Sleep Better by Dr. Janna House

Why Sleep is Important…

Getting enough sleep can help protect your mental health, physical health, quality of life and safety. It will also affect how well you think, react, work, learn and get along with others.

According to the National Health Institute [1] and the Harvard Medical School [2] sleep is important to our health, and here are the reasons they cite:

• Sleep recharges your brain – helps form new pathways for learning and remembering information; helps you pay attention, make decisions, solve problems and be creative; helps you control your emotions and behaviours.
• Sleep enhances your physical health – helps heal and repair your heart and blood vessels which will protect you against heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and stroke; helps maintain balanced hormones, especially the hormones that make you feel hungry (ghrelin) or full (leptin) and those that regulate blood sugar; supports healthy growth and development; boosts your immune system; and may even reduce your risk of cancer [3]
• Sleep helps you function well throughout the day – promotes productivity, improves reaction time, reduces mistakes, such as medical errors, falls, accidents, mishaps; heightens your level of safety.

How to Get a Better Sleep and the Science that Supports it…

• Try to get out in the SUN.
• WORK OUT in the morning.
• Wake up and go to bed at the same time.
• Cut the CAFFEINE after 2PM.
• Sip relaxing TEA.
• Intall F.lux on all computers and devices to reduce blue light and help you sleep better.
• Keep your room DARK.
• Keep your room COOL – best between 60-68° F or 15.5-20° C.
• Get GROUNDED.
• Invest in a good mattress, pillow & bedsheets. Here’s the PILLOW I use, it holds it shape to support my head and neck, it’s organic with no off gases.
• Don’t let pets sleep with you.
• Turn it OFF – the electronics, that is.
• Turn it on – make out or MAKE LOVE.
• Try ESSENTIAL OILS.
• Try taking Magnesium.
  • Use MAGNESIUM OIL on feet and legs before bed.
  • Sip on NATURAL CALM about 30 minutes before bedtime, or try one of their other products.
• Unwind your mind.
  • JOURNAL before bed.
  • Practise bedtime YOGA.
  • TAP into sleep with Emotional Freedom Technique.
  • Meditate with breathing, prayer, thankfulness.
• Try REFLEXOLOGY.
• Relax with a DETOX BATH.
• Get checked, get adjusted on a regular basis. In a recent study of 221 chiropractic patients, one third of the subjects who completed the required interview reported immediate effects on their sleep after a chiropractic adjustment. Although this study was not conclusive, it suggests a link between chiropractic care and improved sleep that is worthy of further research. [4]

References:

[1] http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/sdd/why

[2] http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/importance_of_sleep_and_health

[3] http://www.medicaldaily.com/lack-sleep-light-night-can-raise-cancer-risk-238184

[4] Jamison, JR. Insomnia: does chiropractic help? - J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2005 (Mar-Apr); 28(3): 179-86v