To have the health of your dreams, you need to spend more time dreaming. Research shows that one of the best ways to improve your health tomorrow is to get a good night’s sleep tonight – at least 7 – 8.5 hours. That may sound simple enough, but the fact is that Americans have racked up a huge “sleep debt” through the years. On average, people living in the United States get at least one hour less sleep per night than they did 20 years ago. After several days, weeks or months of sleep debt, we have trouble concentrating and making important decisions about everything from our job to homework and paying bills.
The director of the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research in Bethesda, Maryland was recently quoted as saying that sleep is just as important to our overall health as a healthy diet and exercise. Sleep deprivation has been linked to many health-related problems including chronic fatigue and obesity. It’s also blamed for an increased risk of causing an auto accident. You can’t do your best driving on the road without a good night’s sleep!
Sleep is without a doubt one of the most important aspects of our daily routine as far as the maintenance of health and prevention of disease is concerned. After all, sleep is when the body regenerates itself, thereby making it ready for a whole new day of activity. It gives your body a chance to rebalance itself. People who sleep well feel better, look younger, live longer, and are more energized and motivated throughout every physical and mental challenge of every day.
If the body is deprived of sleep, even a little bit, a person’s overall degree of health can easily become compromised without them even knowing it. When you wake up tired, you feel irritated through the day. Combine a lack of sleep with a high level of stress and we start to make mistakes and forget things. You can’t “burn the candle at both ends” and do your best in life.
Sleep is not a luxury. It is crucial, and chronic sleep deprivation is dangerous. Sleep is an essential key to super health. Make it a priority in your life.
Natural Remedies to Help With Sleep
• Melatonin helps to make us drowsy and regulate sleep. Sleeping in total darkness aids in the body’s natural production of melatonin, which is released by the pineal gland from within the center of the brain when one is asleep. One way that many people have found to improve their sleep is to take melatonin in supplement form (I buy my melatonin from Life Extension Foundation – www.lef.org).
• Another terrific natural remedy for sleep disorders is the calming amino acid l-tryptophan. Tryptophan is now widely available in the U.S. without a prescription (you can buy from Life Extension Foundation). If you have trouble getting tryptophan itself, you can get the next best thing, which is known as 5HTP.
• Create a sleep sanctuary. Make your bedroom comfortable and quiet, with beautiful drapes and pleasant, peaceful pictures (such as golf photographs or paintings). Create a place where you feel relaxed and peaceful as soon as you enter. When you sleep, keep your bedroom completely dark or wear a sleep mask to ensure maximum natural melatonin production. Wear ear plugs if you are easily awakened by small noises. Invest in a comfortable bed. If it is too quiet, listen to a recording of nature sounds or soft music. Find a temperature that is most conducive to your sleeping—many people find that cool temperatures help to promote a restful sleep. Don’t allow the room to get stuffy. Keep the air circulating with a fan in your bedroom.
• Relax with a bath in Lavender Epsom Salts (which is magnesium that also helps with inflammation and numerous other functions in the body).
• Consider socks: warm feet = deep sleep.
• Embarking on the Four Corners Program for Optimal Nutrition is probably the single best step you can do to help improve the quality of your sleep (www.livingfuel.com/Four-Corners-Of_Superfood_Nutrition.aspx).
• Get regular exercise
• Drink lots of water and minimize alcohol, sweet drinks and empty foods (particularly fast foods).
Getting Started—Sleep
Recommended: 7 to 8.5 hours
1. Are you preparing properly for sleep with a healthy diet and limiting fluids and caffeine prior to bedtime?
2. Have you created a “Sleep Sanctuary” for yourself and your family?
___ Comfortable mattress
___ Pleasant interiors (curtains, shades, lamps, pictures, rugs, pillow)
___ Climate control (air conditioning, heating, fan)
___ Lighting
___ Fragrance
___ Music
___ Sleeping mask
___ Ear plugs
3. Traveling can interrupt your natural sleep schedule. If you’re having trouble sleeping or just want to reset your sleep time when changing time zones, consider taking natural supplements, such as melatonin and/or tryptophan. Melatonin is the best supplement for resetting your sleep time by taking 1.5 times the amount you would take at your home time zone to help you sleep. Take melatonin one hour before the time you want to be your sleep time. The way to tell your optimal dose is to test at home. Some people do well on ½ mg while others do best on 6 mg. You will know if you have taken too much if you feel drowsier than normal when you awaken. Just be sure to set an alarm so you don’t miss getting your day started on time. If you feel a little too drowsy in the morning, decrease your dose the next night.
Here’s to your Super Health!
K.C. Craichy
Founder & CEO
