Sleep: the Prescription for Better Health
History tells us that the diseases of civilization all hit hard after the Industrial Revolution when electricity gave us inexpensive artificial light. When you add it all up, the national health catastrophe has been about seventy-five years in the making.
Could the loss of sleep be destroying the endocrine clock that controls weight gain? Could how much you sleep really control your appetite? This may shock you. Yes. The prescription for better health is sleep, and it’s free.
“Lights Out: Sleep Sugar and Survival,” a popular book by T.S. Wiley, tells us there is simply WAY too much light in our society today. People don’t sleep enough anymore. The urgent need to sleep is also the cause of many diseases of aging.
The answer lies in the circadian rhythmicity and evolution. This rhythm is about a 24-hour cycle in the physiological processes of all living beings (animals, plants, fungi and cyanobacteria.). The term “circadian” was coined by Franz Halberg, and it means “around”, and dies, “day”, meaning literally “about a day.” Chronobiology is the formal study of daily, weekly, seasonal and annual rhythms. Circadian rhythms are can be modulated by external cues such as the sun (dawn and dusk) and temperature.
What’s more, it appears that almost every woman who hits her 40′s succumbs to the inability to stay asleep through the night. It happens in peri-menopause but the truth is, these women never really sleep well for the rest of their lives.
There are answers. You can take chewable Melatonin tablets that are available at Trader Joe’s. Let several of them melt in your mouth an hour prior to bedtime. (Take one for every hour after dark before midnight, with seasonal light changes.You can also try Tylenol PM as a last resort. Or take a walk at dawn and dusk, whihc will help to reset your internal clock to sleep better.
If you can help it, do not let pets or kids wake you up during the middle of the night. Make sure your bedroom is dark. That means lights out. No moonlight or lamp post lights through the window. No computer screens or TVs. Turn the digital clock towards the wall. Plus you won’t have to get up and go to the bathroom during the night if you stop drinking liquid beverages at 6PM.
Get a minimum of nine hours of sleep or more every night. Let your bedroom be your anti-aging clinic. Try it, and your family and friends might just ask you who your plastic surgeon is.
About the Author
T.S. Wiley is the author of two books, “Lights Out” (Pocket Books, 2000) and “Sex, Lies & Menopause,” (Harper Collins, 2005.) Visit the Wiley Protocol website for more information on cutting edge therapies for the treatment of perimenopause, menopause, and lack of sleep. Read testimonials of women who have been able to increase libido, and have better health.
Pharmacist Suzy Cohen-Hormones, Endometriosis, Sex Drive
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