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Healthy Sleep

Healthy Sleep category

Sleeping As a Human

“I want some of what she’s having, please!”  David pleaded with me for help with his sleep troubles after watching his newly hormone-taking wife, wake refreshed after yet another night of good sleep.  Obviously, the hormone replacement which can enable a woman to sleep blissfully all night would not be the solution needed by her husband!

David is not alone: whether you count those dissatisfied with sleep OR the even larger number of people whose sleep diaries worry their physicians, it seems to be true that we are indeed sleeping less than we have in the past, and less than we should for optimal health.

Why Sleep?

All creatures sleep, even though it means a significant part of life is spent not eating, not hunting, not reproducing and generally being vulnerable to what might befall such a creature while snoozing unaware of the world.

We know many ways in which sleep provides an invaluable reset:

  • Deep sleep enables us to learn from the experiences of the day, and helps normalize our metabolism and correct blood sugar problems.
  • REM sleep (during which we are paralyzed! Except for breathing and swallowing) allows us to integrate new memories with old and be open to creative approaches to our lives.
  • Avoid all the risks of short sleep detailed below!

 

Do your adrenal glands wake you at 3 a.m.?

There is a world of difference between the opinions of conventional physicians and integrative physicians when it comes to the subject of our adrenal glands. In medical school I received excellent instruction on the anatomy and physiology (A&P) and healthy functioning of the adrenal glands. In case you skipped that lecture, they are small glands that sit atop our kidneys and are divided into two hormone-producing regions.

How Did You Sleep?

The best way to evaluate the quality of your sleep is to look at the quality of your wakefulness during the day. Do you function with alertness at your job and while driving – or do you tend to fall asleep without a constant caffeine boost? If you are someone who can work creatively, drive dependably and carry on quiet activities (reading, conversations) without falling asleep, you might be getting better sleep than you realize.