Insomnia Facts
How insomnia can affect your body and your life:
Sleep is necessary and vital for your survival.
Insomnia has been defined as difficulty in falling asleep, remaining asleep, or disturbances in sleep patterns that result in inadequate amounts of sound, quality sleep.
A 2002 study of sleeping habits in over one million people reported that people who slept seven hours a night enjoyed the longest life span. Therefore, the best predictor of longevity is the quality and quantity of your sleep! Sleep Well, Live Longer!
Sleep heals. During sleep your body takes the opportunity to cleanse, regenerate and miraculously recover from the previous day’s stress.
Having the proper amount of sleep is a critical component of our well being. Lack of sleep can lead to:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Addictive behavior
- Weight gain
- Cardio vascular problems
- Your ability to make split-second decisions
- Impaired task performance
- Fatigue
- Lack of concentration
- Irritability
- Memory loss
Lack of sleep increases your risk of accidents, your over-all performance and safety.
A recent study has shown that as many as 200,000 auto accidents in the United States and 1,500 deaths from such accidents are caused by sleeplessness.
It indicates that drowsy driving is as risky as drunk driving.
ESCAPE TO SLEEP FOR BETTER SLEEP AND A BETTER YOU!
Lack of sleep carries significant consequences. It can eventually affect every area of your life and every system of your body.
Diet:
Poor nutrition and digestion can lead to imbalance in your system. Many people experiencing insomnia may have over-indulged in food and drink, too late in the day or into the night. They may have eaten or drunk too many caffeine products, smoked too much or taken too many medications. Nicotine in cigarettes can keep you awake. Try to eliminate smoking for your health. These types of toxins can accumulate in tissues and block circulation. By eliminating toxins we can sleep better.
An unhealthy lifestyle can lead to a wired and stressed-out you. Chronic stress is a hormone wrecker. It can lead to an imbalance in the endocrine system. Out of balance hormones can lead to insomnia, which over time can cause changes in the brain wave patterns, disallowing a normal, restful sleep.
Sleep studies indicate that people averaging less than 5 hours sleep are 73% more likely to be obese. Therefore, the best diet is Sleep.
Try adopting a yogic diet.
Vision:
Your eyes need rest. If you have not slept and are not resting your eyes, your vision may become blurred, turn red and bloodshot. Dark circles may appear under your eyes.
Try using some warm, moist cloths, or heat an eye mask to help rest your eyes.
Skin:
Lack of sleep may leave your skin dry and spotty. If you are not getting a sound night’s sleep, your system most likely is not processing the nutrients it is given.
Take a warm bath before bed using some calming essential oils to help you sleep better and to moisten your skin. Drink Escape to Sleep™ to help assure that you rest well.
Heart:
Recent studies have shown that lack of sleep can double the risk to your heart. People sleeping fewer than 7 to 5 hours a night were twice as likely to die of heart disease. Studies have also shown signs of nervous and heart activity in people with chronic insomnia and it might place them at risk for coronary heart disease.
Lack of sleep releases more stress hormones in to the body. This can increase blood pressure, which is one of the biggest risk factors of heart disease and stroke.
Try doing some breathing exercises (pranayama) and yoga total relaxation (yoga nidra) poses before bedtime to help you relax and sleep better.
Immune system:
A 2003 study showed significant differences in immune factors among sleepers, with higher levels of certain infection-fighters observed in good sleepers than with people with chronic insomnia.
Stomach:
Sleep studies also indicate in addition to the aforementioned ‘bad’ things that happen to sleep deprived people, those who average fewer than 5 hours sleep per night are 73% more likely to be obese. Lack of sleep impacts the balance of hormones (leptin and ghrelin) in that body that affect appetite. If the level of leptin is reversed, then signals are sent to your brain to say that you are hungry. If the levels are reversed, than the brain thinks you are full. The next time you are craving carbohydrates and sweets, think about the quality and quantity of your sleep the night before. Most likely, you did not have a good night’s sleep.
Brain:
Depression has been strongly linked to lack of sleep and mental illness. When you are tired your thoughts are slowed down, your learning ability, memory and performance are affected.
A sound night’s sleep helps to restore and recharge your emotional brain circuits.
Check out www.superbrainyoga.org. Super brain yoga can help improve your thinking, and mental function, help you focus and feel calm.
Yoga has beneficial effects on the nervous system and in particular the brain. Yoga poses can help increase the blood supply to the center of the brain.
Nervous System:
According to Ayurveda, the nervous system controls most bodily functions and almost every chronic condition is affected in some way when the nervous system becomes imbalanced.
The goal of Aqua Smart’s Escape to Sleep™ tonic, is to help your body’s natural healing and self- repair mechanisms by providing a good night’s sleep.
