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A24 HEALTH
Wednesday 5 June 2019

Health and Beauty Sleep

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