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December 5, 2005
Don't Sabotage Your Qigong Practice By Not Sleeping Enough
One of the ways qigong benefits us is by helping restore depleted energy. Personally, I find it easy to get into the mindset that qigong can be my magic guardian against any and all health challenges, however else I lead my life.
It’s kind of like a spoiled rich kid who knows their Dad is always going to bail them out…
But of course, there's only so much qigong - or a rich Dad - can do to bail you out, if you consistently continue to make unhealthy choices in any part of your life.
One of the areas I get most complacent about is getting enough sleep.
I was reminded of this the other day when I read my favorite copywriting newsletter from John Forde. John’s Copywriter’s Roundtable is the only marketing newsletter I always open and always read completely, because it is always highly informative and very interesting. Don’t feel you have to be a professional copywriter or marketer to benefit from John’s great stuff – check him out at www.jackforde.com
In his issue # 234, How to Write Copy With Your Eyes Closed he discusses the huge impact good sleep can have on your creativity and general intellectual capabilities.
John includes this research reference:
“In a 2004 study from the University of Luebeck in Germany, 106 volunteers showed they could do three times better on a simple test than those who had piled up LESS than 8 hours of sleep.
Sleep, it turns out, gives your brain time to ‘repack’ the day's collected memories for longer- term storage. In the process, your powers of creativity get a boost. The researchers don't know exactly why that happens….”
John then offers some suggestions for ensuring you get more and better sleep. For the full detail read John’s newsletter, but they include:
Skip TV, skip late-night internet surfing, avoid late-night sugar and caffeine, get a handle on your workaholic late hour frenzies, do abdominal breathing exercises just before bed (hmmm, sounds like qigong to me), and get up at sunrise.
Sound like no-brainers, don’t they? Well, funny how often I personally seem to disregard what’s in my best interest…
Sometimes, of course, it’s great to make the deliberate choice to set fire to your whole candle and watch it melt away to nothing. You take the trade-off: live large and deep tonight, take the hammering to your body and brain later and accept it as a willing sacrifice.
But consistent lack of sleep will reduce you in all the areas your qigong is so good at helping you with: your physical vitality, emotional stability, mental clarity and spiritual tranquility.
So, do yourself a big favor and get more sleep! Your body, brain and spirit – not to mention your friends, family and coworkers – will thank you for it, big time.
See all of John Du Cane’s qigong resources.
Posted by james at December 5, 2005 2:52 PM