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or large doses of melatonin can cause desensitization of melatonin receptors. Essentially, you can start shutting down your body’s ability to even use melatonin at all.
It can’t be stressed enough that all the other strategies in this book are recommended before supplementation.
never mistake a product in a capsule for being real food.
For example, if someone were to use melatonin (though it’s not recommended), 150 micrograms for men or 100 micrograms for women would be the ideal place to start. Yet, a common dosage you’ll find with some melatonin supplements can be as much as 3,000 micrograms!
“Going to sleep early and waking early syncs the body clock with the earth’s natural circadian rhythms, which is more restorative than trying to sleep while the sun’s up.
The invention of the light bulb helped to brighten our world and enabled us to innovate, grow, and create better communities.
Truly, what good is innovation if we don’t have our health to enjoy it?
your genetics haven’t changed much from those of your ancestors who lived closer to nature. Genetic adaptations can take thousands of years.
The lack of consistency may be one of the biggest issues of all. The irregular sleeping hours prevent your brain from settling into a pattern, creating a state of perpetual jet lag.
It’s not just how you sleep, but when you sleep, that helps to create the best version of you.
In 2008, a study from the University of North Texas found that students who identified themselves as morning people earned significantly higher grades.
In fact, the early risers had a full grade point higher than the night owls in the study with a 3.5 to 2.5 GPA respectively.
Other studies suggest that night-lovers tend to be smarter and more creative than morning types, have a better sense of humor, and can be more outgoing in some instances.
your health is radically improved when you’re honoring your body’s natural hormonal clock.
Humans are designed to be up during the day and sleeping at night.
Various studies show that morning people tend to exhibit character traits like optimism, satisfaction, and conscientiousness.
Leo Babauta from the wildly popular Web site Zen Habits recommends using a gradual method when changing your sleep schedule. Rather than making the decision to suddenly get up at 6:00 a.m. when you normally get up at 8:00 a.m., take gradual 15-minute increments off your wake-up time until you get to your desired destination.
If your goal is to wake up at 6:00 a.m. and you are currently getting up at 8:00 a.m., set your alarm for 7:45 a.m. instead. Do that for a few days, then move to 7:30 a.m., then move to 7:15 a.m., and so on. This will allow your body to adapt to the new schedule in a much healthier and sustainable way.
Get excited. The night before, think of one thing you’d like to do in the morning that excites you.
Jump out of bed. Yes, jump out of bed. With enthusiasm.
Put your alarm across the room. If it’s right next to you, you’ll hit the snooze button. So put it on the other side of the room, so you’ll have to get up (or jump up) to turn it off.
The EMFs from electronic devices disrupt the communication between the cells in your body, and they’re obviously stronger if they’re plugged in right next to you. It’s not a smart move to sleep with any electronic devices near your body, so don’t do it.
Winnie-the-Pooh: “For early to bed, and early to rise will make a bear happy, and healthy, besides.
Go to bed within 30 minutes of the same time each night and wake up at the same time each day.
Try to avoid staying up much later just because you’re off the next day.
subjects receiving massage therapy experienced improved sleep and an increase in serotonin levels.
the immune-massage connection is particularly important.
an improvement in the number of lymphocytes (white blood cells that help manage the immune system), a decrease in cortisol, a decrease in arginine vasopressin (a hormone believed to play a role in aggression), and a reduction in cytokines linked to inflammation.
Massage has a deep, rich history dating back over 5,000 years. Archeological evidence of massage therapy has been found in many ancient civilizations including those in China, Egypt, India, Japan, Rome, and Greece.
At present day, approximately 10 percent of the US population is utilizing massage therapy at least on a semiconsistent basis.
60 percent of patients with sleep disorders had an improvement in sleep quality after at least 2 weeks of acupressure treatment.
there are specific places in your body where nerves relay signals to other organs and glands of the body if they are engaged.
Acupressure is essentially a method of sending a signal to the body (by needle or other means) to “turn on” its own self-healing or regulatory mechanisms.
Strategically massaging your abdominal wall, or what he calls gut smashing, likely works in part by stimulating your vagus nerve.
your vagus nerve interfaces with your heart, lungs, and other organs on a pathway straight to your brain. And researchers at UCLA discovered that around 90 percent of the fibers in the vagus nerve carry information from your gut to your brain
Now, get down on the floor and lay belly-down on the ball. Dr. Starrett says, “Spend 5 to 10 minutes ‘ungluing’ your abdominal musculature—just rolling back and forth, stopping where it’s uncomfortable, contracting and relaxing, just breathing into that ball.
It’s safe and effective, and it triggers
your parasympathetic system ...
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it’s one of the most efficient ways to help your syst...
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Research shows that certain forms of insomnia are linked to faulty body temperature regulation and an inability to cool down enough to enter deeper stages of sleep.
Wearing tight, restrictive clothing to bed is a huge sleep mistake you need to avoid. Clothing that is too tight can literally cut off the flow of your lymphatic system. Your lymphatic system is the cellular “waste management” system of your body, and an important part of your immune system. It transports and circulates extracellular fluid throughout your body, and you actually have 4 times more lymph fluid than you have blood.
It’s through the lymphatic system that toxic substances can move out of the body.
2009 study found that women who slept in their bras had a 60 percent greater risk for developing breast cancer.
Numerous studies are now confirming the link between breast cancer and habitual bra wearing.
When you take off your bra and see those indentions around your back, sides, shoulders, and breasts, that’s a clear indication that you’re cutting off lymphatic flow and circulation.
it was found that women who do not use bras developed more muscle tissue to naturally support their breasts and had greater nipple lift (in relation to their shoulders). Conversely, women who wore bras had actually accelerated breast sagging.
Currently, more than 90 percent of physician visits are for stress- and inflammatory-related issues.
Inflammation, in particular, is a natural function facilitated by a type of white blood cell called a neutrophil. Neutrophils deliver reactive oxygen species (also known as free radicals) to the site of an injury or need. These free radicals carry a positive charge that will tear harmful bacteria apart and break apart damaged cells to create room for healthy cells to move in and repair tissues.
The real problem arises when free radical activity goes unchecked and some of those free radicals leak into the surrounding tissue and damage healthy cells.
Every day you have cellular damage, simply by the nature of being alive. Damaged heart cells, liver cells, muscle cells, etc., all set off an oxidative burst of free radicals to address them. This is basic chemistry, featuring a positive charged event that needs to be neutralized.
