u/EnnioEvo

The premarital course at Church of Saint Catherine of Siena is, by far, the best one in Rome.

The course is led by Maria Cruciani and Mario Persiani. Maria Cruciani literally teaches Matrimonial Theology at Pontifical Gregorian University, the university where many seminarians study. In other words, she teaches future priests about marriage and still takes the time to offer this course, free of charge, to young couples preparing for marriage.

The course has been outstanding. Almost every lesson featured young, recently married couples who were invited and encouraged to lead the session themselves. As a result, the lessons were highly authoritative while also being engaging, relatable, interactive, and insightful. There was none of the paternalism or tiring lecture-style teaching that can sometimes characterize premarital courses.

Maria and Mario have also written books about marriage. They are understanding, empathetic, and inspiring, conveying both the joy and the responsibility of married life.

Thanks to their dedication, Santa Caterina has maintained a wonderful tradition of offering premarital courses. They run three courses every year, so regardless of when your wedding is planned, there is likely a course available that fits your schedule.

Our marriage could not start on a better foundation, one built on both sound knowledge and the encouraging guidance of two experienced spouses.

I understand that this looks like an ad, but there is no personal gain for me and neither for them, I just hope we can help roman couples to find a good premarital course.

If you are looking for one, I strongly recommend this one. You will not regret it.

https://preview.redd.it/4pnny8tahw5h1.png?width=1826&format=png&auto=webp&s=148c8474bf1455de7543e51409b455b8c819cc82

Using 10-15k lux lamps in the morning just after waking up is a well-known trick for improving sleep.

What I was not expecting was for it to have such a significant effect. It has basically, almost single-handedly, solved my sleep problems.

The sunlight lamp is usually at the bottom of the list of sleep tips, but for me, it has been the most effective one. And I have tried everything: magnesium, a pitch-dark room, temperature, 8-sleep, no screens, sleep hygiene, etc, really everything, with its ups and downs.

I struggled with sleep all of last year, experiencing both difficulty falling asleep and nighttime awakenings, while averaging four hours of discontinued sleep per night.

Then a week ago I bought a standard 15k lux lamp, not even an expensive one, actually the cheapest one I could find (€20), just as a last resort in my battle, after trying everything else (including the €3k 8-sleep).

Since last week I have been blasting the light at my face in the morning, during breakfast or while working. It does not even cost me any time, because I do other things in the meantime.

And since I started, I have slept like a baby. Now I get sleepy at 22:00, and I sleep with no problems until at least 6:00 in the morning. I am able to get a solid 6 to 7 hours of continuous sleep, something I could not have imagined two weeks ago.

I can't believe I finally cracked the code.

I just wanted to share my experience with others struggling fellows.

Give the lamp a shot; for most people, the effects are mild, but you might be in the minority of people like me for whom morning light has massive improvements on sleep.