Sleep

Your quality of health absolutely correlates with your quality of sleep. Here, we will go over why you may not be sleeping a solid seven to nine hours, the perks of good sleep, the short and long term consequences of sleep deprivation, and some serious actions you can take to resolve the issue of not sleeping well.

WHY AREN'T YOU SLEEPING?

If you don't know why you aren't sleeping it will be difficult to fix. You may be dealing with one or more reasons for not getting the sleep you need. Some may be obvious, some not so obvious. Let's talk about some possibilities for you to consider.

Stress and anxiety may seem like obvious reasons that can keep you awake, but stress and anxiety can sneak in without you realizing it. If you lay awake with you mind racing or you feel a low buzzing in your body, then it seems obvious that stress is keeping you awake. You may have lots of cortisol coursing through your veins, which makes it very difficult to sleep. But, what if you don't feel stressed?

The truth is your subconscious can hold lots of stress. Uncertainty, loose ends, finances, work, relationships, all sorts of things can be lurking in the back of your mind. You can divert your conscious mind by reading or counting sheep, but you cannot do that with your subconscious mind. The subconscious mind is a major culprit in sleep disturbance.

Sugar and other carbs, especially within a couple hours of bedtime, can keep you awake. Not only do sugars give you energy, but parasites and bacteria that is in everyone's gut get energy from carbs. Then they will be active. Their activity and waste excretions can cause anxiety and fatigue, preventing you from sleeping well.

Artificial light, especially blue light that comes from cell phones, computers, and televisions suppress melatonin production, which is the hormone that tells the brain it's time to sleep.

Caffeine can have lasting effects. For some people, caffeine can stay in their system for up to 48 hours and prevent them from getting solid sleep. For others, it doesn't seem to effect their sleep at all. Others may have not been affected by caffeine years ago, but don't realize that their metabolism has changed and that the caffeine is keeping them awake now.

Vitamin and mineral deficiencies can impact our sleep. Vitamins B6, B12, C, D, and E all help regulate our circadian rhythm, which is our sleep clock. Vitamins B12 and D are better taken early in the day because they may somewhat disturb your sleep. B12 helps with brain activity such as focus. Vitamin D is mainly obtained through sun exposure, so the body may associate it's consumption with daylight, which could interfere with sleep.

Iron and magnesium deficiencies can cause several issues that will prevent you from getting good sleep. Iron deficiency, a.k.a. anemia, can leave your cells and issues agitated by not having enough oxygen. It also may cause restless leg syndrome.

Magnesium is a relaxant for our muscles. Lack of magnesium can cause muscle tension. Muscle tension is physical stress on the body, and like mental stress, it can keep you awake. Magnesium is a good mineral to take before bedtime.

There are other causes of sleep deprivation such as pain, hypertension, certain medications, noise, or simply staying up too late. All of these issues can be resolved or at least improved for most people.

THE CONSEQUENCES OF SLEEP DEPRIVATION AND THE PERKS OF GOOD SLEEP

After a bad night's sleep we drag along through the day drinking coffee, thinking it will make up for the lack of sleep. It makes us feel more alert, but usually still tired. We mostly recover from this the next night if we can get a good night's sleep.

But, what if you are sleep deprived night after night?

Most of your body's healing and renewal happens while you sleep. The deeper sleep you get into, the deeper the healing and regeneration.

There are four stages of sleep. When you complete the four stages of sleep it's called a cycle. A cycle lasts around 90 minutes, or so. If you get a full night's sleep you will go through four to six cycles.

The first stage is a light sleep. You can easily awaken and it usually lasts 1-10 minutes. It's the second, third and fourth stages where the most healing and restoration happens, mostly in the third and fourth stages.

In stage two your body becomes relaxed. There's a drop in temperature, and your breathing and heart rate slows. This stage lasts from 10 to 60 minutes and you get some restoration.

The third stage is where you go into what is called delta sleep. It's a deeper sleep where the heartbeat and breathing are at their slowest rate. The body is fully relaxed. If you are awakened during this period of sleep you will feel quite groggy for a few minutes until your brain and body can adjust.

Many health benefits are occurring in this stage. Your immune system is strengthening. Cells are regenerating. Tissues are healing.

REM (rapid eye movement) sleep is the fourth stage of sleep. During the first cycle it only lasts about 10 minutes. During the final cycle it can last around 60 minutes, assuming you're getting a full night's sleep.

Like stage three, REM sleep has many restorative benefits. This is also where you have most of your dreams. Your brain becomes more active, but your limb muscles become temporarily paralyzed so you won't act out your dreams.

Any sleep will produce some healing benefits, but if you are consistently not getting seven to nine hours you really are missing out on the most benefits of deep healing and restoration. Most likely, it will shorten your life span because you will be more prone to disease and your body will simply wear out faster.

Consistent lack of sleep causes brain shrinkage, sensitivity to cold and pain, higher risk of cancer and heart disease, diabetes, and so many other health problems. You are also at greater risk of having accidents since you're mind is not sharp.

Sleep loss increases the hormone ghrelin which increases hunger throughout the day. Good sleep increases the hormone leptin which decreases hunger. Good sleep habits have positive effects on all of your hormones.

A toxic protein called beta amyloid increases from lack of sleep. Beta amyloid is linked to Alzheimer's. On the other hand, this protein is sufficiently drained with good sleep.

A couple very interesting facts about what good sleep can do for you have to do with your telomeres and stem cells.

Stem cells are repair cells. They are like blank cells that can conform and migrate to whatever part of your body needs help and repair the tissue. These stem cells function at a greater capacity when you get good sleep. When you don't get good sleep they age faster just as you do, and are less effective.

Telomeres are caps at the end of your chromosomes that keep your cells and genes intact, like aglets at the end of shoelaces that keep the laces from unravelling. The longer the telomeres, the better. They shorten with age because they get just a tiny bit shorter with each cell division or replication, but we can slow down the shortening process with good sleep, nutrition, and fasting.

In fact, fasting can lengthen telomeres. I just thought I'd throw that in there.

The reason we want longer telomeres is because once they are gone the cells can no longer replicate. The also make sure that DNA is properly copied when cells divide. When cells cannot replicate and DNA is not correctly copied, disease sets in, then death.

So, don't have the attitude that you can sleep when you're dead, or you will be getting that kind of sleep sooner than later.

Now, for some great news!

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO IMPROVE YOUR SLEEP!

The first way I'll talk about to improve your sleep is to create an atmosphere of hibernation. Even if you get seven to nine hours of sleep per night this can help you get into a deeper sleep faster.

You will sleep like a bear in the winter.

Get blackout curtains to prevent any light from coming into your room. Even your skin has photoreceptors that detect light coming through the window and can disturb sleep.

The ideal room temperature for hibernation sleep is between 64 and 68 degrees. This may sound too cool, but your own body heat with a blanket will keep you warm enough to comfortably sleep.

If you live in an area that has total silence all night and you like the silence, then you won't need a fan. Or, maybe you live in the country and night sounds help you sleep.

Otherwise, a fan may be a good idea. Things that may wake you or disturb your sleep are running cars and motorcycles, dogs barking, a family member getting up in the middle of the night, or a cat knocking something over. So, think about using a fan to drown out little noises. I can't sleep without one.

That's the hibernation atmosphere. It's also a good idea to start preparing for sleep a couple hours before you plan to sleep. Take at least one hour to prepare.

Blue light from electronics from computers, cell phones, and TV's, and really most artificial light prevents the pineal gland in your brain from releasing the sleep hormone melatonin into your bloodstream.

People tend to tell themselves it doesn't affect them because they enjoy these things before bedtime or even while falling asleep, but the reality is that blue light does affect melatonin production. Even if you can fall asleep after watching things that have blue light your sleep will not be as deep, or it will take longer to fall into a deep sleep.

If you just can't bring yourself to give these things up at least an hour before bedtime then it will help greatly if you get some blue blocker glasses to wear for the last couple of hours.

Another thing you can do is set your phone on comfort view. It's actually a good idea to leave your phone on comfort view to keep the strain off your eyes. You can even change the color settings on your TV to take out some of the blue light.

Maybe you have heard of weighted blankets. I haven't tried one myself yet, but I've read great reviews about how well they work. And I do personally know someone who says she can tell a big difference in how well she sleeps.

Just some of the review comments I've read are:

"I can't stress enough how wonderful this blanket has been since it arrived to me."
'These blankets are the best. I'm so glad I took the plunge."
"I haven't slept this well since high school."
"The best night's sleep I've had in 20 years."

Weighted blankets work like a therapeutic technique called deep pressure stimulation, relieving stress and anxiety. They can also relieve pain and help with restless leg syndrome.

If you want to try a weighted blanket check out the reviews online to see which one best suits you. They are made differently and come in different weights, some have cooling effects, and the prices vary greatly.

You can also try relaxing yourself in different ways before bed. These ways won't exactly knock you out, but they can prepare your mind and body for a better sleep and to fall asleep faster.

Certain herbal teas have chemicals that reduce stress and anxiety. Make a cup and as you drink it also breathe in the steam from it. Some of these teas are chamomile, lavender, lemon balm, passionflower, valerian root, and magnolia bark.

Stretching relieves muscle tension, helps with circulation, and helps with oxygen distribution. Stretch as many muscles as you can. Turn your neck side to side. Twist your waist. Stretch your wrists, ankles and calves. Put your arms out in front of you then bring them behind your back as far as you can and raise them over your head.

You can also massage many of your own muscles if you don't have someone to do it for you. We often have tension in our necks and shoulders. Massage those for a few minutes, but also massage the entire length of your arms and legs, maybe even your feet.

Journaling is another way that may help you sleep more than you think. As I said earlier, your subconscious mind can hold lots of stress from unresolved issues lurking in the back of your mind. If you write out your thoughts from the day or other things that have been on your mind before bedtime, it will give your subconscious a break from the need to sort them out.

Try some, or even all of the ideas mentioned here to get better sleep. Truly give it a go because good sleep is vital to your health.

If none of these work I would suggest melatonin, but only short term until you get into a routine. If you've been taking melatonin for awhile, try weaning down as you try these other methods for sleeping.

Melatonin is a hormone that you're body makes, so it's not harmful. The problem is that if you take it on a continuous basis your body will adapt to that and will make less of it.

I won't suggest other sleeping pills for several reasons. They mess with brain receptors. They can change hormone production. They increase the risk of cardiovascular events in heart failure patients. Anyone with lung conditions should not take them. Some sleeping pills are addictive.

Sleeping pills suppress breathing which can cause infection and morning headaches because of getting less oxygen during sleep. This alone can lead to a host of serious health issues over time.

There are so many other ways to overcome sleeping problems besides using sleeping pills. I hope you will give them a real try.