How many of you have trouble sleeping? Do you fall asleep the minute your head hit's the pillow? Or do you lay awake for hours over analyzing the events of the day? I think I maybe the lightest sleeper on earth, I hear everything... and even find it difficult to fall asleep if it is too quiet. I know that sleep affects our immune system and is crucial for defending illnesses especially during flu season. Doctors suggest we get at least 7 hours of sleep to avoid getting sick...Seriously? How many of us really get that many hours of solid sleep? I just recently read in the November issue of Real Simple that if you have trouble falling asleep one should go over everything that you accomplished during the day.. except in reverse order. Supposedly it is quite calming to do according to C. Evers Whyte, director of the Center for Health and Renewal, in Stamford, Connecticut.
Change your attitude about sleep create a bedtime ritual that you look forward to. Take a hot bath with your favorite oil, keep your cell phone, ipod, and computer away from you. Skip the nightly glass of Pinot (this could actually increase your wakefulness during the night) DARN!!
Breath before bed try this lying in bed, breathe in through your nose for a count of 4, then hold your breath for 7, and slowly exhale through the mouth for 8. Repeat 3 times (let me know if this works)
Say OM a regular yoga practice is helpful, a study reported that cancer survivors who practiced yoga twice a week reported a 22 percent improvement in sleep quality and cut the use of their sleep meds. I may have to try this.
Here is another fact that may get you on board to sleep 7 hours or more: The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism reports that just one night of poor sleep could impair your body's ability to utilize glucose, increasing your appetite and risk for fat gain and type-2 diabetes. That's enough for me to sleep more and get serious about it. I personally need "white noise" in the background such as a fan, vacuum, ticking clock, crickets chirping, my thunderstorm background music. This all works for me.. and itunes is full of great "white noise" sounds for you to download. So here's to a restful night and improved immune system.
