Get a better night's sleep to feel healthy, lose weight

PHOENIX - Statistics show the average American gets less than the necessary 8 hours of sleep a night. This deficiency could have potential side effects to your health.

Paula Owens, holistic nutritionist and fitness/weight loss expert, says there are health benefits to getting enough sleep every night.

"Healing of mind, body and spirit occurs during restful sleep," Owens says.

She says according to the NIH (National Institutes of Health), the physical body repairs between the hours of 10pm-2am and the emotional and spiritual body regenerate between the hours of 2am-6am.

By getting enough sleep every night, you stabilize your blood sugars, avoid insomnia, and prevent chronic diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, MS, gastrointestinal disorders and behavioral problems in children.

• Here are a few tips from Paula Owens that work to help you get that much needed sleep:
• Consider foods you may be sensitive to like dairy, sugar, soy, wheat and gluten. These allergies can lead to sleep apnea, excess congestion, gastrointestinal upset and disrupted sleep
• If you want to burn significantly more body fat, go to bed as early as possible. Our systems, particularly the adrenals, do a majority of their recharging or recovering during the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 1:00 a.m. This is when your gallbladder meridian is most active and dumps toxins. If you are awake, the toxins back up into the liver which then secondarily back up into your entire system and cause further disruption of your health. Waking up between the hours of 1:00 a.m. - 3:00 a.m., may indicate liver toxicity/congestion. Consistently waking between 3:00 a.m. - 5:00 a.m., indicates oxidative stress. Also, you may want to rule out hypoglycemia.
• The best supplement for restful sleep is magnesium (400-800mg) 30-60 minutes before bedtime.
• Create an environment for restful sleep as evening approaches, such as dimming the lights in your home an hour before bedtime.
• Avoid alcohol. Although alcohol might make you drowsy, the effect is short lived and you'll often wake up several hours later, unable to fall back asleep. Alcohol keeps you from falling into the deeper stages of sleep, plus it disrupts and inhibits growth hormone production.
• For anxiety, consider Inositol or a blend of Valerian, Hops and Passion Flower, an excellent herbal tranquilizer without side effects.
• Avoid grains and sugars that raise blood sugar and inhibit growth hormone release.
• Working late, using the computer, cell phones and texting into the wee hours delay sleep and increase awakenings.
• Avoid caffeine later in the day. A recent study showed that in some people, caffeine is not metabolized efficiently and they feel the effects long after consuming it. Various meds and diet pills contain caffeine.
• Eat a high-protein snack several hours before bed. This provides your body with L-tryptophan needed to produce melatonin and serotonin.
• Exercise regularly - at least 30 minutes EVERYDAY helps you fall asleep. However, exercising too close to bedtime may keep you awake.
• Get a handle on your stress. According to sleep experts, stress is the #1 cause of sleep problems.
• Read something spiritual. This will help you relax. Refrain from reading anything stimulating, such as a mystery or suspense novel - this may have the opposite effect.
• Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day, even on the weekends. This will help your body to get into a sleep rhythm making it easier to fall asleep and get up in the morning. Erratic schedules disrupt your body clock.
• Hydrate during the day. If you're dehydrated, your body production of cortisol increases, which will disrupt sleep.
• Sprinkle a few drops of lavender oil or sandalwood oil on your pillow.
• Practice deep, belly breathing.
• Lose some weight. Being overweight increases the risk of sleep apnea, which will prevent a restful nights' sleep.

For more information and tips, including how to test your adrenal glands, visit PaulaOwens.com .