TO SLEEP OR NOT TO SLEEP....
In last week's post I talked to you about mentally de-cluttering yourself and this week I will be talking to you about physically de-cluttering. We expect a lot out of our bodies but never stop to think about how the body is being treated. It's not only athletes that need proper rest, food and workouts for top performance; we, the regular folk do too!
It all starts with SLEEP! To sleep or not to sleep that is the question for some of us. I hear you when you say, "I only need a few hours and then I am good!". To which I reply, sleep is essential whether you are 2 or 82. The question is whether you are "good" with only a few hours of sleep? Could you actually be better? Imagine, if you had a little more sleep how amazing you could really be? Sleep is that magical time when the body repairs itself from all of the abuse it faces all day long. Studies have shown that this is the only time our brain gets to rest. We all know that getting the right amount of sleep can make us look younger. It is our fountain of youth!!
It seems like my teenager grows every time he gets the chance to sleep in. My father-in-law is a stroke survivor. One of the things we noticed is that when he slept a little longer than usual his brain actually recovered something the stroke had hidden. This went on for at least a year after his stroke. Our daughter has MS(multiple sclerosis) and during one of her exacerbations(flare-ups) she developed a condition called, optic neuritis which caused her to lose the sight in one of her eyes. This is a very serious and scary thing to have happen to a 20 yr. old young lady. After the hospitalization and she was home we noticed that on the days she slept in, she regained some part of her sight. It was a process which went on over 6 weeks. In the end all of her sight was restored, thank God! In the examples given above I would say that seeing is believing that sleep is necessary.
If you are still doubting that sleep has anything to do with anything ask yourself the following questions:
1. Do I fall asleep easily?
2. Am I worrying about something?
3. When I wake up am I rested?
4. Does it take me awhile to fall asleep?
The answer to these may indicate that you need sleep, not only sleep but restful sleep.
Let's look at some of the causes of insomnia:
1. Stress
2. Anxiety
3.Depression
4. Medical conditions
5. Medications you are taking
6. Coffee, nicotine and alcohol
7. Eating too much late in the evening
Symptoms of not getting enough sleep:
1. exhaustion
2. overweight
3. laziness
4. crankiness
5. body aches and pains
6. skinny fat- thin with no muscle tone
7. Poor decision making as a result of not thinking with a well rested mind
So how do we improve our sleep??????
1. Develop a regular sleep schedule
2. Avoid stimulation before bed( no technology!!!)
3. Make your bedroom for sleep and sex only( get rid of the tv!)
4. Learn how to relax before bed- slow music, dim lights, warm bath, yoga, prayer and slow breathing
this is essential to help reduce anxiety and control your breathing, heart rate and mood.
5. Exercise-at least 20-30 minutes at least 5 hours before bedtime
6. Know your mediations and what is in them
7. Avoid naps-this disrupts the sleep schedule
8. Try not to stress about not sleeping because this will add to your anxiety.
Sleep is as important to your health as regular exercise and healthy eating. Loss of sleep no matter the cause can lead to mental and physical issues. To be your best person, it is essential for you to get the maximum amount of sleep your body requires. Listen to your body, it knows what it needs.
