National Culinary Review - November/December 2010

10 p.m., known as the “forbidden zone,” making it difficult to fall asleep, Belenky says. “What keeps you asleep eight hours is that your body temperature is falling from 11 p.m. until six in the morning.” So, is nature on your side? Pity the early risers working long shifts. If you get up at 2: 30 a.m., get to work at 3: 30 a.m. and get off work at 1 p.m., you are ready to sleep as circadian rhythms are raising your

Are you plagued by racing thoughts, and can neither turn off your mind nor stop worrying when trying to fall sleep? WORRY AND SLEEP

“Anxiety or depression could be keeping you awake,” says Dr. Robin Haight, a licensed clinical psychologist in Vienna, Va., adding, “Sleep disregulation can make a wide variety of anxiety problems or depression worse.” Adults juggling a lot of balls may seem to be fine, but really they are suffering, she says, adding, “Sleeplessness may be how the anxiety manifests itself.” So what can you do if too many responsibilities and troubling thoughts are keeping you up? “Take a break, even for half an hour, and get a little nap,” Haight says. “Close your eyes, decrease stimulation. Go to a quiet room. Lower the lights. Even 20-30 minutes during your body’s natural temperature dip can help you recharge.” A little sleep can be miraculously reviving.

If all else fails, therapy can help bed down anxieties, she adds. After all, if bad

body temperature, making falling asleep more difficult. And circadian rhythms work against those working night shifts, too. If you work from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., and fall asleep at 8 a.m., circadian rhythms will be raising your body temperature, making it difficult for you to sleep much beyond 1 p.m., or for more than five hours.

As we age, circadian rhythms shift, making us earlier risers, Belenky explains.

behavior in kitchens can provoke anxiety, who doesn’t need a little help from time to time in a world fraught with fear of the future and pain from the past?

“Machismo and abusive behavior can undermine a person’s sense of worth, triggering underlying anxiety or depression and reactivating unresolved childhood traumas,” Haight says.

A yelling chef can remind you of an abusive parent or teacher. A disapproving coworker can revive early feelings of inadequacy or not being good enough. And these unresolved feelings can fill you with anxiety, keeping you up at night, even if they are not conscious.

“If you get injured on your body, you can slap on a bandage, and the wound may fester, stay infected and never really repair itself. With therapy, you open the bandage, clean the wound and let it heal,” Haight explains. “Yes, you may have a scar, but the good news is the wound will no longer hurt.

“Sleep should be restorative, not just one more anxiety.”

Circadian rhythms also diminish in strength with age, so there can be periods of drowsiness during the day and wakefulness at night, unlike the consolidated periods of sleep and wakefulness experienced by younger people.

HAMMOCK TIME

Think about it. The more you work, the less time you have to sleep and the more difficult it is to arrange your sleep in accordance with circadian rhythms.

So, how many hours you work, how
many hours you sleep and the impact
of circadian rhythms will determine your
success in coupling enough sleep with
good performance. No wonder Belenky
assures us that our fatigue may well be a
function of factors beyond whether or not
we drink energy drinks or do yoga.

Still, for all those suffering from too little sleep, he offers a solution. “You can split your sleep. Two thirds of the world does this, with people in many cultures taking a siesta.” Those in jobs that demand unusual hours, such as airline pilots or doctors, take siestas while others cover for them, Belenky explains. And around the world, diners doze after the afternoon meal.

So, will nap areas be coming to your restaurant soon, so staff is never caught dozing over the saucepans? Or how about hammocks in the back—an idea for the future as refreshing as watermelon, lemonade and spritzers.