October 3, 2006

Catch Your Z’s   “Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”  Whether you believe that statement by Benjamin Franklin to be true or false, there is no denying the power of sleep.  In today’s fast paced society, sleep often takes a back seat to your “to-do” list.  No wonder many people go through the day feeling tired.   A 2005 National Sleep Foundation survey found that, compared with 1998, more people are sleeping less than six hours a night.  Researchers also say that after two weeks, people sleeping  four to six hours a night are as cognitively impaired as those who have been awake for two or three days. (Harvard Health)  Imagine the impact on your business if this describes you.   Harvard Health has outlined the benefits of sleep: Learning and memory.  Sleep helps the brain commit new information to memory.  When you studied for a test, didn’t you find that “sleeping on” the material helped you retain it better?  Creative problem-solving also occurs while one is asleep. Metabolism and weight.  Losing weight is never easy, but consider this:  “Chronic sleep deprivation may cause weight gain.  How?  By altering metabolic functions, such as processing and storage of carbohydrates, and by stimulating the release of excess cortisol, a stress hormone.  Excess cortisol has been linked to increased abdominal fat.”  Besides which, who wants more stress?  Safety.  Sleep debt only contributes to a greater tendency to fall asleep for a few seconds off and on throughout the day. These lapses can have a profound impact on your daily activities, ranging from errors in your work to home and traffic accidents.  Mood and quality of life.  Sleep loss can result in greater irritability, moodiness, impatience, and inability to concentrate.  This will affect your relationships with family members, friends, and those at work. Cardiovascular health.  Sleep apnea and insomnia can be linked to hypertension, increased stress hormones, cardiac arrhythmias, and increased inflammation (the buzz word these days).  Faulty glucose metabolism, often leading to Type 2 diabetes, is also affected by sleep deprivation. Immunity and cancer prevention.  Research has shown that sleep loss alters immune function.  There may also be a connection between melatonin (a hormone that’s made by the brain’s pineal gland when darkness falls and helps put one to sleep) and cancer risk.      Harvard Health went on to list a few ways to get a better night’s sleep: Get regular exercise, but not within three hours of bedtime. Do not use alcohol as a sleep aid. Avoid caffeine from noon or midafternoon on. Be careful with medications that can have an effect on your sleep. Establish regular times for going to bed and getting up. Keep your bedroom temperature comfortable (cool is better than warm). See a professional if you have chronic problems.   Sleep amounts vary from person to person, but “experts believe that seven to nine hours is about right.  The goal is to wake up feeling refreshed and to stay awake and alert throughout the day without relying on stimulants or other pick-me-ups.” Do not shortchange your sleep.  Your body will thank you.       “Sleep is the best meditation.”             Dali Lama   “It is a common experience that a problem difficult at night is resolved in the morning after the committee of sleep has worked on it.” John Steinbeck   “It is better to sleep on things beforehand than lie awake about them afterwards.”             Baltasar Gracián   “That we are not much sicker and much madder than we are is due exclusively to that most blessed and blessing of all natural graces, sleep.” Aldous Huxley     I’ve always been an early to bed, early to rise person and find that mornings are my best time.  My body revolts when I veer from that schedule.  It just doesn’t work for me to play catch up the next day.  What’s more, I have never been a napper; if I’m going to sleep, it’s going to be for the night!   I also find that much of my creative thinking and problem solving occurs while I’m sleeping so I do “sleep on it”.   Early morning is my time to exercise and that helps me start my day refreshed.  A quick cup of coffee and then I’m off to the gym.  Saturday was no exception, but this time I participated in the Heart and Sole run/walk.  Now, I am not a runner by any stretch of the imagination, but I wanted to challenge myself more than the 2 mile walk.  So I jogged/walked the 5 K, brought up the rear, but shaved 5 minutes off my time on the treadmill for the same distance.  OK, it took me 37 minutes.  Bring on the next race!   Have a fantastic week and catch your Z’s.   Stephanie   P.S.  Life is a balancing act every day.  If you’ve had enough of being out of balance, personally or professionally, I can help.  It starts with a phone call (618-639-5433) or an email. (drszh@7steps2abalancedlife.com)     We grow by "word-of-email" so please feel free to forward this newsletter to anyone whom you think might benefit from and enjoy it. Thanks so much! Contact Us: stephanie@7steps2abalancedlife.com