Sleep

RESTORING THE BODY’S ENERGY SYSTEM

All information in this article is for educational purposes only. It is not for the diagnosis, treatment, prescription or cure of any disease or health condition.

Fatigue is an epidemic today! No wonder Starbucks is doing well, along with the makers of “energy drinks” and soda pop loaded with caffeine. This also helps explain why many people turn to recreational drugs for relief from fatigue, or the negative consequences of fatigue such as depression.
Fatigue is also the underlying cause for many cases of depression, anxiety, panic attacks, hypoglycemia, PTSD, low grades in school, and other problems.

WHY ARE MANY PEOPLE TIRED?

The reasons vary. If you are lucky, it is something simple such as not getting enough sleep, sleep apnea, or your fatigue is due to your prescription drug. It can also be due simply to a nutritional deficiency or anemia from lack of iron, such as occurs in some vegetarians.
If you have ruled out these causes, then it is very possible that your fatigue is due to more complex nutritional imbalances, toxic metals, or other subtle derangements of the body’s energy-producing mechanisms. This article discusses all these causes and their correction.
Nutritional balancing programs are specifically designed to improve one’s energy and are extremely helpful for most all cases of low energy.

Fatigue versus burnout. I distinguish between simple fatigue and the condition called adrenal burnout. Fatigue goes away if you get a few nights of good sleep, take a vacation to relieve stress, stop taking a drug that is causing fatigue, or if you start eating a better diet and perhaps take a multi-vitamin-mineral supplement.
Burnout does not go away with these simple diet and lifestyle changes. That is because burnout is due to more complex derangements of the body’s energy-producing system, as explained later in this article.
Let us begin with the easy-to-fix causes of fatigue – lack of rest, sleep apnea, medical drugs and simple nutritional deficiencies.

REST AND SLEEP

A very simple, but critical aspect of restoring your energy is to obtain enough rest and sleep. Most people do not get enough rest! I find most people need nine or ten hours of sleep every night. Also, one must go to bed by 9 PM. The reason is that the hours before midnight or one AM seem to provide a lot more rest than the hours after this. Staying up late is a common cause of fatigue.
Disturbed sleep is another cause of fatigue. It is fine to get up once or even twice to go to the bathroom, but if you are up too much at night, it will affect your rest.
Without these excellent sleep habits, you will never fully overcome energy problems. It is okay to stay up late once in a while, but not every night, and not even once a week, please.
This lifestyle factor is so basic that many doctors overlook it and don’t even ask about it. It should be the first thing they ask about.


SLEEP APNEA

This is a condition in which a person temporarily stops breathing while asleep. If it is severe, the person is starved for oxygen, and will awaken feeling tired.
The most common cause of sleep apnea is obesity. What commonly occurs is that due to the sleeping position, the tongue or glottis can block the air passage during sleep. This can cause the person to awaken, or just to stop breathing.
Losing weight often helps this condition. Otherwise, one must obtain a CPAP machine that keeps one breathing at all times while asleep.

MEDICAL DRUGS AND FATIGUE

This is an enormous cause of fatigue today. It is one of the main reasons I do my best to help people not to need medical drugs. This is often possible.
Many types of medical drugs cause fatigue. Among them are:

- Blood pressure medication such as ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers, and diuretics.
- Anti-histamines such as Benedryl,
- Cholesterol-lowering drugs such as Crestor and Liptor
- Anti-depressants such as Paxil and Prozac
- Painkillers of all types such as Aspirin, Tylenol, Aleve and many others.
- Tranquilizers such as Valium
- Anti-anxiety drugs
- Muscle relaxants
- Sleeping pills
- Anti-psychotic drugs.
- Acid-reducing proton pump inhibitors
- Some heart drugs
- Drugs for hyperthyroidism
- Some anti-seizure drugs
Restoring the body’s energy system is a very complex process. It involves restoring the correct minerals in thousands of enzyme binding sites, and it is a matter of balancing and strengthening body chemistry.
This is not a do-it-yourself process, unfortunately. I wish it were. However, we find it requires a properly performed and correctly interpreted hair mineral analysis, and it requires following a clear, disciplined healing path and program. These are essential to actually rebuild the body, not just stimulate it, as is done with hormone therapies, chelation and many other medical and holistic approaches to healing. This article discusses a few of the major methods for restoring energy that must be integrated carefully in a complete program for good results.

SIMPLE NUTRITIONAL DEFICIENCIES

A diet low in protein can cause fatigue, as can a diet with sugar or sweets that upset the blood sugar level.
To have good energy one must also have enough B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E, and perhaps other vitamins and minerals. I do not understand how some people function on their refined food diets. Many turn to stimulants such as cola drinks with caffeine just to function.
Eating a diet of whole foods, animal protein daily, lots of cooked vegetables, avoiding vegetarian and vegan diets, and having good eating habits such as not drinking with meals is a very good start toward restoring one’s energy. Unfortunately, it is often not enough.
Why good food is not enough. There are several reasons for this. They include:
1. Hybrid food. The food is not that nutritious today, even the freshest, high quality organically grown food. Most food today is very hybridized and sometimes genetically modified, usually in ways that decrease its nutritional quality.
2. Food refining. Refined foods provide very little of the vital minerals and vitamins we require.
3. Improper natural foods. Even “natural food diets” often contain foods that upset digestion and can damage the delicate intestinal lining. These unfortunately include wheat, all fruits, sweets, nightshade vegetables, and all refined and overly processed foods. You can read separate articles about each of these on this website to understand why we need to avoid them today.
4. Weak digestion. Most people have weak digestion so they do not absorb enough nutrients from their food.
5. Eating habits. Bad eating habits such as eating on the run, not chewing well enough, and drinking liquid with meals impair digestion a lot and decrease the nutrition most people obtain from their food.
6. Toxins. Toxins such as food chemicals, chlorine and fluoride in the water, and many others we are all exposed to can deplete nutrients and interfere with digestion.
7. Stress, chronic illnesses, use of medical drugs, and the use of stimulants. All of these deplete nutrients and may interfere with digestion, as well.
8. Supplements. A number of nutritional supplements, herbs and other natural products also upset digestion and interfere with nutrient absorption.
All of the above factors prfoundly interfere with the process of renourishing the body. This is why a specific diet and only a few targeted nutritional supplements are helpful - and often required - to renourish the body.

GLANDULAR DEPLETION

Many people know that an under-performing thyroid gland or adrenal glands will produce fatigue. Unfortunately, the cause is not always simple, since these glands require dozens of nutrients, and can be infiltrated by half a dozen toxic metals and dozens of other toxins.
The answer, in my experience, is not hormone replacement therapy, although it helps some people. A nutritional balancing program will restore thyroid and adrenal activity in most anyone, providing that the gland has not been removed surgically or destroyed in some other way such as with radiation (RAI therapy).
To learn more about adrenal burnout, please read Adrenal Burnout Syndrome on this site.

Now let us turn to more involved causes of fatigue, and their correction.

THE OXIDATION RATE AND THE ENERGY PATHWAY

BALANCING THE OXIDATION RATE

The oxidation rate is like the tune of your engine. If an internal combustion engine is running too slowly or if the fuel-air mixture is too rich or too lean, the engine will not run correctly, and the power output drops down.
Similarly, if you are pedaling a bicycle in the wrong gear, either too slowly or too fast, your power output will diminish greatly and you will become tired much faster as a result. This is why bicycles have gears, as do all internal combustion autos.
In our bodies, the shifting of the gears is done by changing the parameters of metabolism to balance the oxidation rate. This keeps the metabolic “engine” running at its optimum speed and adjustment.
Although the analogies I used may seem corny, the importance of this concept cannot be overemphasized. I will briefly summarize how the system works. For more information, read Fast, Slow and Mixed Oxidation
The oxidation rate is highly dependent on many factors, among which are the activity of the thyroid and adrenal glands. The adrenals increase the available fuel, while the thyroid helps “ignite” the fuel, acting like sparkplugs. This is a very crude analogy, but not that far from the truth. Here is more detail about this factor in restoring the body’s energy system.

A Slow Oxidation Rate. Many people are tired because their thyroid glands and/or their adrenal glands are nutritionally depleted, toxic and therefore underactive. Medical doctors and even natural healers often give thyroid hormones and even adrenal hormones for this condition. I strongly advise people to try nutritional balancing first. In most cases, bio-identical or other replacement hormones are not needed and actually slow or stop the deeper process of rebuilding the thyroid and adrenal glands.

A Fast Oxidation Rate. An opposite condition can cause fatigue as well. Some people who are tired are fast oxidizers. Their thyroid and adrenal gland activity is excessive. Like a bicyclist pedaling too fast, these individuals use energy inefficiently and become tired.
These individuals are often lavish in their expenditure of energy, and accomplish much as long as their energy holds out. However, they often run on nervous energy. They may have excellent energy for a time, and then suddenly become exhausted. When they become tired, they are attracted to stimulants, drugs such as alcohol or other artificial means to sustain their energy.
Part of the task in correcting energy usage in a fast oxidizer is to even out their use of energy. Through a proper diet of more fats and oils, and a few correct nutritional supplements, these individuals can be helped to become 'long distance runners' instead of 'sprinters' who become exhausted quickly because they expend their energy too rapidly.

THE ENERGY PATHWAY

Another critical factor in restoring the body’s energy system is to restore the energy pathway. Like the automobile, the body has a fuel system or set of steps that process the fuel so it can be used properly. Each step of the system must be operating well for optimum energy production. In the automobile, for example, the fuel must be pumped from the gas tank. Then it must be filtered. Then it must move to the cylinders. There it must be ignited properly and burned completely to produce energy to run the car.

The body’s fuel system. In the body, the ‘fuel system’ begins with the ingestion of 'fuel' foods, which are primarily starches and fats. Protein may also be burned for fuel, although this is inefficient and toxic. This is one problem with very high-protein diets over a long period of time.
Food Intake And Eating Habits. The fuel foods must first be ingested, and then chewed up, mixed with digestive enzymes and digested in the stomach and small intestines, mainly. To do this well requires eating in a sitting position in a relaxed manner, and ideally sitting for 10 minutes or so after eating to allow digestion to begin. It also includes good chewing of food, and avoiding drinking much water or worse, other beverages, with the meal because these tend to dilute the digestive juices needed to digest the food.
Stomach Digestion. Once the food enters the stomach, it must there mix with stomach acid and enzymes such as pepsin and chymotrypsin. This is a critical phase of digestion. It is often hampered by drinking too much liquid with meals and/or weak production of stomach acid and stomach enzymes.
Intestinal Digestion. Eventually, proteins are broken down into amino acids, starches are broken down to simple sugars, and fats are broken down to fatty acids. These must be absorbed adequately in the small intestine.
Many people have something called leaky gut syndrome or other intestinal ailments of which they are unaware. These can hamper adequate nutrient absorption. This is why when we give supplementary vitamins and minerals, for example, we have to give doses higher than that which is normally needed. This is also why any laws that limit the potency of minerals and vitamins will harm people, not help them. Most of them are not toxic if too much are taken at once, unlike drugs which are deadly if you take too much.
Assuring proper digestion is also the reason I suggest very simple meals of only one to three types of food, at most. It is also why I do not recommend smoothies or shakes of any kind, as they are hard on digestion. Whole foods are much better, as a general rule.
Absorption Into The Liver And Nutrient Conversion. Once food is absorbed in the intestines, mainly, it passes directly to the liver, not to the entire body, as some teach. The liver stores some of the sugars and fatty acids and converts some of them to other forms and structures such as proteins and cholesterol.
The liver. in most people, does not function optimally, although blood tests may indicate “normal” liver activity. The main reasons are two:
1. The liver is quite toxic due to the intake of too many toxic metals, toxic chemicals, food additives and toxins generated by fermentation or putrefaction of food in the intestines.
2. The oxidation rate is too sluggish. This impairs the liver’s activities, slowing all chemical reactions a little bit.
Both of these impediments can slowly be overcome with nutritional balancing science, and helped a lot with other detoxification procedures such as coffee enemas, which are best. Near infrared light saunas are also superb to help decongest and detoxify the liver and all the other vital organs.
Absorption Into The Cells. From the liver, the nutrients from the food, having been processed correctly we hope, must now pass into the cells. Here another blockage in the energy system often occurs, giving rise to fatigue. Here are the main causes of poor absorption of nutrients from the blood into the cells.
1. The cell walls are too rigid and thus less permeable to nutrients, hormones and other vital substances. Reasons for this are primarily two:
a) Relatively too many omega-6 fatty acids in the diet. These come from eating raw and cooked vegetable oils, regular meats, and many processed foods. The worst source are hydrogenated oils found in margarines, peanut butters, candies, crackers, breads, baked goods and deep fried foods.
b) An elevated tissue calcium level tends to stabilize cell membranes. This is revealed easily on a hair tissue mineral analysis if one understands how to interpret the chart.
2. Impaired Circulation To The Tissues. This may be due to hardening of the capillaries, impaired circulation in general, congestion of the blood in certain organs due to lack of exercise, for example, fatigue, sympathetic dominance (overuse of the sympathetic nervous system) and other reasons at times.
3. Impaired insulin metabolism. This is a very important problem for millions of Americans today. Insulin helps move glucose from the blood into the cells. Insulin activity requires the presence of chromium, zinc, manganese and many other nutrients for this process to occur correctly.
If the blood sugar mechanism does not work as it should, one develops low glucose in the cells. This is a form of hypoglycemia, even though the word hypo-glycemia actually means low glucose in the blood.
If the condition worsens, glucose begins to accumulate in the blood and then the same condition is called diabetes.
Cellular Nutrition. If adequate nutrients can get inside the cells, the fuel (sugars and fatty acids) must then be converted to a special form, adenosine triphosphate or ATP. This is the form in which fuel is used in our bodies. This process takes place in small structures called mitochondria. The latest rage in medical care is to denote fatigue as “mitochondrial dysfunction”. This, of course, is partly true, but only partly so, because for the optimum energy all parts of the energy pathway and the oxidation rate must function properly. However, it is a start, at least, on understanding the body’s energy system.
Many vitamins, minerals, amino acids and many other substances must be present in just the right amounts for optimum energy production in the mitochondria of each body cell. Also, waste products of metabolism, which are mainly lactic acid and other acids, must be removed from the cells. If the circulation is poor or the cell permeability impaired, then waste removal is hindered, and this is another cause of fatigue due to an imbalanced pH of the cells and the buildup of metabolic waste products of metabolism.
In summary, any imbalance in the human oxidation rate or any deficiencies, blockages or waste buildup in the energy pathways causes a loss of energy or fatigue. Hundreds of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and other nutrients are needed to keep the system running smoothly. This is why a natural food diet, plenty of rest and sleep, mild exercise, deep enough breathing, and even healthful attitudes are so important for our health and abundant energy.

OTHER CAUSES FOR LOW ENERGY

CHRONIC INFECTIONS AND FATIGUE

Low energy is often caused by chronic infections anywhere in the body. Most people have a dozen or more of these. Common sites are the teeth, gums, ears, eyes, nose, throat, bronchials, sinuses, and intestines. However, they can be anywhere.
These very chronic or low-grade infections are not usually detectable medically. Often, however, a telltale sign of is revealed on a hair analysis as a low sodium/potassium ratio. A nutritional balancing program will slowly heal these infections. At times, a tooth must be extracted or filled, and rarely other procedures or methods are needed, as well.

TOXIC METALS AND ENERGY LEVELS

Toxic metals devastate the body's energy system at many levels. These include the Krebs cycle, electron transport system, energy-producing glands and glucose handling systems of the body.
The toxic metals include lead, cadmium, mercury, copper, nickel and aluminum, among many others. Toxic metals replace vital minerals in enzyme binding sites. This means the toxic metal fills a key position in an enzyme, but it is not the ideal or preferred mineral for that enzyme. this prevents the enzyme from functioning correctly.
This is like placing the wrong key in a lock. It may go in, but it will not allow the lock to function correctly, and it even keeps the right key from being inserted in the lock. The wrong key must be removed first, and then the right key, the preferred mineral, must replace it. For more on this topic, read Preferred Minerals.
High levels of toxic metals are common today, due to contamination of the air, water and food, and in some cases due to occupational exposure. In addition, many children are born with high levels of toxic metals passed on from their mothers through the placenta.
Scientific nutritional balancing programs and detoxification with sauna therapy and coffee enemas, primarily, will slowly, safely and gently in most cases remove about two dozen toxic metals from everywhere in the body. To read much more about these, please read Toxic Metals on this site.
For example, I do not use and do not like chelators or chelation therapy of any kind, even natural chelation therapy. I find it is very rarely needed.
OTHER CAUSES OF LOW ENERGY

Structural imbalances. At times, spinal misalignments can cause fatigue.
Autointoxication. Problems in the colon leading to the production of highly toxic chemicals there can make a person very tired.
Chronic illnesses. Conditions such as cancer, diabetes and other serious illnesses often cause fatigue.
Adhesions. One must hold the body in unusual positions, at times, when adhesions prevent a natural posture.
Tense muscles. Excessive muscle tension uses up energy, and thus contributes to fatigue.

DEVELOPMENTAL FATIGUE

Some people are tired these days because they are undergoing the process called development. This is a series of wonderful changes that take place throughout the body and brain after a few years of following a nutritional balancing program. The development process can make one tired because to move it forward quickly requires a tremendous amount of rest and sleep.
In this situation, one’s fatigue may be for good reason, and not necessarily due to any biochemical or nutritional deficiencies or imbalances.

RESTORING THE BODY’S ENERGY SYSTEM

This method is extremely well-suited to correcting most of the causes above of chronic fatigue syndrome. Many people are so sick and tired of being tired they are ready to give up. However, you can recover your energy and vitality, in my experience, and without using hormones or other drugs.
Nutritional balancing is a lifestyle and diet-based system. This is extremely important for correcting the dietary and lifestyle components of chronic fatigue. I find this aspect lacking in many holistic approaches. There is often an emphasis on high-tech testing and many remedies, and not enough attention paid to the exact diet, drinking water consumed, and the lifestyle. So I would urge anyone with low energy to pay more attention to these factors.

Safety. Nutritional balancing is extremely gentle and safe. This cannot be said of other methods of treatment that are used today. For example, I would warn the reader to avoid the use of low-dose cortisone such as Cortef and others. I would also warn against the use of any natural, bio-identical or synthetic hormones such as DHEA, pregnenelone, adrenal cortical extracts, testosterone, progesterone and others. These will give a person some energy, but they upset the delicate hormone regulatory feedback system of the body and they make full correction much more difficult.
They are also expensive to test for and monitor. I find them unnecessary and harmful in almost all cases. Even thyroid hormone replacement is almost always unnecessary and harmful if the proper diet, supplements and detoxification protocol are followed fully.

Autonomic nervous system correction. This is an important part of every nutritional balancing program. It is another aspect of health and healing that is often overlooked or glossed over too easily by physicians working with chronic fatigue.
Most people with this condition have a pattern on a hair mineral test called sympathetic dominance. In some cases, it may take a year or more for the pattern to reveal itself. However, it is often present and it stops many people from getting well.
The person is overusing the sympathetic or fight-or-flight nervous system, and this inhibits the digestion, elimination and the immune response. It must be corrected or progress will be very slow or non-existent.

Other procedures. Adding the daily use of a near infrared light sauna and daily coffee enemas is needed in many cases of low energy or chronic fatigue syndrome. Each of these therapies is carefully chosen and has over a dozen therapeutic effects, many of which are excellent for those with chronic fatigue.

Mental/emotional aspects. Nutritional balancing has as its goal far more than just symptom removal. In my own case of chronic fatigue syndrome, as well as most others, there are subtle factors that are causative and need to be addressed.
Often, for example, changes in attitudes are needed and absolutely essential if one is to recover completely, which is always our goal and a very achievable goal. In my own case, persistent daily use of the Roy Masters meditation was extremely helpful and probably absolutely necessary for my full recovery.

These are a few of the major aspects of restoring the body’s energy system using nutritional balancing science.

OTHER TOPICS

STIMULANTS AND THE ENERGY SYSTEM

Many people believe the answer to low energy is to use stimulants. A popular stimulant today is caffeine found in coffee, soda pop, caffeinated teas, chocolate (theobromine) and energy drinks. Many people like cappuccinos and lattes, which are even stronger versions of coffee.
The other most popular stimulant is sugar. It is found in so many products today that it is hard to enumerate them all. ‘Sugar’ includes honey, maple syrup, rice syrup, corn syrup, agave syrup, brown sugar, lactose, fructose, and dextrose.
Others “stimulants” people use to keep going in the face of fatigue are worry, fear, anger, a lot of exercise and perhaps stimulant drugs such as methamphetamines or cocaine.
None of these methods really solve a low energy problem. They provide a short energy boost, but they do this by stimulating or irritating the glands or the nervous system. Over time, the body becomes even more nutritionally depleted. Then one needs even more of the stimulant, causing an addiction. Either that, or the stimulant just stops working. One is left much more tired than before one began using the stimulant.
Nutritional balancing, or rebuilding the body, is the exact opposite of the use of stimulants. It requires more rest and it restores the body’s entire energy system by a number of means:
1. Removing toxic metals,
2. Replacing vital minerals and other nutrients,
3. Healing dozens of chronic infections caused by viruses, bacteria, parasites, yeasts and others.
4. Gently balancing body chemistry.
All this helps the body regain its energy-producing capacity. This approach, in my experience, works much better than stimulant herbs, adaptogen herbs, various vitamin regimens, or the large number of energy products that are offered in the health food store. It is a little more work, more discipline and requires hair mineral analyses to assess one’s needs, but it is much more precise, safer and is a long-term solution.



PARADIGMS OF HEALING AND FATIGUE

1. “Diagnose, prescribe and cure”. Modern medical care, including naturopathy in most cases, focuses on diagnosing symptoms and disease entities, and then “curing” them. This is their dominant theory of health and disease. It serves well in some areas, such as removing germs, fixing broken bones, and trauma care, in general.
However, this theory is not working well at all today on what are called the degenerative diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, kidney disease and most mental illness. Among these is also chronic fatigue, exhaustion or persistent low energy levels.
One reason this paradigm of healing is not working well is that it does not go deep enough to correct the energy system of the body. Also, the remedies used are often somewhat toxic, so they can cause other problems called “adverse effects” or “side effects”. This applies to herbs, vitamins, homeopathy and intravenous treatments, as well as medical drugs.

2. Bioenergetics. A completely different theory of health and disease may be called the bioenergetic approach. An example is nutritional balancing science. Here the goal is not to diagnose any disease, nor is it to cure anything. Instead, the focus is on raising the body’s adaptive energy level.
When this is done properly, every body system begins to function better, and 20 or 30 symptoms and diseases can disappear on their own, without any need for a remedy or cure. By maintaining the adaptive energy level high, all the way into old age, most disease can also be prevented. This is the essence of the bio-energetic approach to health and healing.

The automobile analogy. Newer automobiles today have many “power options”, as they used to be called. They have power brakes, power steering, power windows, power door locks, and power seats, for example. This is fine except for one problem, which some drivers know well. If the battery power fails, one instantly loses all of these vital functions.
In other words, if the power or energy gets low, one’s auto will develop not one problem, but perhaps half a dozen problems, all due to low energy or low power in the battery or alternator. This is not a bad analogy to what occurs in our bodies when our energy gets low.

REST AND SLEEP -
ESSENTIAL FOR HEALTH

All information in this article is for educational purposes only. It is not for the diagnosis, treatment, prescription or cure of any disease or health condition.

I. INTRODUCTION

II. GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS
How Much To Sleep
When To Go To Bed
Children And Teens
College Students
Sleep Position
Body Orientation
Mattresses
Magnetic Mattress Pads

III. WHY SLEEP MORE?

IV. WHY SOME SEEM TO GET ALONG ON LITTLE SLEEP
They are burning out
They are using stimulants
They are energy vampires

V. POOR EXCUSES FOR NOT SLEEPING

VI. FOUR ASPECTS OF SLEEP
Rest
Muscle Relaxation
Dreaming
Learning And More

VII. HANDLING SLEEP DIFFICULTIES
Handling Difficulties During A Nutritional Balancing Program
Handling Difficulties When One Is Not On A Nutritional Balancing Program
Natural Sleep Remedies

VIII. SLEEPING PILLS

IX. OTHER SLEEP TOPICS
“Junk” Sleep Threatens Teenager’s Health
If Afternoon Naps Interfere With Sleep At Night
Random Sleep Schedules
Night Work Shifts
Living In Apartments And Some Condominiums
Snoring
Hot Flashes That Keep One Awake
Sleeping With An Ozonator/Ionizer Air Purifier
Yin And Yang Related To Sleep
Hair Patterns And Insomnia
Personal Experience
Recent Sleep Research
Sleep Apnea


I. INTRODUCTION

Millions of people throughout the world do not get enough rest and sleep. This is a major health problem.
A complete nutritional balancing program can help solve sleep difficulties, even when nothing else has been effective. This is because it can remove toxic metals such as copper, and it can correct other imbalances in the body that interfere with normal sleep.


Some do not sleep enough due to insomnia or inability to sleep. Many, however, just like to stay up late and yet they must get up early for work.
Some people are tired all the time, and sleep does not refresh them. They may reduce their sleep time because it doesn’t seem to matter.
Others do not sleep much because they like walking around in a sleepy state all day. This article discusses many aspects of rest and sleep.

II. GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS

How much sleep is best. Most people need 8 to 10 hours of sleep daily for optimum health. However, it is best to break this up into two 4 hour periods. These are sleep cycles.
An easy way to do this is to get up once during the night and walk around for 10 minutes. Then go back to sleep. I realize many people do not like this idea, but it is best. If you get up anyway in the middle of the night, do not resent it, as it is best.
The reason is that when one sleeps for more than about 4 hours at a time, the brain goes into a deeper sleep cycle. This is good for healing, but is a very yin condition in macrobiotic terms that slows development. This may sound unusual, but is important. For details about development, read Introduction To Development on this site.
When you awaken at night, rub your feet and twist your spine in bed. Then get up, go to the bathroom, have a little water, perhaps, and then go back to bed after 10 minutes.
I do not recommend staying in bed much longer than 10 hours at a time. This can have a detrimental effect on some people. It is often best to get up, even if you need more sleep. Take a nap or two later in the day, as needed.

When to go to bed. I recommend that everyone go to bed between eight and nine PM every night. The hours before midnight are far more valuable for rejuvenation than those after midnight. Some say they are two or three times more useful for healing the body and mind.
The hours after midnight are less conducive because the energy of the earth has shifted and the new day is starting. This brings a crescendo of solar energy that interferes with sleep, to a degree.

Try not to make exceptions to these rules for holidays, weekend parties, movies, television shows, or anything else. Ideally, start and end the parties early, leave the other ones at an early hour, record the television programs, and go to the early movies or rent them on DVD. These are just good lifestyle habits.

Children and teens need a little more sleep. Children and especially adolescents need 11 or even more rest and sleep! Ideally, there should be no exceptions for sleepovers, camping trips, late movies, or other distractions.
I realize this may be difficult, so do your best as a parent to guide children with this. If a child is up late one night, be sure he or she can sleep in and that the next night the child goes to bed very early.

College-age students are the most slee-deprived. This is due to late night studies and classes, parties, outings, and other distractions at this age. Young people also have more natural hormonal activity, so they seem to “get away with it”. However, it causes illness, in all cases.

Sleeping Positions. The best position for sleeping is on your back without a pillow. If you prefer a pillow, it should be soft enough so that your spine remains fairly straight. Also, the pillow should not cut off your air supply in any way.
Also, the pillow case needs to be cleaned often, as otherwise you will be breathing lots of dust, bacteria from your scalp, and other debris all night.
If possible, sleep with your legs and arms straight and slightly out to the sides. This prevents you from crossing your own energy field with your arms or legs.

Sleep with your head toward the pole. Ideally, if you live in the Northern hemisphere, sleep with your head to the North, more or less, and legs facing to the South, if possible. If you live in the Southern hemisphere, sleep with your head facing South.
The reason is there is a flow of subtle energy or ether from the poles to the equator of the earth. When you align with it, you move energy downward from the head to the feet, which is extremely health-producing. For much more on this subject, please read Down Energy And Healing on this site.

Mattresses. Avoid sleeping on very soft mattresses that distort your posture. A firmer mattress is often better.
Memory foam mattresses are very good. If you want something lightweight, use two or three memory foam mattress toppers on top of each other.
Some conventional beds and some air beds are also good. I do not recommend water beds, although some people like them. I don't think it is ideal to be sleeping on water. Some mattresses are smelly when new and contain toxic fire retardants, so check on this.
Magnetic mattress pads. I do not recommend magnetic mattress pads. Most help for a while. However, prolonged use usually is not helpful and may be harmful. A lot of 'magnetic deficiency syndrome' is caused by iron and other ferrous metal toxicity in the body. These metals will come out of the body with a nutritional balancing program.

III. WHY SLEEP AND REST MORE?

1. Most people are exhausted.
2. Healing requires extra sleep. During the day, one primarily uses the sympathetic autonomic nervous system. It is associated with spending energy and tearing down the body.
This is balanced by the parasympathetic autonomic nervous system, which is associated with rest, nurturing and regeneration of body tissues. This is equally important. The parasympathetic activates primarily when one is asleep.

3. Detoxification requires plenty of rest. Elimination of toxins, an issue for everyone, occurs primarily at night while the body rests. The removal process requires energy and one's energy is finite. If you use most or all of your energy running around all day, and do not sleep enough, you will not detoxify the body well.

4. Mental and emotional processing occurs during sleep. Often, during the day, thought processes are not completed due to interruptions or other distractions. The mind completes these processes during sleep.
You may notice that problems that seemed difficult are less daunting or even solved after a good night's rest. This can be due to increased energy, but is also due to actual problem-solving that goes on during sleep.

5. Learning. One actually learns new information at night while resting. The entity soul flies around and may study at night.

6. Development requires a lot of extra rest and sleep. Development refers to a specific process whereby the human body is upgraded, healed and rejuvenated. For more on this important topic, pleas read Sleep And Development and Introduction To Development on this website.
Ideally, find a job or career that allows you to take a short nap every day. This is very helpful for development and healing, as well.
State work laws in America require a 15-minute break in the morning and again in the afternoon. Although this is hardly enough time, it is a start and anyone in any job should, if possible, take advantage of this rule.

7. Dreaming. Dreaming is another important activity that only occurs during the sleep state. Dreaming is complex and can have various purposes, such as processing past or present events. Even unpleasant dreams, nightmares, premonitions and other phenomena may be important. Retracing during nutritional balancing programs may involve dreams.

In summary, there is no substitute for sleep. Also, sleep is anything but a waste of time. It is an essential part of each person’s daily life that can also be a rich time of not only rejuvenation, but of insights and other healing processes.

IV. WHY SOME SEEM TO GET ALONG ON LITTLE SLEEP

You may envy those who seem to have lots of energy, yet get by on little sleep. Please let go of this envy, and don’t try to copy these people. Reasons why some seem to get along on not much sleep are:

1. Burning themselves out. Many of them don't know it, or they know it and don't care, or they care but do not know what to do about it. Some are “driven” by emotions or biochemical imbalances, which is not healthy.

2. Using stimulants. Their energy is false. One of these days it will catch up with them and they will “crash” or become ill.
Stimulants include exercise, sugar, caffeine, energy drinks, kombucha tea or pills such as amphetamines. They can also include too much worry, fears, or anger.

3. Energy vampires. Some people get by with less sleep because they know how to steal energy from others. This is called energy vampirism, and it is very real. For more about this subject, please read Energy Vampirism on this site.

V. POOR EXCUSES FOR NOT SLEEPING

I hear many excuses why people do not sleep enough. None of the following are valid, so I hope you do not use them:

1. “I don't have time.” If this is really the case, then it is time to restructure your life. Schedule naps, nap with your children after lunch or even after all meals, get help so that you are freed up, take on fewer projects or otherwise restructure.
This may mean your house is not quite as clean, or perhaps you will not volunteer at church. However, making such changes can save your life.

2. “Sleep is unproductive.” Resting more makes some people feel guilty, lazy or unproductive. Let these feelings go!
These problems are the worst if you identify yourself with what you do, instead of with who you are. Although perhaps it is not obvious, you affect others much more by who you are than by what you do.
For example, if you are good to others, but not good to yourself by resting enough, you will radiate a non-respectful vibration, although this can be very subtle.
Many people remain busy and active because they are afraid or uncomfortable resting and relaxing. One may busy oneself with the problems of others, because in a resting state, one is faced with one’s own life, and one’s own concerns. A key to learning to rest more is to be at peace and fully accepting and loving of yourself. Otherwise, resting more may bring up vague feelings of anxiety or even panicky feelings.
In order to slow down, know that these feelings may come up and do not let them get in the way of your rest periods.

3. “Sleep is a waste of time.” I hope I have explained in the section above why this is incorrect. Plenty of sleep is an absolute necessity.

4. “I could sleep for days and sleeping more doesn't make me feel better, so why bother.” Most likely your body chemistry is out of balance. Correction may be simple, but usually it is not. It often requires a nutritional balancing program for a year or perhaps several years.
Ninety percent of people have exhausted adrenal glands, and many have sluggish thyroid gland activity. These can make one very tired. The answer is not to take replacement thyroid hormones, but to rebuild the glands with a nutritional balancing program. Not sleeping enough only makes the problem worse.

5. “I don’t want to miss my favorite television programs, movies, and parties.” It is possible to leave parties early, schedule parties and movies earlier, and record late television programs.

6. “I can't go to sleep earlier. If I do, I'll be up at 3 AM”. This is a common excuse. The section below regarding sleep difficulties may be helpful.

7. “I have loads of energy.” Most often, people who say this are out of touch or somehow stimulating themselves to keep going. It The energy is nervous energy, and it won’t last for too long. You might as well slow down now, before complete burnout occurs.

8. “I just love staying up.” Some people are night owls. They enjoy the peaceful feeling at night when activities slow down and others go to bed. Sometimes creative work is easier to do at night.
However, going to bed late or depriving yourself of sleep are not the answer. Go to bed very early and get up early when the world is still peaceful and quiet, in order to experience the peace you need. If that does not work, you may need to live in a quieter environment so you can experience peace during the day.

VI. FOUR ASPECTS OF SLEEPING

Sleeping actually involves at least four aspects of human physiology. These are:

1. Rest. This is extremely important to do for a number of hours each day. Otherwise, the body wears out sooner.

2. Muscle relaxation. Although this is similar to rest, it is listed separately because it is somewhat different. The muscles require rest, as well. Even putting your feet up on the couch or in bed is excellent to relax most of the musculature of the body.

3. Dreaming. This unusual human activity requires that the conscious mind be put aside for a time.

4. Processing and learning. This is somewhat complex. Most souls travel out of the physical body during sleep. They learn, teach, heal, assist others and may have other experiences during the sleep state.

VII. HANDLING SLEEP DIFFICULTIES

Sleep problems can be related to diet, lifestyle, the sleeping environment, biochemical imbalances, one’s temperament, and other factors. I will divide this section into:
1. Handling sleep difficulties during a nutritional balancing program.
2. Handling sleep difficulties if you are not following a nutritional balancing program.
3. Natural Sleep Remedies

1. SLEEP PROBLEMS DURING A NUTRITIONAL BALANCING PROGRAM

During nutritional balancing programs, at times some people complain of sleep difficulties. Reasons for this are:
1. A copper elimination.
2. Development, which goes faster if you get up at least once during the night. This is not a problem, so please ignore it.
3. Your nutritional balancing program needs changing because body chemistry has shifted. This can occur at any time.
4. Retracing a trauma or something else that is causing fearful dreams, or just a lot of processing of information during the night.

Suggestions for sleep difficulties during a nutritional balancing program:
1. Have your consultant ask me to check your program to make sure it is correct.
2. Be sure you are following the program correctly.
3. Copper elimination, in particular, can cause insomnia. This will pass. However, ask for help, please, and sometimes we can identify a cause and suggest help.
4. Do not panic. Nap the next day if at all possible.
5. During the night, do your best to rest in bed. If sleep is impossible, do the pushing down exercise in bed, twist the spine, and push the toes down until they pop. This will relax the body and can help sleep. You can also listen to quiet music, an instructional CD, the radio or other quiet activity.
6. You may do a coffee enema at night, even in the middle of the night if you have a headache or other toxic symptoms. I have often been able to fall back asleep afterwards. Perhaps use a little less coffee at night.
7. You may also use a sauna in the middle of the night, and it may help move a toxic reaction along faster or stop pain so you can sleep.
8. The suggestions below may also be helpful.

2. HANDLING SLEEP DIFFICULTIES IF YOU ARE NOT ON A NUTRITIONAL BALANCING PROGRAM

1. Make sure your bedroom is dark and quiet. Install black velour fabric or other light-blocking material behind curtains, or use other methods so your sleeping area is very dark, and preferably very quiet as well.

2. Eat dinner early. Eating late may leave undigested food in the stomach that interferes with sleep, especially if the food quantity is excessive or you have gas or other symptoms of indigestion.

3. Before bed, try to dissipate harmful or stray energies that we all pick up during the day. Possible ways to do this are:
- Take a quick shower just before bedtime. Do not take a bath every night, as many people do. This can cause you to absorb too many toxins in the bath water, and it is quite yin, as well, in macrobiotic terminology. A quick shower is best for this purpose.
- Get in a near infrared lamp sauna for at least 10-15 minutes. Other saunas are not as good, but might work, too.
- Go out in the sun for several minutes after using the computer or television. Do this also if you feel uncomfortable after being with a person whom you know is ill or has a ‘difficult’ personality.
- Shine a reddish heat lamp on your abdomen for 10 minutes or more before going to bed.

4. Avoid sweets, juices, chocolate and alcohol, especially at night. Sugar upsets body chemistry and may cause one to toss and turn, or to get up hungry in the middle of the night.

5. Avoid stimulants, particularly in the evening. Stimulants just whip your body. They always result in more tiredness eventually. These include coffee, tea, caffeinated soft drinks, kombucha tea, chocolate and sugar in any form. More subtle stimulants include anger, hatred, resentment, worry and fearfulness. Remember this next time you listen to the news or watch a violent movie.

6. Reduce mental activity in the evening. If you have trouble sleeping, it is wise to forgo intense intellectual effort at night. Relax, do light reading or other activities that do not overstimulate the mind.
For example, you may need to turn off the computer at 6 PM, and only read or watch programs that are relaxing or engage in social activities after this time. Also, decide you will not initiate or take phone calls after 6 PM, since this can easily stimulate a person and keep one awake.

7. Avoid vigorous exercise in the evening. Better to exercise in the morning or during the day. In the evening , limit exercise to perhaps a gentle walk, an excellent way to end the day.

8. Do some spiritual reading before bed each night, rather than watch the nightly news or a movie. This can make quite a difference for some people. It is relaxing, uplifting, and can help one to have a sense of peace and tranquility.

9. When you go to bed, be sure you are warm enough, but not hot. This includes your feet. Wear socks if needed, or heat your feet with a heater.

10. Drink more earlier in the day. Drink water in the morning and less after 6 PM so you are not having to get up many times to urinate at night. Getting up at night once or twice is good, however, and not a problem.
Do not ignore drinking water, however, as this can cause leg cramps, muscle tightness and other things that interfere with sleep.

11. Some ventilation and movement of air is often helpful for sleeping. This might mean running a ceiling fan or opening a window a small amount.

12. Let go of physical tension in the body. Methods that can be used include ten minutes of slow, deep breathing, or gentle stretching in the evening. The spinal twist exercise is very good when going to sleep to relax the body.

13. Foot reflexology is superb to relax before bed. This is excellent to calm the nerves and help restore the natural energy flow in the acupuncture meridians of the body.
Rub both entire feet, for at least five to ten minutes each. Be sure to include rubbing all the toes, the top of the foot, the heel and a little ways up the legs.
Rub more in any area that is tender or painful. “Popping” the toes by pushing them down, and twisting the toes gently are also very good.
A reflexology sleep point. A reflex point that may help sleep is on the big toe of both feet. It is on the bottom, in the soft area around the middle of the toe.

14. Use a chi machine just before bed. This is a box that sits on the floor and you place your ankles in cradles on top of the box. When activated, the machine gently moves your legs back and forth, relaxing the spine and the entire body. These are not too expensive, as a simple one usually works just fine and cost about $120.00 new.

15. Do your best to let go of fears and worry at bedtime. This may be why spiritual reading is so helpful for some people. A simple affirmation might even be enough, particularly if repeated for a while so it becomes part of your lifestyle.
The prayer could be something like "Thank you for this day. It is complete. I now release all worries and concerns to the Holy Spirit, (or the High Self, or God, or Jesus), and I rest peacefully."

16. Ear plugs. These are often helpful, especially in noisy environments, when traveling, or when sleeping with a partner. The foam rubber type are fine, but not nearly as good as the silicone type. They cost more, but block more sound.

17. When traveling, many people sleep better by bringing their own pillow and even their own sheets or sleep pack if you are not sure how clean the sheets will be. Also bring earplug and blinders to cover your eyes if the room is not dark enough.

18. Separate beds for partners can be a helpful idea, though it sounds horribly unromantic to some. It is better energetically for many people. It also helps assure that a partner’s visits to the bathroom, or just random tossing and turning, will not wake you up.

19. Avoid becoming overtired. When one is overtired, the adrenal glands are overstimulated. If this happens, one may need to “unwind” before going to bed.
This is one of the most important reasons to go to bed early. If you stay up late, the sympathetic nervous system and the adrenal glands “kick in” and can keep you awake.

20. If possible, turn off electronic devices near where you sleep. Also, sleep at least 10 feet away from wifi routers, cell phones, TV sets, computers and all other sources of EMF (electromagnetic fields).
Battery powered devices are not as much of a problem as those that plug in to the wall.
Turning off some electrical equipment is not always enough. Some radios, amplifiers, televisions, boom boxes, and other electronic devices have transformers that stay on even if the device is off. These can disturb sensitive individuals and are not healthful for anyone during sleep.
House wiring. In some cases, sleep will improve radically if you make sure the electric power is off in your bedroom. This is because even the wiring in the wall gives off EMF and RF frequencies. It is more work to install a special switch or circuit breaker, but I know people for whom it has made a lot of difference in their rest.

21. In a few cases, reduce your salt intake, but only if you are eating a lot of salt. Even good quality sea salt can be somewhat stimulating for some people. Avoid all table salt, which is a junk food. Especially if eaten late at night, it can possibly be a stimulant that interferes with sleep.

22. Hydrotherapy. An older method to help one fall asleep is to stand in the back of a shower and allow cold water to run just on the legs and feet. The water must be quite cold. Wear a night shirt, if needed, to keep warm. This procedure draws the blood down from the head to the feet very effectively.
To make it even more powerful, do not dry your legs. Get into bed with them wet, as it will keep working once you are in bed.

23. Empty the bladder and bowels. This may be obvious, but having a full bladder or even a full colon can interfere with sleep.

24. Listen to a boring lecture or other boring CD or tape. This can be surprisingly good, and much better than listening to music or watching a movie before bed.

3. NATURAL SLEEP REMEDIES

Calcium and magnesium. One can take a little more of these an hour before bed. Several clients have also reported that taking more calcium and magnesium during the day, not just before bed, helps them sleep better.
One reason this may work is it keeps the nervous system calmer all day and avoids one becoming as overtired or overstimulated. The amount to take is usually about 250-500 mg extra of calcium and about 150-300 mg extra of magnesium three times a day with meals.
During the night, if you cannot sleep, you can take a little more calcium and magnesium. For the fastest action, chew your supplements or you could use a liquid calcium/magnesium supplement. Beware that excessive magnesium is laxative for some people.

Strong chamomile tea. This is very relaxing. Use 2 teabags and ideally use organically grown chamomile tea.

Valerian root tea. This is also relaxing, although I have not found it as good as chamomile tea. Both are quite safe, however.

Milk near bedtime. An old sleep remedy is a small cup of warm milk. Milk is high in tryptophan and calcium. This works well for some people, and is quite safe.

L-tryptophan or 5-htp help some people sleep, and are safe.

Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland. It helps sleep in some people, and it seems to be harmless when used correctly.

Others. Other sedative products include choline, inositol, L-threonine, and sedative herbs such as hops, passionflower and others.

Sleep remedies to Avoid. I suggest staying away from Chinese patent herbal remedies such as An Shui Wan and Worry Free, Sleep Easy (Shui de An). Chinese herbs can contain toxic metals, even the best brands, in my experience.
I also do not recommend homeopathic remedies because they are very yin in macrobiotic terminology.

VIII. SLEEPING PILLS

Drugs for sleep are toxic and rarely needed if the suggestions above are followed. They should be used only as a last resort.
In a few rare cases, sleep is so important that a sleeping pill can be helpful until your body chemistry is corrected so your body will relax enough to rest. Do not take sleeping pills any longer than absolutely needed. The following was excerpted from an article at www.Mercola.com :

“A startling study in 2012 revealed that people who take sleeping pills are not only at higher risk for certain cancers (35 percent higher), but they are also nearly four times as likely to die as people who don't take them.
The list of health risks from sleeping pills is growing all the time, including the following:
• Higher risk of death, including from accidents
• Increased risk of cancer
• Increased insulin resistance, food cravings, weight gain and diabetes
• Complete amnesia, even from events that occurred during the day
• Depression, confusion, disorientation, and hallucinations
• Impaired driving to a degree that increases the risk of an accident, especially among women.

RELAXING VERSUS DRUGGING YOURSELF TO GO TO SLEEP

A lot of people believe they must drug themselves to go to sleep. They may use sleeping pills for this, but other ways to drug yourself to sleep are:
1. Eating late at night.
2. Using sedative herbs.
3. Staying up late until you are exhausted.
4. Exercising until you are exhausted in order to sleep.
These methods are not ideal. It is better to relax to go to sleep. Some of the suggestions below can help you to do this.

IX. OTHER SLEEP TOPICS

“JUNK SLEEP” THREATENING TEENAGER’S HEALTH

Electronic gadgets have overtaken many teenagers’ bedrooms, damaging their health due to lack of sleep, according to a British survey.
The Sleep Council warns that “junk sleep” could rival the unhealthy junk food craze as a major lifestyle issue for parents of teenage children.
Their poll of 1,000 teenagers between the ages of 12 to 16 revealed that 30 percent got only four to seven hours of sleep. And almost 25 percent said they fell asleep while watching TV, listening to music, or using some other electronic gadget.
About 40 percent said they felt tired each day, and some 20 percent of the boys admitted their quality of sleep was affected by leaving their TV or computer on. However, only 11 percent said they were bothered by the lack of quantity, or quality, of sleep.
Dr. Chris Idzikowski with the Edinburgh Sleep Centre stated, “What we are seeing is the emergence of Junk Sleep – that is sleep that is of neither the length nor quality that it should be in order to feed the brain with the rest it needs to perform properly at school.”

The Sleep Council Press Release
The Sleep Council Teenage Sleep: Facts, Figures & Tips
Scientific American August 28, 2007

IF AFTERNOON NAPS INTERFERE WITH NIGHTTIME SLEEPING

This happens, at times. It can be due to low vitality. One is somewhat delicate and the nap upsets the normal rhythm. Often, as health improves, this problem disappears by itself.
In some cases, a person may, by taking an afternoon nap, upset their body chemical patterns enough to begin eliminating a stored stimulant such as caffeine, cadmium from cigarette or marijuana smoke or something else. Releasing this chemical into the blood could also interfere with sleep later in the evening.

RANDOM SLEEP SCHEDULES

Some people do remarkably well with a random sleep schedule. It is often necessary in occupations such as flight attendants and commercial airline pilots, for example. However, as a general rule, the more similar the sleep schedule each day, the better.

NIGHT WORK SHIFTS

This is often hard on the body. If one is not feeling well on this schedule, do whatever you can to change it to a regular day shift, even a late day shift.

LIVING IN APARTMENTS AND SOME CONDOMINIUMS

Living in a detached house is usually preferable to living in an apartment or attached dwellings because there is less electromagnetic fields and often less noise in detached dwelling. This can affect one’s sleep.
If you must live in an apartment, try to live in an end unit, with as few people above or below you as possible such as a garden apartment. If possible, get to know your neighbors and ask them to turn off the TV and other electronic gadgets early in the evening, so you can go to bed early in a peaceful electronic environment.

SNORING

This can and does interfere with one’s sleep, not just your partner’s sleep. Snoring occurs usually when the tongue blocks the airway a little.
Many methods can help overcome snoring. Losing weight helps stop some snoring. Nasal strips often work well by opening up the nostrils a bit. Plastic strips and mouth guards are also sold that go inside the nose and mouth.
Special physical exercises are also available that may help snoring. These are available through the intenet.

HOT FLASHES THAT KEEP ONE AWAKE

Some women at or near the menopause experience hot flashes at night that keep them awake. For safe, simple ways to deal with this problem that often work well, without the need for drugs or natural hormones, read the article entitled Menopause.

SLEEPING WITH AN OZONATOR/IONIZER AIR PURIFIER

This is highly recommended. It adds a little oxygen to the air, which everyone needs today. The machines are offered by Atlas and other manufacturers via the internet. For more on how to acquire one of these machines inexpensively, click here.
Place the machine in the bedroom, preferably high off the floor on a book shelf. Set the ozone production to about half or less. Full power is too much and will irritate the lungs. Close the bedroom door most of the way, ideally, to keep the ozone in the room.
Do not be afraid of ozone – it is not harmful when used correctly. Adding a little more even in a polluted city with a higher natural ozone level is good for most people.

SLEEP AND YIN AND YANG

Sleep is actually a yin activity, but it has a yang effect of rejuvenating the body. The prone position is more yin. This is the reason I do not recommend staying in bed for more than 10 hours at a time.

HAIR MINERAL PATTERNS OF INSOMNIA

Hair mineral testing can sometimes, but certainly not always, help one understand the reasons for insomnia. Here are mineral patterns that may be associated with insomnia:

Copper Imbalance. Copper causes the mind to race and enhances emotions, both of which interfere with sleep.
When copper is out of balance, the hair copper level may be normal or even low. However, hidden copper imbalances are usually present. Assuming the hair test is performed correctly, which means the hair is not washed at the lab, indicators for copper imbalance include:

· Copper greater than about 2.5 mg% or less than 1 mg%.
· Zinc less than about 14 mg%
· Calcium greater than about 70 mg%
· Potassium less than about 4 mg%
· Mercury greater than about 0.03 mg%
· Na/K ratio less than about 2 or greater than 10

Biounavailable calcium and/or magnesium. A hair calcium level greater than 175 mg%, or perhaps even less, often indicates some degree of biounavailable calcium and perhaps magnesium. This is closely associated with insomnia, in some instances, because it is functionally the same as a calcium and/or magnesium deficiency.

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

I used to have a lot of difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep, starting around age 30. Copper toxicity was definitely a culprit. I also had a lot of adhesions and muscle tension that made relaxing difficult. For more on this topic, please read Adhesions.
I tried most of the methods in this article. Sometimes one would work better than another. At bedtime, doing the spinal twist, pushing the toes down, and doing some foot reflexology definitely helped relax me. A little exercise during the day also seems to help. Chamomile tea was often helpful.
I decided I would not waste the time at night. So I listened to instructional tapes or CDs if I could not sleep, and I would do the pushing down exercise for an hour or two in the middle of the night. Eventually, I would fall asleep, though I was often tired in the morning.
I learned to take naps, not to plan too much during a day, and to go to bed early so that hopefully I could get enough sleep sometime during the night. Only rarely would I get up and work or watch television at night if I could not sleep.
The insomnia problem definitely got better about 10 years ago when my central channel or conception vessel opened. This required at least 15 years on a nutritional balancing program. Now I sleep well. I still do the spinal twist, rub the feet and pop the toes every evening when I lie down to sleep. To read about opening the central channel, please read The Conception Vessel on this website.

RECENT SLEEP RESEARCH

The Jawbone Activity Tracker Study (2014) found that sleep times in the 21 largest cities in the USA were remarkably similar, ranging from a low of 6.82 hours in Houston, Texas to a high of 6.93 hours in Orlando, Florida. On average, that’s just over 6.8 hours of sleep a night.2
Another study, the 2013 International Bedroom Poll by the National Sleep Foundation, which found, on average, Americans get only 6.5 hours of sleep on weeknights (but report needing 7.25 hours in order to function optimally).3
The average bedtime for New Yorkers is 11:15 p.m. – and that’s earlier on average than people in some other parts of the nation!

SLEEP APNEA

Some people do not rest well, though they may sleep. One cause is sleep apnea. With this condition, one stops breathing periodically during sleep. The usual cause is the tongue slips back into the throat, blocking the air flow.
Detection of sleep apnea. Sometimes a partner will just notice that you stop breathing, at times. However, the other way the problem is identified is to go to a sleep clinic. These are available in many locations. One goes to sleep at the clinic and cameras observe one’s breathing and movement during the night.
Correction. The common medical treatment is to wear a face mask connected to a machine that pumps air into the mouth and nose. It is called a continuous positive air pressure machine or CPAP machine.
Instead of this machine, which is somewhat costly and inconvenient, some doctors just recommend a splint in the mouth that keeps the tongue positioned correctly. Also, a complete nutritional balancing program, especially losing weight, if needed, may correct the entire condition.

References

1. Dement, W.C. and Vaughan, C., The Promise of Sleep, Dell Publishing, NY, 1999.
2. Wiley, T.S., Lights Out: Sleep, Sugar and Survival. 2001.



zzzzz :lol: