Sleep Makes You Thinner (& 4 Other Reasons to Get Some Shut Eye)

At this point, I shouldn’t have to remind anyone about the benefits of sleep. Medicine and science has been lecturing us about why it’s as important as water and oxygen. And yet many — even the healthiest, quinoa-committed among us — still ignore the many documented risks. Here are five reasons to get at least seven to eight hours a night.

You will look better

It’s scientifically proven that people who are well-rested are consistently judged by others to be more attractive. Studies show it affects your appearance and facial features in obvious ways. Among just a few of the sleep-deprived side effects: accelerates the aging of skin (thus you); wrinkles; paleness; drooping mouths.

You will function better

A lack of sleep impacts memory and cognitive performance. It also lowers productivity. As a researcher at Harvard recently demonstrated in a paper, “It might be the difference between a B+ and an A-.”

You will make better choices

After a sleepless night we are more likely to choose donuts instead of a healthier breakfast. And it just goes downhill from there. When we don’t get enough rest, fMRI scans show impaired activity in part of the brain that governs complex decision making and increased activity in the parts of the brain that respond to rewards.

You will be thinner

In addition to making poor food choices and feeling hungrier, insufficient sleep is associated with obesity and Type 2 Diabetes. Sleep deprivation has been shown to raise the amount of ghrelin — the hunger hormone — in the blood. In fact, experts recommend sleep as a treatment for these disorders.

You will have better relationships

Tired people are more likely to lash out at their partner. Not getting enough rest compromises a couple’s ability to avoid and manage conflict. As the researchers caution, even one bad night can have an effect:

Even among relatively good sleepers, a poor night of sleep was associated with more conflict with their romantic partner the next day.

Your future depends on your dreams. So go to sleep.
-Mesut Barazany

I wish you all the best,

Dr. Samantha Boardman

Margo Chabot

Founder of Project Goodness – a community dedicated to noticing and adding to the goodness in and around us).

WHAT’S YOUR MOTTO?

It’s about your attention and where you put it!

WHAT’S ON YOUR NIGHTSTAND?

Mostly books! 7 books, 4 of which I’m in the middle of (including “My Grandfather’s Blessings” by Rachel Naomi Remen) and 3 of which I plan to start soon (including “The Wisdom of Insecurity” by Allan Watts). I also have a memo pad and pen and the Project Goodness manifesto.

WHAT GIVES YOU GOOSE BUMPS?

Hearing someone talk about what they are passionate about.

WHAT IS YOUR BAD DAY BACKUP PLAN?

Once, after an exceptionally “bad day” I went on Pinterest and happened upon this quote “Your success rate of getting through bad days is 100%” – I like to remember that on bad days, as it kind of puts them in perspective. So after I remember that, I like to focus on taking it easy on myself, accepting the day, and trying to think of some part of it that went well.

WHAT ARE YOU GRATEFUL FOR?

Being able to do what I love daily – shining a light on the goodness in the world, encouraging others to do the same, and together, working on adding to it.

HOW DO YOU DEFINE SUCCESS?

Exactly the way Ralph Waldo Emerson does here: “To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.”

BEST ADVICE YOU’VE EVER RECEIVED?

When I was in the early stages of Project Goodness, my Dad said, “Sometimes you have to think a little unrealistically in order to make it happen, you just have to go for it!”

BEST ADVICE YOU’VE EVER GIVEN?

“You know what to do.” I believe that when people ask what to do, at the bottom of their heart they know. I therefore love helping them get in touch with that.

FAVORITE WORD?

Right now, my favorite word is one I recently learned – the Chinese word for crisis, which is made up of two characters, one that signifies “danger” and the other “opportunity.”

WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON NOW THAT YOU ARE EXCITED ABOUT?

I’m in the final stages of putting together a Project Goodness workshop – where those that partake in it will get to explore goodness in an engaging and creative way, and hopefully leave feeling more connected to the goodness in and around them. This has been one of my dreams for a while and I’m so excited that it is becoming a reality!

HOW DO YOU PRESS PAUSE?

By practicing mindfulness breathing (to breath and know that I’m breathing). I love doing this because I can practice it anywhere, and it automatically brings me into the present moment, and leaves me feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. There are a few techniques I like, but my favorite by far is placing my hands on my belly and feeling it rise and fall as I inhale and exhale.

FAVORITE WORK OF ART?

A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Tim Rollins & KOS. I happened upon it at an art fair a few years ago and its been my favorite ever since. Partly because of it’s beauty and partly because of the story behind it – how it all began, with a group of middle school students (Kids of Survival) from South Bronx and their teacher Tim Rollins.

FAVORITE BOOK?

“Man’s Search For Meaning” by Viktor Frankl. In it Frankl explores meaning through his personal experience in the concentration camps of the Holocaust. It is deeply grounded in sadness and tragedy and yet there is hope laced though it. It holds lessons I keep with me always.

To learn more about Margo, visit With Goodness and follow her on:

Love Literally Hurts – So Does Being Left Out

Love hurts — the pain is emotional and physical. In the 1970s, scientist Jaak Panseep discovered that puppies separated from their mothers were less likely to cry if given small doses of morphine. Pansee suspected a connection between physical and emotional pain, but couldn’t find a way to replicate his study in humans.

A decade ago though, Naomi Eisenberger did just that at the University of California, Los Angeles. Eisenberger tricked subjects into thinking they were being excluded from games with others and found that the areas of the brain that registered physical pain were the very same areas reacting to the social exclusion.

While physical and emotional pain may overlap, according to the results of a study out of Purdue University, physical pain fades sooner than emotional. When test subjects were asked to recall pain from the past, they provided more detail about emotional pain than they did about a physical injury.

This comes as no surprise to anybody who has ever had a broken heart. Some scars last longer than others.

I wish you all the best,

Dr. Samantha Boardman

Paralyzing Choices

When it comes to choice, most people assume that more is more. Whether we are choosing a doctor, shoes, what to order for dinner or setting up a 401k, we are faced with countless options. As Barry Schwartz writes in his bestselling book, The Paradox of Choice, having the freedom to choose what we want is a core cultural value. But as luxurious and convenient as this abundance of choice is, it has a dark side.

Too many choices can be overwhelming. In a study entitled, When choice is demotivating: Can one desire too much of a good thing? people were more likely to purchase gourmet jams or chocolates when offered just six options rather than when offered 30 options. Similarly, college students were more likely to write an optional class essay assignment when given fewer topics to choose from. Significantly, when the options were limited, the participants in the studies reported greater satisfaction with their jams and chocolates and wrote better essays.

There are a number of possible explanations for these results. Avoidance of potential regret, feeling overwhelmed, and the amount of effort it takes to choose. As Schwartz describes:

A large array of options may discourage consumers because it forces an increase in the effort that goes into making a decision. So consumers choose not to decide. Or if they do, the effort that the decision requires detracts from the enjoyment of the results.

Choice overload makes you question the choices you make, it sets up unrealistically high expectations, and we end up blaming ourselves for making the wrong choice.

Jam is one thing. Being paralyzed by choice can carry more serious consequences when it comes to making important decisions. For example, in a study using data from over 800,000 employees, participation in 401(k) plans was higher in plans offering a handful of funds as compared to plans offering 10 or more. When overwhelmed with plans, choosing none may become the default option.

Bottom Line: When it comes to making choices, some choice is good. If you choose not to choose, be sure it is an active rather than passive decision.

I wish you all the best,

Dr. Samantha Boardman

The Importance of Being Little: What Preschoolers Really Need from Grownups

Well researched with a personalized touch, this book brings to light the troubles early education is presenting to our youth, and how that will impact an entire generation. Being an early childhood educator and school consultant, Christakis has direct experience seeing how the emphasis on our current curriculum standards aren’t actually benefiting our children in the classroom. Children need to play, be creative and get their hands dirty, and that is exactly what we have been discouraging them from doing.

Buy It on Amazon

Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution

This elegant and quick read doesn’t claim to be a biography about Marie-Antoinette, but rather focuses brilliantly on the clothing choices she and her handlers made at every juncture in her tenure as Dauphine, and later Queen of France. This is the perfect gift for history buffs and fashionistas alike.

Buy It on Amazon
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