Victoria’s Read

Getting restful sleep is one of the best ways for increasing wellness, but often there are factors like time changes, shift work, travel or a restless baby that interfere.  The good news is there is a lot you can do to minimize the disruptions.

Don’t go into the light! Literally. Keep the room as dark as possible. Our body responds to light all over it’s surface not just the eyes. Too much light or even turning on a bright light to go to the bathroom raises cortisol levels (a stress hormone). Your body must metabolize this in order to get back to a restful state. This means covering you clock radio too. The clock is another disrupter. When you glance at the clock, you have to focus on the numbers and then you brain has to translate the numbers into a time and make a judgment on what it just saw. This brings you far out of the restful state and it often takes a long time for the brain to calm down to full sleep.

Do not watch TV in the bedroom or before bed. The rapid images are a stimulator for the brain, and can trigger dream patterns that may disturb sleep, not to mention it’s a fairly bright light. Better yet remove the TV from the room altogether. There are studies underway that are showing a possible effect of strong electromagnetic fields on sleep. TVs and electric blankets seem to be the biggest influences.

If you travel across time zones, one of the key elements to getting back into rhythm is to take a day and get out in the local daylight as much as possible and then at dusk avoid as much artificial light as possible and sleep. You body will reset much quicker.

For extra help in relaxing, some gentle yoga, meditation or any activity that truly relaxes can help you prepare for sleep. You can also try herbal teas like chamomile or a protean rich snack in the late evening to carry you through the night. Limit caffeine past 3:00 pm, as it takes the body approximately six hours to metabolize half of the caffeine ingested, it’s “half life”.

One last tip from the science of Ayurveda, the Indian holistic health system, practiced for 1000s of years in India and now right alongside modern medicine in India. To help calm restless sleep for young or old try rubbing the feet from ankle down with sesame oil before bed. Put on some socks to protect the bed sheets. It’s natural, safe and worth a try. Feedback from many moms is that this often works great for the little ones.

Enjoy life, stay well, stay strong… you deserve it.                       

For more info,   e-mail: info@OhanaWellness.ca or visit our website www.OhanaWellness.ca.
©Darren Renaud  Natural Health Practitioner