{"id":388,"date":"2020-03-14T05:11:52","date_gmt":"2020-03-14T06:11:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.stlouisstompers.com\/?p=388"},"modified":"2023-09-12T23:09:36","modified_gmt":"2023-09-12T23:09:36","slug":"the-gift-of-sleep","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.stlouisstompers.com\/index.php\/2020\/03\/14\/the-gift-of-sleep\/","title":{"rendered":"The Gift of Sleep"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Lack of sleep has a major impact on brain\/nervous system health (a causative factor implicated in dementia) and overall immune system function.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Sleep insufficiency may be caused by societal factors such as round-the-clock access to technology and work schedules, but sleep disorders such as insomnia or obstructive sleep apnea also play an important role.<\/p>\n

Here are some holistic ways to encourage sound sleep.<\/p>\n

\u2022 The wind-down routine.<\/strong> Try to go to bed and get up the same time every day. Regular sleep hours help your nervous system learn when to turn on and off. <\/p>\n

\u2022 Meditate daily to release stress.<\/strong> In the evening, do some gentle movement, preferably restorative yoga postures, along with deep-belly breathing and meditation to let go of the worries of the day.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Practice yoga nidra (the \u201cyoga of sleep\u201d).<\/strong> It resets the nervous system and can be helpful for improving sleep and treating insomnia. Rod Stryker \u2028is a yoga nidra master and has great selections (parayoga.com); Integrative \u2028Restoration or iRest (irest.org) is also fantastic.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Exercise at least 30 minutes each day.<\/strong> Regular exercise can decrease the time it takes to fall asleep and increases total sleep time.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Sip a cup of chamomile tea <\/strong>or warm organic milk with raw, organic honey and\/or special sleep-inducing herbs about an hour before bedtime.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Take a warm shower or bath before bed.<\/strong> The warmth deeply relaxes body tissues. Add calming essential oils to the bath like lavender, rose, ylang-ylang, geranium and clary sage.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Consider supplements like melatonin, hemp extract with CBD, \u2028valerian, 5-HTP.<\/strong> Also make sure your magnesium levels are up to snuff. It isn\u2019t called the \u201crelaxation\u201d mineral for nothing! Check in on any of these with your doctor, especially if taking pharmaceutical meds.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Keep your bedroom dark and cool.<\/strong> Turn the TV off at least an hour before bed. Bright lights, especially the blue light from TVs, computers, iPhones, LED lighting will signal the pineal gland to stop producing melatonin. <\/p>\n

\u2022 Do not have a large meal within three hours of bedtime<\/strong>, though a small protein snack\u2014a few almonds or a small amount of yogurt\u2014may help promote restful sleep by helping your body maintain normal blood sugar levels through \u2028the night.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Get enough melatonin-boosting organic foods and nutrients. <\/strong>These include oats, sweet corn, brown rice, barley, ginger, tomatoes, bananas to name but a few. <\/p>\n

\u2022 Avoid taking anti-anxiety drugs,<\/strong> NSAIDS, steroids, beta and calcium \u2028channel blockers and some antidepressants at least one hour before bed if \u2028possible. They inhibit melatonin production. <\/p>\n

\u2022 Don\u2019t drink wine right before bed.<\/strong> Alcohol stimulates the central \u2028nervous system, so it may make you feel drowsy at first, but then rebounds \u2028to disrupt sleep.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The post The Gift of Sleep<\/a> appeared first on Organic Spa Magazine<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lack of sleep has a major impact on brain\/nervous system health (a causative factor implicated in dementia) and overall immune system function. Sleep insufficiency may be caused by societal factors such as round-the-clock access to technology and work schedules, but sleep disorders such as insomnia or obstructive sleep apnea also play an important role. Here […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stlouisstompers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/388"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stlouisstompers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stlouisstompers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stlouisstompers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stlouisstompers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=388"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.stlouisstompers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/388\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":389,"href":"http:\/\/www.stlouisstompers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/388\/revisions\/389"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stlouisstompers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=388"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stlouisstompers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=388"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stlouisstompers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=388"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}