Sweet Dreams...yes!

I've been experimenting with something lately.

Sleep. As in, getting more of it. Such a radical idea, I know. See, there are phases in life:

-The Baby Years. People who care about you are literally begging you to sleep and you could take it or leave it.

-The School/College Years. You have no interest in sleeping during normal sleeping hours. You want to sleep any other time.

-The Grown-Up Years. You would practically give your eye-tooth to get more sleep, to allow people to allow you to sleep, to figure out how to cram more sleep into your life. Moving to Europe to bring the "siesta" into your daily life becomes a serious consideration.

Given these phases, I found this interesting about our sleep needs:

1-4 weeks old: Needs 15-16 hours of sleep
1-4 months: 14-15 hours
4-12 months: 14-15 hours
1-3 years: 12-14 hours
3-6 years: 10-12 hours
7-12 years: 10-11 hours
12-18 years: 8-9 hours
18 to adult: 7-9 hours

When we need the most, we rarely want it and when we want the most, we don't need it. Mama Nature must have taken the afternoon off when this was all being sorted out. When you do get an adequate amount of it for your age, a miriad of powerful things happen. Sleep improves your memory via a process known as "consolidation" where you actually "practice" what you learned throughout the day while you are sleeping (simply amazing). It prevents inflammation of the body, which can be linked to heart disease, stroke, diabetes, arthritis and premature aging (pass on that, thank you). Your cells renew and repair and your hormones and immune system recharge. You are more creative, your stress levels are lower, and you are emotionally more stable (goals). Add to that, it helps maintain a healthy weight, as when you are sleep-deprived, certain hormones increase, making you want to eat more, the muscles in your face relax for the duration of your sleep (fly, fly away, crow's feet) and your complexion also improves due to healthier blood circulation.

How can we attain all of this goodness?

-Exercise regularly
-Set a regular bedtime (the ultimate challenge, am I right?)
-Wake up at the same time
-Nap to make up for lost sleep, but do it in the early afternoon and for no longer than 30 minutes (can do!)
-Increase your light exposure during the day to reinforce natural rhythms
-Keep a pad of paper and pen by your bed. If you need to remember something for the morning, write it down so that it’s not jangling around in your head all night. You will put those thoughts that can keep you awake..to bed.
-Pure lavender oil...rub on temples before bed and drift off to Provence, or destination of choice.
-And finally, the big one...turn off the computer, iPad and TV about 2 hours before bedtime. Those artificially lit screens are not your best companion when it comes to a good night’s sleep.

Sweet Dreams…