Monthly Archives: December 2015

ayurveda, blissful living, health and wellness, healthy eating, healthy living, stress reduction, Uncategorized

If You Suffer from Disease or Illness, Sleep Should be Your #1 Priority

People often believe that sleeping is something you do when you feel super tired. They don’t realize that sleep processes are actually vital to keeping the body healthy and disease-free.

Sleep goes way beyond getting rid of the bags under your eyes and putting you in a better mood: getting an adequate amount of quality sleep is essential for lifting your mood, managing your weight and creating a healthy lifestyle.

In fact, sleep is one of the most important aspects of healing. If you suffer from some sort of illness or disease process, good, quality sleep should be your first priority in getting well.

 

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During Sleep, the Body Heals Itself

You might have noticed that when you get a cold or the flu, you want to curl up in bed and sleep for hours. This is because when we sleep, the body is healing itself: since we’re not moving around and active, energy is funneled toward processing nutrients and fighting bacteria.

 

When you sleep, the immune system gets a big boost.

In fact, it has been shown that people who sleep better actually live longer lives. This may be in part because sleep helps to curb inflammation in the body – and inflammation can lead to heart disease, diabetes and premature aging.

Research has shown that people who get less than 6 hours of sleep nightly tend to have higher levels of inflammatory blood proteins, which can also lead to heart attack.

 

Sleep is Preventative

In general, people who sleep well are much less prone to disease or illness. This is not only because their body has the time it needs to restore the immune system and rejuvenate itself, but it’s also because when we sleep well, we have the mental facility to make better choices during the day.

When we don’t sleep well, we reach for candy bars or soda in the afternoon to fight daytime sleepiness. Or by the time we get home after work, we’re so exhausted that the idea of going on an evening walk or visiting the gym just feels imposible.

It’s been proven over and over again with regards to sleep: people that don’t get a good night’s rest cannot think as clearly the next day. 10 times out of 10, the person that has gotten the best sleep is going to be able to function better.

They can handle stress more easily, they can manage challenges that come their way, and they’re calmer throughout the day.

Not only that, but they look brighter, healthier and they’re much happier so people want to be around them!

 

I’m always surprised when I realize how we take sleep for granted. If you’re truly committed to living a healthy and long life, invest some time and energy into your sleep habits. Create some strong practices that leave you feeling cared for and nurtured, and you will enjoy the longevity you desire.

Want to find out how to achieve your sleep goals, naturally? Click HERE to set up a time to speak with me one-on-one and we’ll pinpoint how you can get better rest every night.

 

Wishing you peace to your mind, wellness to your body and tranquility to your spirit.

Namaste,

Rochel Marie Lawson, RN, AHP, CMS

The Queen of Feeling Fabulous and The Wellness Architect

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ayurveda, blissful living, health and wellness, healthy eating, healthy living, stress reduction, Uncategorized

Can’t Sleep? Here are 3 Common Reasons You’re Unable to Fall into a Deep Slumber

Have you ever noticed that the impact of missing even ONE good night of sleep can reverberate through your life for days? Sleep is so important for our bodies that it’s considered one of the main pillars of Ayurveda, an Eastern Indian holistic health modality that teaches your body to be well, naturally.

It is true that during this time of year, the autumn, our bodies tend to be thrown slightly off balance with the changing of the seasons.

However, if you’re feeling a little wacky from lack of quality sleep, it is likely due to one of these three common issues that plague modern Americans.

 

Reason Number 1: Electronic Notifications.

Sometimes trouble sleeping can be due to hormonal changes. In fact, my menopausal and pre-menopausal clients come to me on a regular basis concerned that the change in their body is affecting their sleep, and sometimes that is the case… but very often, trouble sleeping well is caused by electronics in the bedroom.

imagesOPVZLGRKThese days, we have access to wonderful technology that didn’t even exist 20 years ago. People fail to realize that all this technology, although it is great for our lives during the daytime to a certain extent, will wreck havoc on our rest periods at night.

For example, let’s say you keep your cell phone in the bedroom when you sleep at night. Every time someone tweets, posts on social media or sends you a message, the phone vibrates or makes a sound that stirs you.

When you’re constantly being awakened by these noises, the quality of sleep drops dramatically because you’re breaking it up into cycles that are not efficient for your body. You’re not allowing the body to complete a full, natural sleep cycle.

 

Reason Number 2: Electronic Energy Fields.

Not only do the notifications from the phone create problems, but the blue light emitted from the technology creates an issue wiondas-cerebralesth the energetic field in our bedrooms.

Your cellphone, iPad, Nook, television or any other electronic screen or device emits certain a certain type of blue light that interferes with the natural levels in our bodies and our natural meridian planes. This can create disturbances in the organic flow and processes of our body.

We’re not supposed to have all these blue lights shining at us right before bed or when we’re attempting to sleep.

 

Reason Number 3: Eating or Drinking Right Before Bed.

Other challenges to sleep include eating a heavy meal too late at night, which creates challenges for digestión.

banquete6During sleep, our bodies work at their most efficient levels to prepare for the next day. If you eat a rich meal before sleeping, you’re taking away the time it should have to relax and process nutrients. Now, the body actually has to work to digest the food, and when you’re in working mode, you’re not getting the rejuvenation the body desires and needs to function optimally.

Not only eating food, but drinking certain beverages will keep you tossing and turning. Any caffeinated beverage after 7 pm will stimulate your mind, and drinking alcohol, although many people believe it helps them sleep, will actually keep your body from entering and staying in a restful state through the night.

To get your best sleep, create a dark, quiet environment. Your bedroom should be peaceful (with no electronics) and kept at a moderate temperature. If you avoid these top three things that keep us prone to restless sleep, you may see a huge improvement in your nightly rest!

Are you looking for natural solutions for sleep disorders or problems? I would love to talk to you about how I can help. Click here to set up a complimentary call with me and I’ll give you some steps to take right away to get more restful sleep.

Wishing you peace to your mind, wellness to your body and tranquility to your spirit.

Namaste,

Rochel Marie Lawson, RN, AHP, CMS

The Queen of Feeling Fabulous and The Wellness Architect

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ayurveda, blissful living, health and wellness, healthy eating, healthy living, stress reduction

Are You Truly Getting Enough Sleep?

Good sleep is crucial to keeping your body balanced and fully functional, and yet, as summer begins to wind down and our bodies transition to autumn, we often begin to feel like something is “off.”

This is because we have shorter daylight hours and longer nighttime hours. Even though Mother Nature beckons us to bed with the setting sun, our bodies are used to being awake for longer periods of time. This mismatch can cause us to feel a little imbalance around this time of year.

In addition to this confusing change in daylight hours, as we age, our bodies generally require less sleep than when we were younger. Because of this, most adults don’t realize how important it is for them to get a really good night’s sleep every night. It can greatly affect their happiness, health and wellbeing.

Are you getting enough sleep? Quality vs. Quantity.

Sleep is one of those interesting things in life where the quality is actually more important than the quantity!

The higher quality sleep you get, the better you’re able to function. It doesn’t mean that you have to sleep for a full 8 hours – in fact, you may be a person who only needs 6 hours of quality sleep to feel completely rested.

The National Sleep Foundation found that even though people think they’re getting the right sleep, the majority of people actually aren’t. Their sleep bank accounts run short even if they’re getting enough hours of sleep but they’re not getting the right quality of sleep!

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They studied 40 million Americans that suffered from 60-70 different sleep disorders (insomnia, tossing and turning, sleep apnea, etc.) and found that, although 60% of adults report having chronic sleep problems, most of them go undiagnosed.

They think they’re sleeping well because they lay in bed for 8 hours, but actually, their body never drops into the deep REM cycles it needs to completely restore itself.

Are You Getting Enough Good Sleep?

Researchers estimate that more than 40% of adults experience some sort of daytime sleepiness, and 20% of adults in America report problems with sleeping for greater than a few days per week.

When left untreated (meaning, when the adults don’t take action to get more sleep at night), it begins to affect their daytime activities.

When you look at this data, you can see that sleep issues are a HUGE problem! Not only that, but daytime sleepiness can cause employees to perform poorly at work, become more forgetful and – this is a big one – eventually develop more serious health problems.

Do any of these things sounds like you? Are you getting enough good sleep?

If we don’t get good, quality sleep, we simply cannot function properly. Our mental, physical and emotional systems will become taxed, overwhelmed and eventually begin to break down.

This is a great time of year to really examine your sleep habits. How much sleep do you normally get at night? Do you feel rested in the morning, or do you wake up groggy and cranky? Have you created a routine that you regularly follow when it’s time for bed, or do you fall asleep to the televisión?

Your sleep habits will greatly impact your quality of life. Begin to notice your patterns, and tune into this blog next week for specific tips for things you can do right away to improve your sleeping.

Are you looking for natural solutions for sleep disorders or problems? I would love to talk to you about how I can help. Click here to set up a complimentary call with me to talk about what you can do today to sleep better tonight.

Wishing you peace to your mind, wellness to your body and tranquility to your spirit.

Namaste,

Rochel Marie Lawson, RN, AHP, CMS

The Queen of Feeling Fabulous and The Wellness Architect

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