Sleep is our life support system. It is a need, a necessity to function healthily, to reset our brain and recharge our immune system. Sleep is restorative, it supports our memory recall, boosts our creativity, cleanses the brain, heart and body and makes us feel happy.
If you want to work hard, then rest hard too because sleep and mental health are intertwined
15 to 19 hours of deprived sleep can result in a behaviour similar to a blood alcohol level of 0.05 which is drunk and so your reaction time becomes 50% slower. A slower response time leads to an increased risk of accidents as concentration becomes weaker. Tiredness affects our productivity at work and lost time and accidents become a serious public health concern.
About 50 to 70 million Americans have sleep or wakeful disorders. Untreated broken sleep disorders become associated to a growing number of health problems including high blood pressure, obesity, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, hypertension, anxiety, depression and certain cancers. If you have frequent trouble remembering places, names and basic information - blame your sleeplessness.
A recent 2022 study Americans sleep 6.8 hours per day on average,
46% OF 18 - 29-year-olds AND 44% OF 30 - 49-year-olds SLEEP 6 HRS OR LESS
A UK survey found that…….
• . 4 in 10 said poor sleep made them feel increased stress.
• 43% say that poor sleep made them irritable or angry.
• 1 in 3 are sleeping less than before the pandemic
South Korea and Japan are said to rank the highest for sleep issues and also hold the highest suicide rates in the world. (Gravitas plus - a wake up call on sleep2021)
Japan has what is terms "Karoshi" which means "Death by lack of sleep"
Sleep apnoea is grossly undiagnosed and is thought to cost an estimated $150 billion annually.
Science suggests that 7.5 hours of undisturbed sleep per night is ideal for the body and mind to function healthily. Studies by researchers in Hong Kong have found sleep deprivation can be closely linked to the body's DNA damage. Studies from King's college in London in 2016 discovered that we can put on weight if we have issues with sleeping well. Sleep deprived people consumed an extra 385 kilo calories per day. There are 2 sleep hormones Leptin and Ghrelin that regulate food intake. Leptin alerts the brain when you are full and Ghrelin triggers you to eat more, so becoming sleep deprived can lower your Leptin levels and increase levels of Ghrelin - can this explain the need for some sleep deprived people to raid the fridge in the night, binge eat and hence begin the process of overeating and weight issues.
Scientific American states - Only a rare 3 to 5 % of the population can thrive on less than 6 hours sleep due to a rare genetic mutation.
Today's world requires longer working days, targets, deadlines and staying back is seen as professionalism. We can forget to leave the professional "us" at work and carry the weight of work issues into our home life and sleep time. New mothers can start the process of sleep issues which can/may manifest into long term chronic sleep issues especially with a continued growing family unit. The pandemic, Ukraine war, and the inability for world peace to sustain, the knock on affects to the economy and rising costs all contribute to mental health states that play on our mind and bodies, affecting deep sleep.
50% more women use sleep trackers regularly compared to men.
Women have a lifetime risk of insomnia - 40% more than men. Sleep foundation
We slept longer many years ago but with growing technology in our lives we are pulled towards and addicted to close connections with our phones, laptops, tablets, PCs, TVs, gaming, spending all day with them and having them in our bedrooms at night.
sleep problems affect 25 to 50% of children
The American Academy of Pediatrics
"What's blue light" - this is emitted from our technology and it boosts the Cortisol hormone production in your body that interferes with your sleep requirements. Sleep should take about 10 to 15 minutes to descend upon you naturally, just like it used to when you were a child.
What can you do to help yourself?
The good news is you CAN sleep yourself well. Rewire and heal your brain.
It can take some time but with a few adjustments you can conquer the sleep deprivation and all that comes with it by devoting to "how much you value your health and wellbeing"
Let's look at some beneficial ways of creating the "slow wave" sleep YOU need to become the person you really are meant to be and live your life with renewed optimism, increased health and vitality each time you awaken in the morning or from your scheduled sleep time.
How would it feel to to awaken refreshed, revitalised, renewed and transformed. to perform better throughout your daily schedule, to tackle any daily challenges with ease and clarity, to perform better or even phenomenally at work, to reach that creative state that was previously blocked, to perform better in your sports, gym, exercise
Exercise and self care
keeping mobile preferably towards the start of the day or daytime - nothing rigorous before bedtime - Walk, dog walking, jog, running, gym workout, aerobics, swimming.
Ensure you get out in the daylight/sunshine as much as possible, even a 10 minute break sitting in the park or garden is very therapeutic.
Allow yourself enough sleep time 7.5+ hours
Try to avoid power naps, they take away some of your night-time sleep.
Try a soothing Epsom salt bath before bedtime.
Technology
STOP using technology 2 + hours before sleep. Allow wind down time.
Keep technology out of your room or 6 metres away, minimise what you don't need in your bedroom, ensure no stand by left running.
Remove noise - wall/ticking clocks, digital clocks to stop checking the time.
Diet
Stop consuming food and drink 2 to 3 hours before sleep. A full stomach will keeping the body and mind active during digestion.
Caffeine and Alcohol will stimulate your mind and body and interfere with your sleep repair. Stick with water if needed just before sleep, but limit to minimise bathroom trips.
Avoid or limit fast cook foods and replace/introduce more with green vegetables and fruit variety with proteins - chicken, fish, Quorn, turkey, cheese, tofu, pineapple, nuts, eggs, seeds, foods like these increase Serotonin levels - associated with happiness, focus and calm.
Not everyone's taste but beneficial to health and wellbeing are GREEN TEA, MINT TEA, GINGER , CAMOMILE TEA and TURMERIC - consumed in the daytime.
Vitamin D3 - Deep in your brain there are receptors for Vitamin D, take in the mornings with food. Start with 1000IUs, increase to 5000 IUs just one a day. Preference is with olive oil casing and obtainable from reputable health food researchers (PharmaNord). Vit D3 also helps with bone and muscle aches experienced with sleep deprivation.
Q10 Bio quinone - naturally made in the body within the mitochondria, as we get older Q10 declines and can make us feel less energetic. Also aids with aches, pains, arthritis, dental/gum issues. A natural and safe product also well researched by PharmaNord
Also available on Amazon Q10 https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000GY76P2/ref=nosim?tag=goldmayberry-21
B075DDDNJD
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Pets
Keep pets in their own rooms if possible (or in their own bed if they don't disturb you)
Your sleeping area
Keep the temperature so it is not too hot/cold. Body temperature drops by 1 to 2 degrees Fahrenheit.
Sleep in total darkness - use eye masks if needed. Another option is blackout blinds. Melatonin is the night-time hormone. We are wired to sleep in the dark and wake in the light.
Make your bed and pillows as cosy and comfortable, they are your night time HUG, use support pillows and cushions (between the knees helps support the lumbar region) sometimes rearranging where your bed is (if possible) can contribute to a better/refreshing sleep.
Routine - try to stick to your sleep times.
OnaEz Sleep Eye mask for all night sleeping (good for yoga and meditation) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09CPQQH1S/ref=nosim?tag=goldmayberry-21
Contour legacy LEG pillow for comfortable posture during sleep. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07WDLPYK6/ref=nosim?tag=goldmayberry-21
Breathing exercises
Getting fresh air into our body/lungs naturally through exercise and with breathing exercises can stimulate the mind neurons and improve our sense of wellbeing, decrease stress and anxiety levels. Practise my breathing exercise on my "How to prepare for a Hypnotherapy session" website page. goldmayberry.com
Meditation
Meditation, Mindfulness and Meditation music - binaural beats, solfeggio Hz are powerful for reducing stress, anxiety, promoting calmness and clarity bringing the mind to the present moment, it induces physiological responses like slowing the heart rate, increased melatonin and controlled breathing. Meditation is safe, free and completely accessible to everyone.
FREE - Meditation for Deep Unbroken, Restorative Sleep, by goldmayberry
Sweet Dreams - Sleep Meditation https://youtu.be/RhoP0BAutwM
Meditation for Deep Unbroken, Restorative Sleep, by goldmayberry - https://youtu.be/4vTi-Qrxv0w
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And remember, if you do wake, it's ok, allow sleep to come back to you and it will - rapidly - do not check the time - when we were babies we could wake up with fully opened eyes and then suddenly fade off back to sleep almost immediately. We don't "go" to sleep or "fall" to sleep, Sleep descends upon us.
RTT
Rapid Transformational Therapy is an award winning hypnotherapy that uses very unique and powerful tools and techniques for getting to the root cause of a presenting issue. There may be many different reasons why a person suffers with sleep issues and RTT is the therapy that will get to the root cause very rapidly and find the deep blocks that are causing the issue, this is all done through regressive hypnosis and collaborating with the subconscious mind. A holistic approach that delivers amazing results with 1 to 3 sessions. Beliefs and mindset patterns are investigated to unlock bad habits and emotional disturbances and when understood they can be magnificently transformed for good so YOU can live the life YOU truly deserve.
Sessions are 2 hours long, safe and comfortable with clients amazed at the speed of the session feeling like half the time and very rejuvenating and life changing. You will listen to a free bespoke transformational recording from your session for a minimum of 21 days and this plays an important part of the after session healing process. Just one session has proved amazing results with this wonderful and powerful technique. See Margaret's story below.
You can have a virtual session from the comfort and privacy of your own home in your own country via Zoom with goldmayberry.com a Licensed RTT Practitioner C.Hyp ARTTP and Certified L2 Quantum Healing Practitioner.
Every effort has gone into researching statistics sleep related to ensure accuracy.
Leave me a comment or contact me with any questions on my contact page on goldmayberry.com for sessions. rates and bookings.
"Sleep well so you can dream well"
See Margaret's success story - Long term Sleep issues
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