DO LIKE BRIT: SLEEP 8 HOURS A NIGHT!

"My No. 1 beauty secret is lots and lots of sleep," says Britney to People for their 50 Most Beautiful People 2003 edition. "Eight hours a night, and I'm a big believer in naps." N she's right, sleeping is a top thing when it comes to looking beautiful. After all, who looks good or sexy in a "zombie" look? Fortunately nowadays, as "mean" as fashion can be labeled for manipulating our minds weather to buy something or dislike our bodies, it's got its healthy things too. We don't need to tell you having bright eyes, shiny hair n soft skin is being beautiful - fashion told you that. What you might have not heard is that sleeping helps it all. Besides, being sexy is all about your attitude, n sleeping will give you the energy to handle things the way you want to, plus helping your power of concentration n much more!

Just like everybody, Britney says that, sadly, she can't sleep as much as she would want to when she's working. When she gets the full 8 hours, it's an achieved goal! During the shooting of her first movie Crossroads where "there was a lot of waiting around", she says "I took a lot of naps, I learnt why they call them power naps!” she laughs. N when she's got some downtime, her mum revealed she sleeps extra time to make up - 10 hours! N that's great, she certainly needs it! But watch it! Don't go over the top, lazing around can be good, but too much of a good thing always turns bad. Sleeping too much can even give you depression. Contradictions? No way, this is easy: Sleep all that you need, knowing that's something from 6 to 8 hours a day.

So get the 8 hours in your day plan! Whatever you would be putting over it, will be much better performed if you had your needed rest first. But if you do sleep 8 hours but you're still tiered; or you just can't fall asleep, read this top tips to fight the anti-rest factors!

U Can't Turn Your Brain Off!
One of those worse things that can happen when we go to bed n wanna pretty much fade out for the next 8 hours, is having our brains still going around stuff we didn't do or still have to do. Wouldn't it be nice to find a button to turn our brains off for just a few hours? It’s not so automatic, but it is probably easier than you think. According to Ph.D. Andrea López Mato, this kind of insomnia has a temporal characteristic, and it's produced upon stressful situations. The idea is to relax before going to bed. The best thing in this case is to make a complete list of what you have to do the following day. Include when and how you're gonna do it, so it's a realistic plan n you can feel happy you achieved, at least most of, what you wanted. Make sure you have the clothes n accessories you're gonna wear the following morning all together. Yet don’t place them somewhere you can see them from your bed - the idea is to take it off your mind, not to keep focused on it. That's also the reason why you shouldn't have the desk where you work, or any exercising machine in your bedroom. You don't want your mind there - making you feel guilty or anxious and therefore stressed. Also, to get your mind away, the top thing is to forget you 'have' to fall asleep. Think about your sweetie, or the perfect ending for that TV show you're watching, or just count down from 100 to 0 visualizing every number inside your head. If you've got a fish, a good idea is to put the fishbowl in front of your bed n watch the fish moving slowly. Or you can always read a Chemistry book when you get in bed; you'll be asleep by page 2 - n you'll learn something!

Your Room Is On Fire
Being from Louisiana, Brit knows how hard it is to sleep in those hoooot summer nights, and that there is a connection between the temperature n the insomnia. Why? Because at night the temperature starts going down and that's an indicator to our brains that it's time to sleep. So if your room is too hot your body won't realize it's bedtime. Besides research shows that the high temperatures and colors like red, orange n yellow, may give you nightmares or not let you sleep as well as you could. First: take the reds off your room! At least avoid using these colors on sheets n covers; and change those reddish posters in front of your bed for softer colored ones. Then try finding out what's the temperature in your room. It shouldn't go over 25°C. If you check or feel it's too hot, you can get a fan or air conditioning on. You can also try having a hot shower before bed or wearing warm socks. The bath might sound contradictory, but when you get out of the water your body temperature will quickly go down. While the socks biological explanation is that the hit will go to your feet. Both things making your body reach the needed temperature.

Too Soft
Make sure your mattress is not too soft. Those won't help you get a good rest because during the night it'll be hard for you to move without waking up. The solution is pretty obvious, get a new one you feel totally comfortable on. And also check on your pillow; if you decide to get a new one remember the ones made with natural things like feeders are the best choice.

Your Bed Is 2 Just Rest
Okay, so you can read your Chemistry book to see if you fall asleep in 2 seconds, but no real study there. It might be easier - at least on the first thought - to lie over the bed to study, read, watch tv, talk on the phone, etc. Everything sound better done in our very own four walls, especially on the most comfortable thing there: our very own bed. But the reason it looks so irresistible is that it's where you can rest. To keep it that way you gotta make sure that's what it's all about. That way when you get in bed, your body will recognizes it's time to sleep.

Too Much Or Not Enough Food Before Bed
When you get in bed your body can't be too busy digesting the big meals you just had, or too worried about the noises your stomach is doing for not eating anything. When your stomach is empty, your sugar levels go down n this makes your body start producing the hormone that causes stress. Just change the big meal of the day for lunch time, or even better: breakfast, the biggest meal should be that one; and eat something light if you're planning to go to bed in the next 2 hours n don't drink alcohol either.

You Have To Go..


The Lil Clock Light Bugs
These modern stuff might be really comfortable to read the time in the dark, but sometimes that's exactly the opposite of what we need. On one hand, when we need to get our mind away of "having" to fall asleep n just enjoy being in bed, reading the time n counting the minutes can make us very, very stressed. N to top it, even if we don't care about the time, the light for itself is a bug - n that also goes for the lights of the video, the stereo, etc -. One step solutions: desconect, or cover, the video, stereo, etc; n move the clocks somewhere you can't see them from your bed.

Hush, Just Stop!
There's nothing you can do or say, baby.. when there's an airport or train station near your house. Research shows that even the people who say it doesn't bug them because they're used to it, aren't truly getting the rest they should. Same thing when your neighbors decide to party. From the loudest noises like car alarms, to the softer ones like the steps of your cat, you need to make it stop. Yup, there's something you can do! Wear earplugs and close your windows real well. You can also try getting your radio in between two FM stations to create a "blank noise".

Oops!..U Had Too Much Caffeine Again
Despite what's usually said, coffee by itself is not bad, n it even has healthy sides, but it might be a reason why you can't fall asleep. Usually caffeine is eliminated off your system after three to five hours, but to some people it takes up to 10 hours! So the best is not to drink coffee after 2 p.m. if you suspect this is your problem. Yet, the problem is you might be drinking caffeine without being aware of it. It's everywhere: chocolate, sodas, medication, etc. So if you're under any medication check with your doctor and check on everything you eat.

It's Gotta Come
As if being in a bad mood, n the unstoppable urge for chocolate weren't enough consequences, the changes in the hormones can also bug your rest. Eating right all through the month can certainly help, just like taking vitamins. Other things that will help you is exercising regularly n doing yoga. N you can also try having a long bath before bed.

Exercising 2 Late
Weather it's dancing, doing aerobics, playing sports or walking, exercising is definitely something you gotta add to your routine! One of the million reasons is that it improves the quality of your rest, but before choosing your gym time read this. The best is to Do Like Brit and choose the morning or anytime before 5 p.m. will work. The thing is that when you exercise, your adrenaline levels will go up n so will your temperature n you need exactly the opposite for a good rest. So if you can only exercise at night, make sure you go to bed 3 hours after you finish exercising.

That's all y'all. Sleep well!



HAS BRIT INSPIRED YOU TO SLEEP MORE?
- Yeah, the 8 hours concept got in me when I got it from her
- Nope, I inspired myself
- No, drop it, I just don't have the time!