Is Lack of Sleep Making You Sick?
Everybody has nights when they just can’t sleep. It is annoying but not life threatening.
When lack of sleep goes from annoying to really making you sick or over-weight that is when most people start looking a prescription or over-the-counter sleeping aids.
The time to start looking for a solution to sleeping problems is way before illness and weight gain. And the solution to sleeping problems is not a sleeping pill.
The normal things that can keep you from a sound healthy sleep are
• a new baby in the house
• sick children
• sick adults
• sick pets
• time change
These things will pass will time – try to catch a nap during the day.
Also normal but self induced are
• worry over any subject from money to weight to love or the loss of it.
• caffeine late in the day or evening
• a strenuous work out within an hour of going to bed
• eating a large meal within a couple of hours of bed time
• a bad mattress that does not properly support your body
• muscle aches from working out too hard or just working in the yard
Sleep apnea is a condition that is life threatening.
If you are not breathing properly during sleep, your body is waking you up to start your breathing again. This continuous waking up cycle stops the normal sleep cycle. Sleep apnea can be caused by over-weight, nasal obstructions or more serious conditions.
The most deadly part of sleep apnea is that the person affected by this condition will uncontrollably fall asleep during normal waking hours. They can be driving a car or working in the kitchen.
A very dear friend of mine suffers from sleep apnea. He fell asleep making cookies in the kitchen and literally fell to the floor. Hitting the floor woke him up. He now uses a special breathing machine at night to insure a full night of sleep and no more falls during the day.
Most people fall in the category of self-induced sleep problems. Before you go buy a sleeping pill try some of these more body friendly solutions.
Take a warm bath about a half an hour before bed time.
Make bed time the same time every night even weekends.
No caffeine for six hours before bed time.
Try a cup of Kava tea about an hour before bed time.
Don’t eat anything for at least four hours before bed time.
If you are taking naps during the day, don’t sleep for more than 20 minutes.
Make sure there is no light in your room. Even the light from a clock can be enough to wake you up. If you must have an alarm clock or clock radio, cover the lighted area or put it under you bed.
As we age, our natural melatonin production falls off.
Melatonin is what tells your body it is time to sleep. Melatonin is packaged in various mg strengths. You should start with the smallest dosage you can find. Melatonin is not a sleeping pill.
If you are lying there in the dark with your mind going a million miles an hour about problems, get up and write those problems down. Once you have listed all the problems you don’t have to keep going over them in your mind. Release them to be tackled the following day. Solutions will come from unexpected sources if you will just let go.
During sleep, your mind is going to review everything that you experienced that day and put it together with all the past information stored in your subconscious. At the same time, your body is repairing itself. Within a short time, with good sleep habits, you can throw that alarm clock away.
Don’t cheat yourself out of the best healing mechanism the body has – get a good night’s sleep.
When lack of sleep goes from annoying to really making you sick or over-weight that is when most people start looking a prescription or over-the-counter sleeping aids.
The time to start looking for a solution to sleeping problems is way before illness and weight gain. And the solution to sleeping problems is not a sleeping pill.
The normal things that can keep you from a sound healthy sleep are
• a new baby in the house
• sick children
• sick adults
• sick pets
• time change
These things will pass will time – try to catch a nap during the day.
Also normal but self induced are
• worry over any subject from money to weight to love or the loss of it.
• caffeine late in the day or evening
• a strenuous work out within an hour of going to bed
• eating a large meal within a couple of hours of bed time
• a bad mattress that does not properly support your body
• muscle aches from working out too hard or just working in the yard
Sleep apnea is a condition that is life threatening.
If you are not breathing properly during sleep, your body is waking you up to start your breathing again. This continuous waking up cycle stops the normal sleep cycle. Sleep apnea can be caused by over-weight, nasal obstructions or more serious conditions.
The most deadly part of sleep apnea is that the person affected by this condition will uncontrollably fall asleep during normal waking hours. They can be driving a car or working in the kitchen.
A very dear friend of mine suffers from sleep apnea. He fell asleep making cookies in the kitchen and literally fell to the floor. Hitting the floor woke him up. He now uses a special breathing machine at night to insure a full night of sleep and no more falls during the day.
Most people fall in the category of self-induced sleep problems. Before you go buy a sleeping pill try some of these more body friendly solutions.
Take a warm bath about a half an hour before bed time.
Make bed time the same time every night even weekends.
No caffeine for six hours before bed time.
Try a cup of Kava tea about an hour before bed time.
Don’t eat anything for at least four hours before bed time.
If you are taking naps during the day, don’t sleep for more than 20 minutes.
Make sure there is no light in your room. Even the light from a clock can be enough to wake you up. If you must have an alarm clock or clock radio, cover the lighted area or put it under you bed.
As we age, our natural melatonin production falls off.
Melatonin is what tells your body it is time to sleep. Melatonin is packaged in various mg strengths. You should start with the smallest dosage you can find. Melatonin is not a sleeping pill.
If you are lying there in the dark with your mind going a million miles an hour about problems, get up and write those problems down. Once you have listed all the problems you don’t have to keep going over them in your mind. Release them to be tackled the following day. Solutions will come from unexpected sources if you will just let go.
During sleep, your mind is going to review everything that you experienced that day and put it together with all the past information stored in your subconscious. At the same time, your body is repairing itself. Within a short time, with good sleep habits, you can throw that alarm clock away.
Don’t cheat yourself out of the best healing mechanism the body has – get a good night’s sleep.
posted by sharono at 11:27 AM
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