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

Tips For Reducing Stress And Creating Peace of Mind Before Bedtime

Stress plays a big part in inadequate sleep and poor health for people of all ages. Common practices such as taking work home at night, taking stress home from work and letting tensions and worry take over at the end of the day can wreak havoc on home life, enjoyment of evening meals and general well-being.

Create a way to enjoy peace of mind and time to unwind in the evenings before bed. This will do wonders to ensure good health and well-being for your body and mind.  Left to our own devices, many of us will work late, eat in a rush, and stay glued to our smart phones trying to play catch-up responding to messages into the wee hours. What these practices ultimately do is over stimulate ourselves until we fall into bed without any real peace of mind or unwind from the hectic day.

Incorporate some nurturing, some quiet, some joy and comfort into your evening routines every night. Include the people you love. You'll benefit enormously and so will your relationships.

Here are some after work practices you might adopt at home to reduce overall stress, recover from work stresses and end your day on a high note with peace of mind:

• Go for an evening walk in the neighborhood and get your blood pumping.
• Drink lots of water in the evenings to help your brain and body recuperate. Water with fresh thyme, cucumber or cut fruit is refreshing and a great soda substitute.
• Turn off the smart phone and computer at a predetermined cut-off time and fully disengage.
• Make a to-do list for the following day/week. Get all the unfinished items in your head down on paper and put that list away and out of sight for the night!
• Soak your feet in epsom salts or bubbles for 10-15 minutes.
• Plan a do-over or redo for anything that did not go at all how you hoped during the day. Tell somebody. Get it off your mind. Then stop thinking about it.
• Drink herbal tea to calm your mind and your belly.
• Eat dinner in a lovely spot in the house or a quiet spot outside. 
• Exchange TV time for some reading time.
• Play and have fun with the kids, dogs or by yourself. Fun is really important!
• Stretch out on the floor and listen to some beautiful music.
• Stretch out all of your muscles. Do stretches that feel good to your body.
• Call people on the phone and tell them you love them. (Perhaps people that know you...)
• Call a friend.
• Meditate.
• Do a craft or something creative with your hands.
• Be kind to yourself in some way (small or large) at the end of the day, every day.
• Celebrate another's success at the end of each day in some way.
• Soak in the tub and throw in some dead sea salt, herbs or aromatherapy.
• Sing your heart out. Play an instrument.
• Tidy up your living space so it feels fresh and welcoming.
• Burn aromatherapy candles.
• Trade massage with your mate.
• Breathe long, slow, deep breathes for 5-10 minutes.
• Make your bedroom look, feel and smell peaceful and lovely.