RENEWAL IS REJUVENATION

1. RENEWAL – Renewal is rejuvenation

· Stress management rituals

· Wind down rituals

· Avoid all electronics and screens before bed

· A safe sleeping environment in a cool dark room

The secret to renewal is rest and restoration that leads to rejuvenation.

How Lack of Sleep Affects Your Health

Lack of sleep has both negative and physical effects on you. It affects your day-to-day functioning. Getting enough quality sleep is essential. If you don’t, you’ll feel groggy and exhausted, very emotional and your health becomes weakened. You increase your risk of heart disease and other health problems such as:

1. Sleep Apnea, a respiratory problem that interrupts sleep, and can lead to many health problems if left untreated.

a. Heart attack and stroke. People with sleep apnea have a higher risk of having a heart attack. Sleep apnea disrupts how your body gets oxygen, making it hard for your brain to control blood flow in your arteries and the brain.

b. Type 2 diabetes. Diabetes is common to people who have sleep apnea. If you are obese, your risk for both sleep apnea and diabetes are higher.

c. High blood pressure. Sleep apnea can make high blood pressure worse. When you can’t breathe well in your sleep, your levels of oxygen in your blood drops, increasing your blood pressure. High blood pressure increases your risk of having a stroke.

d. Weight gain. Extra pounds raise your chances of getting sleep apnea. Having sleep apnea makes it harder to slim down.

e. Lack of focus. Your lack of sleep can cause you to feel groggy, raising your risk of falling asleep at your desk or behind the wheel of your car.

f. Lower sex drive. Men with sleep apnea often have low testosterone levels.

2. Cells appear 10 years older. Lack of sleep can lead to lackluster skin, fine lines, and dark circles under the eyes. Chronic lack of sleep allows the body to release the excess stress hormone cortisol which breaks down skin collagen that keeps skin smooth and elastic.

3. Depression and anxiety. People who don’t get enough sleep are ten times more likely to develop depression and anxiety disorders.

4. Decreased immune function and greater risk for illness. According to the Mayo Clinic, when you don’t get enough sleep your immune system decreases, increasing your risks for catching the flu and common colds.

5. Increased risk of heart attack, angina and stroke. Long-standing sleeplessness is associated with increased heart rate, increase in blood pressure and higher levels of certain chemicals linked with inflammation that can put extra strain on your heart.

6. Increased risk of accidents and death. Lack of sleep affects your concentration, making it harder to stay focused when driving.

7. Increased risk for breast cancer. A connection between shorter sleep patterns and an increased risk or recurrence of breast cancer tumours has been found.

8. High blood pressure. Hypertension can be linked to shorter sleep cycles.

9. Obesity. People who tend to sleep less are more likely to overeat and make poor food choices.

10. Lack of sex drive. Men and women who don’t get enough sleep or quality sleep often have lower libidos and are less interested in sex.

11. Increases stress. Lack of sleep contributes to more stress, which in turn leads to less sleep.

12. Disturbs good mood that effect relationships. Those who get a poor night’s sleep often feel irritable and moody, which they often project onto others.

It’s amazing what happens when such a simple thing as closing our eyes and sleeping doesn’t occur. Our physical, mental and emotional health all suffer, as well as our relationships and our work.

Stress Management Rituals

Everyone has some form of stress. It’s how we respond to daily life. Too much of it can cause us to have sleep problems. The trick is to learn how to de-stress before seeking your bed to get better sleep.

Here are ten ways to de-stress:

1. Determine what is stressful. To get a handle on stress you have to figure out what is causing it. Take a look at your daily activities to determine what is causing you stress. Then take steps to reduce those stressors.

2. Get social support. Make it a point to spend time with family and friends as often as you can. It can be helpful to share your problems with these people who care about you.

3. Practice thought management. Learn to change the thought patterns that produce stress. What you think, what you expect, how you think, and what you tell yourself can help you manage stress. Use commercial audiotapes or books to help you learn to control your thoughts.

4. Exercise. Without a doubt, exercise is a great stress reliever. It can help you blow off steam. Flexible, loose muscles are less likely to become tight in response to stress. Make sure you exercise at least three hours before you plan to sleep. The type of exercise you do doesn’t really matter as long as it gets you moving and focusing on something other than your worries.

5. Eat a healthy diet. Filling your body with comforting junk food and refined sugars in response to stress can leave you feeling sluggish and with low energy. A healthy diet, one that is low in sugar, caffeine and alcohol can reduce your stress

6. Relax with essential oils and aromatherapy. Aromatherapy is effective for people having trouble sleeping. Use a diffuser with natural oils such as lavender, chamomile, sandalwood or rose. There are several studies that show inhaling the scents of plants or essential oils helps reduce anxiety. Drinking tea made from lavender, vanilla chamomile or lemon balm produces similar results.

7. Use relaxation techniques. There are different types of relaxation techniques you can use to calm your mind before you drift off to sleep. They include:

a. Yoga poses

b. Meditation or Mindfulness

c. Tap into a higher power.

8. Muscle relaxation

9. Breathing techniques.

10. Get Intimate. If you’re in a committed relationship, engage in intimate conversation or sexual activity. This can lead to stress relief.

Wind down Rituals

Create relaxing bedtime rituals. In other words, take time to wind down. You spend the whole day wound p. Your system will not always wind down automatically. Like a computer you need a shut down ritual. Some ways to wind down include:
Taking a warm bath

Writing or journaling, as well as creating your “to do” list for the next day

Relaxing exercise like stretches or yoga

Listening to relaxation CDs or relaxing music

Reading a book

Sleep schedule. Try to go to bed and get up at the same time every day, even on weekends. This helps your body set its internal clock so you get optimal sleep quality.

Avoid caffeine. Coffee is great in the morning for most people. But for many, drinking caffeine loaded drinks and foods after noon can mean sleepless nights. Avoid even small amounts of chocolate before bed.

Avoid alcohol, cigarettes, and heavy meals in the evening.

Planning your bedtime routine and making your bedroom a place that encourages sleep are just the beginning to getting quality sleep. Avoid heavy exercise, snacking and anything that stimulates your body or mind within an
hour of bedtime.

Avoid electronics and screens before bed

About an hour before bed, turn off stimulating tasks such as computers and texting.

Avoid bright light in the evening. Avoid electronic devices at least an hour before bedtime.

No looking at computer or I-pads because of the blue light that will disturb your sleep physiology

A safe sleeping environment in a cool dark room

Sleep schedule. Try to go to bed and get up at the same time every day, even on weekends. This helps your body set its internal clock so you get optimal sleep quality.

Design your room so that it encourages sleeping. Dim lights, comfortable sheets and blankets all help you fall asleep. Use a fan, an air-conditioner, or a white noise app or machine to help block other noises such as from the street or a dripping faucet.

Use a comfortable mattress and pillows. Sleeping on a quality, comfortable mattress that fits both you and your sleep habits can help you feel more energized. The pillow you choose should be supportive for the position you sleep in.

Make sure the room is suitably dark to let your nervous system wind down.

Let us support you on your journey to wellness. You can always download a summary of my book Life by Design at “Life by Design” Lite: The summary e-book of the full “Life by Design” version that gives you the overview of the
core steps required to design an incredible life and business. Based on 20 years of research from working with
15,000 people. The golden nuggets to a transformational powerful life. At

http://liteversiondownload.respond.ontraport.net/

I am available to talks and programmes at www.drsundardas.com. If you need access to clinical services the website is www.sundardasnaturopathy.com and you can send an email to [email protected].

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Your life is a gift. Design it. Do what matters and join me each week as we get closer to designing the life of your dreams. I am Dr Sundardas. Join me on Your Life by Design.