CBA Record Nov-Dec 2019

LPMT BITS & BYTES BY ANNE HAAG

Interested in learning more? Watch the free on demand CBA video “Maintain Your Summer Mindset for a Healthier Practice Year-Round” at https://lpmt.chicagobar.org/ category/wellness. about missing an emergency call. It’s important to stress that better sleep is not a guarantee for mental health. It can help mitigate the effects of mental health conditions or lessen their symptoms, but this is in no way meant to suggest that sleep is a cure-all. If you are experiencing symp- toms of depression, anxiety, suicidality, or any other mental health condition, there is no substitute for the treatment of a mental healthcare professional. Further, every person has a different brain and circadian rhythm. What works for one person might not be best for you. All that said, sleep is essential for every- one. So sleep well, readers, and don’t let winter get you down! CLASSIFIED AD RATES The rates for classified ads are $2.50 per word for CBA members and $3.50 per word for nonmembers. Checks payable to The Chicago Bar Association must accompany all ads. Mail to: Classified Ads, c/o CBA Record, 321 South Plymouth Court, Chicago, IL 60604-3997. CLASSIFIED ADS ESTATE PLANNING ATTORNEYS: We repre- sent Sam Epling, Co-Administrator with Will Annexed for the ESTATE OF JAMES J. KOZEL, Deceased. We are seeking any estate planning attorney who assisted James J. Kozel with updating any estate planning documents after 1999. If you fit that description, please contact Michael Whitty at Freeborn & Peters, (312) 360-6192 or mwhitty@freeborn.com

Sleep in the City T he temperatures are dropping, and the daylight hours are getting notice- ably shorter. Along with the need to bring your down parka out from the recesses of your closet and preparing for months of cold and darkness, this often means the potential return of seasonal affective disorder. However, winter doesn’t have to triumph over your wellbeing! One of the most powerful tools in your winter wellness toolbox is sleep. During the summer, the daylight hours more closely mirror our natural sleep/wake patterns.This makes it easier for our brain to regulate our sleep cycles. This is not so when darkness arrives at 4:30 pm. Why does sleep matter so much, and what can you do to create or maintain healthy sleep patterns as winter takes hold? If you are getting fewer than 7 hours of sleep a night, you are not getting enough sleep. This deficit can put you at risk for many medical conditions including diabe- tes, cardiovascular disease, and decreased immune function. Lack of sleep has been linked to disturbances in cognitive func- tioning, memory strength, and a decreased ability to absorb new information – all essential skills for lawyers. If you can’t retain new facts of a case or your cognitive func- tioning is impaired, your practice will suffer. Even more significantly, sleep disturbance has been demonstrated to contribute to all major psychiatric conditions, from depres- sion to suicidality. Lawyers already run a higher risk of developing these conditions, so sleep becomes doubly important for this population. One of the best things you can do to get better sleep is establish a regular, everyday

sleep/wake pattern. If you go to bed at 11pm and wake up at 6amduring the week, try not to deviate too drastically from this pattern on the weekend. The idea that you can catch up on sleep is a falsehood, so that extra hour on Saturday doesn’t have the ameliorative effect you might expect. Our brains like a schedule, so your sleep hormones will regulate more easily if you establish a pattern. Additionally, stop pressing the snooze button when your alarm goes off in the morning. After you hit snooze, you prob- ably start to drift off to sleep again. When you do this, your brain begins a new sleep cycle. When jolted awake 7 minutes later, you’re waking up your brain at a spot in the cycle when it’s most difficult to do so. This causes a groggy feeling that can last for up to 4 hours, called sleep inertia. In this window, your memory, reaction time, basic cognitive ability, alertness, and attention span are all weakened. Again, these are significant skills that are central to a lawyer’s functioning. Relying on alcohol to help you sleep is one of the most dangerous sleep habits you can form. Alcohol may cause drowsiness, but it’s also a powerful suppressor of REM sleep – the high-quality sleep you need to function optimally. If you build this reliance on alcohol to sleep, you are more likely to sleepwalk, sleep talk, and experience issues with your memory. All screens are sleep saboteurs, but your cell phone carries particularly damaging weight. The blue LED light of these screens tricks your brain into thinking it’s daytime, so it doesn’t produce the melatonin you need to fall asleep. Most devices have set- tings you can activate to automatically dim the blue light of your phone as the day goes on, lessening this effect. However, you can also make use of the “do not disturb” function to impose better boundaries. This setting mutes notifications during a set window, and you can establish exceptions to this setting so you don’t have to worry

Anne Haag is the CBA’s Law Practice Management Advisor.

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