healingways
dequate sleep is vital to good health and longevity. During sleep, energy is restored, tissues are repaired, immune chemicals and cells are activated, and important hormones are released. It is well-known that sleep problems can signifi cantly diminish quality of life—but it can also decrease your quantity of life. Having normal and regular patterns of sleep are consistently found in people who enjoy the best health and the longest life. Sleep is just as important—if not more important— as good nutrition and exercise. Even if your diet and level of fi tness are perfect, without adequate sleep, it will not be possible to live a long and healthy life. The National Sleep Foundation estimates that 60% of adults do not sleep well. Since 1960, the number of people experiencing chronic sleep loss has doubled. For good health, studies have shown that most people
ENOUGH SLEEP? A
Do You Get by Daniel Thomas, DO, MS
need 7-8 hours of sleep. However, over the course of the 20th century, the average American has lost 2 hours of sleep and now gets only 6 hours a night on average. Chronic sleep deprivation not only reduces life expectancy, it increases the risk of developing diabetes, hypertension, obesity,
heart disease, stroke, cancer, gastrointestinal disorders, menstrual irregularities, infections, anxiety, drop in IQ, increase in car accidents, depression, ADHD, Alzheimer’s disease, suicide, loss of libido and even erectile dysfunction. Nearly every major health problem is associated with chronic sleep deprivation. No other risk factor shows up more often. Two key hormones—cortisol and melatonin—help regulate the sleep- wake cycle. Restful sleep depends on these hormones being in balance. With millions of Americans suffering from some degree of insomnia, the need to measure cortisol and melatonin levels is crucial. When the master stress hormone cortisol is chronically elevated, especially at night, it interferes with sleep and leads to lower melatonin levels. In addition to stress-related sleep disturbances, levels of melatonin unfortunately decline with age—triggering further imbalances. The changes described below often result in diffi culty getting to sleep and/or staying asleep. Is it any wonder millions of Americans resort to prescription sleep medications? By the way, these drugs can cause permanent cerebral atrophy (brain shrinkage).
20 Central Florida natural awakenings
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