(50) Heart Smiling
Sleep Disorders and Sleeping Problems
Rules for Restful, Recharging Sleep
It’s best to sleep with your head to the north, so you will be in direct contact with the Earth’s vibrations, and on an outside porch or in a room with good cross-ventilation. Weather permitting you can sleep nude or in non-constricting natural (cotton, silk, wool) garments. Sleep with a head cradle pillow so that your neck and spine are aligned and your heart won’t have to pump so hard against gravity. Sleeping in a cramped position, on a soft mattress (firm is best) or in a manner that blocks circulation is not conducive to restful sleep. In bed, stretch and spread your body out, then practice slow deep breathing and sleep peacefully.
A study at College of Holy Cross in Massachusetts found student who got less sleep got poorer grades! Teens need 8 to 9 hours sleep per night
Your Mattress is Your Best Sleeping Friend
You should sleep on a firm mattress or place a board under a soft one. This allows the muscles to stretch in natural relaxation and relieves pressure on vital organs.
When on our world lecture tours, we often have to move our mattresses onto the floor to be firmer. It seems that some of the world’s top hotels put their money into showy lobbies and not into firm mattresses. We also often find old, sagging mattresses in many of the homes we visit – but new cars in their garages! At our Desert home we had new wood platforms made. A firm mattress goes on top of this board with four legs on castors. Try a foam egg-crate mattress pad on top of the mattress – it’s great. It might take you a few nights to become accustomed to being stretched out flat – but soon your body will thank you with more energy.
We travel all over the world in trains, planes, ships, buses and automobiles and often use soft foam ear plugs to shut out unnecessary sounds and noises. We feel it’s absolutely necessary that we sleep in a place that is quiet! Even though we often do fall asleep when there is noise all about us, the vibratory action of the noise can have a direct effect on the heart, circulation and nervous system.
We believe that individuals should sleep alone. Two people sleeping in one bed is not healthy because there are always toxins being released from the body and these toxins can be absorbed. Then there is also the noise of a person who breathes too deeply, snores, or is restless
– All of which interferes with the other person’s sleep. It has been proven by scientific research that a person gets a better night’s rest and stores up more vitality when they sleep alone. Married couples will wake up more refreshed sleeping next to each other – each in their own twin bed. If this is not acceptable, then a king size bed is certainly preferable to the usual small double bed.
Change your thoughts and you change your world. - Norman Vincent Peale
No one grows old by living, only by losing interest in living. - Marie Beynon Ray
Take the time to come home to yourself every day. - Robin Casarjean
America’s National “Sleep Debt”
A National Sleep Foundation poll back in 1998 discovered that a whopping 67% of American adults have a sleeping problem and that over one-third, (37%) are so sleepy during the daytime that their daily activities are interfered with. Over the past 100 years, we’ve reduced our average sleep time by 20% and, over the last 25 years, added an additional month to our annual work-commute time. Thus, our national sleep debt is rising and while our society has changed, our physical bodies and needs have not. We are paying a dear price for progress!
Getting Enough Sleep Lately?
The odds are you aren’t getting sufficient sleep. American adults presently average 7 hours nightly. While everyone’s sleep needs vary, scientific research indicates that we require at least 8 hours of sleep nightly.
Few are lucky enough to enjoy 5 to 6 hours of sound sleep and still perform well at work; to just get caught up, a full ten hours of rest is frequently called for!
Before Calling it a Night . . .
First make a conscious choice about how you wish to spend the 30 to 45 minutes before bedtime. Avoid a rush to get things ready for tomorrow or to catch up on tasks not completed during the day. Slow down your body and mind with an aroma-therapeutic/massage bath and enjoy a soothing lemon balm tea drink before bedtime and a melatonin (1mg.) cap aids sleep, plus fight free radicals.
Try Lemon Balm for a Night So Calm
Lemon Balm, whose scientific name is melissa officianalis, is a cooling plant with both nervine and antiseptic qualities. As a member of the Labiatae family, which also includes peppermint and spearmint, lemon balm is native to most areas of Europe and has been widely grown worldwide. Flowering between June and October, its lemon-like fragrance is unmistakable.
Help me to know the magic of rest, relaxation and the restoring power of sleep.
Like restful chamomile, it’s lemon balm’s primary, volatile oils that make the plant medicinal. While appearing to be just a simple plant, it delivers a wide range of rather potent cures, ranging from stomach pain to the worst cases of insomnia. Try lemon balm tea before bedtime – miraculous results have been reported. Also, it can be blended with a variety of herbal teas. Also others to try for sound sleep are: Sleepytime, skullcap, valarian herbal teas, magnesium and calcium supplement and melatonin (1 mg) before bedtime.
Tips for Healthful Sound Sleep
• Avoid stimulants such as caffeine, found in coffee, tea, soft drinks, chocolate, and nicotine, found in cigarettes and other tobacco products.
• Don’t drink alcohol to “help” you sleep.
• Exercise regularly, be finished with your workout no sooner than 3 hours prior to bedtime. • Establish a regular and relaxing bedtime routine; for example, try aromatherapy bath or shower.
• Associate your bed with relaxing sleep – don’t use it to work or watch TV.
• If you often suffer from insomnia, don’t take naps.
For the Snorer in the House
Finally there is a drug-free solution (also stop all milk products and check for nose polyps) for the disturber of the quiet night, the snorer. This breakthrough is simply helps keep nasal passages open, allowing easier airflow during sleep. You can get these nasal strips in most pharmacies in sizes from small to large, depending upon the size of the snorer’s nose. The cost is minimal – for just 25¢ a night, the snorer can often attain a more restful sleep and allow those near them to also sleep better! The snorer should stop milk (mucous forming) products and have a doctor check for nose polyps.
A Frank Talk Concerning Cardiovascular Disease
Do not be discouraged if you have an ailing or damaged heart. Faithfully following our program of clean, natural living will help you to live out your entire natural life span! Yes, your miraculous body possesses tremendous recuperative powers which - if fully used - are of great help even in the most serious cases of heart trouble.
Here’s Important Heart Fitness Points to Follow:
- Absolutely no smoking or drinking.
- Get plenty of sleep and relaxation.
- Don’t let anybody or anything put undue pressure on you. Worry, stress, tension and strain do not necessarily cause a heart attack - but they do not help you to avoid it either!
- Eat simple, natural, organic foods and don’t overeat.
- Eat slowly and chew your food thoroughly. Chewing is first process in digestion. Saying grace helps digestion.
- Don’t over-eat – it burdens your machinery and body!
- Get plenty of regular exercise. Although complete rest may be necessary just after an acute heart attack or when the heart is very weak. When this stage is past you will find regulated exercise a great help in rebuilding and revitalizing the heart and circulation.
- Don’t get into emotional arguments. These waste your precious nervous energy. Walk away from unpleasant people and situations – or it’s best to avoid them completely.
- Get the Happiness Habit! A cheerful, happy disposition helps promote health and longevity.
- Keep away from all artificial stimulants – coffee, china tea, cola drinks and alcohol. Do not let anyone tell you that alcohol will help your heart.
- Walk! Breathe deeply and enjoy daily brisk walks!
