Sleep, how important is it?

JodieDownUnder

In my younger days, I could sleep on a barbed wire fence. I had no trouble going to sleep, staying asleep. In more recent times, just the opposite. With running a business, stress, menopause, life challenges, technology etc. Now I'm retired, I need to retrain by body and mind to try and get 8hrs sleep or there abouts and I'm having trouble with this. Tried lots of things but can't crack consistency.

I'm in the middle of watching Dr Mark Hymans Sleep Masterclass and picking up some great tips along the way. For anyone who has trouble with sleep, this may help and it's free. https://courses.drhyman.com/library

judsoncarroll4

No doubt it is important. 8 and half hours is the minimum for the liver to do its nighttime work. Less messes with blood sugar, acids in the blood, cardiac stress, etc. I have A LOT of trouble sleeping - always have. I awake at 4 AM almost every night. When I'm stressed r upset, I often can't sleep at all. So, if I awaken in the night, I lay there with my eyes closed for at least an hour or two. If I can't go back to sleep, I get up and read for an hour - only water to drink, aspirin if my neck and back are hurting. Then, try again. If no luck, I'll get on up and try to take a nap or two in the day. I sometimes use herbs to help with sleep, but I have such a high tolerance for anything that it would probably take enough sleeping pills or pure morphine to put an elephant down to even make me drowsy.

Torey

I sympathise with anyone who is having sleep issues. For me it is 3 AM. Awake for an hour or two, tossing and turning and then back to sleep for another hour or so. I have no problem getting to sleep and get a good 4-5 hours before waking up. But I really wish I could sleep right through or at the very least, be able to go back to sleep quickly if I do wake up.

I haven't tried this and should. A tea of skullcap in a thermos beside the bed. Having a few sips of that is suppose to help with getting back to sleep.

When it is anxiety keeping me awake, motherwort will quite often do the trick.

dipat2005

I just watched a documentary on Alzheimer's and they said, "7 -9 hours". Sleep is necessary for all of the repair work and getting rid of toxins that our body does while we are asleep. I was surprised to learn that blue light from our electronic devices really does not help our sleep habits. The documentary mentioned that if you can turn off all electronics an hour before bedtime you will get to sleep easier. It was also suggested to try diaphragmatic breathing. I also use some other breathing techniques to get better sleep. I also awaken very early in the morning in the summer and in the winter tend to sleep a little longer.

karenjanicki

I was surprised when I did a bit of research on how much sleep the human body actually needs. It was stated the average person requires 8-12 hours per night. In our culture I would hazard a guess that most Americans get about half to 2/3 of that recommendation between work, children and activities. That makes for a very tired nation. I used to struggle alot getting enough sleep but I have found for me that having a set bedtime and sticking to it as best as possible sets me up for a better night. Sometimes dimming the lights, turning off all electronic influences and curling up in bed with a book helps get my mind and body prepped for bed. I rarely suffer insomnia however on the few times I have I make myself a cup of sleepy time tea and add tinctures of skullcap and Valerian and I'm out like a light. Wake up refreshed and energized. These have worked well for me.

stephanie447

I sometimes use hypnosis audios to go to sleep (ones that don't wake you up at the end)...the Honest Guys has a bunch of free "sleep talk downs" on YouTube that are also really terrific.