May 11, 2012June 23, 2021 By rilax

How to Get the Most Out of Your Sleep

There are things in life that we often take for granted. Sleep is at times one of them. As our schedules get busier, one of the first things that we start to ignore is how much time we devote to sleep. Yet a lack of sleep can have grave consequences to your health. For instance, a prolonged lack of sleep is said has the same devastating effects on the body as if you were intoxicated with alcohol, according to the Journal of Applied Sports Science.

However, merely clocking in more hours to sleep doesn’t necessarily mean that you will awaken well rested. It’s not just the quantity, but really, the quality of your sleep. Here are some pointers on how you can get the most out of your sleep time:

Groove to the right rhythm

Find ways to understand your own sleep cycle – it is different from one individual to another. This is also known as your Circadian Cycle. Your sleep patterns are in 25 hour cycles and since we only have 24 hours in a day, it’s really easy to mess up your body rhythms whenever you stay awake too long or sleep at the wrong times. Be aware and keep tabs of your own body rhythms and make sure to get some shut eye when you need it. Maintain regular sleeping and waking times as much as you can help it.

Carve a routine

Establish a small routine that you can do to wind down at the end of each day. Take a warm shower, do a bit of reading or listen to some soothing music. Anything that helps you relax and quieten down will certainly help get you a better night’s sleep.

Set the tone

Watch that diet

Just Rilax

It is hard to get a good night’s sleep if your mind is full of worry or your body is tensed up. Rilax helps you fall asleep and stay asleep so that you wake up refreshed and ready to start a new day. It is safe for consumption by both adults and children above 12 years old and has been proven to be helpful in keeping sleeping disorders at bay. It now comes with added L-Theanine, a green tea extract, in addition to the original formula that contains Alpha S1-Casein Tryptic Hydrolysate, a unique bioactive milk peptide. Both ingredients work synergistically and more effectively to promote relaxation and restful sleep.

Article by Susanna Khoo.

Brand Buzz

March 16, 2012June 23, 2021 By rilax

1000 Packs of Rilax Giveaway for World Sleep Day 2012

Kuala Lumpur, 16 March 2012 – Rilax Zzz, Malaysia’s leading natural sleep supplement, will give away 1000 packs of Rilax Zzz (worth a total of RM23,000) during the month of March in celebration of World Sleep Day.

World Sleep Day (WSD) which falls on16 March 2012, is an annual event organized by the World Sleep Day committee of the World Association of Sleep Medicine (WASM). Held for the fifth year, this event is intended to raise awareness of the importance of sleep for better health. It also aims to lessen the burden of sleep problems on society through better prevention and management of sleep disorders.

“LiveLife is delighted to be supporting World Sleep Day again this year, as we see its synergy with Rilax Zzz in promoting the health benefits of a good night’s sleep. Sleep is as important as a healthy lifestyle as diet and exercise, but quite simply, many of us are not getting enough hours or getting enough quality sleep due to our hectic lifestyle. Many who have difficulty in this nocturnal activity resort to taking prescribed sleeping pills which can be dangerous when taken for the long haul,” said Aileen Chan, Chief Executive Officer of LiveLife Sdn Bhd, the company that distributes Rilax Zzz.

A recent U.S.study suggests that people who take certain sleep medications even once in a while may be up to five times more susceptible to early death. The drugs are also linked with a significantly increased risk of cancer among people taking high dosages. The findings, published in last month’s issue of the journal BMJ Open, an open-access journal that is part of the British Medical Journal family of publications, show the importance of not becoming dependent on sleeping pills such as benzodiazepines, non- benzodiazepines, barbiturates and sedatives. The research has resulted in shockwaves in the health industry around the world and the full study can be viewed at http://bmjopen.bmj.com

A veteran in the natural health industry, Chan explained, “We have a product that really works without the side effects that worry consumers. In conjunction with WSD and as a community service, we are giving away 1000 packs of Rilax Zzz to consumers who want additional aid in getting quality sleep. Classified as food, Rilax Zzz uses natural functional ingredients with scientifically proven benefits – so people can sleep well at night and wake up with energy and passion for life each day. In fact, the steady growth of this second generation sleep supplement’s sales showed that it has helped many to have a good night’s snooze since its launch in December 2009.”

“In a survey that we conducted among 28 pharmacy retailers and 80 consumers, 93% reported that they were satisfied with Rilax Zzz, 97% would take it again and 98% would recommend the sleep product to their friends and family. The top three benefits experienced by the pharmacists and consumers were: falling asleep easier and faster, sleeping right through the night or waking up less frequently and waking up feeling refreshed”, said Chan.

Interested consumers may write in to rilaxzzz@gmail.com indicating “Rilax Zzz 6s WSD Giveaway”* in the message subject, with their name, IC, address and tel number and say in less than 30 words why they want to try Rilax Zzz. The first 1000 qualifying participants in Malaysia will be entitled to a pack of Rilax Zzz 6 capsules which they can collect at a designated local pharmacy.

Join Rilax Zzz facebook page (www.facebook.com/rilaxzzz) for the latest news and updates.

(*this promotion has ended in April 2012).

Brand Buzz

March 18, 2011June 23, 2021 By rilax

Rilax Celeberates World Sleep Day

As a promoter of good sleep, Rilax has joined forces with the World Association of Sleep Medicine (WASM) to celebrate World Sleep Day (WSD) on 18 March 2011. WSD is an annual event, intended to raise awareness of the importance of sleep for better health. It also aims to lessen the burden of sleep problems on society through better prevention and management of sleep disorders. This year’s slogan “Sleep well, grow healthy” emphasizes the promotion of quality sleep for all ages.

Most sleep disorders are preventable or treatable, yet less than a third of sufferers seek professional help. Sleep problems constitute a global epidemic that threatens health and quality of life, for up to 45% of the world’s population.

No one needs to tell you why a good night’s sleep is so important. In fact, we spend up to a third of our lives sleeping. Sleep, the ultimate rejuvenation elixir, is vital for the maintenance and repair of our body and mind. During deep sleep, brain activity that controls emotions, decision-making processes and social interaction shuts down, allowing us to maintain optimal emotional and social functioning when we are awake. This is also the stage when cell growth and cell repair takes place to combat the effects of stress.

Thus, good quality and restorative sleep is essential for optimum day-to-day functioning. Studies suggest that sleep quality rather than quantity has a greater impact on quality of life and daytime functioning.

Lack of sleep or poor quality sleep is known to have a significanat negative impact on our health in the long and short term. Next day effects of a poor quality sleep include a negative impact on our attention span, memory recall and learning. Longer term effects are being studied, but poor quality sleep or sleep deprivation has been associated with significant health problems, such as obesity, diabetes, weakened immune systems and even some cancers.

“LiveLife is delighted to be supporting World Sleep Day this year, as we see its synergy with Rilax in promoting the health benefits of a good night’s sleep. Sleep is as important as a healthy lifestyle as diet and exercise, but quite simply, many of us are not getting enough hours or getting enough quality sleep. Rilax’s all-natural formulation improves sleep quality and supports relaxation, and has helped many to do so since its launch in December 2009,” said Aileen Chan, Chief Executive Officer of LiveLife, the company that distributes this evidence-based supplement.

Rilax’s natural formula helps the user to get a good solid night’s sleep and wake up feeling recharged, renewed and reenergized. It contains two proven and award-winning ingredients, Lactium®, a unique bioactive peptide within a milk protein hydrolysate that has calming properties, and a green tea extract containing L-Theanine that promotes relaxation.

A recent clinical study on Lactium was conducted in Tokyo and published in The Open Sleep Journal in 2009. The study performed on 32 subjects with insomnia by a team of scientists from the Sleep Centre University Hospital of Geneva (Switzerland), the Laboratoire de NeuroSciences Comportementales (France) and the Ashikaga Institute of Technology (Japan) showed that Lactium helped a majority of participants to fall asleep faster, as well as significantly improve various aspects of sleep disorders.

Results indicated:

Improvement in sleep quality after two weeks of supplementation.
Decrease in sleep latency after four weeks of supplementation.
Decrease in daytime dysfunction after four weeks of supplementation.

Sleep quality is further improved with L-theanine, an amino acid found naturally in green tea leaves, that promotes an alert state of relaxation without lapsing into drowsiness. It is able to initiate an alpha brain wave pattern that signifies a relaxed physical and mental state without drowsiness or impaired motor skills. The studies also confirmed that this ingredient improves the quality of sleep by allowing our mind to fully relax and recuperate. Subjects in the studies did not report feeling groggy and felt refreshed and alert upon waking. It was recorded that after continuous daily intake for two weeks, the subjects in the studies returned to good sleeping pathways as well. Taken an hour before bedtime, Rilax’s all natural ingredients work well to improve sleep quality, particularly those that are stress-related; are safe, non-habit forming, have no side effects and does not cause grogginess when you wake up. For more information, ask your nearest pharmacist.

Brand Buzz

March 18, 2011June 23, 2021 By rilax

World Sleep Day 2011 Special

In conjunction with World Sleep Day 2011, get RM10 off on a pack of Rilax Zzz 24 capsules. All you have to do is: download the following voucher, print it and bring it along to the nearest pharmacy. Voucher is redeemable with purchase of Rilax Zzz 24 capsules only at outlets in MALAYSIA where Rilax Zzz is sold, such as Guardian, Watsons, Caring, Vitacare, Healthlane, Alpha and other independent pharmacies.

Hurry! Voucher is valid till 30 April 2011.

Blog

October 4, 2010June 23, 2021 By rilax

Want A Good Night’s Sleep? Then Never Do These Things Before Bed

By Dr. Mercola

Sleep is one of the great mysteries of life. Like gravity or the quantum field, we still don’t understand exactly why we sleep—although we are learning more about it every day. We do know, however, that good sleep is one of the cornerstones of health. Six to eight hours per night seems to be the optimal amount of sleep for most adults, and too much or too little can have adverse effects on your health. Sleep deprivation is such a chronic condition these days that you might not even realize you suffer from it. Science has now established that a sleep deficit can have serious, far reaching effects on your health. For example, interrupted or impaired sleep can:

Dramatically weaken your immune system
Accelerate tumor growth—tumors grow two to three times faster in laboratory animals with severe sleep dysfunctions
Cause a pre-diabetic state, making you feel hungry even if you’ve already eaten, which can wreak havoc on your weight
Seriously impair your memory; even a single night of poor sleep—meaning sleeping only 4 to 6 hours—can impact your ability to think clearly the next day
Impair your performance on physical or mental tasks, and decrease your problem solving ability When your circadian rhythms are disrupted, your body produces less melatonin (a hormone AND an antioxidant) and has less ability to fight cancer, since melatonin helps suppress free radicals that can lead to cancer. This is why tumors grow faster when you sleep poorly.

Impaired sleep can also increase stress-related disorders, including:

Heart disease
Stomach ulcers
Constipation
Mood disorders like depression

Sleep deprivation prematurely ages you by interfering with your growth hormone production, normally released by your pituitary gland during deep sleep (and during certain types of exercise, such as Peak Fitness Technique). Growth hormone helps you look and feel younger. One study has even shown that people with chronic insomnia have a three times greater risk of dying from any cause. Lost sleep is lost forever, and persistent lack of sleep has a cumulative effect when it comes to disrupting your health. Poor sleep can make your life miserable, as most of you probably know. The good news is, there are many natural techniques you can learn to restore your “sleep health.” Whether you have difficulty falling asleep, waking up too often, or feeling inadequately rested when you wake up in the morning—or maybe you simply want to improve the quality of your sleep—you are bound to find some relief from my tips and tricks below.

Optimizing Your Sleep Sanctuary

1. Sleep in complete darkness, or as close to it as possible.

Even the tiniest bit of light in the room can disrupt your internal clock and your pineal gland’s production of melatonin and serotonin. Even the tiniest glow from your clock radio could be interfering with your sleep. This will help decrease your risk of cancer. Close your bedroom door, and get rid of night-lights. Refrain from turning on any light at all during the night, even when getting up to go to the bathroom. Cover up your clock radio.

Cover your windows—I recommend using blackout shades or drapes.

All life evolved in response to predictable patterns of light and darkness, called circadian rhythms. Modern day electrical lighting has significantly betrayed your inner clock by disrupting your natural rhythms. Little bits of light pass directly through your optic nerve to your hypothalamus, which controls your biological clock.

Light signals your brain that it’s time to wake up and starts preparing your body for ACTION.

2. Keep the temperature in your bedroom no higher than 70 degrees F.

When you sleep, your body’s internal temperature drops to its lowest level, generally about four hours after you fall asleep. Scientists believe a cooler bedroom may therefore be most conducive to sleep, since it mimics your body’s natural temperature drop.

Cover your windows—I recommend using blackout shades or drapes.

Light signals your brain that it’s time to wake up and starts preparing your body for ACTION.

3. Check your bedroom for electro-magnetic fields (EMFs).

These can disrupt the pineal gland and the production of melatonin and serotonin, and may have other negative effects as well.

To do this, you need a gauss meter. You can find various models online, starting around $50 to $200. Some experts even recommend pulling your circuit breaker before bed to kill all power in your house.

4. Move alarm clocks and other electrical devices away from your bed.

If these devices must be used, keep them as far away from your bed as possible, preferably at least 3 feet. Remove the clock from view. It will only add to your worry when you stare at it all night… 2 a.m. …3 a.m. … 4:30 a.m.

5. Avoid using loud alarm clocks.

It is very stressful on your body to be suddenly jolted awake. If you are regularly getting enough sleep, an alarm may even be unnecessary. I gave up my alarm clock years ago and now use a sun alarm clock. The Sun Alarm™ SA-2002 provides an ideal way to wake up each morning if you can’t wake up with the REAL sun. Combining the features of a traditional alarm clock (digital display, AM/FM radio, beeper, snooze button, etc) with a special built-in light that gradually increases in intensity, this amazing clock simulates a natural sunrise. It also includes a sunset feature where the light fades to darkness over time, which is ideal for anyone who has trouble falling asleep.

6. Reserve your bed for sleeping.

If you are used to watching TV or doing work in bed, you may find it harder to relax and drift off to sleep, so avoid doing these activities in bed.

7. Consider separate bedrooms.

Recent studies suggest, for many people, sharing a bed with a partner (or pets) can significantly impair sleep, especially if the partner is a restless sleeper or snores. If bedfellows are consistently interfering with your sleep, you may want to consider a separate bedroom.

Preparing for Bed

8. Get to bed as early as possible.

Your body (particularly your adrenal system) does a majority of its recharging between the hours of 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. In addition, your gallbladder dumps toxins during this same period. If you are awake, the toxins back up into your liver, which can further disrupt your health.

Prior to the widespread use of electricity, people would go to bed shortly after sundown, as most animals do, and which nature intended for humans as well.

9. Don’t change your bedtime.

You should go to bed and wake up at the same times each day, even on the weekends. This will help your body to get into a sleep rhythm and make it easier to fall asleep and get up in the morning.

10. Establish a bedtime routine.

This could include meditation, deep breathing, using aromatherapy or essential oils or indulging in a massage from your partner. The key is to find something that makes you feel relaxed, then repeat it each night to help you release the tensions of the day.

11. Don’t drink any fluids within 2 hours of going to bed.

This will reduce the likelihood of needing to get up and go to the bathroom, or at least minimize the frequency.

12. Go to the bathroom right before bed.

This will reduce the chances that you’ll wake up to go in the middle of the night.

13. Eat a high-protein snack several hours before bed.

This can provide the L-tryptophan needed for your melatonin and serotonin production.

14. Also eat a small piece of fruit.

This can help the tryptophan cross your blood-brain barrier.

15.Avoid before-bed snacks, particularly grains and sugars.

These will raise your blood sugar and delay sleep. Later, when blood sugar drops too low (hypoglycemia), you may wake up and be unable to fall back asleep.

16. Take a hot bath, shower or sauna before bed.

When your body temperature is raised in the late evening, it will fall at bedtime, facilitating slumber. The temperature drop from getting out of the bath signals your body it’s time for bed.

17. Wear socks to bed.

Feet often feel cold before the rest of the body because they have the poorest circulation. A study has shown that wearing socks reduces night wakings. As an alternative, you could place a hot water bottle near your feet at night.

18.Wear an eye mask to block out light.

As discussed earlier, it is very important to sleep in as close to complete darkness as possible. That said, it’s not always easy to block out every stream of light using curtains, blinds or drapes, particularly if you live in an urban area (or if your spouse has a different schedule than you do). In these cases, an eye mask can be helpful.

19. Put your work away at least one hour before bed (preferably two hours or more).

This will give your mind a chance to unwind so you can go to sleep feeling calm, not hyped up or anxious about tomorrow’s deadlines.

20.No TV right before bed.

Even better, get the TV out of the bedroom or even completely out of the house. It’s too stimulating to the brain, preventing you from falling asleep quickly. TV disrupts your pineal gland function.

21. Listen to relaxation CDs.

Some people find the sound of white noise or nature sounds, such as the ocean or forest, to be soothing for sleep. An excellent relaxation/meditation option to listen to before bed is the Insight audio CD. Another favorite is the Sleep Harmony CD, which uses a combination of advanced vibrational technology and guided meditation to help you effortlessly fall into deep delta sleep within minutes. The CD works on the principle of “sleep wave entrainment” to assist your brain in gearing down for sleep.

22. Read something spiritual or uplifting.

This may help you relax. Don’t read anything stimulating, such as a mystery or suspense novel, which has the opposite effect. In addition, if you are really enjoying a suspenseful book, you might be tempted to go on reading for hours, instead of going to sleep!

23. Journaling.

If you often lay in bed with your mind racing, it might be helpful keep a journal and write down your thoughts before bed. Personally, I have been doing this for 15 years, but prefer to do it in the morning when my brain is functioning at its peak and my cortisol levels are high.

Lifestyle Suggestions That Enhance Sleep

24. Reduce or avoid as many drugs as possible.

Many drugs, both prescription and over-the-counter, may adversely effect sleep. In most cases, the condition causing the drugs to be taken in the first place can be addressed by following guidelines elsewhere on my web site.

25. Avoid caffeine.

At least one study has shown that, in some people, caffeine is not metabolized efficiently, leaving you feeling its effects long after consumption. So, an afternoon cup of coffee or tea will keep some people from falling asleep at night. Be aware that some medications contain caffeine (for example, diet pills).

26. Avoid alcohol.

Although alcohol will make you drowsy, the effect is short lived and you will often wake up several hours later, unable to fall back asleep. Alcohol will also keep you from entering the deeper stages of sleep, where your body does most of its healing.

27.Make certain you are exercising regularly.

Exercising for at least 30 minutes per day can improve your sleep. However, don’t exercise too close to bedtime or it may keep you awake. Studies show exercising in the morning is the best if you can manage it.

28. Lose excess weight.

Being overweight can increase your risk of sleep apnea, which can seriously impair your sleep.

29 .Avoid foods you may be sensitive to.

This is particularly true for sugar, grains, and pasteurized dairy. Sensitivity reactions can cause excess congestion, gastrointestinal upset, bloating and gas, and other problems.

30. Have your adrenals checked by a good natural medicine clinician.

Scientists have found that insomnia may be caused by adrenal stress.

31.If you are menopausal or perimenopausal, get checked out by a good natural medicine physician.

The hormonal changes at this time may cause sleep problems if not properly addressed.

If All Else Fails

32. My current favorite fix for insomnia is Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT).

Most people can learn the basics of this gentle tapping technique in a few minutes. EFT can help balance your body’s bioenergy system and resolve some of the emotional stresses that are contributing to your insomnia at a very deep level. The results are typically long lasting and improvement is remarkably rapid.

33. Increase your melatonin.

Ideally it is best to increase levels naturally with exposure to bright sunlight in the daytime (along with full spectrum fluorescent bulbs in the winter) and absolute complete darkness at night.

Blog

July 28, 2010June 23, 2021 By rilax

Lost Sleep Can Never Be Made Up

Staying in bed on the weekends won’t make up for a weeks’ worth of sleep deprivation. A new study finds that going long periods without sleep can lead to a sort of “sleep debt” that cannot simply be undone with extra sleep later.

Such chronic sleep loss may eventually interfere with a person’s performance on tasks that require focus, becoming particularly noticeable at nighttime. This could be due to the effects of your natural sleep-wake cycle, or circadian rhythm.

Your natural tendency to want to be awake during the day may mask signs of sleep debt when it’s light out. But this protective effect may go away as darkness arrives.

Further, just 10 percent of adolescents are getting the optimal hours of sleep each night.

Here’s how parents can help teens get the most possible sleep, despite the demands of school and work:

Teenagers should stick to a consistent bedtime, preferably before 10 PM
Keep sleep and wake times as consistent as possible from day to day; maintaining a more regular sleep schedule makes it easier to fall asleep
Don’t sleep in — strive to wake up no more than two to three hours later on weekends to keep biological clocks on cycle

Sources:
Live Science January 13, 2010
U.S. News & World Report January 15, 2010

Dr. Mercola’s Comments:

According to a 2007 survey of 12 to 16 year-olds, 25 percent fell asleep with the TV, computer, stereo, iPod headphones or other electronic gadgets on. The same survey revealed these teens only received four to seven hours of sleep each night.

Other studies show that adolescents actually have a different circadian rhythm than children or adults. Teenagers experience a temporary resetting of their body clocks which prompts them to fall asleep and wake up later.

The hormone melatonin is produced later at night for teens, which can make it hard for them to fall asleep at an earlier hour. This temporary adjustment in their body clocks is one of the reasons young adults don’t get the amount of sleep they require.

In addition to a shortage of rest, the quality of sleep these kids get can be very poor.

In order to get the highest quality sleep, you need to be in a room that is dark as possible. Even the slightest bit of light can disrupt your body’s circadian rhythm and production of melatonin and serotonin, two hormones vital to your health.

Many people are not aware that exposure to the smallest amount of light at night will cause your body to shut down further.

Artificial Light and Your Wake/Sleep Cycle

The invention of electrical lighting has been both a boon and a bust. The benefits of artificial light are obvious, but what about the drawbacks?

One of them has to do with how long and how well people sleep these days.

When artificial lighting was introduced, it increased the amount of daytime hours and decreased the number of hours of an average night’s sleep down to seven.

Circadian rhythms are no longer able to adjust to a predictable pattern of daytime and darkness, which has created a chronic modern day sleep deficit and potentially devastating health consequences.

The Dangers of Underestimating Your Sleep Requirements

Sleep deprivation is such a chronic condition these days you might not even realize you suffer from it. You might assume, since you rise when the alarm clock rings and feel reasonably alert once you’re up and moving, that the sleep you’re getting is adequate.

If you’ve shorted yourself on hours and your quality of sleep for any length of time, it’s likely your state of sleep deprivation feels normal to you.

Researchers, however, will tell you that a sleep deficit can have serious, far-reaching effects on your health. Among them:

A single night of sleeping only four to six hours can impact your ability to think clearly the next day.
Good sleepers and poor sleepers experience about the same number of daily minor stressful events, but good sleepers are less disturbed by them. Poor sleepers experience life events as being more negative than do those who sleep well.
Sleep deprivation can cause changes in your brain activity similar to those experienced by people with psychiatric disorders.
Sleep deprivation puts your body into a pre-diabetic state, and makes you feel hungry, even if you’ve already eaten.
Interrupted sleep can dramatically weaken your immune system
Tumors grow two to three times faster in laboratory animals with severe sleep dysfunctions.

How Lack of Sleep Damages Your Health

Melatonin is an antioxidant that helps to suppress harmful free radicals in your body and slows the production of estrogen, which can activate cancer. When your circadian rhythm is disrupted, your body may produce less melatonin and therefore may have less ability to fight cancer.

Exposure to light while your body is trying to sleep activates your stress response and weakens your immune system, which is why irregular sleep cycles can lead to stress-related disorders including:

Constipation
Stomach ulcers
Depression
Heart disease

A disrupted body clock can wreak havoc on your weight. Losing sleep raises levels of two hormones linked with appetite and eating behavior. Sleep deprivation reduces leptin, a hormone that tells your brain you’re satiated, and increases ghrelin, a hormone that triggers hunger.

Lack of sleep can destroy your memory. If your internal clock isn’t functioning properly, it causes the release of too much GABA, the brain inhibiting neurotransmitter. According to the results of the Stanford study, an excess of GABA inhibits the brain in a way that leads to short term memory problems and the inability to retain new information.

Sleep deprivation ages you. Lack of sleep interferes with metabolism and hormone production in a way that is similar to the effects of aging and the early stages of diabetes. Chronic sleep loss may speed the onset or increase the severity of age-related conditions such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, and memory loss.

More Ways to Disrupt Your Body Clock

Artificial lights aren’t the only way you can disturb your circadian rhythm. You can also confuse your body’s sleep/wake cycle by:

Staying up late
Working the night shift
Using a night light
Switching time zones (jet lag)
Eating in the middle of the night or too close to bedtime

Many of your major organs and body systems have their own internal clocks. These clocks influence everything from your body temperature to hormone production to your heart rate. When these clocks are out of whack, all kinds of things can happen which impact your daily life and your overall health.

A Debt You Can’t Repay

For most people who don’t sleep well, it has become a pattern and not just an occasional night of restlessness.

A chronic lack of high-quality sleep simply cannot be recovered. You can’t stockpile a supply to use later, nor can you pay your body’s sleep debt back.

You may feel rested and sharper after sleeping in, but the benefit is temporary and can be compared to depositing money in your account then withdrawing it again a day or two later.

Lost sleep is lost forever, and persistent lack of sleep has a cumulative effect when it comes to the

havoc it can wreak on your health.

How to Get the Amount of Sleep Your Body Needs

As a general rule, adults need between six and nine hours of sleep a night. Most adolescents and teens do best with at least nine hours a night.

There are, of course, exceptions – some people can function well on less than six hours and others need more than nine.

Other factors that can affect your sleep requirements include illness, emotional stress, and the time of year (some folks need more sleep during winter months). If you’re pregnant you might require more sleep, especially during your first trimester.

If you feel tired when you first wake up, you probably aren’t getting sufficient sleep. It’s best to observe how you feel immediately upon awakening rather than after you’re up and moving around.

Those first few moments of wakefulness, before your mind fully kicks into gear, are a better measure of how your body is feeling.

Some tips for getting good quality sleep include:

Avoid before-bed snacks, particularly grains and sugars. This will raise blood sugar and inhibit sleep. Later, when blood sugar drops too low (hypoglycemia), you might wake up and not be able to fall back asleep.
No TV right before bed. Even better, get the TV out of the bedroom or even out of the house, completely. It is too stimulating to your brain and it will take longer to fall asleep.
Wear socks to bed. Your feet will often feel cold before the rest of your body. A study has shown that wearing socks reduces night waking.
Get to bed fairly early. Our systems, particularly our adrenals, do a majority of their recharging or recovering during the hours of 11PM and 1AM.
Keep the temperature in your bedroom no higher than 70 degrees F. Many people keep their homes and particularly the upstairs bedrooms too hot.
Eat a high-protein snack several hours before bed. This can provide the L-tryptophan need to produce melatonin and serotonin.

For a comprehensive list of practical solutions for sleep problems, be sure to read my 33 Secrets to a Good Night’s Sleep.

If you have trouble falling or staying asleep because your mind is racing or you’re emotionally overwhelmed, I recommend you use Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) for insomnia.

Quality Sleep is One of the Pillars of Good Health

Sleep is one of your most precious resources. You undervalue its importance to your health, longevity and the quality of your life at your peril.

Just like exercise, the health benefits you receive every night from sleep depend on how long you spend at it and the quality of it.

Just as eating for your nutritional type provides your body with a solid foundation for health, so does good sleep.

And just as processing your emotions and stressful events in a productive way helps you remove the barriers to achieving optimal health and fitness, adequate high quality sleep is also a core building block for a lifetime of wellness.

Blog

June 29, 2010August 19, 2021 By rilax

Why We Need A Good Night’s Sleep

Few people realize that sleep deficit can be a serious threat to their health and well-being. Lack of sleep and not having quality sleep each night can lead to a weakened immune system, bad skin, poor memory, loss of concentration and high blood pressure.

“Sleep comes from the brain, is a product of the brain, and benefits the brain,” says Allan Hobson, famed Harvard Medical School sleep researcher. Indeed, restful sleep is the ultimate rejuvenation elixir and leads to improved physical performance and greater emotional stability.

Ideally, we equate a good night’s rest with total relaxation. But behind closed eyelids, there is a great deal going on. While we sleep, our body’s organs regenerate and repair themselves. It’s also the time when your mind lays down its memories and processes the information gathered during the day.

Sleep is actually a dynamic process with three distinct and necessary cycles. Each night we cycle through these stages of sleep ranging from light sleep to deep sleep and finally, to rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. A complete cycle consists of REM and non REM cycles that alternate every 90 to 110 minutes and is repeated four to six times per night. REM sleep helps in mental consolidation while non REM helps in cell growth, physical repair and rebuilding.

The earlier part of sleep is mostly non-REM. During that period, our pituitary gland releases growth hormones that repair our body. The latter part of sleep is more and more REM type.

To be mentally alert during the day, the latter part of sleep is more important. We may find that upon waking up to an alarm clock after 5-6 hours of sleep, we are mentally irritable throughout the day (lack of REM sleep). And if we have slept for less than 5 hours, our body is in a complete physical mess (lack of non-REM sleep), we are tired throughout the day, moving like a zombie and we tend to fall sick easily.

So get a good night’s sleep, every night. Try Rilax, a natural sleep aid, to improve your sleep quality.