Saturday, March 24, 2012

The Sleep Diet

Oh, the glories of getting seven to nine hours of sleep a night. It's important to allow the metabolism time to repair itself from the rigors of exercise. It's also important for mood. The night before last, thanks to eating too close to bedtime and drinking beer, I got only five hours of sleep. Alcohol will help you get to sleep quickly. It also is known to awaken a person at 3 a.m. This time, because of an incident at work, minor albiet, I laid awake caught up in depressive rumination, looking for a solution. My usual tricks — 4-7-8 breath as taught by Dr. Andrew Weil, the mantra "freedom," visualizing Beartooth Pass and being on top of the world — failed to sooth me enough to gain sleep.

I survived the next day of work, and was glad when the salt mine whistle blew and the weekend began. The 8 1/2 hours of sleep I got Friday night was not without a few awakening incidences, fairly common for a man in his 50s. Yet it was a joy, and recharging.

Good sleep can help the body not pack on extra pounds. Combined with exercise and nutrition, sleep can do wonders in helping a person be Younger Next Year.

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