In Part 8, I wrote about ways to make sleep more inviting, restful, and pleasurable, as suggested by sleep experts, scientists and studies.

I explained how the ancient Chinese art of feng shui enhances sleep through the harmonious arrangement of the bedroom to make it more sleep friendly. Sleep becomes more tranquil, peaceful, and rewarding to the body, brain and the person. Even homes, offices and working environments can benefit from this ancient art.

When sleep conditions and the environment are not as appropriately receptive as they should be, sleep becomes restless and disturbed, disrupting the important sleep stages like slow wave sleep, which is to repair cells, tissue, muscles and the body, and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which is essential to the brain to reorganize information, consolidate learning, and reinforce memory. REM sleep is when dreams occur and the brain becomes alive with repairing activity. Without these two stages, the individual becomes slower in reaction and cognitive performance, and immunity declines. Sleep experts believe that sleep loss could lead to depressive and mental disorders, illness and even cancer.

Today, I shall continue with other hygienic methods to make you fully benefit from your sleep in order to stay healthy, energetic, productive, cheerful, and happy. Sleep scientists believe in exercise for sound sleep, health, brain and learning, and recommend it strongly. Any kind of regular physical activity improves the quality of sleep, moreover for aging. They also agree that the more active the person is the better she or he sleeps regardless of age. Another factor to consider is that high performance sports (tennis, football, running) require more sleep.

With these sports, athletes need more hours of quality sleep in order to recover and achieve the desirable results. When is a good time of the day to exercise? Most scientists agree that the body clock dictates that too.

At about 2:30 p.m., the human body is at its best in motor skills and coordination, and at 3:30pm you achieve the fastest reaction time and response, while the greatest cardiovascular efficiency and muscle power occurs around 5:00 p.m. So, you can take advantage of going hiking after 2 p.m. Your best time to drive or do something that requires efficient reflexes should be done around 3:30 p.m. As for aerobic and anaerobic exercises, 5 p.m. seems like the adequate time to do them. However, that does not mean you cannot exercise any other time.

Your physical activity should fit your program as long as you do it. Unfortunately, we are slaves of our schedules, so please don't skip exercising, even when it does not fit your biological clock. Just do it sensibly.

However, the only time you should avoid exercising is after 9 p.m. because this is when melatonin, the sleep hormone, starts kicking in to prepare the body and brain for bedtime. If this is the only time slot you have for exercising, do it, but you should not exhaust yourself to the point that you become too energized and precious sleep is chased away. You will find yourself fully awake and unable to fall asleep.

The good news is that studies have shown that low intensity exercises increase slow-wave sleep. You can hit the treadmill for 20 to 30 minutes or walk around the block, maintaining a heart rate of medium range. A light workout or walk after dinner, may encourage restorative sleep.

According to sleep expert Michael Decker, Ph.D., spokesman for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, slow-wave sleep could be enhanced with moderate activity. It is important to keep in mind to avoid exertion to prevent energizing your body and brain, which keep you awake all night counting the stars.

Decker also recommends getting enough exposure to bright daylight, especially light going through to the eyes in order to stimulate the suprachiasmatic nucleus in the brain that keeps you wide awake during the day and regulates your circadian clock to help sleeping restfully at night. Without receiving enough light during the day, you become sleepy all day long and falling asleep at night becomes troublesome, disrupting your biological clock.

For this reason, you should make sure to be exposed to sufficient daylight. Artificial lights may help, but they are not as effective as natural sunlight. Due to the very little sun and the fewer daylight hours people receive in Scandinavian countries during winter, seasonal affective disorders (SAD), depression and suicide are not unusual. Inhabitants hardly see the sun and their bodies do not make enough vitamin D, which lead to depression, SAD and desperation, making them end their lives.

A way to sleep better is to have an early dinner, which also prevents weight gain. But, you should not go to sleep feeling hungry. Decker recommends a light snack of carbohydrates (cracker, oatmeal) when hungry. A protein-rich snack needs considerable energy to breakdown, thus generating body heat, which signals the brain to stay awake. A banana is light, yet helps sleep due to its content of serotonin, which converts to melatonin, the sleep hormone.

Digestive problems are major sleep disturbers that should be addressed. Acid reflux, indigestion, bloating, and gases disturb sleep, too. Acid reflux and indigestion generally result from a large, heavy, fatty, or spicy meal eaten late at night or just before bedtime. The last meal of the day should be at least three hours from bedtime to avoid indigestion and acid reflux.

Spicy foods elevate the body temperature, leading to low quality sleep and disturbed sleep. A protein (red meat) and fat-rich meal takes longer to digest and needs energy to digest, which generates body heat and makes the digestive tract work harder, disrupting sleep. To help indigestion and ease digestion, it is good to take Epsom salt or sparkling water with lemon and ginger.

For gases and bloating, you should avoid legumes, beans, cabbage, or food that trigger the condition or add cumin powder to the dish. Walking a little after dinner gets rid of gases. Drinking plain water is also helpful. I find munching on a spoonful of mixed aromatic seeds (cumin, fennel, anise, caraway) dissipates painful gases. Warm herbal infusions (chamomile, verbena, aromatic seeds) relieve indigestion, too.

The worst foods you can have before bedtime, according to health expert Jesse Cannone and author of the book The End of All Disease, are ice creams, cookies, creamy cakes, cereals with added sugar, or anything sweet. Sugar rises in the blood, causing a spike in energy; and a sudden drop occurs when insulin rushes to metabolize the sugar, leading to sleeplessness.

Hunger can keep you awake and large meals trigger indigestion and reflux. Hence, a fine balance should be maintained to keep body equilibrium. When you understand your body and are careful with what you eat, sleep comes by more easily.

Next week, I shall continue with other effective measures to improve your sleep.

References:

• “Body clock alters immune system” by James Gallagher

• “How Exhaustion Might Change the Way You Think,” by Amanda Woerner

• “Emotions Run Amok in Sleep-deprived brains, “ by Charles Q. Choi

• Ben Hirschler on sleep on Reuters

• “Good Sleep, Sociability may keep Grandma Healthy,” by Megan Rauscher for Reuters.

• The Science of Good Sleep: There is a reason You're Always So Tired by James Clear in Wellness

• “The Science of Good Sleep: There's a Reason You're Always So Tired” by James Clear, March 24, 2015

• “4 Ways to Sleep Better Tonight,” by Andrew Katz, July 17, 2012

• Interviews of correspondent Lesley Stahl of CBS with Matthew Walker, director of the Sleeping Neuroimaging Lab at the University of California, Berkeley.

• "Six Senses” by Michael J. Breus, PhD [email protected]

• “5 WORST FOODS to Eat Before Bed…and Best” by Jesse Cannone

• www.higherperspectives.com

• Sleep Positions

N.B.: Individuals with medical conditions or on medication should consult their physicians when they decide to introduce anything new in their diet even if it is natural.

—

Email: [email protected]