t have time to browse it all
    at the minute but I have book-marked it annd also included your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read a great deal
    more, Please do keep up the superb jo. https://Ramcharanpathak.com/community/profile/fernehavens9245/

    • CJBurgoine
      |

      Hi,

      I’m really glad you enjoyed it and that you also enjoy my future posts!

      Regards,

      Craig

  11. Necinsurance.Co.Zw
    |

    I drop a leave a response when I appreciate a article on a site
    or I hazve something to add to the conversation. It’s triggered by
    the sincerness displayed in the ppost I read. Andd after
    this post Get 40 winks more often – 40s 4 40.

    I was excited enough to drop a thought 😉 I ddo have a couple of questions for you if you tend not to mind.
    Is itt only me or dopes it loook like like a few of these remarks come across like written by brain dead people?
    😛 And, if yyou are writing at other social sites,
    I would like to keep up with you. Would you make a list the complete urls of all your shared sites like your Facebook page,
    twittyer feed, or linkedin profile? http://Necinsurance.Co.zw/component/k2/itemlist/user/360256.html

    • CJBurgoine
      |

      Hi – thanks for your comment. I’m grateful for all the support and have updated the most recent post with social media links and subscription links.

      Regards,

      Craig

    • CJBurgoine
      |

      Hi, thanks for your comment!

      Regards,

      Craig

    • CJBurgoine
      |

      ‘Procrastination is the thief of all time!’

      Thanks for your comment,

      Craig

    • CJBurgoine
      |

      Hi, thanks for your comment – You should be able to subscribe at the bottom of each page. I have updated the latest post https://40s440.com/spend-40-hours-underwater-40-scuba-dives/ and will check and update the rest of them.

      So if you go to the bottom of the most recent post, you will find the subscription link there.

      Thanks again,

      Craig

  15. Www.lzsv.sk
    |

    hewllo there aand thank you for your info – I’ve certainly picked up something new
    from right here. I did however expertise a few technical points
    using this site, since I experienced to reload the website lots of times previous to I couild
    get it to load correctly. I had been wondering if your web host is OK?
    Not tnat I’m complaining, bbut sluggish loading instances times wiol
    sometimes affct your placement in google aand
    could damage your high quality score if advertising and marketing with
    Adwords. Anyway I’m adding this RSS to my email
    annd could loook out for a lot more of your respective
    fascinating content. Make sure you update thgis again soon. https://Www.lzsv.sk/community/profile/yolandarosenber/

    • CJBurgoine
      |

      Hi,

      Thanks for your comment. I’ve noticed a bit of lag too and will check it out I’ll be posting regularly over the next few months – hope you enjoy them!

      Regards,

      Craig

    • CJBurgoine
      |

      Hi,

      Thanks for your comment. Hope you enjoyed it.

      Regards,

      Craig

    • CJBurgoine
      |

      Hi,

      Thanks for your comment.

      Regards,

      Craig

    • CJBurgoine
      |

      Hi,

      Thanks for your comment. Glad you enjoyed it.

      Regards,

      Craig

    • CJBurgoine
      |

      Hi,

      Thanks for your comment and support – I’ll be posting regularly over the next few months – hope you enjoy them!

      Regards,

      Craig

      Regards,

      Craig

    • CJBurgoine
      |

      Hi,

      Thanks for your comment. I’ll be posting regularly over the next few months – hope you enjoy them!

      Regards,

      Craig

    • CJBurgoine
      |

      Hi,

      Thanks for your comment, glad you enjoyed it and it came in useful. Please pass on my best regards to your brother!

      Thanks again,

      Craig

    • CJBurgoine
      |

      Hi,

      Thanks for your comment.

      Regards,

      Craig

    • CJBurgoine
      |

      Hi, thanks for your honest feedback, you are correct. I will consider your point going forward.

      Thanks again,

      Craig

    • CJBurgoine
      |

      Hi – thanks for your comment, glad you enjoyed it

      Regards,

      Craig

    • CJBurgoine
      |

      Hi – thanks for your comment and support, it’s really appreciated. I’ll be posting regularly over the next few months and hope you enjoy them!

      Regards,

      Craig

    • CJBurgoine
      |

      Hi – thanks for your comment and interest in my site. I’ll be posting regular updates over the next few months – hope you enjoy them!

      Regards,

      Craig

    • CJBurgoine
      |

      Hi – thanks for your comment and interest in my 40s 4 40 site – glad to hear it got you fed!

      Regards,

      Craig

    • CJBurgoine
      |

      Hi, thanks for your interest and for giving me the heads up! Sorry to hear you had issues browsing the site; I did notice something of a lag myself at times. I’ll look into it!

      Thanks again,

      Craig

    • CJBurgoine
      |

      Hi, thanks for your comment.

      Regards,

      Craig

    • CJBurgoine
      |

      Hi, thanks for your comment.

      I recommend writing about something you are passionate about because it’s inspiring! WordPress has been great for me to learn how to build a website and sufficient for my purposes but it has required quite a bit of work, time and dedication. I know a few people who just use Instagram as it requires much less effort and administration. Good luck with your own blog!

      Thanks again,

      Craig

    • CJBurgoine
      |

      Hi, thanks for your comment.

      My first recommendation is to write about something you are passionate about because then it’s a pleasure! WordPress has been great for me to learn how to build a website and sufficient for my purposes. Also, now I’ve started on here I would be reluctant to migrate all the data to another site because that would be a lot of work!

      Thanks again,

      Craig

    • CJBurgoine
      |

      Hi, thanks for your comment.

      I will be posting regularly the next few months – hope you both enjoy them!

      Thanks again,

      Craig

    • CJBurgoine
      |

      Hi, thanks for your comment – I was asking the same question when I started this blog! Since then I’ve learnt a lot about building websites and how they link to other platforms, social media for example. I think blogging about one topic would be easier than having over 40 different topics to progress and write about concurrently. Some people said to me that if the blog is going to be mainly pictures based, it would be easier to host it on Instagram but that alone isn’t sufficient if lots of words are required.

      Thanks again,

      Craig

    • CJBurgoine
      |

      Hi – thanks for your interest. I’ll be posting many more articles over the next few months. I hope you enjoy those too.

      Craig

    • CJBurgoine
      |

      Thanks to you too, much appreciated.

      Regards,

      Craig

    • CJBurgoine
      |

      Hi – thanks for your suggestion and for your interest. I’ll be posting many more articles over the next few months. I hope you enjoy them.

      Craig

    • CJBurgoine
      |

      Hi – Thanks for your interest and comments.

      Craig