Goodnight Soon
Remedies Magazine, December 2006
Did you get enough rest last night? For many the answer is
no--every day of the week. On average, Americans sleep one to two fewer hours
per night than they did 40 years ago. Chronic daytime tiredness and regularly
falling asleep a couple of minutes after your head hits the pillow indicate
sleep deprivation, a problem far more serious than a jolt of caffeine can
fix.
"Positive moods are lower in people with sleep loss,"
says Eve Van Cauter, PhD, professor of medicine at the University of Chicago.
Fluctuating mood that is lower in the morning plus high levels of the stress
hormone cortisol go beyond irritability, says Dr. Van Cauter. "All those
changes are typical of clinical depression," she adds.
In one ongoing trial, healthy men and women who slept fewer than
6.5 hours a night over six months were found to be more insulin resistant than
those who got 7.5 to 8 hours of shuteye. Insulin resistance can lead to diabetes
and weight gain.
Additionally, "chronic sleep deprivation causes changes in
metabolism that produce a state that stimulates hunger," says Lawrence
Epstein, MD, regional medical director for Sleep Health Centers in Boston. Last
year, research that looked at almost 10,000 adults showed that people who logged
fewer than seven hours a night were more likely to be obese than those who slept
longer.
Don't let these worries keep you awake. Stick to a regular
nighttime routine and consider natural supplements that encourage a healthy
sleep cycle. Calcium has a calming effect, while magnesium helps balance calcium
and relax muscles. A hormone that promotes sound sleep, melatonin is a useful
remedy for occasional insomnia. Look for soothing herbs, including chamomile,
hops, lemon balm, and valerian root, in teas or capsules. Kava may help reduce
anxiety, allowing you, finally, to drift off to dreamland.
Natural Health Hut
