Bhakti Wellness Center June 2013 Newsletter – Short Article

By Dr. Nathan Horek | Naturopathic Doctor

Health is not a packaged product, but a process – a garden that needs daily nurturing. Just as the subtle changes in temperature, sunlight and moisture guide the seasons around us, our daily rhythms determine our internal atmosphere. Our circadian (daily) rhythm is guided by hormones such as cortisol, melatonin and growth hormone. While we can use things (drugs, herbs, nutrients) to modify these in the short-term, this doesn’t necessarily create a sustained solution. Managing stress is about using tools and resources that speak your body’s language to improve sleep, metabolism, relationships and emotional resilience.

SLEEP

Sleep is the time for your body and mind to re-balance itself. Literally lying in the  Earth’s  shadow,  our  senses  are  protected  from  stimulation  and excitement. This is the time for your body to repair itself; for your digestive system to rest; your immune system to freely scavenge; and your brain to process and record emotional memories and learned information from the day. During the day, when stressful moments overfill our cup, we are hit with anxiety, tension, anger or another cold. Rather than glancing at the immediate moment for the quickest solution, we should look 12 hours earlier at the freedom of our body to perform this viable function during its time of restoration. Often the cause of discomfort – mental, emotional or physical – has been set in motion hours, days, months or even years earlier. And some perspective and insight, subjective and objective, are the archeological tools we need to prevent its recurrence.

TOOLS

Before we float off into a metaphorical sunset, let’s lay down some tools to improve sleep, and calm the circadian waves. ESTABLISH ROUTINE: There’s a reason Mom made you take a bath and read stories before bed. This way, there are no surprises when we end up being comforted to sleep. If our bodies immediately jump from action movie, fear-based news, or a work deadline, to bed, our hormones have already been set in motion to prepare for the worst.  Which is great for catching your dinner or protecting the homeland, but not for exiting your cerebrum for the next 8 hours. (1) PREPARE yourself for sleep, at the SAME TIME EVERYDAY. Step away from media, work or bright lights.  Read something light, take a bath, meditate or massage your partner. The more often your winding down routine is done, the more wired your hormones will be for sleep EVERY NIGHT. (2) Sleep in the DARK. And by dark I mean NO LIGHT. Use black out curtains and cover up or remove blinking lights and electronic equipment. Your nervous system is too sensitive to be tempted with the mimics of the morning sunrise. (3) STRETCH before bed. Take 10 minutes to sit down and stretch your muscles before bed, in a calm, quiet environment. This gets you into your body and out of your head. (4) And finally AVOID caffeine, alcohol, and refined carbohydrates in the evening. This sets your blood sugar on a roller coaster and your hormones on a wild goose chase. And we all know how unpredictable wild geese are.