Business travel and getting enough sleep

by Dani Stevens

I don't know about you but I love to travel. Regardless if it's for pleasure or business, get me onto a plane now. I love meeting new people, hanging out at airports and mingling at events - it's my middle name. Sure, it gets a little tiring but hey! That's why I created this post especially for our sleep challenge this month.

I had a quick trip to Sydney on Monday and arrived late last night. Let me tell you, business travel and sleep do mix; they have to, otherwise we wouldn't be productive. There were so many people in suits and laptops working beside me on the plane.... sheesh! I was one of them. Business travel demands high performance, hectic schedules, heavy meals and late nights (I had to learn a script and product for some video content 6 hours before the shoot! All I can say is thank you autocue, you saved me!).

These are all a recipe for poor sleep.

If more of us realized the importance of sleep to performance, not to mention health, we would get a lot more done and feel a whole lot better doing it. Losing as little as one and a half hours for just one night reduces daytime alertness by about one-third. Excessive daytime sleepiness impairs memory and the ability to think and process information. Then the sleep deprivation kicks in which leads to mood swings, attention deficits, slower reaction times, and increased risk for accidents. And sleep deprivation is cumulative, building a sleep debt that must be paid.

So when I landed in my beautiful hotel room I had my eyes on;

  • That great BIG bed all to myself and that silky smooth bedding
  • I LOVE the blackout curtains at hotels, it totally excites me
  • I bang on my relaxing, sleep-promoting tunes
  • I'm a sucker for bath amenities and bring my lavender oils
  • Party of pillows, I place them all around me down to my toes, it's hilarious
  • PLUS I always love hotel wake-up calls

So make sure you do the same next time you travel.

Sleep Challenge

Sleep Challenge Dani Stevens

Are you too Sleepy for Sex?

Ahhh we have all been here done that right? Join the club, I just came back from a trip remember. It's tough - many of us have children and pets to attend to, work online plus other diversions that tempt us away from our partners, and sleep. We as a society are FULL ON 24/7!!! We are "just too tired" to even want to be "turned on."

We are burning the candle at both ends - most of us anyway, so the excuse is - we are tired. Hence creating the sleep challenge this month so we can get to bed early and spend some quality one on one, intimacy, action time or whatever you like to call it.

Here's some of my tips;

1. Manage your time together. I know how this works, you gotta put the kids to bed, do the dishes, prepare for the next day and then there's more work to be done - that you don't end up getting to bed when your partner does. So make sure you share the workload and go to bed together. It is so important to create a lovely space devoted to intimacy.

2. Ditch the TV and technology. I know it’s easy to flop in front of the TV at the end of a long day but make a conscious effort to turn the screens off early and go have a cuddling and pash session instead. I assure you it will jump-start your sex life. Oh yeah, ditch the TV in your bedroom, we kissed that screen goodbye years ago!

3. Look at your health and wellness. Make the commitment to yourself and your partner that you will find a way to manage your fatigue so that it does not interfere with a good sex life. Are you at a healthy weight? Do you eat enough protein? Do you get enough exercise or too much? Are you trying to get a minimum of seven hours of sleep per night? Taking care of your own wellness and health can make a significant difference in your energy level and interest in sex.

3. Good sex is all about your own personal quality of life and your partner's so if you're over worked AKA too stressed out, you may be even too stressed and tired to even have sex. Never compromise this precious time with your partner, you have to be creative and find good times for sex. I should know, we have 4 kids!!! Ha ha

4. Grab a quickie! If night time doesn't suit, squeeze an impromptu session throughout the day. In the shower, before work or a surprise lunch date normally works wonders. Remember what used to excite you in the early days and just replicate it.

So go on! Get to bed early tonight! A better sex life improves your health and overall quality of life PLUS you will have the best sleep afterwards too! Ha ha

XxDani

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