Tag: sleep and pain

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SLEEP SUNDAY – LET’S TALK ABOUT THE BEST WAY TO GET A GOOD NAP…

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The jury is out about whether a daily nap is good or bad for you but as far as I am concerned I could not cope without my little nap every afternoon.

They do say that napping can restore alertness, enhance performance and help overcome fatigue as used by Winston Churchill and Einstein, who both enjoyed an afternoon nap. It helps with a quicker reaction time and better memory.

I never get a full night’s sleep due to pain waking me up but a 30-minute nap in the afternoon can help me to catch up on one 90-minute cycle missed during the nighttime.

The nest time for a nap is supposed to be between 1pm and 3pm, but I don’t think this needs to be followed rigidly. My nap is usually between 2.30-3.0pm but never later than that. They say if you nap between 1pm and 3pm it will follow the natural cycle of your circadian rhythm.

The US company Google advocate napping at work and actually provides nap pods which block both light and sound. AMAZING…

A NASA study on sleepy military pilots and astronauts found a 40-minute nap improved performance by 34% and alertness by 100%.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, 74% of women get less sleep per night than men but women feel guiltier about taking a nap.

A power nap can also be great to awaken your fatigue which can set in after 1pm. They do say that you should keep your naps short.  Aim to nap for only 10 to 20 minutes. The longer you nap, the more likely you are to feel groggy afterwards. However, young adults might be able to tolerate longer naps.

Simply shutting your eyes for 10 minutes is all you need to feel a new you so enjoy it when you can.

Source: Dreams National Sleep Foundation

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IT’S SLEEP SUNDAY – LET’S TALK ABOUT THE BEST HERBAL TEAS TO HELP YOU SLEEP…

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The right cuppa before you go to bed could give you a great night’s sleep and the wrong type of tea the worst night’s sleep. Here are a few great herbal teas to help you sleep. There’s some evidence that our ability to absorb nutrients increases as we sleep, so if you opt for herbal tea with nutritional properties, your body may get some added benefits.

Chamomile – is known for being a natural sedative which is highly recommended for relaxation and for relieving tension. With a smooth flavour that makes it easy to sip on, chamomile tea is one of the most popular tea varieties.

Infinitea sells Soft camomile and sweet apple notes, tempered with light mint. A soothing medley of flavours. Soft camomile and sweet apple notes, tempered with light mint. A soothing medley of flavours. Tea From: Turkey / Albania / Egypt / Bulgaria / South Africa / USA / India Antioxidant Level: High Caffeine Content: None – Caffeine Free Shelf Life: 10 years unopened, 2 years after opening.

HOT BREWING METHOD:

Bring filtered or freshly drawn cold water to a rolling boil. Place 1 slightly heaping teaspoon of loose tea for each 7-9oz / 200-260ml of fluid volume in the teapot. Pour the boiling water into the teapot. Cover and let steep for 3-7 minutes according to taste (the longer the steeping time the stronger the tea).

Lemon Balm – has an acidic aroma. Using its flowers and leaves to make teas helps one get a deep sleep.

Mint Tea – It contains anti-inflammatories and sedatives, and is a great way to get a better night’s sleep.

Passion Flower and Valerian – Passionflowers contain natural anxiolytics and act as a natural tranquilizer and Valerian is one of the best known natural sedatives. Although its taste is not very pleasant, it induces sleep and reduces nervousness. Valerian root helps to calm stress and anxiety levels, while also reducing blood pressure.

Lavender Tea – Lavender is another herb that has been shown to relieve stress and promote relaxation, making it a soothing addition to many tea and herbal infusions. Lavender tea helps to relax muscles and calm nerves.

Rose Tea – rose petals have been shown to have a potent relaxing effect. It makes a wonderful brew to elevate your mood during the day or calm you down before going to bed.

D’Amazonia Sleep Tea has 14 powerful ingredients to help you achieve a serene night’s sleep. Calm your senses and reduce stress and anxiety with a carefully formulated non-caffeinated blend. 

Improve Sleep And Reduce Anxiety with Rose petals, lavender, chamomile, oat flowering tops, and lemon balm are used to treat anxiety, insomnia, depression and restlessness. D’Amazonia Sleep Tea has 14 powerful ingredients to help you achieve a serene night’s sleep. Calm your senses and reduce stress and anxiety with a carefully formulated non-caffeinated blend. Sleep Tea Functional: – Improve Sleep And Reduce Anxiety – Boost Immune System – Anti-Inflammatory – Aid Weight Loss

Magnolia Tea – Made from the dried bark, buds, and stems of the magnolia plant, magnolia tea is often used as a natural sleep aid in many forms of traditional medicine. The plant contains honokiol and magnolol, two compounds that have sedative effects. Still, more recent research is needed to better evaluate how magnolia tea may affect sleep in humans.

Low Caffeine Green Tea – low caffeine green tea is linked to improved sleep quality, decreased stress, and reduced fatigue, compared with drinking regular green tea. Be sure to choose green tea with low or no caffeine content if you’re planning to drink it close to bedtime.

Turmeric – this contains a high amount of curcumin, a powerful antioxidant that helps with detox, anti-ageing and even cancer, and is also known to induce sleep.

Cinnamon – the benefits of cinnamon tea are not just for sleeping. It’s been shown to regulate blood sugar, promote weight loss, lower cholesterol, boost your immune system, prevent disease, improve digestion, boost brain function, and reduce inflammation.

Source: Healthline, D’Amazonia, Infinitea Sleep Advisor

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SLEEP SUNDAY – LET’S TALK ABOUT HOW VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY CAN CAUSE SLEEP PROBLEMS…

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VITAMIN D is really important for our bodies because it helps regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body. This is necessary for keeping bones and teeth healthy. A lack of vitamin D can impact several areas, including your back, muscles and your immune system as well as your sleep.

The National Library of Medicine writes that “by comparing the lowest verse highest levels of serum vitamin D, we found that participants with vitamin D deficiency (VDD) had a significantly increased risk of sleep disorders.”

The Sleep Doctor writes that “research indicates that Vitamin D may influence both sleep quality and sleep quantity. Researchers analyzed the sleep patterns and Vitamin D levels among a group of older adult men and found that Vitamin D deficiency was associated with less sleep overall and also with more disrupted sleep. The study included 3,048 men ages 68 and older.”

What they found was that low degrees of Vitamin D were connected to a few issues with sleep. Low Vitamin D increased the probability that you could experience poor sleep (sleeping less than 5 hours a night). The National Sleep Foundation recommends that adults should get 7–8 h sleep every day, albeit sleep demands may vary in age and gender.

A lack of vitamin D is termed a vitamin D deficiency and can lead to bone deformities such as rickets in children, and several conditions in adults. If you are spending a lot of time indoors, the NHS suggests you should take 10 micrograms of vitamin D a day to keep your bones and muscles healthy. Dietary vitamin D is available in foods such as oily fish, cod liver oil, red meat, fortified cereals, fortified spreads and egg yolks.

You can get vitamin D in three ways: through your skin, from your diet, and from supplements. Your body forms vitamin D naturally after exposure to sunlight. But too much sun exposure can lead to skin ageing and skin cancer, so many people try to get their vitamin D from other sources. Other benefits of vitamin D include healthy lung function and cardiovascular health. Some studies suggest that vitamin D may reduce the expression of certain genes responsible for cancer development.

Vitamin D deficiency can lead to a loss of bone density, which can contribute to osteoporosis and fractures (broken bones).

Severe vitamin D deficiency can also lead to other diseases. In children, it can cause rickets. Rickets is a rare disease that causes the bones to become soft and bend. African American infants and children are at higher risk of getting rickets. In adults, severe vitamin D deficiency leads to osteomalacia. Osteomalacia causes weak bones, bone pain, and muscle weakness.

Source: The National Library of Medicine, Back Pain Blog, The Sleep Doctor The National Sleep Foundation