Sleep. Get enough of it?

I know this sounds obvious and we all know that we need about 8 hours sleep a night and 8 glasses of water a day (and blah blah blah). It reads so easily, but who actually does it?

I have been lacking in sleep the last week, a small amount of unrest in my life has created a lot of procrastinating (just because I write this stuff does not mean I always have the power to be in control of my body and mind at all times). I hope you understand ;)

After a week of mental tick-tocking and getting about 6 or 7 hours instead of my usual 8 I have woken up this morning with a sore throat, regardless of my 80% raw diet. How annoying. You can be eating an 100% raw organic diet and drinking plenty of fluid but the second you let yourself lose sleep or get stressed or BOTH, you are fighting a losing battle.

Sleep is our way of regenerating and renewing. It is a healing process for our bodies, a time to reflect on the day's work of battling through queues, forcing our way through traffic, running up and down stairs and eating three meals. It is a lot of work for our bodies to do and we tend to ignore them while we live in our heads. So, sleep is the one time our bodies get to themselves and are able to prepare for the next onslaught and get some well deserved rest.

If we are depleting ourselves of quality sleep by thinking too much, staying up too late, working too hard or eating before we go to bed, it is only a matter of time before we pay the price. We don't save energy by sleeping, but our energy is used in a different way, it helps our brains to compartmentalise information we have received in the day and allows our soft tissues and bodily systems to rest and recover. There are endless studies and theories on what actually happens to our bodies while we sleep and why we need it. A lot of it relates to brain function and storing of information. However, I strongly believe that as well as this, it is a time for our bodies tissues to well and truly shut off and restore without our constant wiggling and procrastinating.

n.b. I am living proof that too little sleep affects your immune system.

So, how much sleep do we need?

This depends on the individual and most of you probably know how much you need to feel rested. The average time suggested is 8 hours and this suits me well, however, I know my brother functions well on about 6 (although there is nothing regular about him). Working out how much you need is about being body aware. As I am sure you have found out, sleeping too much can have the opposite effect we want and leave us exhausted. As usual, it is all about balance and awareness.

What's this about eating and then sleeping being bad? It feels cosy and good.

Digesting food is actually pretty tiring for the body, especially larger meals with meat or heavy carbohydrates like bread or pasta. Food has a thermal effect on the body, it uses time and energy to process it. So, it makes sense that if we are trying to rest and recuperate, giving our body a job is not going to help. Also our body has an easier job of digesting when we are upright, so we are actually giving it a really hard job (how unfair).



At work I meet a lot of people whose schedules make it hard for them to have a normal, healthy eating pattern. I try to help them come up with plans that suit their schedules but often I have to be firm with them and let them know that if they are want to gain energy and feel better, they have to make time.


Too often we use the word can't when really the truth is we won't. If you are stuck in a cycle of getting in at 7pm, eating too much at 9pm (as you have not eaten since lunch) and going to bed at about 10pm, your body is not getting a chance to process the food and therefore you will not be getting a chance to sleep properly. It may feel as though you are sleeping more deeply and heavily, but it will not be energising, regenerating sleep (and this is the type of sleep we want and need). As a guideline a couple of hours of upright activity after eating a lighter meal is best in the evening.

Ok, so...

It really is down to the individual to work out what they can feasibly do with their day to make it less stressful, more balanced and therefore resulting in a more beneficial nights sleep. If you are turning to sleeping pills it really is time to take a look at what is going on in your life that is stopping your natural rhythms. If you force your body into a fitful slumber through drugs which give the body very little quality rest, you need to look a little deeper and find the cause. Insomnia deserves a blog of its own and I will go into that at a later date.

In the meantime, remind yourself how important getting a proper nights sleep is and next time you feel tired and are called up to go out? Try to say no, have a chamomile tea and pull on your slipper socks. After all, who can afford to be ill?


(If it is going to be a really, really good night then I will let you off, just don't make a habit of it.)


Goodnight. Sweet Dreams.

Josie

p.s Those who have small children, all I can think to say right now? They will grow up, slowly but surely, they will grow up. That is all I can guarantee right now. I will do a special blog for you guys too, you deserve it.