Few people rush to bed at night excited to see what dreams may come. In fact, at least five percent of adults suffer from frequent nightmares.1  Experts think nightmares are far more common than typically reported, as a study in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology reveals.2 The study of 220 undergraduates found that 47 percent of them had at least one nightmare within a two-week period, which led researchers to conclude that nightmare rates are probably 2.5 times more frequent than previously thought.

Even if you haven’t had a nightmare since you lost your baby teeth, chances are good that your dreams don’t inspire or comfort you, and that’s a shame since experts believe dreams have an important impact on the psyche.3 At the least, they help us to consolidate memories and retain information.4 They also play a role in stabilizing mood, preventing depression, and perhaps even in expanding consciousness. Plus, as psychotherapist Dr. Rosalind Cartwright of Rush University in Chicago, explains, dreams can help us solve personal problems. “It’s almost like having an internal therapist, because you associate [through dreams] to previous similar feelings, and you work through the emotion related to it so that it is reduced by morning.”

Dreams take place during REM sleep, which is the fourth or fifth stage of sleep—depending on how you count. In the first two stages, we progressively slip into an ever-deeper doze as our brain waves slow down. By stage three when delta waves are dominant, we’re really out to the point where it might be hard to awaken us. (Sometimes delta sleep is considered two stages: the onset of delta and deep sleep when delta waves are primary.) Then, in REM sleep, breathing speeds up, our eyes move under our eyelids, and dreaming occurs. In other words, to dream, we need to have REM sleep, and studies show that when deprived of REM sleep, memory becomes impaired, psychiatric problems may arise, migraines increase, and dementia risk spikes. Lab rats denied REM sleep die within five weeks instead of living out their two- to three-year life span.5

That said, the most important prerequisite for good dreams is good sleep. You need to rest deeply enough to reach the REM state. Actually, the brain cycles through all four sleep stages several times a night, with most dreams occurring in the final REM cycle, which also happens to be the longest REM cycle, closest to when you wake up. To get there, practice good sleep hygiene and if you suffer from insomnia, check our past blogs for tips that might help. These tips will help you enhance whatever dreams you have:

1. Adjust your sleep position. Strange as it may seem, studies verify that sleeping position affects the types of dreams you may have. The most common sleeping position is on the side, preferred by up to half of us. Side sleepers generally have better dreams than back sleepers, though it matters which side you choose. Those who sleep on their right sides report better dreams and fewer nightmares than those who sleep on their left.6

   Flipping onto one’s stomach tends to elicit more erotic and wild dreams.7  Experts believe that’s because there’s more pressure on sexual organs when you’re face down. Also, airflow becomes limited when you lie on your stomach, which triggers a feeling of being constricted by an outside force (such as a partner).

   Back sleepers are more likely to have nightmares and to have more difficulty recalling their dreams. According to dream researcher Dr. Calvin Kai-Ching Yu of Hong Kong Shue Yan University, this might be because sleeping face-up can lead to snoring and sleep apnea. “Breathing-related sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea, have been found to have significant impacts on the intensity of dreaming,” he says.

   At least one-third of us flip around during the night like we’re on a rotisserie, from back to left to right. Your dreams will likely be most affected by the position you land in right before waking up.

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2. Use essential oils. We’re written in the past about how scents can affect dreams. As we noted, subjects who sniff a rose scent during REM sleep report dreams that are three times as positive in emotional tone as those who sniff rotten egg. To have pleasant dreams, you can place a vase of fragrant flowers near your bed, or choose an appropriate essential oil. To deliver the scent while you sleep, either use a scent diffuser or just dab the oil (mixed with a carrier oil so it doesn’t burn your skin) behind your ears, on your wrists, and at the bottom of your feet.8 Good choices include lavender oil, mandarin, vetiver, sandalwood, and rose. All these scents have a calming effect, and several (lavender, vetiver) actually work as natural sedatives, promoting deeper sleep while lowering heart rate and blood pressure.
   

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3. Try vitamin B6. Several studies have found that taking 250 milligrams of vitamin B6 just before bed enhances the vividness of color and emotion in dreams and also helps with dream recall.9  There’s also some evidence that B6 might help to induce lucid dreaming, where the dreamer is aware that he or she is dreaming and can control, to some extent, dream events. Two provisos, though: first, vitamin B complexes don’t work as well as B6 isolate for dream enhancement, and second, B6 can make dreams more bizarre as well as more vivid.
   

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4. Program yourself. Dream experts say you can give yourself suggestions to influence the content and quality of your dreams. For instance, if you’re prone to nightmares, you can practice “Image Rehearsal Therapy,” in which you imagine alternate endings to bad dreams for a period of 10 to 15 minutes before going to sleep.10 You can also practice this method to solve problems. Dream researcher Deirdre Barrett, a psychology professor at Harvard Medical School, suggests, “First of all think of the problem before bed, and if it lends itself to an image, hold it in your mind and let it be the last thing in your mind before falling asleep.” On top of that, you might want to imagine the problem being resolved successfully and you being happy.
   

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5. Listen to music. Music does tend to infiltrate dream content. The trick is to find music that uplifts and inspires you and listen to that before or during sleep. Discordant or exciting music might not give you the result you want. And make sure you’re just listening to music, not watching music videos before bed. Looking at the blue light from your computer or smartphone screen before bed makes it harder for you to fall asleep.

• 1.https://www.statista.com/statistics/236993/nightmares-by-age-group/
• 2.Wood, James M. and Bootzin, Richard R. “The Prevalence of Nightmares and Their Independence from Anxiety.” February 1990. University of Arizona. 14 February 2019. https://arizona.pure.elsevier.com/en/publications/the-prevalence-of-nightmares-and-their-independence-from-anxiety
• 3.“What Do Your Dreams Say About Your Sleep Quality?” 6 December 2017. Huff Post. 15 February 2019]. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/dreams-sleep-quality_n_8513908
• 4.Osterwell, Neil. “The Health Benefits of Dreams.” WebMD. 15 February 2019. https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/features/the-health-benefits-of-dreams#2
• 5.http://sleep-deprivation.com/sleep-disorder-symptoms/rem-sleep-disorders-health-and-rem-sleep/
• 6.Rampton, John. “8 Ways to Improve Sleep by Enhancing Your Dreams.” 24 November 2015. Entrepreneur Magazine. 15 February 2019. https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/252743
• 7.Hsu, Christine. “Why Sleeping on Your Stomach Leads to More Erotic Dreams.” 9 August 2012. Medical Daily. 15 February 2019. https://www.medicaldaily.com/why-sleeping-your-stomach-leads-more-erotic-dreams-241863
• 8.Adriana. “5 Best Essential Oils for Nightmares.” Enjoy Natural Health. 16 February 2019. https://www.enjoynaturalhealth.com/aromatherapy-for-nightmares/
• 9.Haridy, Rich. “Vitamin B6 found to aid dream recall, and possibly enable lucid dreaming.” 30 April 2018. New Atlas. 16 February 2019. https://newatlas.com/vitamin-b6-help-dream-recall/54424/
• 10.“What Do Your Dreams Say About Your Sleep Quality?” 30 November 2015. Huff Post Life. 16 February 2019. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/dreams-sleep-quality_n_8513908

“There are many other things you can do first thing in the morning to promote well-being, and if you’re really depressed, it makes sense to also get counseling and take helpful supplements. But even if you only institute one of these six practices, you’ll likely see positive results sooner than otherwise. That said, the more of them that you make part of your life, the more positive the results you’re likely to experience.”

Sleep impacts digestion and digestion impacts sleep!

As with so many aspects of our health, there is a huge connection between all the parts of us: mind/body/spirit.

New research suggests the solution to insomnia might be as easy as changing your diet and adding beneficial probiotics to your gut, The Guardian reports. While it’s a new concept, scientists said what they do know about the relationship between lack of sleep and other aspects of your diet, such as appetite, obesity and glucose regulation, may be hints that the well-being of your stomach is linked to your sleep health.

Click the button below to read the rest of the article.

Our bodies do lots of repair work at night while we sleep, and really need water for this work. It is the water that helps the cells to process out the toxins and waste products from the cell…

…yet another reason to drink more water…AND…EAT more water (in the form of fruits and vegetables)!!

If you’re feeling a bit tired on a consistent basis and you don’t get a full eight hours sleep, research conducted at Penn State University (PSU) suggests that simply making it a point to drink more water throughout the day may help you get more sleep. Investigators said they found your hydration status affects how your body’s hormonal system regulates hydration, and ultimately your sleep cycle.

On the flip side, “If you are only getting six hours of sleep a night, it can affect your hydration status,” a university press release said. While this data is observational and therefore not to be viewed as a cause-and-effect study, investigators said their findings will help them study how hormones and sleep work together.

It’s not surprising that researchers are studying how sleep and hydration are connected. But while the jury is out on which comes first, one thing we do know for certain is that hydration is about more than just drinking water. More specifically, it’s about getting the water inside your cells, where water acts as the ultimate mechanism by which you remove toxins and naturally produced oxidants from your body.

To that end, virtually everyone is dehydrated to some extent, and I have interviewed a physician and researcher, Dr. Zach Bush, who explains that when we talk about hydration, we’re not simply talking about drinking enough water throughout the day, but getting that water into those cells.

So how do you know that you’re dehydrated? The most obvious sign, of course, is that you’re thirsty, or you have a dry, sticky mouth. Beyond that, if you’re regularly dehydrated, you may also be experiencing — guess what — persistent sleepiness or tiredness. Producing few tears when crying, a rapid heartbeat and low blood pressure, as well as muscle cramps and dark yellow urine are more signs that your body is starved for hydration.

One thing you probably don’t realize is that water isn’t the only source of hydration. Many plant foods such as leafy greens are a major source of “structured water,” or the gel phase of water that is found inside your cells, and which is absolutely necessary for getting and staying hydrated. Chia seeds are another excellent source of this structured water.

The bottom line is, hydration is not just about input of more water. You also need to remember that input affects output, and a hydrated body is better able to detoxify and get rid of waste via sweat, stool and urine.

Here are some ideas that can help…

If you’re one who lies awake at night dreading the hours that roll by as you fruitlessly try to get at least a minimal amount of shut-eye, it could be that you’re just plain too sleepy to sleep. If that doesn’t make sense, then The Guardian explains it: Like children who get so wound up they can’t shut down for bedtime, adults can get wound up too — and end up sleep-deprived.

Some of the signs that you’re overtired include: your mind still racing as you lie there; difficulty concentrating when the new day begins; a propensity for catching whatever little sickness bug is going around; feeling irritable; and craving sugary snacks throughout the day.

There’s no denying that the more connected we become as a society, the more sleepless we seem to be —and with good reason, as this is an exciting time to be alive. There are just so many ways to connect and stay connected that it seems like sleep is the last thing we want to do even though we also want to sleep. If you find yourself on a merry-go-around of sleep deprivation, it may be time to learn how to get disconnected each day, so you can get the best sleep possible.

From simply turning off all electronics, including WiFi connections, a minimum of one hour before bedtime to taking time during the day to get a full 20 minutes or so of bright sunshine, to preparing your room so it’s conducive to sleep, there are numerous steps you can take to getting the sandman to come when you want him to. Beyond that, there are five common enemies of sleep you also need to address. Those are:

1. Alcohol and caffeine — Cutting back or eliminating these two sleep-deprivation contributors will go a long way toward more shuteye.
2. Artificial lighting — Light at night, even in the form of a night light, can interfere with sleep.
3. Loneliness, anxiety and depression — If you have these problems, professional counseling may help.
4. Long work hours — Try to find a way to limit work hours and to wind down when you’re done.
5. Overcommitment — Think twice for committing to something you know is going to take another chunk of time from your day, even if it means turning down an invitation to a social or entertainment event.

And finally, if you are sleep-deprived I’ve got a hunch nobody needs to tell you that. What you do need is some reassurance that it’s not only OK, but a necessity to make sleep a priority. In other words, this is an instance where you NEED to lie down on the job, so to speak. The cost of sleep deprivation is huge, and you pay the price with your health, feelings of well-being and your ability — or inability — to function throughout the day.

For more hints and information on sleep deprivation and how to deal with it, please click on any of the links I’ve provided here, including this one, which talks about the cost of sleep deprivation.

Please give sleep the priority it deserves!

And, if you are having issues, please send me an email so I can help.

The world is sleepy and getting sleepier, and besides the cost to your health, it could be costing entire countries billions of dollars in lost work time, reduced productivity and accidents caused by sleep-deprived persons. Researchers said 35 percent of U.S. adults and 30 percent of Canadians are sleep-deprived and, according to Oxford University Press, the annual cost of sleep deprivation in Australia alone is $45.21 billion.

Sleep is something that no one can do without, no matter where you live. It’s a hard-wired part of living, and so is the amount of sleep we need, with sleep deprivation defined as sleeping less than seven hours a night. The recommended amount is eight hours for adults, with longer sleep times for children, depending on their age.

Aside from the classic yawning and slowed reaction times, symptoms of sleep deprivation can affect your emotions and, in extreme cases, can even cause hallucinations and dreaming while awake. While some people “wear” their sleep deprivation like a badge of honor — presumably because they believe sleeping less indicates they’re more productive (even though the opposite is true) — what you’re doing by continually denying yourself sleep is shortening your life.

From long work hours to overcommitment of your time, to artificial lighting, emotional stress and things like alcohol and caffeine, many things can rob you of your sleep. If you’re feeling tired or you know you’re sleep-deprived, here are some “hacks” to get some rest:

• Sleep in complete darkness
• Keep the temperature in your bedroom no higher than 70 degrees F
• Eliminate electric and electromagnetic fields (EMFs) in your bedroom
• Go to bed and wake up at the same times each day

For more hints on sleep, what causes sleep deprivation and how to get the most out of your sleep time — including a chart on how much sleep children need by their age group — please see my article, “Sleep — Why You Need It and 50 Ways to Improve It.”

Here is an excerpt from Chapter 5 on Adventures in Time Zones…enjoy!

While it can be very exciting to travel to destinations half way around the world, the impact of changes in time zones can be quite challenging for the body. For some people, just a one-hour shift in time (e.g. daylight savings time changes twice a year in the U.S.) can throw the body’s clock off for a week. So, this chapter is not only for the twelve-hour time zone change, but also for those traveling to cities where there is only a few hours difference.

The effects of jet lag can really alter your plans to conquer the city upon arrival. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, then you have probably not experienced serious jet lag. The most common symptoms include fatigue, confusion, and lack of awareness . . . not to mention drowsiness. For some people, these symptoms can last for several days or longer, so anything you do to lessen these effects is going to be a good thing for you. There have been recent studies that show that jet lag has also been shown to impact other areas of health, like decreasing memory capacity and the immune system, altering genes, inducing stress, and disturbing other brain functions.

Our bodies function best when we are in rhythm with the cycles of the planet. It is best if we can go to sleep when the sun goes down and wake up in the morning for the sunrise. The invention and subsequent pervasiveness of electric lights (and other electronic entertainment) has given us the freedom to alter these cycles dramatically. We can now stay up until after midnight with all of the lights on in the house and sleep later in the morning, but this is not ideal for our body. Sleep issues are prevalent in our society, and I believe that this is one of the main causes (among other things – stress being at the top). If we can live in harmony with the planet, as the human body has been accustomed to for many generations, then we are much more likely to live in a healthy state. Working nightshifts and sleeping during the day might be good for vampires, but not so much for you and me. All this to say, if you can remain in sync with the time zone that you are in, you will be less stressed, more productive, and much happier. Our mission, then, is to figure out how to get in sync with our destination time zone as quickly and comfortably as we possibly can.

If you are not traveling through more than three time zones, stay on your home time zone during your trip. For example, if you are flying from Texas to California (two-hour time difference), just keep your watch, body clock, and routine set to Texas time, if you can. This will obviously depend on the schedule at your destination and the length of time that you’ll be there.

Adjusting Your Body Clock

Most people have a much more difficult time traveling from west to east. For me, flying from Texas to Europe is quite a challenge, as the flights typically leave late in the afternoon and arrive early the next morning. For those who sleep relatively easily on the plane, this may not be an issue. However, for those of us who are merely resting, it’s a bit more challenging. Some people have reported success with changing their body clock gradually before leaving for their trip, starting a few days prior to departure. I have not personally tried this but wanted to mention it as an option if you’d like to give it a try. You would basically go to bed earlier or later, depending on your direction of travel, and adjust a few hours per day, starting a week or so before your trip.

Flying East

I use several natural health strategies to help me adjust, once I get on the airplane. Let’s say for example that I am traveling from Chicago to London (one of the more difficult directions and time zone changes) and that my flight departs around 6:00 PM (18:00 for my non-U.S. friends) and arrives in London around 8:00 AM the next morning. During half of the year, it is a six-hour time zone difference. The first thing I do when I get on the plane (literally when I step on it) is tell my mind that it is now six hours later. So, if we board at 5:30 PM, I will completely change my mindset to believing that it’s 11:30 PM. Part of the challenge with this is that most international flights like to show the time of your departure and arrival city on the airplane monitors. I do not look at those and just completely imagine that I am in the destination city’s time zone. I don’t wear a watch, so I set my cell phone to London time and use that to keep track of my journey while I’m in the air. Another challenge is that when they serve dinner, you’re really eating around 1:30 AM, but stay with me here.

As soon as I get to my seat and get everything settled, I put the packet of No Jet Lag (homeopathic remedy) in my pocket or the seat back pocket so that it’s handy. Per the directions, you’ll want to chew one of the tablets at take-off. Remember, as with all homeopathics, you will want to avoid eating or drinking within at least 20 minutes on either side of taking them.

Homeopathy is one of the original energy medicines, and while not traditionally accepted in the U.S., it is used quite extensively in other parts of the world and can be quite effective. Homeopathy operates on a “like cures like” principle that has been used for more than 200 years and is now confirmed by an increasing number of research publications. This means that a patient suffering from symptoms can be treated by micro-doses of a substance capable of producing similar symptoms in a healthy person. Homeopathic medicines stimulate the body’s physiological reactions that restore health, with a very low risk of side effects due to the use of micro-doses.

We have to make it a priority or other factors will force it to be one!! It’s really important to get to bed/sleep around 10:00 PM as certain cleansing cycles (energy cycles/meridians from acupuncture) take place between 10:00 PM and midnight, and if we’re not asleep the janitor will pass us by  and we’ll miss out on the healing (so to speak).

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