Are You Getting Enough Sleep?
By Cynthia Perkins
Just like eating healthy and exercise,
adequate sleep is an essential component for a health-conscious
life style. We are a sleep-deprived society, and this is wrecking
havoc on individuals’ mental and physical health.
Lack of sleep can be as dangerous
to your health as smoking. Studies have shown that people who
sleep seven to eight hours a night lived significantly longer
than those who don’t.
Lack of sleep affects all
areas of your life:
Emotional You may be more frustrated, irritable,
cranky and moody.
Social You may be difficult to get along with
and have a lack of desire to socialize.
Cognitive You may have an impaired ability to learn,
poor memory and decreased problem-solving abilities.
Physical Your productivity is impaired, you
are fatigued and your immune system is compromised, which leaves
you vulnerable to disease, infection and colds.
Safety Your judgment may be impaired; you’re
less aware and alert, which can lead to accidents; and your
hand-eye coordination is impaired.
Sleep restores our physical and
mental energy. The body repairs itself while we sleep. It detoxes
and heals. We need adequate sleep to help us cope with stress
and to relieve fatigue. Lack of sleep often increases pain and
fatigue.
Experts used to recommend seven
to eight hours of sleep, but it is now believed the average adult
needs an average of nine hours of sleep. Some need less, and some
need more. Your body will tell you how much sleep you need, if
you pay attention.
Tips to improve your sleep:
Don’t use alcohol or caffeine.
Try to maintain a routine of getting up and going to bed around
the same time.
Exercise at least 30 minutes daily.
Take a warm bath or shower just prior to bedtime.
Read or watch TV if these are relaxing for you; if you find
them stimulating, then you should avoid them.
Avoid conversations on the phone right before bedtime.
If you’re having difficulty getting to sleep or wake up
in the middle of the night, having an orgasm can help you. After
having an orgasm, endorphins are released that make you relaxed
and sleepy. You must be lying down at the time of the orgasm
and then immediately close your eyes and attempt to sleep, before
the endorphins wear off.
Keep your sleeping environment clean and free from toxic chemicals
such as perfumes, cleaning supplies, pesticides, etc. In addition
to their toxicity, chemicals can stimulate the brain and keep
you awake.
Use sheets and blankets that are made of natural fibers. Synthetic
fibers are a chemical and can stimulate the brain and prevent
you from sleeping. Don’t wash your bedding with bleach
or scented laundry products, for the same reason.
See a holistic physician for possible nutritional deficiencies
or thyroid abnormalities. Both of these can cause sleep difficulties.
Do not use drugs (prescription or otherwise) to assist you in
sleeping. Drugs interfere in stage IV sleep, which only aggravates
symptoms and robs you of the benefits you should derive from
sleeping. Drug-induced sleep is not healthy sleep. If you need
assistance, seek a holistic physician that can advice you which
supplements and herbs such as melatonin, serotonin, valerian,
chamomile, etc., can be used to improve your sleep.
© Cynthia Perkins
Cynthia Perkins, M.Ed.,
is a holistic health counselor specializing in issues of living
with chronic illness, chronic pain and disability as well as sexual
intimacy. She is also author of the inspirational e-book Finding
Life Fulfillment when Living with Chronic Illness-A Spiritual
Journey. Services, e-books and a free newsletter can be found
at her website.
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