Who hasn’t experienced a sleepless night when our minds whirl out of control, our partner’s snores make it impossible to fall asleep or we can’t find a comfortable position in bed? The next morning we pay for our inability to drift into dreamland with sagging, sallow complexions, puffy, glassy-eyed stares and depleted energy.
Lack of sleep has been linked to risk of heart disease and type-2 diabetes, body weight, stress, aging and appearance. In the United States alone, there are an estimated 70 million sleep deprived inhabitants which account for $50 billion in lost productivity and a $16 billion healthcare price tag, according to Alternative Medicine magazine.
With numbers like these, it is no small wonder that sleep spas have popped up all over the country luring the exhausted insomniac with tranquil settings, problem assessment packages and a break from the everyday routine. Even cosmetic companies have jumped on the bandwagon by introducing products that promise a good night’s sleep.
Are you among the sleep impaired? If so, you may find these simple strategies making a big difference in your ability to summon the sandman:
• Learn and practice stress reduction techniques or self-hypnosis. There is general agreement that relaxation based approaches, including hypnosis, are effective treatments of insomnia, according to a 1996 National Institutes of Health Technology Assessment Panel report.
• Use beneficial self-talk. What you tell yourself just before bedtime has a major impact on your ability to fall into an uninterrupted sleep for the duration of the night.
• Avoid overloading your digestive system after 8 p.m. It interferes with the restorative process during sleep.
• Do a few yoga stretches, listen to some quiet music or take a relaxing bath just before bedtime.
• Turn out all the lights. Even low levels of light can promote insomnia.
• Reserve your bed for sleeping. Reading, eating or watching television will send the subliminal message that bed is for waking activities.
Slumber your way to higher energy, more vibrant health and a rested appearance by getting the help you need to develop good sleep habits.
Sweet dreams.
For more information on sleep solutions or to make an appointment, call Linda Clements-Urick at 661-362-0787 or 818-415-3092.