How to put your anxieties to bed--Sleep Tips

Do you know that, in the past 40 years, average sleep duration for adults in the U.S. has decreased by 1-2 hours? This statistic from the Public Library of Science Medicine (PLSM, 12/04), should sound an alarm to all of us because sleep loss affects our health and safety.

According to the Institutes of Medicine (IOM) and the National Council on Sleep Disorders, we are a sleep deprived nation. "The cumulative long-term effects of sleep loss...have been associated with a wide range of bad effects on health, including increased hypertension, diabetes, heart attack and stroke." (IOM, 4/06).

Poor quality sleep lends itself to less productivity and more absenteeism at work. And according to the IOM,4/06, "Sleep loss contributes to an increased likelihood of accidents." They report that almost 20% of all serious car crashes in the general population are associated with driver sleepiness, independent of alcohol effects.

How many of us cram everything into our day before we allow ourselves to relax? I know from personal experience that with good sleep, I feel energized and present for a new day; without enough sleep, I feel irritable, lose energy and ability to concentrate.

WHAT IS SLEEP?
Sleep is a mystery of life,is it not? We do not really know why we sleep--except that we know that we need it to rest and repair the body. We also know that without sleep, we would not survive.

During sleep, we cycle between five sleep stages: there are four non-rapid eye movement stages, each one independent of the other. (I will not address these more specifically here.)However, let's take a look at stage five sleep because in Stage five (rapid eye movemenmt or REM sleep)is where the heart rate and respiration speed up, and intense dreaming occurs. We need and benefit from REM sleep. Many scientific publications on Science and Mind tell us that dreams appear to help us learn from our experiences especially in REM sleep.

How much sleep do we need? The literature indicates that as adults, we need seven to nine hours a night. Thanks to our circadian or body clock, most of us begin to fall asleep in the late evening.(Babies, cats and dogs excepted...apparently they nees a lot more!)

Are you getting enough quality sleep? If not, I ask you to think about how better sleep would help your life, your goals and intentions. In fact, I challenge you to think of and list one change you can make now that will allow you more refreshing sheep. Then list three more! Also, consider how you sabotage your daytime energy. What is the problem when you do not get enough sleep?

For a start, try these SLEEP TIPS:

1. Make sure your room invites sleep. Surround yourself with soft,soothing textures and colors.
2. Place a vase of fresh flowers in view;
3. Drink a glass of milk, which contains a natural sleep inducer;
4. Cut down distracting noise using a white noise machine;
5. Breathe and meditate yourself to sleep. Taks at least seven deep breaths into your diaphragm exhaling on the count of four. Notice that your heart rate slows as you focus on your breath. Allow your mind to travel to a calm place, a stream, a mountain or wherever you would feel calm and at peace;
6.Mist your room with a calming fragrance;
7. Try a sleep CD or tape of natural sounds, available from most bookstores or holistic health stores.

May pleasant dreams be yours!