By: Steven Diamond
The Founder of AttackAnxiety.com
Doctors have always known that lack of sleep can cause foggy thinking and even poor concentration. However, recently more in-depth research has shown that lack of sleep can also lead to potentially serious health problems. Very serious health problems.
For example, chronic lack of sleep can place you at risk of developing type two diabetes. Why? Because Cortisol, a stress hormone that regulates the blood sugar glucose, seems to be to blame. Prolonged sleeplessness causes the body to continuously release cortisol into the bloodstream. This, in turn, causes a rise in glucose in the blood that prompts the body to release more and more insulin in an attempt to lower the glucose level. Over time, the increased production of insulin leads to insulin resistance, a condition in which the cells no longer respond to the effects of insulin; insulin resistance can lead to type two diabetes. An excess of insulin in the blood also encourages the body to store fat, boosting the risk of obesity. I bet you didn't think it could be that serious did you? Losing sleep is not something to take lightly.
The chronic release of stress hormones caused by sleep deprivation affects your immune system, making you more susceptible to colds and infections. Also, because your immune system helps your body fight cancer, reduced immune system function from insufficient sleep can put you at increased risk of developing cancer. All of this from simply losing sleep.
Chronic lack of sleep can also accelerate the aging process. When you don't get enough sleep, your brain doesn't make the normal amounts of hormones, producing hormone levels similar to those of a much older person. However, subsequently getting a full night's sleep reverses this aging effect, returning hormone levels to normal.
So what can we do to help the natural sleep process help you to get a full nights sleep?
To get a full night's sleep, try going to bed earlier than you usually do. Use some of the time you might spend relaxing in front of the TV for needed sleep. Keep your bedroom cool (but not cold); most people find it difficult to sleep in a room that is too hot.
If you have trouble getting a good night's sleep, the following strategies may be helpful:
• Go to bed and get up at the same time every day — even on weekends — so you can program a sleep schedule into your body's biological clock.
• Allow enough time each day for at least eight hours of sleep.
• Engage in relaxing activities before bed. Read a book, listen to soft music, or do relaxation exercises.
• Use your bed only for sleep and sex so your mind associates your bed with sleeping and relaxation.
• Drink a glass of fat-free milk before bed. The amino acid tryptophan in the milk will help make you feel sleepy.
• Don't take work-related reading material to bed with you.
• Don't watch a TV show or read a book that is stimulating, frightening or violent right before bed.
• Don't exercise late in the day. Exercise increases alertness.
• Don't drink alcohol late in the evening. Alcohol disrupts the sleep cycle.
• Don't drink anything containing caffeine and don't smoke for a few hours before bed. Caffeine and nicotine both stimulate the central nervous system.
• Don't go to bed hungry or on a full stomach. Being hungry stimulates you, while being full can make you uncomfortable.
If you continue having difficulty sleeping and it affects your daily routine, talk to your doctor. Insomnia may signal an emotional problem such as anxiety or depression.
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Steven Diamond has developed a critically acclaimed stress
management course for everyday people available at
http://www.attackanxiety.com He's a noted
author and TV anxiety expert having been seen on Top rated
programs like NBC's "The Jane Pauley Show, CNN, and
many others. His new top rated weekly PodCast –
"The Lighter Side of Anxiety" is a humorous look at stress.
Contact Email: Steven@attackanxiety.com
*He reads all his mail and responds personally*
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