Why you’re likely ruining your health by doing this everyday . . .

You may be eating the best foods possible, exercising regularly and doing various relaxation practices and believe you are doing everything you can to optimize your health.  These lifestyle habits certainly get all the headlines on T.V. from the experts.  While all of these habits will radically improve your health, reverse many diseases and prevent several chronic health conditions; without adequate sleep, they are ineffective and potentially damaging to your health. 

As a nation, Americans suffer from a severe sleep deficit and if you are like the average person, you ARE sleep deprived.  Survey studies from the National Sleep Foundation indicate that 63 % of Americans do not feel that their sleep needs are being satisfied (i.e., the reported average number of hours of sleep being under 7 hours).     

The consequences of inadequate sleep are very damaging to you as adequate sleep is essential for you to regulate numerous hormones in your body, like testosterone, estrogen, melatonin, leptin and ghrelin that help you to lose weight.^1,2 Insufficient sleep also increases your risk for many mental health problems like depression and cognitive problems like ADHD.³  Getting sufficient sleep is also important for you to minimize the damaging effects of stress, support your brain’s detoxification system and repair your body.  Making sure that you get adequate sleep will also reduce your risk for many types of cancer, like prostate cancer (i.e., melatonin acts as a very powerful antioxidant).

Before I talk about simple strategies to help you improve your sleep, there is no “magic” number of hours that you need. Listen to your body. Your needs for sleep will vary according to the cycles of nature (e.g., with the fall season now beginning and the winter approaching the days are shorter and darker; in the summer the days are longer and there is more sunlight) because your sleep and wake cycles are regulated primarily by your exposure to external cues that influence your circadian rhythm and your lifestyle.⁴   

So if you have tried different approaches and still experience insomnia or frequently wake up in the middle of the night, follow my simple recommendations below: 

• Make sure that you are getting sensible sun light exposure or using a high lux artificial light in order to reset your circadian rhythm.⁵    
•  Go to bed at the same time each evening and wake up at the same time every morning.
• Develop a night time sleep ritual to help you transition into sleep.  Try reading, listening to relaxing music or meditating (e.g., Mindfulness Meditation or Loving Kindness Meditation) an hour before you go to bed.
• Soak in a warm Epsom salt bath to help you relax 1 hour before going to bed.  Add 2 cups of Epsom salt and 10 drops of lavender essential oil.  Soak in the tub for 20 minutes.
• Dim the lights in your bedroom and house 2 hours before your bed time to help your body produce more melatonin.
• Minimize or avoid your use of electronics like your T.V., computer or smartphone as they emit a blue spectrum of light that interferes with your body’s secretion of melatonin. 
• If you watch T.V. or feel that you must use an electronic device after sunset wear orange or red tinted sunglasses like BluBlockers and use software like f.lux to reduce the interference on your computer and iPhone or EasyEyez for Android. 
• Set the ambient temperature in your bedroom down to at least 70 degrees Fahrenheit or lower. Your core body temperature drops during sleep and setting your climate control higher can contribute to restless sleep.  

Upon waking, take a moment to notice how you feel. If you feel refreshed and alert, make a mental note of what you did the prior night and repeat the cycle.   Ideally, you will wake up without the need for an alarm. Otherwise, you need more sleep and need to adjust your schedule so that can go to bed earlier. It’s best to set your intention and go to bed by 10:00 pm and allow for eight to nine hours of sleep.
 

To your health,

Dr. Sandoval

To learn more about how working with a psychologist and holistic health coach can help you to enhance your health and well-being, call or email Dr. Sandoval to schedule a free consultation.

1. Czeisler, CA, Klerman, EB. “Circadian and sleep-dependent regulation of hormone release in humans.” Recent Progress in Hormone Research. (1999). (54):97-132.
2. Van Cauter, E, Knutson, K, Leproult, R, and Spiegel, K. “The Impact of Sleep Deprivation on Hormones and Metabolism.” (2005). Medscape Neurology. (7):1.
3. Ilardi, S. (2010). The Depression Cure: The 6-Step Program to Beat Depression without Drugs.
4. Wiley, TS & Formby, B. (2001). Lights Out: Sleep, Sugar, and Survival.
5. Stalgis-Bilinski, KL, Boyages, J, Salisbury, EL, Dunstan, CR, Henderson, SI, and Talbot, PL. “Burning daylight: balancing vitamin D requirements with sensible sun exposure.” Medical Journal of Australia. (2011).194(7):345-8.

 

The information, published and/or made available through the www.fullofradiance.com website, is not intended to replace the services of a physician, nor does it constitute a physician-patient relationship. This blog is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You should not use the information in this post for diagnosing or treating a medical or health condition. You should consult a physician in all matters relating to your health, particularly in respect to any symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention.  Any action on the reader’s part in response to the information provided in this blog is at the reader’s discretion.