Better Sleep On A Budget

According to recent statistics, sleep deprivation affects more than 70 million North Americans. We are spending $2.4 billion a year just trying to fall asleep.

In her book, The Hormone Diet, Dr. Natasha Turner offers the following tips:

• Go to bed by 11 p.m. Our stress glands, the adrenals, recharge or recover most between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. And, if we could go to bed before 10 p.m. we would establish optimal conditions for building our adrenal reserves.

• Sleep 7 to 9 hours a night. The American Cancer Association has found higher incidences of cancer in individuals who consistently sleep fewer than 6 hours or more than 9 hours nightly. It is interesting to note that oversleeping is just as harmful a sleep deprivation.

• Keep household lighting dim from dinnertime until you go to sleep. This helps prepare your body and hormones for sleeps and aids digestion.
  

• Sleep in loose-fitting night clothes. Tight clothing will increase body temperature and interfere with melatonin release.

Better Sleep On A Budget

According to Dr. Natasha Turner, author of The Hormone Diet, poor sleep interferes with our hormonal balance, appetite control, and fat loss. And, lack of sleep also contributes to inflammation.

Consider the following tips:

• Make your room as dark as possible. You should not be able to see your hand in front of your face. Alarm clocks should be turned away and blackout curtains are recommended. Studies have shown that even a small amount of light can cause a decrease in melatonin levels, which affect the quality of sleep.

• If you go to the bathroom at night, keep the lights off or use a night light. Even brief exposure to light can shut down the melatonin production that is essential for a good night's sleep.
  

• Be aware of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) in the bedroom--they can disrupt the production of melatonin and could increase the risk of cancer. EMFs are emitted from digital alarm clocks and other electrical devices. These items should be kept at least three feet away from you.

• Choose comfortable, soothing bedding. Organic cotton linens that are free of harmful dyes and toxins are highly recommended. According to Dr. Turner, all-white bedding is very soothing and welcoming after a long day of sensory overload. Make sure that your bedding keeps you warm but doesn't overheat you. In the winter, use a light duvet; in the summer, a thin blanket with a sheet will suffice.

• Keep your bedroom cool but not cold. No matter how chilly the weather gets outside, your bedroom temperature should be no warmer than 21 degrees Celsius. The body needs to cool at night to ensure the proper release of melatonin. During the summer, be very careful with your air conditioner. Research has shown that over-air conditioning can cause weight gain.

• Avoid using a loud alarm clock. Waking up to the blaring wail of an alarm clock can be a shock to your body.
  

On The Sunny Side

It is easy to be negative at this time of year. The mornings are dark, weather is unpredictable, tax season is upon us...The excuses are endless and it so easy to stop exercising and slip back into bad habits.

In their book, So Stressed, authors Stephanie McClellan and Beth Hamilton suggest countering the following negative thoughts with more positive messages:

I'm too exhausted even to think of moving.
I always have more energy after I exercise.

I'm just so slow.
When I started, I was out of breath very quickly. I may not be a speed demon, but I have really built up my endurance.

My whole body hurts from that last workout.
If I stretch well or take a hot bath, my muscles will be warmed up, and I'll be feeling no pain once I start moving.

I had to skip three days because I had a virus. It's impossible for me to stay with it. Something always gets in the way.
Each day is a new day, and I can pick up where I left off.

It's miserable out, so I think I 'll just sleep in this morning.
It's raining too hard for me to enjoy my walk. I think I'll try that new yoga DVD.

This was the most stressful day at work in a long time. I think I'll make myself a drink.
I haven't been this stressed out in a long time. I bet a good workout will help me burn off this tension.

COPE

We all experience some kind of stress and tension in our daily lives. Psychiatrist Mark Gilbert has used the acronym COPE to present a few constructive ways to manage this stress.

C stands for calm and connected. Calming our minds and bodies will help prevent symptoms such as insomnia, irritability, headaches, fatigue, and hypertension. I find yoga helps me achieve a sense of inner peace and calm. Reaching out to family and friends is also helpful when life is uncertain and difficult.

O stands for optimistic and objective. When we choose a belief system that includes optimism, hope, and purpose, we feel better and stay healthier. Optimism is our connection with the future.
When we are objective, we realize that most people are good-willed and caring. They are not out to get us.

P stands for participate and be pro-active. When we interact with others, we feel more in control and better about ourselves. And, it also helps to contribute to our community in a charitable way.

E stands for emote and empower. Studies have shown that open and honest expression of emotion in a supportive environment leads to better healing. It is important to share our feelings with someone we trust. When we eat nutritiously, exercise regularly, and get enough sleep, we empower ourselves to meet the challenges of our daily lives.

Shrug Therapy

In her book, Look Great Feel Great, Joyce Meyer offers a few suggestions on de-stressing our lives. I was particularly interested in her description of shrug therapy.

There are many things we can control in our lives--choice of job, friends, personal health...

But, we cannot control the stock market, opinions and actions of others, weather...

How we react to things we cannot control will determine our stress levels and the quality of our health.

According to Meyer, people who shrug off upsets do a lot better. The bible calls it "casting your care." It is important to note that shrugging does not mean indifference; it simply means that there is nothing we can do to change a situation at a particular moment in time.

Do You Have A Missing Tile?

In his book, Happiness Is A Serious Problem, Dennis Prager talks about the Missing Tile Syndrome.

According to Prager, many of us suffer from this syndrome and are very effective at sabotaging our happiness. Whenever we look at something or someone in our lives, we fixate on the smallest of flaws and ignore everything else. In the book, Prager mentions a conversation he had with a bald man who was very sensitive about his hair loss. Whenever he entered a room, all he saw was hair--other people's hair.

Prager advises us to identify the missing tile in our lives and then follow one of these steps:

• Get it.

• Replace it with a different tile.

• Forget about it and focus on the tiles in your life that are not missing.

Better Sleep On A Budget

According to clinical psychologist, Dr. Michael Breus, more than 70% of North Americans are sleep deprived.

He provides the following tips to help decrease our sleep debts:

• Wake up to the light. Sleep with the shades open and allow natural light to enter the room and wake you up at an appropriate time.

• Once you are up, turn on all the lights.
  

• Position the alarm clock so it cannot be seen once in bed.

• Avoid napping the day before and three days after the seasonal time change. Naps can actually make it harder to fall asleep.

• Exercise on a regular basis. Try to schedule workouts several hours prior to turning in.
  

Better Sleep On A Budget

Getting a good night's sleep is a challenge for most of us. Most of us have one or more of the following issues--tossing and turning for more than 20 minutes before falling asleep, waking up at least once each night, getting less than 7 hours of sleep.

Here are a few of his tips from Ronald Kotler's best-selling book, 365 Ways to Get a Good Night's Sleep:

• Prepare for the next day before going to bed. Have clothes, purses, bags, and lunches lined up and ready to go.

• Use your weekends to catch up on your sleep, especially if you had a week of five-hour nights.

• Make lists in your head of all the shoes in your closet, names of your elementary school teachers, or anything else of a mundane nature.

• Make sure you have a good mattress. Check for lumps, tears, sags, or smells.

• If you snore, have it checked. You could be suffering from sleep apnea.

• Gently stretch before going to bed.

• Get your B12 levels checked. A deficiency in this vitamin is associated with depression, bad temper, apathy, and a number of psychiatric disturbances.

BetterSleep On A Budget

Establishing a bedtime routine will lull the body and mind into a sleepy state. Consider the following suggestions:

• Turn off electronic equipment early and quietly relax with your book or a puzzle.

• Put on fresh sheets, relax the lighting, and open a window to reduce stuffiness.
  

• Keep a journal at your bedside to jot down concerns that will keep you awake--tomorrow's schedule, family or work tension, financial problems.

• Drink a glass of water before bed so you don't wake feel dehydrated.
  

• Eat dinner before 7 p.m. If you are hungry afterwards, have a banana or a milky drink. Try making this healthy hot chocolate drink. Pour a mug of low-fat milk into a small pot and add 2 teaspoons of cocoa and 1/2 teaspoon of brown sugar. Turn on the heat and whisk as it warms to dissolve the cocoa. Pour into the mug and stir. Enjoy!

Better Sleep On A Budget

Countless books and articles have been written about insomnia. Too many people turn to addictive sleep medications and other expensive therapies.

Consider the following inexpensive and natural bedtime strategies:

• Be consistent. Go to bed and get up at the same time each day.

• Create a restful environment. Keep your bedroom cool, dark, quiet, and clutter-free.

• Avoid any stress inducing activities just before going to sleep. i.e. answering emails, paying bills.

• Dust the bedroom regularly. Allergies can keep you awake.

• Finish vigorous exercise five hours before bedtime. It can take that long for your core body temperature to drop. A cooler body is ready for sleep.

• Listen to talk radio. This can interrupt the thoughts that are keeping you awake.

• Do breathing exercises. Breathe deeply and slowly while counting to 10.

• Avoid alcohol before going to bed. It may put you to sleep quickly, but it will wake you up several hours later.

• Use aromatherapy. Lavender is a popular herbal sleep aid.