Healthy Living for a Healthy Lifestyle
Pillar of Natural Sleep
Stephen Lau
Pillar of Natural Sleep
Stephen Lau
There are four types of relaxation: passive relaxation (watching TV); active relaxation (love making); creative relaxation (painting and writing); and deep relaxation (sleep, meditation, and mind aerobics). But sleep is a deep relaxation only when it is natural sleep.
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Sleep Deprivation
by
Stephen Lau
by
Stephen Lau
CopyrightŠ by Stephen Lau
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7 Pillars of Wisdom
7 Pillars of Wisdom
What is sleep deprivation?
Natural sleep is a basic human need for optimum health. Sleep deprivation is a sleep disorder that prevents individuals from getting natural sleep. An adult needs at least between 7 to 8 hours of natural sleep per day. Sleep deprivation is the inability to get quality sleep or restorative sleep over a sustained period of time. According to studies, over 50 percent of people over 65 experience some form of sleep disorder. Sleep deprivation may be due to the following factors:
Natural sleep is a basic human need for optimum health. Sleep deprivation is a sleep disorder that prevents individuals from getting natural sleep. An adult needs at least between 7 to 8 hours of natural sleep per day. Sleep deprivation is the inability to get quality sleep or restorative sleep over a sustained period of time. According to studies, over 50 percent of people over 65 experience some form of sleep disorder. Sleep deprivation may be due to the following factors:
Natural Sleep the Oriental Way
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Stephen Lau
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Stephen Lau
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| ˇ | Physical and hormonal changes, especially as a result of aging, may cause sleep deprivation, in particular among women undergoing menstrual cycles or menopause. Women are more prone to sleep deprivation or sleep disorder. |
| ˇ | Medical conditions, such as joint pain, may also account for sleep deprivation. |
The two processes of natural sleep
There are two processes that put you to natural sleep:
There are two processes that put you to natural sleep:
| ˇ | Sleep homeostat is a built-in mechanism that tells you to go to bed after a certain amount of time awake, and to wake up after a certain amount of time of natural sleep. |
| ˇ | Biological clock is a cycle of natural sleep unique to each individual. |
But your biological clock can overcome your sleep homeostat, unless your "sleep debt" is much too huge. In other words, you can "force" yourself to stay awake and you may actually be able to stay awake despite what your sleep homeostat tells you. Consistently overcoming your sleep homeostat is the cause of sleep disorder down the road.
The health consequences of sleep deprivation
Sleep deprivation may have the following adverse effects on healthy living:
The health consequences of sleep deprivation
Sleep deprivation may have the following adverse effects on healthy living:
| ˇ | Weight gain: Sleep affects your hormone levels positively or negatively. Sleep deprivation may change your leptin and ghrelin hormones. The former is a hormone that makes you feel fuller after eating; the latter is an "appetite" hormone that makes you want to eat, especially when waking up at night. Sleep deprivation upsets the production of these hormones, and thereby instrumental in causing weight gain. |
| ˇ | Mental depression: Sleep deprivation affects your production of neurotransmitters, the lack of which is one of the causes of depression. |
| ˇ | Dysfunctional immune system: Your immune system needs at least eight hours of sleep in total darkness in order to recharge itself completely. Sleep deprivation weakens the immune system, making you more susceptible to disease. |
| ˇ | Impaired brain function: Unlike muscles which can regenerate without sleeping, brain cells requires natural sleep to regenerate. Without regeneration of neurons and new synaptic connections, your mind may become muddled, and your speech slurred. |
| ˇ | Stress disorder: Sleep deprivation not only interferes with your stress management but also aggravates any stress disorder. |
Sleep disorder has long-term effects on health and wellness. It is therefore important to get natural sleep without medications, and to avoid sleep deprivation in the first place. Do not disrupt your sleep homeostat and biological clock by keeping a regular bed and wake time, even on weekends and holidays. It is a myth that older individuals require less sleep. It is another myth that you can adapt yourself to getting less sleep (usually due to overwork). If you think you can outsmart nature, think again! You will always have to pay back your accumulated "sleep debt" one way or another, usually in the form of sleep disorder. Don't get smart by getting away with less sleep. Always go for natural sleep.
Cure insomnia - the Chinese way
According to Chinese thinking, natural sleep manifests internal balance and harmony, and insomnia is a sign of imbalance and disharmony. The Chinese classify insomnia into four types:
According to Chinese thinking, natural sleep manifests internal balance and harmony, and insomnia is a sign of imbalance and disharmony. The Chinese classify insomnia into four types:
| ˇ | Inability to fall sleep |
| ˇ | Frequent and sustained waking up in the middle of the night |
| ˇ | Waking up early in the morning |
| ˇ | Sleepiness despite long periods of sleep |
The factors preventing natural sleep are:
| ˇ | Psychiatric factors: anxiety and depression |
| ˇ | Lifestyle factors: overeating, alcohol and drugs |
| ˇ | Health factors: bladder problems causing frequent urination, chronic pain disorder, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, congestive heart failure, and sleep apnea |
| ˇ | Environmental factors: noisy environment, a troublesome sleep partner (e.g. snoring) |
Disharmony of "qi" and "shen"
According to Chinese medicine, these factors responsible for inability to have natural sleep can be attributed to the disharmony of "qi" and "shen."
"Qi" is the internal life energy responsible for your individual existence - it is a manifestation of a part of the universal life force, and as such, has a tendency to establish equilibrium of balance and harmony throughout the universe. "Qi" literally breathes life into the human body; it is essential for rejuvenation and natural sleep.
"Shen" is the spirit of the body: it encompasses your mind, consciousness, soul, and purpose in life. "shen" is the essence of the individuality of a person - the element of natural sleep.
The following scenarios illustrate the inability to have natural sleep as a result of the disharmony of "qi" and "shen":
According to Chinese medicine, these factors responsible for inability to have natural sleep can be attributed to the disharmony of "qi" and "shen."
"Qi" is the internal life energy responsible for your individual existence - it is a manifestation of a part of the universal life force, and as such, has a tendency to establish equilibrium of balance and harmony throughout the universe. "Qi" literally breathes life into the human body; it is essential for rejuvenation and natural sleep.
"Shen" is the spirit of the body: it encompasses your mind, consciousness, soul, and purpose in life. "shen" is the essence of the individuality of a person - the element of natural sleep.
The following scenarios illustrate the inability to have natural sleep as a result of the disharmony of "qi" and "shen":
| ˇ | Overwork causes insomnia. Overwork or any strenuous physical activity, such as exercise, burns up your blood, damaging the heart, which houses your "shen." A damaged heart, evidenced by quick breaths and palpitations, prevents natural sleep. To cure insomnia, stop work or exercise at least two hours before bedtime to get natural sleep. |
| ˇ | Repeated nightmares indicate a disorder of "qi" in the gall bladder. To cure insomnia, go for a liver cleanse to promote natural sleep. |
| ˇ | Waking up in the middle of the night is due to disharmony of "qi" in the liver. "Qi" energy circulates through the twelve principal meridians in the human body over a 24-hour period. The liver "qi" peaks at around 3 a.m., and this is why people with sleep disorder wake up in the middle of the night. To cure insomnia, give vent to your emotions (especially unexpressed anger) and have better stress management. Balanced "qi" in the liver gives natural sleep. |
| ˇ | Eating prior to sleep, with food still churning in the stomach, disturbs your "shen," making natural sleep difficult. To cure insomnia, stop eating before bedtime, and eat only a light supper to facilitate natural sleep. |
| ˇ | Caffeine may keep you from getting natural sleep because caffeine is "hot in nature," thereby affecting the "qi" in your heart and liver. To cure insomnia, abstain from any caffeine or nicotine. |
| ˇ | Too much thinking often causes insomnia. Thinking burns your blood, agitating your heart "qi," leading to "qi" stagnation. To cure insomnia, relax your muscles and breathe deeply through meditation, which is conducive to natural sleep. |
Acupuncture treatment to cure insomnia
Given that insomnia is a sleep disorder due to imbalance and disharmony of "qi" and "shen," acupuncture can unblock any blockage and remedy any stagnation of "qi" in the heart and liver. Acupuncture treatment may provide natural sleep.
Given that insomnia is a sleep disorder due to imbalance and disharmony of "qi" and "shen," acupuncture can unblock any blockage and remedy any stagnation of "qi" in the heart and liver. Acupuncture treatment may provide natural sleep.
CopyrightŠ by Stephen Lau
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