10 habits for highly effective sleep

[Luc]

I'm posting this in the hope it will help you in WD as well. With this caveat though - points 7 and 8 at your own discretion. Some maybe helped by them, some may risk temporarily destabilizing their systems. It all depends.

Natural News December 07, 2012

Ten habits for highly effective sleep


1. Proper nutrition: Foods that are high in sugar and carbohydrates are going to cause blood sugar imbalances that can cause sleeping problems. Instead, build your meals around phytonutrient rich vegetables and healthy fat sources such as avocados, coconut products, nuts, organic and grass-fed animal products. Avoid stimulants such as caffeine, chocolate and raw cacao within six hours of bedtime.

2. Regular sleep-wake cycle: The body works best on routine rhythms. For optimal sleeping patterns go to sleep the same time each night and wake up the same time each morning. The most you should deviate if at all possible would be 30 minutes.

Research has shown that people need at least seven and up to nine hours of sleep for optimal health. Every hour of sleep between 9 p.m. and midnight is equivalent to two hours of quality sleep after midnight.

3. Only use your bed for sleeping: Many people do all sorts of activities in their bed. For optimal sleeping habits, attempt to train your body that when you get in your bed it is time to go to sleep. Get any other sort of distractions out of your bedroom.

4. Darkness: In the absence of light, the pineal gland produces melatonin. Melatonin is known as the regulator of the sleep/wake cycle in the body. It is produced in the pineal gland of the brain and monitors sleep cycles while playing an important role in healing and anti-oxidant protection.

Any sort of light can interfere with normal melatonin production and negatively affect sleeping patterns. Turn off all lights, turn your alarm clock away from you and close the blinds.

5. Hydration: There is a delicate hydration balance that should be achieved for optimal sleep. You want to ensure that your body is not dehydrated as this will increase stress hormones and disrupt sleep while too much hydration will fill the bladder and lead to bathroom breaks overnight. Be sure to drink eight ounces of water 90 minutes before bed and leave a glass of water near your bed in case you wake up thirsty. Go to the bathroom and empty your bladder before getting in bed.

6. Keep the room cool: When you fall asleep, your body temperature homeostasis (temperature your brain is trying to achieve) goes down. If the room temperature is too cold or too hot it can cause stress on the system and disrupt sleep. The typical range that works best is between 65-70 degrees F.

7. Relaxation tea: There are many organic teas on the market that are loaded with herbs like chamomile, passionflower and valerian root which naturally help relax the body and induce sleepiness.

8. Melatonin supplement: This supplement can enhance the body's natural sleep/wake cycle. Many individuals have reported benefits using this with great success.

9. Gratitude: Many individuals allow fear, worry and anxiety to disrupt sleep cycles. Practicing gratefulness allows the body to relax more effectively. Keep a gratitude journal and write down three things you are genuinely grateful for that day.

10. Prioritize: Sleep is not a heavily valued commodity in our fast-paced world. However, prioritizing your sleep will allow you to function at a higher percentage of your potential. Good sleep habits allow you to be more productive and enjoy your life much more.


http://www.naturalnews.com/038252_sl..._bed_time.html

[stan]

very good advices, but for me my sleep patterns are totally twisted, my biological watch is out

[Sheila]

Good stuff.


<< example of #3 -- do not play tuba in bed

[Luc]

very good advices, but for me my sleep patterns are totally twisted, my biological watch is out

True, Stan. At certain stages of WD, there's not much that can be done to sleep the normal way, or sometimes to sleep at all. The good news is that, eventually, those methods may help a bit, and then more and more.

[Luc]

Good stuff.


<< example of #3 -- do not play tuba in bed

LOL. On the other hand, it's a good way to help your neighbours *not* to sleep. Can come in handy, too.

[nancys]

Awesome Luc. Thanks.
I am definately getting better after going up 10mg more of celexa and only on day 9. i see light at the end of the tunnel. long way to go but feeling more normal, more like i will be able to accomplish tasks, more calm, less stressed about every little thing, like there is a future, more hope. Things will not be perfect at all cause i know how they were with brain injury, depression, anxiety, and difficulty with initiation and planning due to brain injury, before went off drugs. But who knows what i will be like. i believe seroquel was causing much depression and inability to function for years, but i am not positive. i will know more when the celexa and trazadone are more on board. but when i went off i believe i felt much more awake, alive, motivated, eager, more able to get out of bed, more like when was teenager before took drugs, happier, joy. feelings i had not felt since i was teen before drugs. but its complicated cause of other drugs on when on seroquel and other drugs on and off when coming off seroquel in fall. but this is how it seemed to me. my best estimate.

[Luc]

You've already made great improvements, Nancy. And it's 99.9% certain that you will keep improving - the reinstatement hasn't fully kicked in yet. As for the brain injury, the body is able to heal from everything, contrary to what the mainstream medicine says. You were suffering a lot, so I'm not quite sure if you were able to have a look at this thread Sheila showed you. Just in case I'm posting it again - an extremely positive account of someone recuperating fully; http://antidepressantwithdrawal.info...t=brain+injury