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Better Sleep for Better HealthGetting regular sleep is vital to your health.As boring as it may sound, your body will function better if you keep a regular schedule: with your meals, with your bed time, exercise routines, etc. It likes predictability (If your job or other life requirements include rotating shifts, this can become quite a challenge). Not only that, but we are designed to rest when it's dark- you know, night time. I sure don't want to give up using electricity, but the invention of the light bulb (and now TV and the Internet) has probably done more to mess up our sleeping cycles than most anything. To get proper REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, when your body and brain are "recharged," you need at least five hours of uninterrupted sleep (seven to nine hours are recommended). The REM cycle takes about 90 minutes, so five hours will allow you to get 2 or 3 cycles in. Remember, your body goes through a constant breakdown-rebuild process; it needs the opportunity to do the rebuilding while not much else is going on (like- your life). And, unfortunately, as we age, our bodies become much better at "breaking down" and less efficient in the rebuilding department... just at the stage when many people are sleeping less well. Sounds like a nasty cycle that needs to be broken. Before you resort to a sleeping pill (most people don't really sleep well using them anyway), try these suggestions: Cut out caffeine, or at least cut down, and certainly no caffeine after around 3 PM (some people do better stopping at noon). This means coffee, regular tea, most sodas, and even chocolate. Also, check the ingredients on your headache remedy. Some do contain caffeine. Do your exercise workout early in the day, so your body won't be "racing" when it's time to wind down and go to sleep. As much as I hate agreeing with the TV commercials, having a quality bed is really helpful in getting a good night's sleep. Try a warm (not hot) bath or at least a warm shower before bedtime. Skip the 10 o'clock news. It's almost always too much of a "downer" to let you sleep well. Try to eat your last meal of the day at least 3 or 4 hours before you go to bed. Get to bed before midnight. Be Here Now. Leave work at work. Let go of all the "stuff" that happened to you today (forgiveness does a world of good for all concerned). Use meditation and/or prayerto help. Sometimes, you can actually be too tired to catch any z's. If you go and go (usually over a long period of time), til you're past the point of recovery after a night's sleep, your body may be so weary that even the "sleep-when-you-are-tired" function isn't working properly. This may be an appropriate time to try a mild relaxing herb, such as chamomile, skullcap, or valerian root, just to help you "let down." Avoid using alcohol to relax. Your liver may already be overworking, and adding another toxin to be processed might actually cause you to sleep less deeply, especially in the "wee hours" between midnight and 4 AM. If you know you are just plain weary, Co-enzyme Q10, usually known as CoQ10, has been of great help to many people, and would probably be worth trying. It is associated with the Mitochondria- the "energy factories" inside our bodies' cells that convert the broken down food materials (at the molecular level) to the actual "energy juice" that the body runs on. If your brain's "wheels are turning," and you just can't slow them down, White Chestnut, one of the Bach Flower Essences, might be what will help you get a good night's rest. It may sound silly, but having certain items in your bedroom can affect your sleep quality. If you have a TV or computer in your bedroom, it should be unplugged- not simply turned off- before you go to bed (the electromagnetic waves - EMFs - affect your brain's own frequencies, and will disturb your slumber). At the very least, it should be in a cabinet with doors that you can close. A picture of someone you dislike, or are not getting along with at the moment, is the last thing you need to see before sleeping. Or, better said: It should not be the last thing you see ;-) . Electronic devices should be at least 8 or 10 feet from your head when you're sleeping (many phones and alarm clocks are in this category). This is just a sampling of things that can affect your sleep quality, but all are quite common, and bear looking into. If your snoring (or someone else's) is keeping you awake Get More Info on Triple Complex Sleep Tonic Tissue Salts Back to Origin of Disease - Neglect  Back to Organic Cures from Your Personal Wellness Consultant PWC PicksTraditional Food Supplements To Help With More L-Theanine 200mg Bach Flowers Bach Flowers
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