According to the World Health Organization, there are severe health risks from losing sleep. When you don’t sleep, you can’t dream, and dreams can save your life. Dreams are the way your body speaks concerning your physical and mental health and allows you a safe-space for play-time in the adult world full of work with very little fun. Work hard, play harder in the dream-realm of sleep.
You may be one of the two-thirds of the world population who does not meet the World Health Organization’s recommended eight hours of nightly sleep. This article uses the acronym SLEEP to trick your mind into letting you fall asleep and stay asleep so you can heal, be well, and dream.
But first, why is it so important to get the right amount of sleep? Does it really matter?
Sleep deprivation increases the risk of cancer, memory loss, depression, anxiety, obesity, and even heart failure. In a book written by co-authors Dr. Larry Burk and Kathleen O’Keefe-Kanavos based on Dr. Burk’s Breast Cancer Dream Research Project , dreams diagnosed cancer, other diseases and even heart attacks that were later validated by medical pathology reports.
Without sleep, these diagnostic and precognitive dreams could not have saved lives.
According to research done at University of California Berkley by neurologist Matthew Walker, driving while under the influence of fatigue DUF, is more dangerous than a DUI (driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics.)
Further research shows that lack of sleep can affect male and female fertility.
Why is it so hard to fall asleep? Perhaps because we have become such a world-community of schedules, we have forgotten how to fall asleep without one. And, we may have worry-on-the- mind.
Use the acronym SLEEP to fall asleep quickly, easily and stay asleep all night.
? Schedule Sleep- use Back-to-the-Future memory to train or retrain yourself to go to sleep at a certain time just as we did as a child to eat and sleep. Make going to sleep a scheduled time management habit that is part of your adult job.
? Learn to plan for the next day an hour before sleep. Some of us may remember how our clothes were laid out for the next school day, and our books were placed by the door to give us peace of mind. Worry destroys sleep.
? Environment- Darkness and coolness induce Make your sleep environment dark and cool. We live in an age of lights, beeps, buzzes, and electronics that heat up and illuminate our rooms. Even a cell phone beside your bed can light up with a message during the night and disrupt sleep. Our phone is an alarm clock, but turning it facedown may reduce sleep interruption. Cover blue lights on electronics, or if possible, turn them off at night to reduce heat by a few degrees for a better sleep environment.
? Erase bad sleep habits- Falling asleep with the TV on, arguing before bed, suddenly remembering you forgot to do something and getting out of bed to take care of it, are all habits that can disturb your sleep. If necessary, make a list of things that must be done before bed to help break the cycle. Put a checklist beside your bed to help.
? Pee Pee – Do not drink before bed! You will reduce your need to urinate. And, that brings us back to #1s Back-to-the-Future. Remember when you were told as a child not to drink anything two hours before bedtime? That rule still stands true as an adult.
In conclusion, an extra hour or two of sleep can improve health, relationships, and job performance leading to financial gain. And, getting that extra rest is as easy as following the acronym SLEEP written in this article. Let extra sleep be a game changer in your life.
Read more below:
Article Research:
WARNING DREAMS PRECEDING THE DIAGNOSIS OF BREAST CANCER: A SURVEY OF THE MOST IMPORTANT CHARACTERISTICS Larry Burk, MD, CEHP http://www.letmagichappen.com/images/uploads/documents/BreastCancerWarningDreams.Burk.Explore2015.pdf
Dr. Larry Burk, Kathleen O’Keefe-Kanavos; Inner Traditions/Simon & Schuster 2018; Dreams That Can Save Your Life: Early Warning Signs of Cancer and Other Diseases https://www.amazon.com/Dreams-That-Save-Your-Life/dp/1844097447/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1517198641&sr=8-1
Dr. Matthew Walker; http://news.berkeley.edu/2017/10/17/whywesleep/
Sleep, Sleep Disturbance, and Fertility in Women https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4402098/
Thanks for the good post, Kat! I was just actually reading about diurnal variations and impact on happiness and well-being as they are very closely tied to sleeping patterns. We all have different sleeping cycles and in countries like ours, the seasons have a huge impact on individuals. The challenge is when e.g. cool means a completely different thing from one person to another :). We need to mediate between sleeping patterns with family members, and I have great sympathy for parents, who ultimately have little control over theirs. But schedules do help all around. 🙂
Maria, I have heard from many people who are impacted by seasonal sleep cycles. I believe our sleep patterns and comfort levels are as individual as our dreams. As humans we are creatures of patterns and a schedule can be a big help when it comes to healthy sleep. Thank you for your comment!
I feel so blessed rarely these days do I have trouble falling asleep and wake each morning refreshed, changed my water, and my eating plan and that has given me restful deep sleep xxoo
Sometimes Suzie, just a tiny change is all it takes for a good night’s sleep. Thanks for your comment.