MacqNap Spots - Napping during lectures?

MacqNap Spots - Sleeping in lectures?

Have you ever fallen asleep in your lecture? Well I probably have many numerous times. Although my argument for this is if you aren't learning anything in your lectures, may as well spend the time wisely towards your health. Although of course come back and watch your lectures online when you aren't so tired so you dont get left behind. Either way if you do fall asleep in your lectures, well...At least you turned up.

Hey Alex here with another blog about sleeping. In this blog I'll be talking about sleeping in your lectures. Lets face it, we have done it - Or thought about it- mostly because of lectures being boring or simply not learning anything therefore putting your energy to better use. But fear not, sleeping in lectures may well be one of the best places to sleep in the University, at least according to my experience.

There really isn't much to say to or when you wish to sleep in a lecture. Which is why its one of the best places to nap really. All you might need to do is secure your bag, or if you have friends that want to learn you can get them to look after your things. Although one thing you would need to remember is to sleep properly. This refers back to my other blog about sleeping properly (with reference to sleeping posture in particular). My recommendation would be to get comfortable and make sure your head is not hanging downwards as you will be putting stress on your neck and after pro longed periods of time, this can cause some pain and discomfort. Therefore I recommend you cross your arms and if you can, on the little tables each seat has, nicely rest your arms in a crossed form with your head over them .

Lectures truly are in my opinion one of the best places to sleep while at Uni. Although the downfalls may be in the lecturer joking about you, or even waking you up to make fun of you. But if the lecturer does choose to let you sleep, you may have two to four hours of sleep to catch up on.

Writer:
Aleksandar Bjelosevic
aleksandar.bjelosevic@students.mq.edu.au 

Image : http://au.reachout.com/-/media/images/articles/man-sleeping-in-lecture.jpg?mw=2
80&hash=2B07949E844A0FAEC0E49E5E1B5129D74BB3DDCD

Stress-free sleeping

Stress-free sleeping Tips for better sleeping!

Have you ever tried sleeping the night before some major exams or the day before some sort of confrontation with an incoming conflict? Do you remember  how long it took you to get to sleep, tossing and turning, only to get a few hours of sleep riddled with nightmares of the incoming event. This can all be linked to stress, anxiety and excitement to some extent.

Stress acts similarly to your body telling you that something is wrong although most of the things it tells you are wrong is only because you make it out to be something far worse than it really is in your mind. This can also be attributed to the environment and people you surround yourself with telling you that certain things are wrong or bad, things such as failing an exam. And this can lead to nightmares.

There are a few methods you could use to deal with stress before sleep, or in some sense to De-stress yourself.

* One thing I noticed through life experience was to avoid horror movies and angry things (such as loud, heavy metal) than my solution is to spend 1-2 hours before sleep without these things. This period will be the wind down period.

* The wind down period is to as the name suggests wind down. To calm yourself, to release the stress and stop thinking about that which scares you or in another sense stimulates your mind to a great extent.

* I suggest drinking some tea and listening to some soft music (I tend to listen to Jazz, orchestral and in some cases Church Chants) to wind down or calm down). Another thing I would suggest is watching animal video (I like cat and dog videos personally) that are great for winding down as they are very happy videos and animals are so cute.

* If you are religious, You could practice praying or whatever your religion preaches which could calm you down spiritually and mentally.

* A great tip would be to take deep breaths before sleep. This means inhaling air until your stomach goes out ass much as it can and until you have more than enough air. Then simply exhale and repeat it five times. This is also a great tip for stressful situations in general such as speeches. Taking five deep breaths before the action or event will go a long way to calm you down.

* Taking a shower is a great way to calm down after and before events. This also includes when you are feeling stressed or afraid. This not only relaxes your muscles but increases your internal or body temperature which makes sleeping much easier and is one of the reasons people generally feel calmer after a shower.

* My last recommendation with winding down or de-stressing is to exercise. Exercising uses a lot of energy and is a great way to remove or waste your anger in some sense. This is seen best in releasing your anger on a punching bag or spending energy running around your nearby area.

These tips help me on a daily basis to get a good nights sleep and de-stress on a general basis. If you are having problems sleeping, I suggest you give these a shot!

Writer:
Aleksandar Bjelosevic
aleksandar.bjelosevic@students.mq.edu.au Image:
http://askdrernst.com/wp-content/uploads/Sleep.jpg
https://cdn.psychologytoday.com/sites/default/files/styles/article-inline-half/public/blogs/46501/2011/05/65205-55645.jpg?itok=AuOEmFhc

Hey Nappers!

So today I am blogging from the sunny Port Macqaurie! I'm staying in a nice little hotel room with two single beds. That got me thinking, how can I get the best sleep possible whilst I'm away from the comfort and familiarity of home base (my bed)? At home, I've got my routine, my pillows arranged for maximum comfort and my own toasty, warm blanket. Here, I'm in foreign terrain – Terrifying, I know.

Here's how I got the best sleep out of my stay:

1. Investigate and explore

Hotel rooms always have hidden goodies hidden in the closets and cupboards. Make sure you check those out first because you are bound to find extra pillows and blankets to use in building up your bedding inventory. If you ever feel like you don't have enough in your arsenal, you can always call the lobby and ask them to bring up some more.

2. Take advantage of the complimentary tea

Tea has always been a friend of mine. If you know your teas well enough and drink the right ones, you can totally manipulate how you feel. If you're ever having a rough night or demand a good night's sleep, drink a cup of chamomile tea. Knocks me right out. For the best cup of tea, add milk and honey. You'll be counting sheep in no time.

3. Play around with lighting

You should try and manipulate the lights in a way so that its not pitch black but not light about an hour before you sleep. This will get you in the mood and have you feeling tired by the time it's actually time to doze off. Usually, rooms will have a bedside lamp. This is especially ideal if you're reading a book before bed – Reading a book also tends to knock me out but make sure it's one that isn't too interesting otherwise you may end up staying up all night instead! I recommend turning off all the lights besides the lamp or a light in a neighbouring room. 

4. Extra beds

Sometimes you may be travelling with a large crew and there aren't enough beds for you guys to sleep on. In this worst case scenario, most beds allow you to take the mattress off the bed support. The support is not ideal but when layered with many blankets, it's sleepable. That way, you've got two beds made out of the one.

I'm off to enjoy Port Macquarie, happy sleeping everyone!

Writer:
Julia Gapon
julia.gapon@students.mq.edu.auhttps://twitter.com/MacqNap

Image:
http://www.lafayettegardeninn.com/wp-content/fancygallery/1/3/laf_inn_rooms_1.jpg