Sleep

Sleep deprivation can lead to headaches, mood swings and, poor decision making.

Sleep is essential for health and well being. Getting enough hours of quality sleep is essential for proper immune system function, the health of your spine, heart health, muscle and tissue repair, memory and learning, metabolism regulation and recovery from everyday stress.

Insufficient sleep for just one night can impair your driving as much as one alcoholic beverage, slowing down reaction time and affecting decision making. Many people are sleep deprived and sleep is often under prioritized by modern men and women. We are living in an age of "do more", "be more"! Sleep is undervalued in many people's eyes.

 Doctors recommend 7-10 hours of sleep per night for adults. Athletes, weight lifters and people who spend more than an hour driving each day tend to benefit from more hours of sleep. Ten or more hours per night is very helpful for people who are fighting/ recovering from an illness or living with an auto immune disease.

For those who are sleep challenged due to insomnia, an over-active mind, chronic pain or chronic worry, massage therapy can be instrumental in improving your quality of sleep and the amount of hours you sleep. Massage can have an immediate impact on the physical pains and the nagging thoughts that have people tossing and turning at night. Scalp Massage, Hot Stone Massage, Foot Massage and Chinese Abdominal Massage, Aromatherapy and Swedish Massage are very good choices for people dealing with difficulty getting a good night's rest. Deep Tissue Massage, Headache Massage, TMJ Massage and Myofascial Release are excellent choices to address chronic pain that is interfering with sleep.

Create good conditions for a good night's rest. Sleep in a nice dark room with no television, blinking lights, neon clocks or music playing. Your nervous system needs to be free of stimulating light and sounds to prepare your body for sleep and to stay asleep. An optimal temperature for deep sleep is about 2-4 degrees cooler than what you have your thermostat at during the day. For a lot of people that's about 68 degrees Fahrenheit. It really helps to wind down an hour or two before bed. Caffeine and sugary foods after dinner ought to be avoided by the sleep challenged. Herbal tea, relaxing music, baths, foot soaks and creating a calm environment will help transform you from a restless sleeper to a deep sleeper.

The wonderful benefits of sleep include:

• sleep can spur the creative process
• improve athletic performance
• improve grades and academic performance in adults and children
• improve focus and concentration
• regulate metabolism
• reduce stress
• anxiety and depression
• sleep helps the brain assimilate new information
• supports memory function
• fights inflammation
• your spine elongates and realigns while you sleep
• beauty rest is no joke-collagen is released during sleep healing damaged cells and fine lines
• blood pressure lowers
• your heart rests and recovers
• your immune system strengthens and works powerfully during sleep
• good sleep helps you to create happiness when you're awake