Archive for March, 2011
Snoring, sleep walking, environmental disturbances, sleeping on the couch! Penguins sure have a lot of sleeping problems…
Best wishes for Peaceful Sleep,
Patty
– How Sleep Can Save the World
sleep deprived execs fueled (fooled?) by caffeine
We are living in a world of increasing chaos and complexity; with rapidly changing rules and paradigms. World leaders are stretched between military strikes and humanitarian outreach. Business leaders scramble to renew, retain or acquire credibility and trust in a tainted economic pool. Workers, artists, teachers and parents wade through daily developments and decisions in an environment that appears familiar on the surface but feels very foreign, slippery and frightening from the inside. Students study hard for a future they can’t easily envision.
We are all enveloped in a maelstrom of data, information, images and opinions that bombard us from every direction, often changing direction so rapidly our heads spin and dizziness ensues. This is the current reality of human society and it is not likely to return to Norman Rockwellian bliss anytime soon.
To survive – and dare we say “thrive” – in this environment we need leaders who are nimble, creative, flexible, compassionate, restrained and considerate. These attributes are advanced human qualities that require a fully functioning body and brain for their application. We need leaders who are healthy, well balanced and well RESTED!
This model of the well rested leader is the central theme of an outstanding new book by Yatin J. Patel, MD, MBA: Sleep Well, Lead Well. In this book Dr. Patel offers a clear model and step by step plan by which heads of state and global CEOs alike may advance their ability to lead with clarity and strength through difficult times. The new key ingredient, when added to emotional and intellectual intelligence, is the Alertness Intelligence. The exercise required to build this AI is sleep. Sufficient quantity, excellent quality sleep is what has been missing from the executive arsenal. Dr. Patel, a board certified pulmonologist and sleep medicine physician understands the physiology of sleep and has seen first hand the physical fallout that sleep deprivation can cause. As a magna cum laude graduate of the Executive MBA Program of Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame, he has a firm grasp on the complexities of modern business management and executive decision making processes. Combining his knowledge of the two, he has offered his conclusions in this insightful and easy to read book.
How can we find our way through this changing world environment without light, without imagination, without dreams? “Dreams” Patel tells us, “spark innovation through out-of-the-world thinking. In the process they help you create a world on your own terms.” Sleep, dreams and a well rested spirit are the armor and the arrows of the new corporate warrior.
Sleep Well, Lead Well should be standard reading in every business classroom, board room and situation room on the planet. Find more information about the book, Dr. Yatin Patel and his AEI Center for Supreme Leadership at his website www.sleepwellleadwell.com
Best Wishes for Peaceful Sleep,
Patty
In the west we are getting very familiar with the “rules” for creating the proper sleep environment. They include using the bedroom only for sleep and sex, keeping the television and computer out of the bedroom, using dark curtains, keeping the temperature cool and making sure the bed is comfortable. In the following article, Christine Tran offers additional ideas from the ancient Chinese tradition of Feng Shui. I believe whenever we begin to look seriously at creating a sleep sanctuary, through whatever means, we are putting our intention on restful sleep and are therefore more likely to experience just that. I hope you enjoy this article. Please leave your comments in the space below to let me know what you think!
Feng Shui Sleep Secrets
Losing Sleep? Look to Feng Shui for sleep secrets. Feng Shui is beneficial for a lot of things, including how to get a good night’s rest each night. For the uninitiated, Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese principle that combines art and science to create a pleasing environment which is conducive to the positive flow of Chi, the energy of the universe. By regulating this Chi and keeping the flow positive, you can improve your time sleeping.
Sleeping Tip 1: Avoid sleeping with your head pointed towards the door to your bedroom. This is because when energy enters the room, if your head and body are in a direct line, it will bear the brunt of this wave of energy which can be subconsciously unnerving and can interrupt or even prevent sleep. Also avoid having your feet facing the door.
Sleeping Tip 2: Don’t position your bed right below a window. This can also be detrimental to your sleeping habits. The window presents a way for your positive Chi to escape. In addition, a window above your bed also invites bad Chi to enter your room. And since the bad Chi would be right above your head, you would experience most of the bad flow of Chi first before it disperses to the rest of your room.
Sleeping Tip 3: In terms of room decor, try and avoid water or any symbolism related to water in your bedroom. Yes, water is considered lucky and represents abundance in Feng Shui. But in your bedroom, it can actually have a detrimental effect on your sleep. Also avoid having pictures of water in your bedroom.
Sleeping Tip 4: Avoid sharp angled corners in your bed area. Architectural elements or pieces of furniture can have a harmful effect on your sleep. If any sharp angled corners or a sloping ceiling is pointed at the bed area, these are considered poison arrows in Feng Shui. Poison arrows produce bad Chi. By blocking the effects of these poison arrows, you can maintain a positive flow of Chi in the room and hopefully sleep better at night. Hanging silk plants or even pretty lighting can diffuse the effects of these sharp corners or angles.
Sleeping Tip 5: Get rid of photos and memorabilia of old flames. Any ties to past relationships can damage your current romantic life in your bedroom. This often leads to poor sleep. If you absolutely cannot part with certain memorabilia, move those items to another room.
Sleeping Tip 6: Clear the junk and declutter. Try cleansing your bedroom. Old, stale, and pent-up bad energy could be keeping you up at night. Decluttering and starting new is healing and purifying. You also might add aromatherapy techniques like adding scents. Lavender and vanilla are calming scents.
| Any one technique many not bring about more sleep. But the combination of techniques should do the trick. For more sleep secrets including how to handle Feng Shui mirrors can be found at http://www.fengshuimirror.com. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christine_T_Tran |
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Best Wishes for Peaceful Sleep,
Patty
All-nighters to study or for social reasons are pretty common among college students. This young lady lets us see how much smarter we can all be if we just use caffeine to steam through the hours without sleeping! I’ll bet she’ll just ace that physics exam tomorrow!
The scary thing is that many executives think they use the same strategy to excel at business planning, world leaders make critical decisions in this condition and sleep deprived moms are driving the soccer team to practice. We can laugh at our college girl’s cute video, but let’s think this through a little better… Sleep is essential for success and for life. Give it the respect it deserves and let it work for you.
Best Wishes for Peaceful Sleep,
Patty
March 18 is World Sleep Day. Dr. Antonio Culebras reminds us of the value of sleep especially for infants and children. Let’s celebrate World Sleep Day by helping our children get the sleep their growing bodies need.
Happy World Sleep Day
and
Best Wishes for Peaceful Sleep,
Patty
I love anything that makes a 
difficult problem easier to solve. Those extra pounds that keep hanging around my middle are some of those problems and I love the reminder that Vic Johnson gives us in the following article. Here he explains how getting enough sleep is really an effective weight loss strategy! I love it! Of course sleeping in an extra hour does not mean I can have a big chocolate donut for breakfast and still lose weight. Well, baby steps, I guess.
Sleep In To Boost Your Metabolism
This is one of the many paradoxes of life. Common sense would suggest that if we’re awake and active then our metabolism is working more than if we’re enjoying some good sleep.
However, as the experts tell us, getting adequate rest actually improves the metabolic process. People who are constantly running a sleep deficit usually find that they’ve got less power to do regular, daily activities, including basic needs like digestion.
As a result, sleep-deprived individuals often unknowingly lower their metabolism. Their bodies lack the ability to break down food efficiently, particularly carbohydrates, which are more likely to be stored as body fat.
This is an extremely challenging issue, because many individuals can only find time for exercise (which is also needed for good metabolism) by borrowing from their relaxation or sleep time.
For instance, in dealing with work and family commitments a person might discover that the only time they have to exercise (and thus boost their metabolism) is in the evening which might cause them to hit the sack at a later time. So what’s one to do?
As it is in many circumstances, it’s a matter of balance. Naturally, if you’re willing to exercise, and your physician agrees that it is healthy for you to do that, then you are not going to get fit by simply sleeping.
Yet with that said, should you steal time away from your sleep to be able to exercise? If you do, over time you can actually do more harm than good. As is usually the case, the answer lies in having enough balance.
Keep a time diary for at least a week to see how you’re spending your time. Don’t assume you know how every minute is spent. Most people are surprised when they review their diaries how some of their time was spent.
When you evaluate how you’re spending your time look at it in 15 minute blocks. If you can find two 15 minute blocks during the day that you can engage in some kind of activity (even a walk around the block) you will have the same equivalent health benefit as if you had engaged in a continuous 30 minute activity.
If you have ANY TV time (or recreational Internet time like Facebook, etc.) showing up in your diary then you can definitely convert that to either exercise or sleep time. Don’t fool yourself, or justify watching the idiot tube, relaxing in front of the TV has very few benefits compared to other alternatives.
Sleep deprivation also has another unintended consequence that affects our metabolism. It causes us to depend on “crutches” like caffeine to keep us awake. Used long term caffeine not only causes the release of a fat storing hormone (cortisol) but also causes us to sleep less, which gets us back to the primary subject of this article.
Should you discover that you have trouble sleeping, then this can also negatively affect the speed of your metabolic process (because you will not have enough get up and go the following day). Insomnia, apnea and other sleep disorders are typical problems, and there are numerous support systems to help you get the rest you need.
Some non-medical tips to help you fall asleep include:
- No late night eating (this is a double whammy: bad for the metabolism and can keep you awake and make you sleep fitfully)
- Have a small glass of warm milk before bedtime
- Leave the TV off when you go to bed
- Try yoga or other stress-relieving activities
- Keeping a magazine or book by the bed and reading a few pages helps some people to get sleepier.
- Have a warm bath before bedtime
- Don’t exercise or engage in anything strenuous close to bedtime. Your body can become so energized that it doesn’t want to sleep
It’s possible to get too much sleep and that can result in a slower metabolism but that’s usually not the case for most people, especially Americans who seem to want to burn the candle at both ends.
Now, relax and lay there, it’s OK to grab a few extra winks. Your metabolism will reward you for that.
(c) Copyright 2010 Visa Ventures Metabolic-Calculator.com
Check your metabolism free with this metabolic calculator and download a free ebook of How To Boost Your Metabolism.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Vic_Johnson
Earthquakes, aftershocks, tidal waves and nuclear plant explosions. Seems the perfect formula for a Hollywood blockbuster. Cue Tommy Lee. But unfortunately this epic disaster scene is not from the imagination of a movie director, but the living nightmare of the people of Japan.
Yesterday I watched hours of video and slide shows with indigestible images. A 7 passenger SUV hung sideways from a broken lamp post. Ships on houses. Mud flats where neighborhoods were moments before. Gaping holes in the earth so wide and deep and jagged that, peering into them one would suspect that Hades had just opened its moonroof.
While I slept my mind played re-runs of the media films and after 4 am I could not sleep through them anymore. I was certain there was little sleep in the Land of the Rising Sun. There will be more sleepless nights to come. There will be nightmares replayed and new ones born in the next few weeks and months and likely years, for those whose previous life ended this week.
I send my thoughts and prayers and well wishes; my focused energy and intentions for the people of Japan who have been touched and torn by this event. I know you do too.
Nuskin corporation has a program they call Nourish the Children. They provide meals for over 100,000 children worldwide everyday. Their response in disasters such as this one has always been to immediately supply VitaMeal paks to provide the essential nutrition required during emergency periods. The shipments to Japan will begin tomorrow. http://www.nuskin.com/content/nuskin/en_US/culture/nourish_the_children.html
I would like to help. Maybe you would too. For the rest of March, I will use any money left in the tip jars at the bottom and to the right of this page to purchase meal paks for Japanese children. A single pak costs $22 (US) and provides 30 child-sized meals. When you clidk the tip jar you will be taken to PayPal where you can make a donation of any amount using your PayPal account or any major credit card. The money will come to me and I will buy the VitaMeals. Promise. At least it’s something.
Best Wishes for Peaceful Sleep Nippon,
Patty
Addendum, April 1, 2011 – Thank you to all who donated for Nuskin VitaMeals. We are excited to have contributed 120 meals to help soothe some suffering.
We are a sleep deprived society. Whether by choice or force it seems that sleep time is being cut shorter and shorter. But for what? So we can put in more hours at work? So we can drive longer distances to get there? So we can attend more functions because we’re “supposed” to rather than because it enriches us? So we can see who finally wins the dance/singing/weight loss/dating/cooking contest on TV? So we can see who retweeted what to whom in the last 45 minutes? What has happened to our perspective?
This is National Sleep Awareness week. It is an annual observance sponsored by the National Sleep Foundation to turn the countries attention to the importance of sleep as a vital component in our health, happiness and productivity. As a part of the special week, results from numerous surveys are released and the media is popping with “new” information and statistics about sleep. Here are some I found especially eye-opening:
- The poll found that 43% of Americans between the ages of 13 and 64 say they rarely or never get a good night’s sleep on weeknights.
- Americans report very active technology use in the hour before trying to sleep. Almost everyone surveyed, 95%, uses some type of electronics like a television, computer, video game or cell phone at least a few nights a week within the hour before bed.
- A quarter of Americans leave their cell phone ringer on when they go to sleep.
- Americans are coping with sleepiness by drinking caffeine and taking regular naps. The average person on a weekday drinks about three 12 ounce caffeinated beverages.
- 52% respondents reported they have driven a car when drowsy. Among folks age 19 to 29, almost 2/3rds admitted to the dangerous activity and 50% said they had done so within the LAST MONTH!
You can get more detail on these disturbing findings at the NSF website: http://www.sleepfoundation.org/alert/sleepy-connected-americans
Sleep is a normal, natural and VITAL function. If we deprive our system of the time it needs to repair, restore, resort, rebalance and refresh, the system will break down. It’s not a matter of IF, it’s only a matter of WHEN.
Honor yourself this week, during National Sleep Awareness week and try paying attention to the choices you are making when it comes to your sleep. If you are struggling with finding the way to get the sleep you need, let’s hear about it in the comments section below. (in some browsers, the “comment” button is really, really tiny…). In the meantime know you always have my
Best Wishes for Peaceful Sleep,
Patty
This post appeared yesterday on the European SleepWorks Blog “The Way to Sleep” and it cracked me up. I saw the original article in the journal when it came out a couple years ago and started to share it with patients. Patients have always asked if there wasn’t a way to just “exercise away” their sleep apnea. When they see what really has to be done they are a little less excited about the program. I guess it’s just like “exercising away those 20 extra pounds”! There is a way, but how many are going to do it? So the only thing left to say is “kuh kee kah – kuh kee kah – kuh kee kah”!
Best Wishes for Peaceful Sleep,
Patty
P.S. I also love their mattresses!!
Twist Your Tongue to Relieve Apnea
Did you know nearly 40 percent of Americans suffer from a form of sleep apnea?
Do you know if you’re one of those Americans?
If you are, what are you doing to treat your apnea?
CPAP? Surgery?
Have you ever thought about doing tongue exercises? According to a study published in The American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, incorporating tongue exercises into your sleep routine can help reduce both the roots and the symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea.
The commitment isn’t large–twice a day for 5 minutes is all you need for efficacy. Depending on your diligence, expect to see results in 3-9 weeks. Visit The Sleep Apnea Guide for a full list of apnea-tongue exercises. In the meantime, here are a few of the funnier ones:
Exercise 9 – Run your tongue round the inside of your mouth, push it between your lips, up round the outside of your teeth, over the roof of your mouth and down on the base of your mouth.
Do this exercise for ten seconds.
Exercise 11 – Say some back of the tongue sounds:
- kuh kee kah – kuh kee kah – kuh kee kah
- guh gee gah – guh gee gah – guh gee gah
- kuh tah kah – kuh guh kee – kuh guh kee
Do this exercise five times.
- m….ba m….ba m….ba
- n….da n….da n….da
- n….ga n….ga n….ga
Gradually put the two sounds together, with no pause between.
Have fun!
To learn more about sleep apnea, read our article “Beyond CPAP: A Holistic Approach to Sleep Apnea.”
In the article below, Joan Sharp does a nice job of summarizing some of the most common sleeping disorders. To her list I would add Restless Legs Syndrome and Shift Work Sleep Disorders. We’ll do an article on those later in the month. For now, if you want any more information about these or other sleeping problems that may be bothering you, use the comment boxes below to let me hear from you.
Best Wishes for Peaceful Sleep
Patty
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Most Americans experience one of the types of sleep disorders at some point in their life. Sleep is just as essential to life as food, water and air. We’ll discuss some of the most common types of sleep disorders along with a few tips on how to combat them. We’ll also suggest a few resources if you have trouble solving your sleep issues on your own.
There are many types of sleep disorders and our list only presents some of the most common. If you have symptoms not listed here and are concerned, please see your doctor for a formal diagnosis.
Insomnia
This is the classic sleep disorder where an individual has trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. Some insomnia is caused by other health conditions such as asthma or heartburn. Other types of insomnia are not linked to other health conditions. Most insomnia is caused by stress, anxiety and depression. The best way to combat insomnia is to look for ways to reduce stress and deal with any emotional issues that are going on in your life.
Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a very serious condition where an individual has interrupted breathing during their sleep. Some people experience sleep apnea to such a degree that they stop breathing hundreds of times per night. As breathing is interrupted so is oxygen flow which can lead to a number of illnesses and diseases such as high blood pressure and stroke. In order to diagnose sleep apnea a sleep study will be conducted. From there either a CPAP machine or other treatment options will be presented.
Sleepwalking
Sleep walking is generally caused by anxiety, lack of sleep, emotional problems or an intense fever. Most of the time sleepwalking will resolve itself once the underlying cause goes away. It’s a good idea to see a physician about sleepwalking if there is a chance of harming yourself or if it does not resolve itself in a short period of time.
When to Get Help
If you notice a pattern in your sleep that is impacting your daily life, it’s a good idea to get some help. Depending on the type of disorder, you may want to contact:
Family Physician – Your family doctor is a great first resource to discuss your sleep issues with. If they’re unable to help they may be able to refer you to a sleep specialist who can help you further diagnose your problem and solve it.
Therapist – Many sleep disorders are caused by anxiety, worry and high levels of stress. Talking over your life conditions with a therapist may help you get a better night’s sleep.
Sleep specialist – For conditions like sleep apnea, it’s essential to meet with a sleep specialist. A sleep study can also provide great insights into how you sleep and how your sleep or lack of it is impacting your body.
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Discover more about the most common sleep disorder of all including tips for treating it at Joan Sharp’s free and comprehensive online guide: Night Sweats Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joan_Sharp |
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