While you may or may not know it, there are some real dangers to not getting enough sleep. It's been known by scientists and doctors for decades that a lack of sleep has more negative side effects than just leaving you feeling tired.
In fact, study after study show that insufficient sleep contributes to numerous health conditions — and, according to a recent study done at NIH (National Institutes of Health) even death!
But of even greater concern are the dangers associated with prescription sleep medications.
Maybe you've heard recently about all of accidents caused by people taking prescription sleep aids, or maybe you've heard about how many people are forced to enter drug rehabilitation programs because of these powerful drugs.
The good news is, there are many things you can do to improve your sleep without having to rely on harsh and addictive medications.
So if you, or any one you know suffers from difficulty sleeping, I urge you to read about and implement the strategies I'm about to share with you. But before we cover all of the sleep improvement tips, it's important that you understand what causes sleep problems to arise to begin with. Lack of Sleep Makes You More Than Tired!
Sleep deprivation can cause or contribute to:
• lack of energy and fatigue• memory problems• accidents and falls• infections• irritability• confusion• inability to focus and concentrate• stress and anxiety• depression• weakened immune system
Before You Can Improve Your Sleep,You Need To Know What's Causing The Problem
And remember, the key to solving any problem is, knowing what's causing it.
As you may already be aware, many people have a harder time with sleep as they age. In fact, according to the Clinical Journal of Psychiatry, almost half of all people aged 65 or older have insomnia.
But nowadays, insomnia doesn't just affect seniors; it's also affecting younger adults and even children in alarming numbers. So obviously, aging isn't the only factor·
So What's Causing The Problem???
There are numerous causes or factors that contribute to the inability to sleep, but here are the major ones:
Cause #1: Aging
There are several changes that take place as we age that affect our ability to sleep. One of the main reasons is, as we age, the production of melatonin in our bodies decreases and melatonin plays a major role in controlling our circadian rhythms, which regulate our sleep.
The good news is, there are numerous things you can do to improve the situation and taking a natural sleep supplement with melatonin is just one example. But, keep reading because I actually have several tips for improving sleep that I'm going to share with you·
Your Sleep Requirements Do NOT Decrease As You Age
It used to be assumed that sleeping less was part of the normal aging process and that because you slept less, that meant your body didn't need as much sleep as it used to.
Well, research studies have shown that just because you may be getting less sleep, this doesn't mean your need for sleep has decreased. Your body still needs the same amount of sleep or more, but it just isn't sending the signals to the brain.
How Much Sleep Do We Really Need?
While this is something many people debate about, the fact is science has proven that most people need 6-8 hours of quality sleep each night. Now this doesn't mean that some people you can't function on less, as many people do, but we know that while you may be able to do it, it's not without a cost.
Cause #2: Prescription Medications
Yes, that's right. One of the biggest causes of insomnia are prescription drugs. Nowadays people are taking drugs for everything under the sun, high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, etc.
You name it, they've got a drug for it. And the problem is, not only do none of these drugs address the underlying cause of the condition, but they all come with side effects, which are often worse than the ailment they are designed to help. One of the most common side effects is insomnia.
Cause #3: Hormonal Changes
While this primarily affects women, hormonal changes can have a big impact on sleep patterns.
For example, PMS, menstruation, pregnancy and menopause all can impact a woman's ability to fall asleep, stay asleep and get quality deep sleep. And if you are a woman, I'm sure you've likely already experienced some of this.
The good news is, this is usually short lived and can be improved with a combination of strategies and nutritional supplements, which we'll cover in a minute. Cause #4: Anxiety, Stress and Depression
The inability to effectively deal with and manage negative stress and anxiety can quickly lead to trouble sleeping.
Depression can also be a factor either causing and or contributing to sleep problems. And as you can imagine, the reverse is true· meaning sleep problems, can create stress, anxiety and depression.
So improving your sleep is critical and many people find that their anxiety, depression and inability to deal with stress disappear when their sleep improves. WARNING!
3 Things You Must Know If You Are Taking Any Sleep Medications — Prescription or Over-the-Counter:
1. While they may claim to be safe, they aren't! There are numerous negative side effects such as toxicity to the liver, decreasing memory, confusion, hallucinations, inability to focus, increased likelihood to have an accident and more.
In a recent study, people using sleeping drugs had a significantly higher mortality rate.
2. Addiction — most sleep medications have been proven to be addictive and the last thing you want is to be addicted to a drug that has negative health effects.
3. Safe, effective and natural alternatives are available. Decades of research has proven that there are numerous natural herbs and nutrients that can help you to sleep well and at the same time, strengthen your immune system and improve your overall health.
Cause #5: Injuries, Illness and Pain
Suffering from an injury, illness or chronic pain can either cause or contribute to sleeping problems and this happens in two ways. First, many people who are dealing with an illness, injury or condition physically have trouble sleeping due to pain and or the inability to get and stay comfortable.
Also, people suffering from pain and illness tend to feel defeated, depressed and are unable to handle stress well and this contributes to difficulty sleeping as well. As you are likely aware, this can be a viscous cycle.
Again, the good news is that there are numerous things you can do to improve your sleep that have been proven to be safe and effective.
7 Things You Can Do Right Now,
To Sleep Better Tonight
While there are a lot of things that you can do to improve your sleep, there are six that I have found to deliver the best results.
1) Avoid watching TV before bed·especially in bed! The bed should be reserved for two things·sleep and romance·not Desperate Housewives or football! Research shows that those who experienced the most sleep disturbances had televisions in their bedrooms and used the TV to fall asleep.
2) Try a different pillow or mattress. It's scary to think how long some of us have been sleeping on the same pillows and mattresses for years and years. Does your mattress provide the support you like? Do you wake with your back aching?
Is there enough room for you and your sleep partner? Do you sleep better, or worse, when you sleep away from home? These are all things to ask yourself to determine if your mattress could be the thing preventing you from getting a good night's sleep. Or more simply, just replacing your pillow with a new, fresh, higher quality version could be all that you need.
3) Avoid caffeine late in the day (or altogether). Did you know that even a small amount of caffeine even 10-12 hours before bedtime can cause problems falling asleep! Try eliminating the coffee, tea, soda and even chocolate and see if sleep improves.
4) Listen to relaxing music. Establishing a relaxing bedtime routine, such as listening to music, could be just the thing you need to signal your body it is time to sleep. So, dim the lights and throw some slow jazz or purchase a "relaxing sounds" CD to help slow your mind and body down for an evening of peaceful sleep.
5) Try mind- body techniques. After an action-packed day, your brain and body need to unwind and slow down before sleep can occur. Create a "ritual" for bedtime - take a bath, meditate, do some easy stretches or yoga. Try to do your "ritual" in the same way, in the same place, at the same time each night. The repetition will trigger your mind and body that it is time to relax and sleep.
6) Try acupuncture. Used for over 3,500 years in China, acupuncture has shown to be effective in studies at improving sleep. While not everyone get great results with it, it is certainly something worth trying.
7) Try a natural sleep aid. For many people, while the above tips and suggestions may help, it often isn't enough. If you are one of those people who really have a hard time getting to sleep and staying asleep, you may want to try a natural sleep aid.
While over the counter sleep medications may help you fall asleep, they cannot be taken long-term and have risky side effects. A sleep aid that uses natural ingredients is a better approach to getting a solid night's sleep.
But Buyer Beware...
But it's important to note that not all natural sleep aids are created equally. One thing that you'll often see is a product that won't list the specific amounts of each ingredient· they call it a "proprietary formula" and the reason companies do this is so they can use a bunch of filler and have very small amounts of the active ingredients.
So finding a natural sleep aid that actually works is quite a challenge. In fact, here at The Healthy Back Institute, we have spent the past two years testing and researching different products because so many of our customers who suffer from back pain also have trouble sleeping.
There was so much junk out there that finally we just gave up!
It's true; we were so disappointed with the results from all the sleep aids we tested that we decided to create our own formula.
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