Better Sleep......

Sleep is one of the most important physiological functions and allows the body time to repair and complete integral processes within the organs, systems and brain.

Sleep allows the body to recover from things like exercise that can tear the muscles. This is the reason it is important to allow the body to recover through the night before a workout. Through sleep, the body is able to recover the tissues and build muscle mass which can lead to an increased metabolism, which can help you in weight loss.         


Sleep is actually essential for life. There have been multiple studies that have demonstrated the effects of the lack of sleep or through sleep deprivation that have shown to decrease the life span of an individual.          


What happens when the body is deprived of sleep?
The importance of sleep can be seen in patients that are suffering from sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation can have devastating effects on the body which mimic the effects of the body being under the impression of drugs or alcohol.

More than four percent of fatal crashes occur because the patient is suffering from a lack of sleep and is unable to give the attention required to drive a motor vehicle. The lack of concentration that can be seen from sleep deprivation is evident through various studies and has proven the fact that a lack of sleep can mimic the effects of intoxication as it can reduce the reaction time that is required to effectively operate a motor vehicle to avoid injury to yourself, as well as others and has also been proven to reduce memory and cause moodiness in individuals that can lead to bad decision making through the entire process.


How Much Sleep Is Enough?
Although it's recommended that adults and young adults get at least eight hours of sleep per night, there are many adults that are able to focus with less sleep, as little as six hours may be sufficient for some adults.

Children require varying amounts of sleep from fourteen to fifteen hours required for infants, to twelve to thirteen hours of sleep required for children up to twelve months of age.  

Children between the ages of two years and twelve years require twelve hours of sleep per night in order to maintain the optimum balance.  

Teenagers thirteen years to sixteen years of age require up to ten hours of sleep per night.





How To Sleep Better?
Getting a goods night sleep can help contribute to the emotional and physical health of the individual and boost the immune system while lowering the stress which is experienced in the body.


With so many benefits to getting enough sleep, there is no reason that everyone should not get the recommended eight hours per night.

Sleep is an essential physiological process that allows the body to recover and to grow and to maintain optimal health. Without sleep, or when one suffers from sleep deprivation there are many physiological changes, negative physiological changes which occur in the body such as a lack of concentration, memory loss, irritability and even a decrease in the reaction time of the brain.



How You Can Sleep Better?
Follow these tips and techniques to increase your sleeping time and the quality of your sleep and become a well rested individual.

• Remove distractions from the room while trying to fall asleep. This includes televisions, music and radios as well as computers. Even excess lighting should be removed from the room to ensure that you are able to have the best sleep possible and the time that it takes to fall asleep is decreased.
  
• Reduce the stimulation in the hours which proceed the time in which you are going to bed. This can include reducing stress and creating a routine that can relax and soothe the individual, rather than creating tension and stress which can lead to the inability to fall asleep at night.
  
• Remove all lights from the bedroom. Lights can be distracting while trying to fall asleep. Consider the use of dark curtains and blinds to reduce the light or remove lights, including nightlights and alarm clocks from the bedroom space. These small changes can increase the capability of the individual to fall asleep.
  
• Remove caffeine from the diet after a certain period in the day. Cutting out caffeine after three or four in the afternoon should be enough time to be able to get the sleep that you require each night, but experiment, as the time that caffeine takes to absorb within the body and the effects on the body are different for every person.
  
• Reduce your alcohol intake. This can help to reduce the symptoms which are associated with insomnia.
  
• Exercise, but don’t exercise too close to the time that you wish to go to sleep. Experts recommend exercise between three in the afternoon and six in the evening. Exercise should not be completed after six in the evening as it can increase the heart rate and lead to insomnia or the inability to fall asleep.
  
• Create a haven within the bedroom that can lead to relaxation. Use the bed only for sleeping and reduce other activities within the room such as watching television, reading or spending time in the bedroom as other parts in the home.
  
• Reduce the temperature of the bedroom and use blankets to increase the temperature of the body. This is a great way to remain comfortable. When the body temperature is lower it can be easier to sleep through the night.
  
• Take a warm bath before bedtime to ensure that you can become relaxed. With the use of essential oils such as lavender can help to relax the nervous system and encourage sleep.
  
• Reduce the noise that the bedroom and the individual noises that the individual is exposed to throughout the night. This can be done through the use of a white noise machine or through the use of relaxation music to reduce stress and increase sleeping patterns.
  
• Avoid medications that can come with side effects that can affect the sleeping patterns. A simple visit to the doctor can yield alternatives to medications which are taken for the same reasons but can come without the harmful side effects to sleeping patterns. Many patients aren’t aware of the repercussions to the sleeping patterns from various medications therefore becoming aware is the first step to reducing the effects on the sleeping cycle.
  
• Stop drinking water and other fluids before bed, for at least two hours. This can reduce the amount of times that the individual awakes through the night to go to the washroom and can allow for a better quality sleep through the night.
  
• Stop working and thinking about stressful situations at least one hour before the individual goes to bed for the evening. This can help to reduce stress related insomnia, which is the most common type of insomnia that people suffer from through various sleep disorders.

Taking these techniques into consideration is an effective way to reduce any bad habits which are contributing to losing sleep through the night, or suffering from poor quality sleep. As well, these techniques can reduce the symptoms which are associated with various sleeping disorders that can enable the individual to obtain a better night’s sleep.

Tips For Better Sleep
Sleeping is an essential mechanism that allows the body to function well and replenish the immune system, the bodily function and can even increase the health. Getting a better night’s sleep can help to increase the health, concentration and function.
Here are some tips that you can take advantage of to increase the chances of obtaining a better night’s sleep:

• Start with a schedule. When you adhere to a schedule every single night that allows the individual to sleep at the same time every night the body becomes adjusted to this schedule and can therefore allow the individual to create a healthy sleeping schedule.
  
• Dimming the lights before bedtime can be an effective way to reduce stress and prepare the body for bed. This can enable the individual to prepare the body for sleep and can reduce the amount of time that it takes for the individual to get to sleep during the night.
  
• Spend no more than thirty minutes trying to fall asleep before switching activities. This means that you should spend thirty minutes in bed without stimulation trying to fall asleep, if you are unable to through this time than the individual should perhaps try reading, a warm bath or even a low-intensity walk to prepare the body for sleep.
  
• Don’t look to alcohol or a night cap to try and fall asleep in the evening as this can reduce the chances of the individual being able to remain asleep through the night. This is not the answer when it comes to insomnia or other sleep disorders and can lead to troublesome illnesses developing like sleep apnea or worsening snoring issues.
  
• Have a small snack before bed to ensure that you are satisfied and will not awake hungry throughout the night. The snack should be healthy and low in sugar and contain no caffeine. Heavy meals should also be avoided close to bed as this can cause issues within the digestive system and can lead to the individual being unable to sleep through the entire night, or having problems falling asleep.
  
• Don’t go to bed before you feel tired, within reason. Going to bed before you feel tired can be a way to associate the bed with other activities and can reduce the chances of the individual being able to easily fall asleep. In the case that you are not tired, other activities should be undertaken until the individual is tired and wishes to go to bed.

Power Napping
Adults traditionally need up to eight hours of sleep per night, although sometimes this is not enough and therefore a power nap can be helpful to maintain the sanity through the day while increasing the energy levels of the individual.
Power napping includes a small nap throughout the day to rejuvenate the body and rest the mind for a short period of time. This is an effective way to maintain the energy levels and even increase the energy levels through the entire day. As little as five minutes of sleep, or even rest with the eyes closed can be an effective way to reduce the stress which can be associated with a lack of sleep and can even decrease the amount of energy which is lost throughout the day. The power nap should include between fifteen to thirty minutes of sleep. Any longer and it can have the opposite effects of the intention and cause the individual to appear tired and increase the fatigue that can come later in the afternoon. Through these thirty minutes the body will enter the state of light sleep and therefore it can be easy to awake from the nap. Use an alarm clock to ensure that you are not oversleeping and the power nap can be used effectively, rather than causing the individual to have an increase in fatigue that can come from oversleeping. The alarm clock can be set for a five, fifteen, thirty or even sixty minutes.

When Should You Power Nap
Power napping is most effective after the individual has been awake for eight hours. For example, if you awake at seven in the morning – the power nap would be most effective at three o’clock in the afternoon.
A twenty minute power nap in the afternoon is more effective than a twenty minute power nap in the morning, as the individual can fight the fatigue that comes through the afternoon.

The Benefits of Power Napping
There are many benefits that come from power napping. These can include the added benefit of the individual being able to fight the lack of energy that comes late in the afternoon. Power napping early in the afternoon is an effective way to fight fatigue and decrease the levels of stress that can appear through the day.  Power napping can also reduce headaches and other tension related illnesses that thousands of people suffer from. Power napping is an effective way to maintain the health of the individual and can be an effective way to boost the immune system and maintain optimal health.


How to Fit Power Napping into Your Daily Schedule
There are many ways that you can find ways to implement power napping into the daily schedule to increase energy levels and to increase an individual’s productivity. Use some of these methods to find the time to nap within your day.

1. Decrease the amount of time that you take for lunch and use half of the time allotted to find a quiet place to have a power nap or simply close your eyes and relax to reduce stress.
2. Sleep for fifteen minutes upon arriving home from work, this can help the individual to maintain the energy levels. Simply delaying dinner for fifteen to thirty minutes can enable the individual to regain the energy required to finish evening activities.
3. If you work at home or have access to your home through the day schedule a time to power nap and stop meetings or conference calls through this time.
4. If caring for children, be sure to schedule the child for naps and teach the child that this is the time to nap. The parent can take advantage of napping through the same time as the child which can be an effective way to maintain energy levels throughout the entire day.

Jet Lag Remedies
Jet lag occurs when a traveler has entered a different time zone than the body has become accustomed to. It can affect up to eighty percent of people that have travelled, especially through international time zones. There are two types of jet lag that can occur, when the traveler goes backward through westbound flights or forward for eastbound flights that are considered to be extended flights.
Many people are unaware that jet lag does not occur for individuals flying from north to south, or from south to north. In most cases, the passenger must travel through three time zones in order to experience the effects of jet lag on the body. To treat jet lag it is necessary to reset the internal clock within the body to help the body to adjust to the new time zone as well as the schedule.

What are Symptoms of Jet Lag?
Jet lag comes with a variety of symptoms that may be experienced by the traveler. Although the symptoms differ between people, there are common symptoms which are experienced by most travelers, these include:

• Difficulty concentrating.
  
• Tiredness that may occur through the waking hours.
  
• Insomnia through the night-time hours.
  
• Waking frequently through the night.
  
• Irritability or crankiness that can become worse for longer flights and additional time zones that have been crossed.
  
• Nausea and upset stomach as well as loss of appetite.

Not every individual experiences all of these symptoms as they depend on a variety of factors including the amount of time that has been travelled as well as the time zones that have been crossed.

What are some common jet lag remedies?
There are many remedies that are used to treat Jet lag, that come with few side effects – some of these common jet lag remedies include:

• Melatonin supplements are an effective way to deal with jet lag. These supplements can be taken in the amount of three to five milligrams of the supplement which can help to reduce jet lag when taken the night before the trip. This can help to regulate the body and sleeping pattern, which can be an effective way to enable the individual to fly without experiencing these detrimental symptoms which can affect the vacation, the business and even the experience of venturing to a new location. Melatonin is one of the most effective ingredients that can be used to regulate the circadian rhythm, or the internal body clock that allows for the sleeping and waking patterns.
  
• Start the night before or the day before travelling to allow for the adjustment of the schedule of the new destination, including the sleeping and waking pattern. This can help to reduce the effects of the jet lag while travelling, especially eastbound.
  
• There are many supplements which have been designed to fight jet lag and are created with all natural ingredients. These supplements are available at health food stores and can be effective when taken days before the trip, as well as during the flight and after the traveler have arrived at the destination. This can reduce jet lag effectively with very few side effects of the supplement.
  
• Valerian can be used to regulate the sleeping patterns and is a natural herb which can be used without any side effects and is not addictive. It can help the individual to sleep without causing any adverse side effects.

Recently many of my friends suffered from "insomnia", it is because of the hot weather? Well, hopefully they could have a Better Sleep......

                         good night & sweet dreams