Page 18 - HOH

a24 health
Wednesday 16 OctOber 2019

Health and Beauty Sleep

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