After hearing the staggering facts on sleep deprivation, and its effects on one’s health and the health and well-being of those around them, such as:

Each year sleep-related accidents and mistakes cost U.S. businesses an estimated $56 billion a year, causes nearly 25,000 deaths and results in over 2.5 million disabling injuries [1]. I decided to focus on ways to increase sleep quality in a natural and healthy manner. 

Often times many people take the quick fix approach to solving sleep problems with potentially dangerous solutions like sleeping pills.  According to the Alliance for Natural Health, 60 million prescriptions for sleeping pills were filled in 2011, that’s compared with 47 million in 2006[2].  The number continually increases as the general population uses a quick fix strategy for sleep.  Unfortunately sleeping pills may make you go to sleep quicker BUT according to a study published in the British Medical Journal, if you take a prescription sleep aid, even as little as 18 pills throughout the year, you increase your risk of premature death by four times. And if that isn’t bad enough—you increase your risk of cancer by 35%[3].

With 70 million Americans (22% of population in U.S.) suffering from a sleep disorder and 42 million of those 70 million chronically suffering from a sleep disorder, it can be no surprise that sleeping pill consumption is on the rise[4]. 

But have no fear, there are many simple ways to increase your quality of sleep in a natural, and healthy way.  Instead of the obvious suggestions for increased quality of sleep, I have focused on all 5 of our senses (Taste, Hearing, Smell, Touch and Sight).  Each one of these senses can be used to encourage your body to relax and place your mind at ease, which provides a great base for a good night’s rest. 

A great night’s sleep is not only attributed to a single cause and effect.  Great sleep comes from a combination of elements.  Many, if not all of those elements are under your control.  If you engage each of your 5 senses to stimuli that promote sleep, you will find your quality of sleep may improve significantly.  Below I have listed each of the 5 senses and how to stimulate each sense prior to sleep to maximize quality. 

Part 1 - Taste

Food you eat prior to sleep can positively or negatively affect your sleep.  Keep reading to discover what foods can promote sleep, and what foods can deter sleep.

Foods You SHOULD NOT Eat

Before sleep we know not to eat high fatty foods because our body cannot burn off the calories prior to sleep, so our body will be working through the night to attempt to digest the fats and protein.  Besides food containing high fat and heavy protein, food containing sugar is never a good option prior to bedtime either, because the high sugar content promotes nightmares. According to an article on the Fox News Network, a recent study has shown that 7 out of 10 people who eat junk foods like candy bars before bed are more likely to have nightmares[5].  

High fat, heavy proteins and junk food with high sugar content should be eaten at least 2 hours prior to sleep.  During digestion of these foods an increased amount of blood flow to the digestive system occurs which can keep you awake.  If you allow for two hours of digestion prior to sleep the heaviest part of digestion can take place and some of the sleep enhancing effects can take place after the two hour period of time.

Foods You SHOULD Eat

Now that we have the foods that we SHOULD NOT eat prior to sleep out of the way, let’s get into what we CAN eat.

When I was a boy, I remember my mom would make me a nice glass of warm milk, if I could not go to sleep.  At the time I had no idea why this worked, but it worked like clockwork.  Warm milk provides a number of sleep inducing effects from the tryptophan amino acid that it contains and the effect is has on the melatonin in your brain.  Both tryptophan and melatonin create a sense of calm and relaxation.  I guess this is why they say, “momma knows best.”

Cottage cheese is a great snack to be eaten at least 2 hours prior to sleep because it contains light, slow-digesting casein proteins that will distribute the amino acids to the muscle tissues for hours to come.  Cottage Cheese contains the amino acid tryptophan, which will naturally induce sleep in the body and help you get a better night's rest

Oatmeal is another great nutritious snack prior to sleep because of its rich fiber carbohydrate profile which releases serotonin.  Serotonin is a “feel-good” serotonin, that decreases stress and calms the body.  Peanuts, and peanut butter is another snack that provides the release of serotonin via the rich source of niacin that peanuts provide.  Peanuts are rich in fat and protein so the serving size should be kept to a minimum. 

If your sweet tooth grabs you prior to sleep, put it to sleep with the only fruits that contain the sleep inducing hormone, melatonin.   Those great fruits are the grape and the cherry.  Add some grapes and cherries to cottage cheese and you might in fact have the best pre-sleep snack, known to man. 

In conclusion, the snacks/foods that contain low-fat, low-sugar, high melatonin and high serotonin are the foods we should be consuming prior to sleep.  The food we eat before sleep should remain a snack of some sorts and not a whole meal, as we now know that a large caloric intake prior to sleep will keep the body up digesting instead of inducing the body into a relaxed nature. 

Next week I will be focusing on the senses of smell and touch.  Come back next week to find out how something as small as a scent can provide the foundation of an environment conducive to sleep.

When I was a child, my older relatives attempted to deter me from staying up past my bedtime by warning me that I would get sick if I didn’t get enough sleep.

Of course, I never listened. Considering this expert health advice was coming from the same people who insisted I would drown unless I waited a full hour to swim after eating and that if I swallowed my chewing gum it would stay in my stomach for seven years, my lack of adherence was not unfounded.

But it turns out, my mom’s claims were not without medical merit.

A 2009 study challenged conventional theories of sleep evolution when it compared the sleep durations of numerous mammals to the species’ susceptibility to infection. The study found that sleep does influence immunity, as the species that slept the longest suffered substantially reduced levels of parasitic infection.

Studies in humans have proven that lack of sleep negatively affects your immune system. Lack of sleep increases the production of inflammatory cytokines in your body. Cytokines, which are infection-fighting proteins, interact with cells of the immune system in order to regulate the body's response to disease and infection. When your body overproduces these proteins, you will feel the effects of the sickness your body normally would be fighting.

Furthermore, sleep deprivation not only plays a role in whether we come down with illnesses; it also influences how we fight illnesses once we are sick.

So I guess I have to admit that my mom  was right on this one. As for that chewing gum, well, there might still be some inside of me somewhere – you never know.

Need help getting more sleep? Watch Mediflow’s Top Ten Sleep Tips video.

 

I’m the first to admit, if I wake up in the middle of the night and roll over, I almost always pick up my cell phone and quick scan my texts and emails. I’m not quite sure what I think I could possibly be missing at 4 am – other than maybe a nonsensical text about deep fried pickles from my drunken friend or a chain-letter email from my aunt alerting me to my forthcoming ownership of an unclaimed diamond mine in Nigeria – and yet, I still feel compelled to look. In all fairness, if aliens landed on earth and someone chose to warn me via text in the middle of the night, I’d almost definitely get the message….and I can sleep easy knowing that.

Or not. Apparently, sleeping with technology is not always easy. Modern day technology has invaded every corner of our lives, including our bedrooms. It is no surprise that cell phones, video games and laptops are leading to less sleep. In fact, besides the physical distraction, experts at Harvard Medical School claim that exposure to artificial light before going to bed (aka playing video games, texting, using a computer) can increase alertness and suppress the release of melatonin.

Bedrooms weren’t always a communication hub – but they weren’t just for sleeping either. In the 19th century, mothers gave birth in their own bedrooms, and on the other end of the spectrum, most people died in their own beds as well. The 19th century bedroom also served as a bathroom. Most had washstands that held a water pitcher, a basin and a washcloth. At night or in cold weather when getting to the outhouse was too difficult, every bed had a chamber pot underneath.

It would seem though, with the advent of convenient perks such as indoor plumbing and hospitals, we would have learned to appreciate the simple sanctity of our bedrooms – as a place for sleeping. But our never ending quest to keep pace with everything going on around us (and to stay on high alert for alien invasions) seems to be getting the best of us.

If you are one of millions of American’s struggling to sleep, here are ten simple sleep tips from medical professionals…but only if you PROMISE not to watch them on your laptop at night in your bedroom....



Sources:
http://www.state-journal.com/news/article/4639250
http://inventors.about.com/od/bstartinventions/a/bed.htm
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/07/us-sleep-technology-idUSTRE7260RH20110307