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Cassidy

Shadows and Sunshine

In a social media-driven world, it's so easy to be bombarded with bad news, tragic events, and people "dragging" each other online all day long. In this day and age, it can be really hard to find the positives or to see a light at the end of a tunnel.

 

It's impossible to understand why things happen the way that they do, but I've taken solace in remembering that "the shadows prove the sunshine". Things like tragic loss or social injustice brings people together like nothing else can. Find the shared humanity, seek the course for change, love harder and without circumstance. Don't dwell in the darkness, seek the light as often as possible.

 

Saranya

Today is National Napping Day.

Daylight Saving Time means more afternoon sunshine, but that may have been little consolation to those who lost an hour of sleep Sunday morning. If you're still groggy from losing that precious hour, then take advantage of National Napping Day, observed today.

 

Dr. William Anthony, a Boston University professor, came up with National Napping Day in 1999 that would highlight the benefits of taking a quick nap.

 

In several studies, it has been shown that even a 20 or 30-minute nap can have a positive effect on mental alertness and cognitive ability. Improvements in alertness, productivity and mood have all been shown to improve with this type of snooze.  

Some facts about Naps:.

  • Napping three times a week results in a 37% decrease in heart related deaths
  • Naps can improve performance by 34%
  • In Ancient Rome, it was common to take a nap after lunch 
  • 60 million Americans are sleep-deprived at any one time
  • Humans are the only mammals to plan or delay naps
  • Just thinking about a nap can lower blood pressure

 

Though there are some of us who are just not the napping kind, if you can reap those benefits, find a cozy spot for 10 minutes or so on National Napping Day.

 

Andrew

Save the Daylight!

It is that time of year -- Daylight savings. Don’t forget to set all your clocks and timepieces forward one hour this Sunday at 2am. Sadly, we’ll lose an hour of precious sleep that we can’t seem to get enough of but this is also the beginning to long and bright summer nights.

 

One interesting thought is that this could potentially be one of the last times we have to remember to adjust our clocks here in California. There is currently legislation pending that would allow daylight savings time all year round, meaning we’ll always have those darker mornings and lighter evenings.

 

See you all Monday at 8! Or 9..