Full Blog:
So many of my patients suffer from sleeplessness these days.
I know its because of these stressful times: the recession is threatening your job, your son is struggling through that biology class, and prices are going up again! On top of all this, its no wonder we struggle to get a good nights sleep.
We all go through this, and many of us cant forget our woes when we finally lay our heads down on the pillow at night. You just cant let the frustration, worry and stress go. When poor quality sleep happens night after night, or even a couple times a week, it leads to depression and fatigue. You wont be any good to your kids, your husband, or your boss if youre tired and cranky all the time!
New studies show that up to a third of Americans suffer from insomnia. Over-the-counter medications are in high demand. This trend towards medicating a solution is unnecessary, and can be bad for your health. There is no need to take meds when there are ways to ease this condition naturally.
So how do we cope? In my books Fight Fat After Forty and Body for Life for Women, I focused on this issue because it doesnt just impact your sleep; it damages your health as well.
I always talk about Mind, Mouth, and Muscle. Well, this is a really important part of the Mind portion of my fitness program.
From Buddha to Krishna, and down through to modern times, meditation is taught as an exemplary lifestyle of spending time learning how to relax. There is a simple way to work through insomnia. It is a relaxation technique that worksevery time its tried.
Learn a healthy response to stress. Research by Herbert Benson, M.D., and Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., showed that when you learn to elicit a state of deep physical rest on command, your body and mind return to a calm and relaxed state. Heart rate, blood pressure, stress hormone levels, and muscle tension drop. This state of deep calm is called the relaxation response, and its incredibly simple to do.
Practice this technique once or twice every day:
- Pick a focus word or short phrase. Use a positive term or a phrase you find soothing.
- Sit quietly in a comfortable position and close your eyes.
- Relax your muscles. Breathe slowly and naturally, and as you do, repeat your focus word, phrase or prayer to yourself as you exhale.
- Dont worry about how well youre doing. When other thoughts come to mind, say to yourself, Oh well, and gently return to your repetition. Continue for 10 to 20 minutes.
- Do not stand immediately. Continue sitting quietly for a minute or so. Then open your eyes and sit for another minute before rising.
Make quality sleep a priority. Sleep is a precious and often elusive gift, and in my experience, sleep-deprived people are more inclined to mindlessly over-eat. You eat to maintain energy, when what you really need is longer nighttime sleep or a daytime nap. So work towards getting some refreshing, uninterrupted shut-eye. Use soothing music, take a bath, read a book, or meditateanything that helps you unwind.
Go to bed and turn off your TV no later than 11pm. If there is a show you must see, TiVo it and watch it the next day while youre on the treadmill or doing your exercises.
And when you get up in the morning, put yourself on a schedulecreate a daily routine, write it down, and follow it. This way your body will re-learn what time of the day is work time, what time of the day is eating time, and what time of the day is sleeping time.
Its a trick we use to train puppies, and it is a trick that works on people the same way. When your body is in a daily routine, it will be easier for it to naturally relax as bedtime draws near. Most people with insomnia have just gotten themselves into chaotic routines, and insomnia is one of the red flags that tells you to get back on track.
Once youre back into a healthy daily routine, your meditation time will be so much more fruitful, because your body will know what to expect and how to capitalize on these exercises.
And whoever thought that you could turn relaxation into an exercise?!
| 
