Are you struggling to get up each morning after sleep troubles? Or, maybe you’ve succeeded in dragging yourself to the office, but were met with comments from co-workers about looking tired and worn-out. If this is your typical scenario before 9:15 AM, it’s time to take a deep breath, tackle your sleep problems and change the way you look and feel everyday.
Sleep deprivation does little for your beauty quotient. No makeup on the market can hide the dark eye circles and puffiness around the eyes. It’s no wonder you’d rather stay at home or hide from your co-workers. In addition to not looking or feeling your best, irritability is another sign you are suffering from lack of sleep. Eventually, you may also begin to lose the ability to multi-task and to maintain focus and may either nod off during important meetings or experience general emotional flatness all day long. The sad fact is that so many of us are sleep-deprived.
Startling Sleep Statistics
According to the 2004 Annual Sleep Survey conducted by the National Sleep Foundation, the following statistics were gathered:
• Almost 74% of all Americans do not get enough sleep each night.
• 60% of adults report having difficulty sleeping a few nights a week or more.
• Most people feel sleepy or groggy during the week.
• Almost 1/3 of people have trouble sleeping every night.
• Half of all Americans cannot get up without an alarm clock.
• Alarm clocks interrupt sleep cycles and cause lack of energy in the morning.
• People with sleep problems are twice as likely to feel stressed and tired.
• 40 million Americans suffer from over 70 different sleep disorders.
Get Better Sleep
Follow these simple tips and you’ll be well on your way to sleeping through the night and looking and feeling your best all the time.
Do not eat two hours before bedtime. If this is unavoidable because you arrive home late, eat vegetables and/or salad with a lean source of protein. Eating carbohydrates before bed such as pasta, bread, rice, or potatoes can cause puffiness around the eyes because they stimulate insulin secretion which then causes sodium retention.
• Sleep in pitch dark. It is not just your eyes that should be in the dark (i.e. wearing a sleep patch is not sufficient).No light should shine anywhere on you when you sleep. If light hits your skin it will reduce the production of melatonin, a hormone necessary for deep sleep. Melatonin is also a potent antioxidant that can protect us from cancer and anti-aging.
• Lights out at 11 PM. Your body recuperates from stress between 11 PM and 1 AM. By 2 AM, your body is already starting to prepare for the next day by stimulating the production of cortisol, the stress hormone that is naturally highest first thing in the morning. This hormone gives us the “get up and get going” push for the day.
• Take glutamine before bed. Taking 2000 mg to 3000 mg of glutamine before bed encourages the release of growth hormone. Growth hormone rebuilds body tissues (bones and muscles) each night while we sleep.
• Magnesium. Taken before bed, this is an excellent formula to relax the body and mind. It is also best for building bone density and for preventing muscle cramps while sleeping.
• If you are stressed take Z-Test. This natural herbal formula effectively reduces stress hormone and is helpful for sleep disruption caused by stress. If you are stressed, you will tend to wake up between 2 AM and 4 AM or wake up before your usual time in the morning.
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