: Non-Herbal Advice Towards A Good Nights

Herb-Of-The-Week / Non-Herbal Advice Towards A Good Nights
Sleep


Howdy-Howdy!

As always I pray that God blesses us spiritually as well as physically
(health and wealth)!
What/Who is God, if not also a Deliverer? "Deliver us!", is my prayer
for us.

<<DISREGARD THIS PRAYER IF IT DOESN'T APPLY TO YOU


The Herb-Of-The-Week for this week is a list of NON-HERBAL things we
can do that promote or enhance sleep. The side effects of the stress,
worry, anxiety, mental strain and sometimes just plain outright panic
that is omnipresent in everyday, modern day life seem to interfere
with otherwise completely natural functions such as healthy sleep.


In the interest of totally NATURAL sleep, I will list some non-herbal,
non-medicating things that one can do to promote healthy sleep
patterns.


Some of these I can personally attest to. One is too much heat will
wake you up EARLY! If you are having sleep problems, whether you are
not able to fall asleep, wake up too often, don't feel well-rested
when you wake up in the morning, or simply want to improve the quality
and quantity of your sleep, try as many of the following techniques
below as possible:


1. Listen to White Noise or Relaxation CDs. Some people find the sound
of white noise or nature sounds, such as the ocean or forest, to be
soothing for sleep. Some people run an electric fan for the breeze and
the white noise. The radio is not healthy as it is transmitting
THOUGHTS AND IDEAS to your subconscious that might not be entirely
wholesome.

2. Avoid before-bed snacks, particularly grains and sugars. This will
raise blood sugar and inhibit sleep. Later, when blood sugar drops too
low (hypoglycemia), you might wake up and not be able to fall back
asleep. (Besides the extra POUNDAGE!!)

3. Sleep in complete darkness or as close as possible. If there is
even the tiniest bit of light in the room (television etc.) it can
disrupt your circadian rhythm and your pineal gland's production of
melatonin and seratonin. There also should be as little light in the
bathroom as possible if you get up in the middle of the night. Please
whatever you do, keep the light off when you go to the bathroom at
night. As soon as you turn on that light you will for that night
immediately cease all production of the important sleep aid melatonin.


<VERY IMPORTANT: IF YOU TAKE MELATONIN SUPPLEMENTS TO GET TO SLEEP AT
NIGHT, WAKE UP FOR THE REST ROOM, TURN ON BRIGHT LIGHTS..... THERE
GOES YOUR MELATONIN.... DESTROYED BY BRIGHT LIGHT!)


4. No TV right before bed. Even better, get the TV out of the bedroom or even out of the house, completely. It is too stimulating to the brain and it will take longer to fall asleep.

5. Wear socks to bed. A study has shown that this reduces night
wakings. (ok???)

6. Read something spiritual or religious. (Perhaps the Holy Bible?)
Don't read anything stimulating, such as a mystery or suspense novel,
as this may have the opposite effect. In addition, if you are really
enjoying a suspenseful book, you might wind up unintentionally reading for hours, instead of going to sleep.

7. If you often lay in bed with your mind racing, it might be helpful
keep a journal and write down your thoughts before bed.

8. Get to bed as early as possible. Most of the detoxifying and
healing of our systems take place during the hours of 11PM and 1AM. If
you are awake, the toxins back up into the liver, which then
secondarily back up into your entire system and cause further
disruption of your health. Prior to the widespread use of electricity,
people would go to bed shortly after sundown, as nature intended.

9. Keep the temperature in the bedroom no higher than 70 degrees F.
Many people keep their homes and particularly the upstairs bedrooms too hot.

10. Eat a high-protein snack several hours before bed. This can
provide the L-tryptophan need to produce melatonin and serotonin.
Also eat a small piece of fruit. This can help the tryptophan cross
the blood-brain barrier.

11. Reduce or avoid as many drugs as possible. (even lots of herbs
will "rev" you up!) Many medications, both prescription and
over-the-counter may have effects on sleep.

12. Avoid caffeine. A recent study showed that in some people,
caffeine is not metabolized efficiently and therefore they can feel
the effects long after consuming it. So an afternoon cup of coffee (or
even tea) will keep some people from falling asleep. Also, some
medications, particularly diet pills contain caffeine.

13. Avoid alcohol. Although alcohol will make people drowsy, the
effect is short lived and people will often wake up several hours
later, unable to fall back asleep. Alcohol will also keep you from
falling into the deeper stages of sleep, where the body does most of
its healing.

14. Lose weight!!! Being overweight can increase the risk of sleep
apnea, which will prevent a restful nights sleep.

16. Take a hot bath, shower or sauna before bed. When body temperature
is raised in the late evening, it will fall at bedtime, facilitating
sleep,

17. Remove the clock from view. It will only add to your worry when
constantly staring at it... 2 AM...3 AM... 4:30 AM...

18. Keep Your Bed For Sleeping And Sex. If you are used to watching TV
or doing work in bed, you may find it harder to relax or to think of
the bed as a place to sleep or sex.

19. Have your adrenals checked by a good natural medicine clinician.
Scientists have found that Insomnia may be caused by adrenal stress
(Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, August 2001;
86:3787-3794)?

20. If you are menopausal or perimenopausal, get checked out by a good
natural medicine physician. The hormonal changes at this time may
cause problems if not properly addressed.

21. Regular sleep time. You should go to bed, and wake up, at the same
times each day, even on the weekends. This will help your body to get
into a sleep rhythm and make it easier to fall asleep and get up in
the morning.

22. Make certain you are exercising regularly. Exercising for at
least 30 minutes everyday can help you fall asleep. However, don't
exercise too close to bedtime or it may keep you awake. Studies show
exercising in the morning is the best if you can do it.

WE DON'T EVEN NEED ANY HERBS HOW, DO WE? :-)

But there is one nutritional supplement that does work and is worth
mentioning:

Melatonin and its precursors. If behavioral changes do not work, it
may be possible to improve sleep by supplementing with the hormone
melatonin. However, I would exercise extreme caution in using it, and
only as a last resort, as it is a powerful hormone. Ideally it is best
to increase levels naturally with exposure to bright sunlight in the
daytime (along with full spectrum fluorescent bulbs in the winter) and
absolute complete darkness at night. One should get blackout drapes so
no light is coming in from the outside. One can also use one of
melatonin's precursors, L-tryptophan or 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP).
L-tryptophan is the safest and my preference, but must be obtained by
prescription only. However, don't be afraid or intimidated by its
prescription status. It is just a simple amino acid.


But, of course...IT'S YOUR HEALTH. Why take our word for it? You can
research anything mentioned on this site yourself. Good search engines
are www.mamma.com or www.google.com. or www.dogpile.com or ww.ask.com.
Just enter one or more keywords and do your own research.

Until next time remember, most illness (upwards of 80% according to
experts) can be attributed to FOUR important factors that can weaken
your immune system and your ability to fight off disease:

1. Anxiety, depression, anger, guilt and other STRESS factors. LEARN TO FORGIVE AND LET GO.

2. Improper and/or inadequate NUTRITION habits. LEARN TO AVOID PROCESSED AND/OR REFINED FOODS.

3. A sedentary lifestyle that does not include enough EXERCISE.
FIND SOME KIND OF PHYSICALLY ENGAGING ACTIVITY IF IT IS NOTHING BUT
MORNING OR EVENING WALKS.

4. Not enough rest and quality SLEEP time. GO TO BED. "EARLY TO BED
AND EARLY TO RISE; MAKES A MAN HEALTHY, WEALTHY AND WISE".


LEGAL DISCLAIMER - Required by the FDA. The statements on this page
have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and these
statements are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any
disease.

Until next time,

Q