50 Everyday Mistakes

And How To Fix Them

- Brandon Specktor

Rise and Shine

1 Setting your alarm for the middle of a REM cycle. Humans sleep in five-stage cycles. Waking up in the middle of a REM stage (when you sleep deepest) leaves you groggy and grumpy—but get up during one of your light-sleep stages, and you’ll rise feeling refreshed and alert. Find your perfect bedtime with a free site such as sleepyti.me, which gives you four optimal bedtimes based on when you need to get up, or a sleep-tracker app such as Sleepbot, which uses motion and sound sensors to wake you from the lightest phase of your cycle.

2 Wrinkling your face with a cotton pillowcase. “Persistently pressing your face into a pillowcase causes trauma to the skin,” says dermatologist Dennis Gross. “Over time, this trauma, aggravated by the friction of cotton, can cause permanent creases as our collagen breaks down.” Switch to silk or satin cases to minimize creases.

3 Taking a silent shower. Does music give you chills? That’s your brain rewarding itself with dopamine—the same way it reacts to eating potato chips or falling in love. So put on your favorite tune, sing along (the deep breathing associated with singing has been shown to improve heart health), and lather up.

4–8 Not dressing for success. When it comes to picking your outfit, research shows that appearance affects perception. Avoid these fashion faux pas:

4. Ditching your eyeglasses. Beyond the “brainy” association, specs draw attention to your eyes—the windows to empathy.

5. Dressing down. Suits (and other professional attire, such as lab coats) really do make you look more competent. So do designer labels.