Page 8 - ABL Thrive Newsletter_Q2 2019

Don’t sleep on these tips the Oura Ring, which tells you not
By ABL Contributor, Gerry Colas only how you slept, but also how
hard you should work during the day.
2) Block out blue light. Set your

Rapper and actor Tupac Shakur had an
interesting belief about rest, once saying, “The phone to automatically block out blue

only time I have problems is when I sleep.” light or dim two to three hours before
Unfortunately, this is a common thought your set sleep schedule. Changing
process in African-American culture. However, the settings on your cell phone will
sleep is one of the pillars of health, right along take less than four minutes. Read
with eating and exercise. During sleep, your “Blue Light Has a Dark Side” by
body repairs itself and prepares you for the Harvard Health Publishing for more
greatness of your day.
information on the effects of blue
I have worked some or all of third shift for the light.
last three years. I have missed more 10am 3) Set up a routine. Don’t adjust your
meetings than I’ve made, struggling to find the schedule by more than two hours,
best way to deal with sleep. even on your days off. Our bodies
get set to a circadian rhythm. Taking
The good news is, there is hope for those with
sleep struggles. The article “Sleep: The a shower and drinking tea will let
Foundation for Healthy Habits” by Mayo Clinic your body know it’s time to sleep.
is a good read that points out the need for
healthy sleep and issues that could contribute If you didn’t change your phone settings, you
to the lack of it. should stop reading and do this now. Yes,
now. Try these changes and let Thrive know
Seven to eight hours of sleep each night is how you feel and what you think!
most commonly recommended. At Quest, we
have a great number of coworkers, like me,
who work non-traditional schedules in areas
like the Laboratory, Logistics and Client
Services, among others. One thing I’ve found
is that the quality of your sleep is more
important than the number of hours you sleep.
3 changes that can help improve your sleep
quality:
1) Track your sleep. If you can
measure it, you can manage it. A
low- to no-cost option is to download
a sleep tracking app on your phone.
Google “Sleep tracking app free” to
find one you like. A more accurate
but pricier way is to use a fitness
tracker like a Fit Bit or Apple Watch.
On the high end of sleep tracking is

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