New Age Organic

‘Healthy Sleep’

The impact of poor sleep on our physical and mental well-being are profound. Chronic sleep deprivation can cause weight gain by altering the way our bodies process and store carbohydrates, and increase the levels of hormones that drive our appetite. Serious sleep disorders are linked to hypertension, increased levels of stress hormones and irregular heartbeat. Lack of sleep also alters immune function and may affect your ability to fight cancer.

Additionally,  most cells of the body increase production and reduce breakdown of proteins during deep sleep. This restorative process is essential for endurance, stamina, and virility. Sleep also helps us maintain optimal emotional and social functioning while we are awake by resting and restoring the parts of the brain that control emotions and social interaction.

Natural Remedies – Deep Sleep Aids

1. The herbs passiflora and skullcap are excellent for dealing with anxiety and tension that prevent and disrupt sleep.
2. Valerian is an effective sedative herb that can be added to any blend or made into herb tea.
3. Essential oils of basil, chamomile, lavender, marjoram, and neroli can be effective in assisting sleep. Add a few drops to a warm bath, or a tissue to place on your pillow, or use in a gentle pre-sleep massage.
4. Try the time honored remedy of a glass of warm milk at bedtime. Milk contains tryptophan which is converted into serotonin, the hormone that controls sleep. Other foods that contain tryptophan are honey, turkey, egg whites, and tuna.
5. Foods that promote deep sleep include leafy green vegetables, rich in chlorophyll, Wholegrain breads, cereals and mushrooms. Fruits and berries, help with sleep problems, as do the herbs dill, sage, and basil.
6. The B vitamins, in particular B6 and B12, are beneficial and often used in the treatment of insomnia. Look for a good vitamin B complex supplement and increase your intake of wheatgerm, bananas, sunflower seeds and tuna.
7. Calcium and magnesium are also essential for restful sleep. Eat plenty of cold water fish, and bright colored fruit and vegetables. Consider a good supplement if your daily diet is lacking.

Sleep has many important functions, including overcoming stress, giving our bodies time to rejuvenate, and helping the brain commit new information to memory through the process of memory consolidation.  Poor sleep and sleep loss can result in irritability, impatience, inability to concentrate and severe moodiness. Often leaving you much too tired to do the things you enjoy. This diminishes your daily experience making life ever more stressful and unproductive. These seven steps can put you on a course to recovery from restlessness and insomnia.

1. If you are having trouble sleeping, avoid any spicy foods or alcohol for several hours before you go to bed. They could cause gastrointestinal reflux, or heartburn. Also overly sweet and fatty foods can cause bloating and indigestion. While alcohol may make you feel sleepy in the short term, it disrupts your sleep patterns later in the sleep cycle causing restlessness.
2. Meditation and visualization exercises can help calm an overactive brain. Even if you have never tried to meditate before you can start easily by simply focusing your concentration on relaxing your body one muscle at a time moving from the feet up to the legs and torso, then the chest and neck.
3. Strenuous physical exercise during the day will drastically improve your ability to sleep soundly as the brain compensates for physical stress by increasing deep sleep. Exercise also invigorates the nervous system, activates the endocrine system and will ease muscular tension. All of which work together to encourage healthy sleep patterns.
4. Avoid napping during the day to ensure you are tired at bed time. If you do need to take a nap, sleep for no more than 1 hour, before 3 pm.
5. Use the sunlight to reset your biological clock. As soon as you wake up in the morning go outside and face the sun for 10 to 15 minutes. Do this daily for several days and your body will respond with regular pattern fatigue in the evening preparing you for a good night sleep.
6. Take a hot bath 90 minutes before bed time. This will raise your body temperature, and the subsequent drop in temperature will make you feel sleepy.
7. Leave your worries behind you when you go to bed. Some people find it useful to assign a worry period during the day to deal with stressful issues, and then drop them from the forefront of their minds for the rest of the day.