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By Kathleen Finn
Sleep is the ultimate rejuvenator for the body. Here's how a good night's rest can improve your mental and physical health.
Living on little sleep was trendy in the '80s. Business executives talked of needing only four hours a night, and sleeping more than eight hours was considered slothful. You no longer have to be embarrassed that you thrive on eight or nine hours of sleep (or whatever your personal sleep need is). It's not just trendy either, it's downright healthy.
Sleep is the "overnight battery charge for the body," writes Norman Ford in The Sleep Rx (Reward Books). Slow-wave sleep (also called delta sleep, associated with physical growth and tissue repair) helps restore the body, while dreaming aids the learning process and helps reduce effects of stress, he adds. Research indicates a lack of slow-wave sleep can suppress the immune system, the body's primary defense against disease.
Sleeping, Ford points out, is filled with intense physical and mental activity that involves almost every organ in the body and every function of the mind. "When our eyes close at bedtime, a complex series of mind-body actions begin that range from changes in pulse and breathing rate to hallucinating for several hours while our body muscles are paralyzed and only our eyes can move," he writes.
All mammals need REM (rapid eye movement) sleep—the dream sleep, says Rafael Pelayo, M.D., of the Stanford Sleep Disorders Center. "It's not clear why, but we do know sleep restores us physically, emotionally and spiritually. You can withhold food, sex and other stimuli from an individual, but you can't withhold sleep."
The amount of sleep each person needs is about the same, contrary to public opinion. It's about eight to eight and a half hours. Teenagers need slightly more sleep, and the elderly need slightly less, says Pelayo.
What determines the human sleeping pattern is the body temperature curve, Pelayo explains. When our temperature dips even half a degree, the body is crying out for sleep. (The range of normal temperature fluctuation is only 1°.) The two drops in temperature occur at night and midafternoon. The curve is set to our activity level, so we rise in the morning and rest at night and ideally grab a catnap in the afternoon.
People often experience a midday slump that makes them want to lie down; yet, the feeling is often followed by an energy surge. What occurs, according to Pelayo, is our body temperature rises, and we miss our opportunity to sleep.
"Think of it as a rhythm," says Pelayo, "that's been in place since prehistoric times." He contends our cave-dwelling ancestors rose with the sun and hunted and gathered. At dusk, they headed back to the caves to eat and sleep. It was vital to survival to be able to predict dark and light. If they misjudged when darkness would fall, then they became someone else's prey.
"The instinct comes from a mechanism called the suprachiasmatic, which facilitates our sleeping pattern. Thought to be part of the body's internal clock, it's a piece of tissue that lies in the brainstem, where the optic nerves crisscross, below the pituitary gland," he says. "Designed to anticipate light, the suprachiasmatic also signals the pituitary gland to let it know the timing sequence for hormone distribution. It also adjusts to the change in seasons."
With a body built for sleep, what can happen to people who continue their sleepdeprived ways? "Accidents occur," says Pelayo. "A leading cause of fatal car accidents is driver fatigue." He also partially blames disasters at Chernobyl, Three-Mile Island and the Exxon-Valdez on fatigue-induced human error. "People often don't realize their sleepiness and excessive fatigue may signal a sleep disorder," Pelayo warns. "Many doctors don't recognize sleep disorders. Individuals don't even know their own sleep patterns—they only know they don't sleep well."
Insomnia, the most common sleep complaint, isn't a sleep disorder, says Pelayo. "It's how a body sleeps when under stress." Those stresses include depression, anxiety, obesity, caffeine, sedentary lifestyle, lack of creative mental activity, job shift changes, a fast-paced lifestyle or some medical conditions.
Insomnia also comes in many forms. Difficulty falling asleep is just one of the most common. Some insomniacs sleep fitfully all night and wake feeling tired. Others fall asleep rapidly but wake very early and can't fall back asleep. Still others sleep in cycles, often awakening and staying up for 30 minutes or more before resuming sleep. Treatments vary, but minor lifestyle adjustments should be made first. Ford suggests the following steps:
 | Cut down on caffeine and nicotine. |
| Establish a consistent sleep pattern. |
| Make your bedroom a comfortable place to sleep. |
| Relax with yoga, mild exercise, meditation or reading before bed- time. |
| Don't consume alcohol or muscle relaxants in the evening. |
| Eat a light evening meal. |
A large meal raises the pulse rate and keeps you awake at night, according to Ford. He suggests a dinner of vegetables, legumes and whole grains, with fruit for dessert. A small serving of protein is permissible, he explains, because it digests slowly and helps prevent night hunger.
Supplements help too, especially calcium, magnesium and B-complex vitamins. Calcium-magnesium supplements (2-to-1 ratio respectively) act as a neuro-muscular relaxant and as a natural sedative that calms the nervous system. B vitamins help to regulate serotonin (a brain chemical that activates the sleep mechanism). If you have a B vitamin deficiency, it may show in your sleep patterns. Ford maintains that B vitamins work better when the entire B-complex is ingested together.
Herbs also work as sleep aids. The four best-researched herbs for insomnia and calming the nerves are: valerian root, hops, skullcap and passion flower, according to Daniel Mowrey, Ph.D., author of Scientific Validation of Herbal Medicine (Keats Publishing). Valerian is strongly sedative and suppresses and regulates the autonomic nervous system. Hops also has sedative effects. Relaxation begins within 20 to 40 minutes of ingesting the herb. Skullcap is a sedative herb that has been used to treat nervousness, muscle spasms and tension. Used to induce sleep and relaxation, passion flower contains glycosides and flavonoids. These two substances are only effective when used as a whole herb and not isolated. Chamomile and lemon balm are also oft-used bedtime herbs. Chamomile is also a mild relaxant, while lemon balm is used for nervousness and sleep disturbances. Look for these herbs in combination formulas or in herbal teas.
"In the pursuit of health, most people focus on diet and exercise, which are vital, but sleep often gets neglected," Pelayo says. "Yet, a good night's rest can make you feel better than almost anything else."
Create a Heavenly Sleep Haven
To make sleep a priority, your bedroom must be conducive to rest and relaxation. You can easily recreate your sleeping quarters with just a few additions.
• Make your bedroom a place of sleep. Don't pay bills, finish reports, eat or take phone calls at bedside. If you have a phone in your room, try moving it to another location—or turn the ringer off in the evening.
• Remove your television and stereo as well. These nightly distractions keep you from sleeping.
• Give your boudoir a soothing atmosphere with comforting colors such as shades of blue, pale yellow or green. Potted plants also create a feeling of calm and harmony.
• Scent is important. Place aromatherapy lamp rings on your light fixture with soothing scents such as lavender, neroli, marjoram or rose. Try aromatherapy diffusers as well.
• Candlelight sets the stage for sleep. The muted light helps lull you to sleep. Just don't forget to blow them out.
• Close your curtains and shades to darken your room. Eye pillows or eyeshades filled with dried herbs and essential oils help shut out light and distractions and allow you to sleep surrounded by relaxing smells.
• Open the window to let some air in, weather permitting. People sleep most deeply when the bedroom temperature is 65 degrees or lower.
• Make sure your nightclothes are loose fitting and free of tight neck, waist, wrist or ankle bands.
• Avoid caffeine and nicotine in the evening as these substances stimulate the nervous system and can prevent sleep.
Visit http://www.newhope.com on the World-Wide Web to find more Delicious! Magazine articles on natural beauty.
Reprinted with permission from the October 1995 issue of Delicious! Magazine, a publication of New Hope Communications, Boulder, CO.
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