Are You Getting Enough Sleep?

ARE YOU GETTING ENOUGH SLEEP?
June 25th, 2008

This is a much debated topic. Various research articles have propounded theories that gauge the exact amount of sleep required by a person and how to find out if he is getting enough sleep.
The amount of shut eye necessary can vary from person to person.
Not only does the quantity of sleep count, but so does the quality. The experts are in full agreement that the number of hours of sleep required varies from person to person, but they also agree that there is no minimum number of hours of sleep for optimum health.
Some people remain healthy while getting a mere six hours, while still others can not function without eight consecutive hours.

To remain in good health you need to progress through the five phases of sleep.

To feel fully rested your brain needs to go through the full cycle of the five phases of sleep. Enough time should be spent in each of the phases so that your brain can rest completely. Any interruptions in these phases will lead to feelings of fatigue. There are times when the common alarm clock and your body’s internal clock simply are not on the same schedule. This can be the issue when you are chronically not getting enough sleep. Cases like this can happen to people who work at night or the overseas traveler who experiences“jet lag” or “jet daze”. This lack of synchronization can leave you unable to enjoy your vacation or unable to make the sale! Dr. Judith Reichman’s book - “Slow Your Clock Down: The Complete Guide to a Healthy, Younger You” is a great read on this subject.

There are several other conditions that can lead to your sleep cycle being interrupted. Three of the biggest are: sleep apnea, periodic limb movement, and chronic pain and disease. The signs of sleep apnea are snoring, gasping, and pauses in your breathing that cause you to wake. Sleep apnea can be caused by many things like allergies, enlarged tonsils or adenoids, and being overweight.

Periodic limb movement is a common affliction of adults.

One of these type of ailments is Restless Leg Syndrome. The constant, unexpected jerking of your arms or legs can wake you. Maybe not completely, but enough to interrupt your sleep cycle. Pain and chronic diseases such as arthritis, osteoporosis, congestive heart failure, and even too much medication can hamper or interrupt the cycle and lead to fatigue and sleep disorders.

There are several major indicators that determine whether a person is getting enough sleep. Many conclusions can be made by observing certain characteristics. First among these is observing whether or not the person is awakened without alarm and how difficult it is for them to get up in the morning. There is a host of other things to watch, including: falling asleep while driving, dozing off while watching T.V., caffeine intake - especially after 4p.m., bed time eating habits, and if a person must use alcohol or medications to fall asleep. Once all of this information is known, a clear picture of the person’s sleeping pattern emerges.

Repeat medical studies have shown that eight hours a day is the average amount of sleep required for adults to feel as if they are getting enough sleep. Elderly people cope with shorter sleep periods at night by taking short, deep naps throughout the day.

You have a busy, stressful life and naps are probably not feasible. Maybe you think that because you were in bed for six hours you should have had enough rest. You need to sleep for at least six to eight hours straight. You should schedule an extra hour of rest to allow your mind to wind down so that you can actually sleep those hours. Late nights are not bad for your health, either. When you get to bed is not the issue, it is the number of hours you devote to rest
and sleep.

If for some reason you do not get all of your beauty sleep, a short nap of 30 to 40 minutes should recharge you for the rest of the day.

Teens are the age group that are most dramatically affected by a lack of sleep.

Multiple studies have indicated that a teens circadian rhythm affects their sleeping pattern. The interruptions caused by this rhythm can lead to dozing during study periods and a lack of concentration. Both of which lead to bad grades. A lack of sleep can lead to feelings of sadness and depression. Mood swings and falling asleep behind the wheel can occur from a lack of sleep. A lack of sleep and alcohol are the two major reasons for teen automobile accidents.

The best tips for getting enough sleep and to feel energized are to set a regular bed time, regular exercise, avoid stimulants, like caffeine, after 4p.m., relax your mind, and have peaceful surroundings. These tips, and more, are included in Dr.Joesph? Mercola’s book “Take Control of Your Health”. Therefore, the top solutions to not getting enough sleep are scheduling a regular bedtime and a healthy lifestyle.

David Grisaffi: http://www.flattenyourabs.net

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The 8 Mistakes Most Insomniacs Make

As a result of “Learned Insomnia”, people usually try to recuperate by taking actions to work around their Insomnia. All these actions actually make Insomnia worse by drastically weakening the sleep system and perpetuating it instead of solving the problem; because they do not attack the ”cause” of Insomnia, only its symptoms.

Here are some of these actions, you'll probably notice what you're doing right now falls somewhere on to this list. Being aware of these actions and their effects will give you a better perspective on your Insomnia.

1. Taking Sleeping Pills?As you will soon see in the next section, this is the death rattle, which in most cases turns Insomnia into a life long condition. We'll explore all the effects of pills on Insomnia in the next section.

2. Going to bed early, and sleeping late on weekends to “Make up Sleep”? This makes Insomnia even more likely to happen as you are putting your body temperature levels out of wack. Creating the same effect that jet lag produces. This weakens your body's natural sleep system. You will also limit your exposure to sunlight, which plays a key role in your melatonin hormone levels.

3. Trying to “make up” sleep with long naps during the day. This also weakens your body's natural sleep response, as you will be less likely to fall asleep later. Naps are Okay, and actually part of away to cure Insomnia, only if you take them properly, as I'll show you later on.

4. Eating large amounts of food, sugar, or candy before going to sleep to try to make yourself sleepy or tired.? Doing this does not solve the “cause” of insomnia, which is a weakened sleep system and a non-responsive “natural sleep response”. You may feel sleepy, but you will still wake up Un-rested. Nearly all the sugar you eat is turned into fat by your body, will in turn can create risk of Sleep Apnea.

5. Drinking alcohol before going to bed to induce sleep.? Many people think that drinking a glass of wine before bed is a good idea. It might make you feel sleepy but the disadvantages are many. Alcohol dehydrates your body, making it more likely you will wake up during the night thirsty for water. You will also most likely feel Un-rested, drowsy, and dis-oriented the next day(hang-over). Drinking Alcohol before bed will also increase fat gain drastically. [CAUTION: Alcohol should NEVER be combined with sleeping pills, it is extremely dangerous, and it has and can cause death.]

6. Not exercising, and using your “lack of sleep” as an excuse not to exercise. ? Lack of exercise plays a key-role in chronic Insomnia. Not exercising due to Insomnia only makes the Insomnia Cycle stronger; not exercising weakens the natural sleep response, as well as the sleep system. Not exercising weakens your metabolism, weakening your heart,creating respiratory problems, making you more likely to wake up during the night, or suffer from sleep apnea.

7. Trying to force sleep? This will only increase your anxiety and frustration, weakening the “natural sleep response”, and making the “SLEEP = PAIN” anchor stronger and more apparent for your mind.

8. Reading a Book or Watching TV in Bed to Induce Sleepiness? Not only does watching TV or reading keep your “conscious” racing mind active, it also diminishes the “natural sleep response.” As this supports the negative anchor in your mind that the process of falling asleep is something you have to AVOID.

The more awake time you spend in your bed, the more your mind associates that the BED = AWAKE. SLEEP = PAIN.

Kacper Postawski is an innovative sleeps science researcher and the creator of the 'SleepWiz - Surefire Natural Remedy to End Insomnia Forever And Enjoy Energising Sleep In As Little As 3 Days' system. He can show you how to fall asleep effortlessly, create more time, and an abundance of energy in your body by Optimizing your sleep system!

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Dominant Frequencies Control Your Life

Everything you do has a dominant frequency associated. When you are in a state of relaxation your brain waves have a certain frequency. When you are alert and driven they have a totally different frequency.

Check out the different frequencies and the result usually associated with it.

Frequency range	Name	Usually associated with:
> 40 Hz	Gamma waves	Higher mental activity, including perception, problem solving, fear, and consciousness
13 - 40 Hz	Beta waves	Active, busy or anxious thinking and active concentration, arousal, cognition
7 - 13 Hz	Alpha waves	Relaxation (while awake), pre-sleep and pre-wake drowsiness
4 - 7 Hz	Theta waves	Dreams, deep meditation, REM sleep
<>	Delta waves	Deep dreamless sleep, loss of body awareness

Click here for free bi-aural audio

Useful link for sleep problems
Subliminal Audio - Greg Frost - Brain Entrainment
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Mind Power Report
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Freebie - Sleep Like A Baby - bi-aural brain entrainment
Listen to mp3's when you are going to sleep. Enjoy!
Click here

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