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Wednesday 27 november 2019 HEALTH
A24

Health and Beauty Sleep

sleep.
Lack of sleep seems to be a major stress factor. Having trouble getting to sleep? The follow-
Regularly catching only a few hours of sleep ing ten suggestions might help. 1) Maintain a
can hinder metabolism and hormone produc- regular bed and wake time schedule including
tion in a way that is similar to the effects of ag- weekends. 2) Establish a regular, relaxing bed-
ing and the early stages of diabetes. Chronic time routine such as soaking in a hot bath and
sleep loss may speed the onset or increase the then reading a book or listening to soothing
severity of conditions such as type II diabetes, music. 3) Create a sleep-conducive environ-
high blood pressure, obesity, and memory loss. ment that is dark, quiet, comfortable and cool.
Medical researchers have shown that just one 4) Sleep on a comfortable mattress and pillows.
week of sleep deprivation altered subject’s hor- 5) Use your bedroom only for sleep and sex. It
mone levels and their capacity to metabolize is best to take work materials, computers and
carbohydrates. Research has shown that in televisions out of the sleeping environment. 6)
developed countries, the average night’s sleep Eat a healthy diet and finish eating at least 2-3
has grown shorter since the beginning of the hours before your regular bedtime. 7) Exercise
century, from 9 hours to 7.5 hours. People who regularly. It is best to complete your workout
give up sleep to make more time for work and at least a few hours before bedtime. 8) Avoid
leisure are aging must faster than they should caffeine (e.g. coffee, tea, and soft drinks, or
be. chocolate) close to bedtime. It can keep you
During sleep-deprivation, researchers found, awake. 9) Avoid nicotine (e.g. cigarettes, to-
men’s blood sugar levels took 40% longer to bacco products) Used close to bedtime, it can
drop, compared with the natural sleep-recov- lead to poor sleep. 10) Avoid alcohol close to
ery period; and their ability to secrete and bedtime. It can lead to disrupted sleep later in
respond to the hormone insulin, which helps the night. 11) Do not run electrical wires under
regulate blood sugar, dropped by 30%. These or over your bed.
changes reflect the effects of insulin resistance. Pharmaceutical drugs to get to sleep are not
In addition, the sleep-deprived men had higher a healthy solution. These drugs do not produce
nighttime concentrations of the hormone corti- the deep curative sleep needed to regain our
sol, which also helps regulate blood sugar, and health and are habit-forming. There are natu-
lower levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone. ral food supplements like 5 – HTP and Theanine
These raised cortisol levels are often seen in old- (from Green Tea) can help considerably if tak-
By Carlos M Viana, OMD, CCN er people, and may be involved in age-related en with a little natural fruit juice thirty minutes
or more before you eat. If your sleep cycle
insulin resistance and memory loss.
Many childhood sleep problems are related has changed because of travel or work shift
After greeting our patient, the first question I to irregular sleep habits or to anxiety. Persis- change the natural supplement melatonin will
ask is: “How did you sleep last night”? Sleep tent sleep problems may also be symptoms of help reset your sleep cycle. Acupuncture helps
is a basic human need, as important for good emotional difficulties. “Separation anxiety” is a balance your body and encourages restful
health as diet and exercise. Only when we are developmental landmark for young children. sleep. A visit to a natural physician could help
sound asleep do our bodies repair. When we Bedtime is a time of separation. Some children you determine the cause of your sleep problem
sleep, our bodies rest but our brains are active, will do all they can to prevent separation at and how to best help it. Remember, you can-
laying the groundwork for healing and produc- bedtime. not restore your health without sound sleep.
tivity. Most people need eight hours of sleep The average woman aged 30-60 sleeps only six Get the Point! Getting the right amount of sleep
nightly. Unfortunately, for 10% to 25% of us, not hours and forty-one minutes during the work- is vital, but just as important is the quality of your
being able to get to sleep or insomnia can be week. Conditions unique to women, like the sleep. An adequate amount of sleep is as im-
a chronic condition. Approximately 98 million menstrual cycle, pregnancy and menopause, portant as an adequate amount of exercise.
dollars a year is spent in the United States alone can affect how well a woman sleeps. This is be- Most of us do not fully appreciate the value of
on over-the-counter sleep aids. Not getting cause the changing levels of hormones that a a full night’s sleep. I believe that seven hours
enough restful sleep results in daytime sleepi- woman experiences throughout the month, like is an absolute minimum for most all of us, and
ness, increased accidents, problems concen- estrogen and progesterone, have an impact most of us would benefit from closer to 9 hours.
trating and poor performance on the job and on sleep. Understanding the effects of these Ask any woman how much better she feels and
in school, and increased sickness and weight hormones, environmental factors and lifestyle looks when getting her full allotment of beauty
gain. habits can help women enjoy a good night’s sleep.q