How Do You Sleep?

Today, a participant in the Fibromyalgia/ Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Research Project voiced a concern about insomnia. This condition is a familiar one to many who suffer these conditions. As I sat down to write this post, a relevant experience from years ago came to mind:

A Study in Contrasts:

From 1985 through 1988, I spent a significant amount of time living without electricity during the building of my present home. My partner and I initially lived in a tent from April through October of 1985, then moved the tent into the framed and roofed structure for the winter. I was the contractor and chief carpenter. The framing of the house was built from rough hemlock lumber cut with a chainsaw! Eventually, we got a gas-powered generator so we could use a power saw and other electric tools. But for a number of years into the process, we were not hooked up to the grid.

At dinnertime, our light was supplied by kerosene lamps. After dinner, we would relax and do some reading by the light of the lamps, but that usually didn’t last too long. It’s a fair effort to read a book in such dim and limited light. (Abe Lincoln must have been quite a determined fellow)! The rhythm of our days was determined by the rhythm of nature.

A most interesting phenomenon of living closer to nature was the quality of my sleep and dreams. Not only did I sleep deeply and wake up more refreshed than I could remember, but my dreams were different, as well. They often had an exalted, exhilarating, vivid and vibrant quality. Colorful, full of light, and often gifted with insight that informed my waking hours, the dreams I had when living a more ‘primitive’ life were remarkable.

To earn money to live on and build the house, my man and I commuted to New Jersey for half the week. The contrast between waking and sleeping in a natural setting with no artificial light, and living in a world set apart from that simplicity was stark and disturbing. Not disturbing just in a conceptual sense, but on an energetic level. Artificial light blurred the distinction between night and day, leading to late nights and disturbed sleep. Any amount of light seeping into the bedroom at night was too much. The noise of traffic, and the moving lights outside, activated my nervous system in an annoying way.

This experience brought home the fact that truly deep and refreshing sleep is easiest to obtain if we arrange our living conditions to be as close as possible to the natural order. Since most of us don’t live in ideal circumstances, this requires some creativity, yet it can be done.

Better Sleep for You:

Very often, it is easy to forget the basics when looking for solutions to recovering from fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, or any condition. Even for healthy people, optimal sleep habits often get sacrificed in favor of late-night TV or other distractions.

Sleep is about as basic a necessity as you can find. Here’s how to optimize its benefits (have to admit, I’m writing some of this for me).

1 - Great sleep starts in the morning! Getting outdoors in the morning, bright light shining into the eyes reaches the pineal gland, which responds by switching off the production of melatonin. Sunlight in the morning especially, helps to normalize the timing of melatonin production.

2 - When darkness falls, the pineal gland naturally produces melatonin. However, if you’re sitting in front of a computer monitor (like I’m doing right now), or a TV, in a brightly lit room, your melatonin production may be delayed, even if it’s 11 o’clock at night. To enhance the ability to fall asleep, it is helpful for to minimize indoor light exposure for at least an hour before going to bed.

As an example, when you go into the bathroom to brush your teeth, etc., use a night light for illumination instead of the bright bathroom light. Or turn down the lights and have a nice talk with a family member, instead of sitting in front of the TV. Forget about watching the late night news.

3 - While you’re outdoors in the morning (or, second best, at lunchtime at work) get some exercise. Take a walk, hike, bike ride, etc. People who exercise tend to sleep better.

4 - Try to have your dinner 3 - 4 hours (ideally) before you go to bed. The significant energy output required for digesting a sizeable meal can interfere with the restfulness of your sleep. Between 10:00 pm and 1:00 am, the body is expecially focused on healing, cleansing, and repair.

5 - The more complete the darkness of your bedroom, the better for sleep quality. Light stimulates the sympathetic nervous system, which among other things, is conducive to activity. When in sympathetic mode, thinking processes are more active, too - just what you don’t want when sleep is desired. It is harder to relax and let go of our cares and concerns.

An absence of light allows the parasympathetic nervous system to dominate. Parasympathetic dominance allows us to let go of thinking and worrying, and feel relaxed, which is conducive to sleep.

In light of all this discussion, I’m shutting down the computer as soon as I post this. Have a good night’s sleep!

Ellen Landauer is a Health Seminar Leader and Coach with 3 decades experience, and a Certified Advanced Rolfer with a practice for over 25 years. Her mission is to empower people to achieve optimal health as a gateway to the joy of higher human functioning. Ms. Landauer has initiated a wholesale supplement program for a limited number of selected applicants.

For more information on the wholesale supplement program, optimal health and/or Rolfing, please visit http://www.healthfreedomcoach.com

You will find much helpful information, inspiration, and enjoyment at: http://wwwfibromyalgiachronicfatiguecom.blogspot.com

Ms. Landauer is presently conducting a Fibromyalgia/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Research Project in the form of a survey. You can take the survey at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=376992536079

Copyright 2007 - Ellen Landauer. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Reprint Rights: You may reprint this article as long as you leave all of the links active, do not edit the article in any way, and give author name credit.

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March 13, 2008 | Filed Under Health and Fitness 

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