Burning the Candle at Both Ends

Focus on a new habit: Get at least 7 hours of sleep.

 We have a few basic physiological needs (as defined by Malsow’s hierarchy of needs), which include breathing, food, water and SLEEP! We are all about health here at GISFW Danvers, which is why we focus on the foundational healthy habits that create a productive life. In other words, if you are not well nourished, hydrated, breathing and rested you will not be at your best to accomplish ANY of your goals. Building a healthier, stronger body STARTS with an effective workout, but will not be achieved with out the proper rebuilding plan – water, good fuel, and rest/recovery. It’s as if you want new siding on your house, but all you do pull the old stuff off and never put new GOOD quality siding back on. And there are serious health consequences associated with lack of sleep, including difficulty in complying with healthy habits.

 Why This is Important Sleep
 Weight Loss If you're trying to lose weight, sleep can help you in this area also. There's a strong correlation between sleep deprivation and being overweight and obese. Granted, correlation doesn't equal causation. But it's still worth noting that many of the people not getting enough sleep are putting on the pounds. Not getting adequate sleep for growth causes issues with your body's hormones, cortisol, ghrelin and especially leptin, which is responsible for regulating metabolism and your appetite! When leptin gets out of balance, you will end up eating more and the extra food will turn straight into body fat. - OUCH... There are some many more reasons why getting enough sleep is important and the handouts included are a MUST READ. Here are few highlights...

 Stress leads to a loss of sleep and a loss of sleep leads to an increase in stress, which can become a vicious cycle. Sleep is a basic human need, and when we don't get enough of it, just about every aspect of our functioning is affected. We move slower. We're less productive. We're more irritable. We make poor decisions (like what to eat). We forget things. And all of these problems are exacerbated as we lose more and more sleep. 

According to a survey by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF), over two-thirds of women associate their sleep problems with stress. Yet, when pressed for time, over half of the women polled said that sleep is the first thing they give up. Unfortunately, this is an all too common example of the short term gain, long term pain philosophy (don't sacrifice what you want MOST for what you want in the moment) that is becoming more and more common in our over scheduled lives.

Excessive sleep loss has been linked to mood disorders, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, substance abuse, obesity, impaired judgment, reckless behavior, and increased accidents at home, work, and on the road. In fact, in the most severe cases of sleep deprivation, hallucinations and paranoid delusions can develop. The worse case scenario is death. The point is ... if something has to get bumped from your to-do list, the last thing it should be is sleep. Sleep-maintenance insomnia is a common complaint among women at midlife.- That's most of us!!

Alright, you know you can't sleep, but what can you do about it? Choose a few of these tried and true ways to reduce stress and lower your cortisol before you go to sleep:

 · Turn off the TV. Read a book instead.
· Dim the lights - When your eyes are exposed to lights your pineal gland (a tiny endocrine organ in your brain) will not secrete the melatonin you need for a good night's sleep.
· Listen to relaxing music.
· Take a hot bath with Epsom salts before bed. · Use essential oils, like lavender.
· Ask someone to give you a foot massage (aka foot reflexology) - when cortisol levels are up, you can be certain that too much energy has gone up into your head. A foot massage is a great way to calm down that excessive nervous energy in your head.
 Make a list of all the things you are grateful for – We’ve heard that Oprah Winfrey does this every night