Sleep Better Live Longer

Researchers found that if people slept less than 7 hours a night or more than 8 hours a night, they had an increased risk of death. For short sleep women, that increase was 21% (men: 26%) and for long sleeping women, the increase was 17% (men: 24%). If the participants reported using sleep medications, their risk for death also increased. Women using them had a 39% increase in risk while men had a 31% increase.
Source: Christer Hublin, MD, PhD; Markku Partinen, MD, PhD; Markku Koskenvuo, MD, PhD; Jaakko Kaprio, MD, PhD. Sleep and Mortality: A Population-Based 22-Year Follow-Up Study. journal SLEEP. Vol 30. No. 10. 1245-1253.
Several non-medicinal protocols can help improve sleep.
We spend about one-third of our lives sleeping, so it’srnimportant to do it well.

Here are some great tips:
Don’t eat anything more than a light healthy snack 3 hours
or less before you go to bed; digestive activity particularly byrnthe stomach, can disrupt sleep patterns.
Invest in the best mattress and pillow you can find.
Make sure you both rotate and flip your mattress at least seasonally.
If your sleep difficulty stems from unwanted thoughts, keep
a paper and pen handy near your bed. Put those thoughts on paper
and out of your head. Deal with those thoughts another time.
You may want to consider doing this routinely; start a diary orrnjou
al, making entries each evening. It’s no coincidence that a
high percentage of historically great people kept diaries.
Move the furniture around in your sleeping quarters, particularly
your bed position. I don’t know why this works but
many sleep strugglers report that shifting the position of the bed can improve
their insomnia.
Avoid taking naps during the day. Naps can be refreshing
but they generally just steal time from your regular night’s sleep.
Many chiropractic patients report more
restful sleep after receiving chiropractic adjustments.
The treatment not only relieves pain but
calms the nervous system. Be cautious of your sleeping posture. Your head needs to be level with your spine in all positions.
The one nutritional supplement that
commonly helps insomnia is magnesium. Take
300 mg before bedtime. It is a mild relaxant and
can be used during the day also for nervousness
and anxiety. It is non-addictive and has no side
effects.
Keep control over the situation. Don’trnwatch TV or read until you fall asleep. Have a
regular bed time and give it a lot of priority. Always
set an alarm clock even when you can sleep later than usual.
Having a regular, consistent wakening time is much easier on
your health.
Get more exercise, both mentally and physically. Do it to a
point when you feel the need for rest. Lack of exercise is the single
most common cause of poor sleep. If you have become quite
sedentary, remember that everyone needs to have goals and challenges
every day. Keep at least your mind active if not your body.
Lastly, accept that some people may not need 8 hours ofrnsleep daily. Many people do fine with six or fewer hours of sleep;
you might be one.

-an excerpt from the book Whole Health Healing – The Budget Friendly Natural Wellness Bible For All Ages by Dr. Tom Potisk, www.wholehealthhealing.com