Are You Having Trouble Sleeping?

Another Good Night’s Sleep

Even though I was awake for awhile around 3 o’clock this morning, I still feel like I got a good night’s sleep. When I woke up and made my way to my computer, I found in my email box a blog post by someone who’s always made sense to me. He’s always given good advise for free. Some day maybe I’ll go to one of his System seminars.

His name is Ken McCarthy and he’s one of those internet marketing trainers. I don’t get anything for sending you to read his blog post. It contains some really good free advise he got, in part, from Warren Buffet about the importance of sleep.

Here is a portion of what he had to say about a good night’s sleep:

“now after reading a joint study by Harvard Medical School and the University of Berkeley, I realize there’s a lot more to it.

In a nutshell, here’s what they found:

Lack of sleep can drive you crazy!

Maybe not permanently, but without proper sleep, the study says, your brain dramatically overreacts to negative experiences.

“Dramatically overreacts”…that’s pretty strong language for a scientific study.

The researchers admit to being surprised at the massively disruptive effect lack of sleep can have on people’s moods and mental health. Going into the study, they intuitively knew - as we all do - that not sleeping well makes you cranky, but they weren’t prepared for what they found.

Lack of sleep, researches say, causes people to act as if they have psychiatric disorders.

Think about the potential significance of this…

It may be that the current epidemic of mood disorders like depression, anxiety and just plain unhappiness may be come from the fact that people just aren’t sleeping enough.

What to do?” Read the whole post here…

Getting yourself to bed before 11 pm was one suggestion. Otherwise you get a second wind and off you go until 3 - 4 o’clock in the morning. Drinking chamomile tea to help you relax was another possible sleep aid suggested in the blog post. Go read it and try what he suggests. Maybe tonight you won’t have trouble sleeping.

Southern California Fires Keeping You Awake?

The fires in Southern California are what’s keeping me awake tonight. We think we had it bad up north this last summer, but when it burns here it is forest and trees burning. Only a few structures are threatened. In California it is homes, pets and personal belongings burning. Already over 500 homes in just the San Diego area have been destroyed. The Santa Ana winds are pushing the fires so fast the fire fighters can’t keep up. Much less keep track of all the destruction.

There is no telling how many more homes will burn before it is all over. The news coverage I have read shows 1000’s more homes and structures threatened.

I remember an article in the paper this summer about some new gel they used to protect homes. It worked much better than foam retardants. I hope they have some of that Thermo Gel available for the homes in the way of the fires.

I’ve lived in Southern California. I have family in there. In the last big fire they lost everything. Their home, pets and all their belongings that weren’t in their car. Luckily they had been at a friend’s house the night that the fire destroyed their home. Some neighbors weren’t so lucky. They didn’t make it out alive.

My sister called me during the day. I could hear the fear and remembered horror in her voice. They are prepared to evacuate again. I’m sure she’s not sleeping well tonight either. If she’s sleeping at all. I know she’s glued to the coverage on TV and reliving what it was like to see what was left of her home and her cats. It was the most horrific thing imaginable.

And now it is happening again. Only this time it is even worse. With over a half a million people already being evacuated. Who knows how many more before it is all over. Please, God, turn that Santa Ana wind around. Or let it die down, please!

It’s not just the loss of homes, pets and belongings that is effecting our neighbors to the south. It is also the air quality. I remember this summer when we didn’t see the sky for days. There it is not just trees and forest burning. It is all kinds of materials. Plastics, glue, rubber and anything that makes up homes, belongings and commercial structures. I saw a burned car in the Malibu coverage. Think of all the poisons that are being pumped into the atmosphere. The toxins in the air are dangerous!

I pray for everyone in the areas affected by the fires tonight. Please, will you too? I mean if the news coverage about the fires is keeping us awake and we are not likely to be sleeping, why not say some prayers for those who are in danger. At least it is something we can do.

A Full Night’s Sleep!

I can’t believe it, last night I got a full night’s sleep. How did I do it? I hate to admit it. I took a drug. No, this wasn’t a sleeping aid. It was a muscle relaxer. My last one from an injury a couple of years back.

Now, I know you’re not suppose to keep drugs around that long. But they said “take as needed” and I hadn’t needed them very often. And when I did take them, I was so knocked out that it was awhile before I was willing to do another.

I don’t recommend taking a muscle relaxant as a sleep aid. I was woozy and my vision was blurred and when I finally woke up, I was useless for hours. Pretty much a wasted day. I hadn’t taken it to get to sleep. I took it because I was in a lot of pain. Cramps from hell! I will be glad when this part of womanhood is over.

My husband says it’s the price I pay for all those orgasms. I don’t agree. It has more to do with my diet and that I haven’t been eating as well as I could lately. I suppose not sleeping also has something to do with it. If only those orgasms helped me sleep. No most times, I am energized after sex. Well, it could be worse. I could be single and not having sex! Or worse yet, having risky liaisons and definitely not getting a full night’s sleep.

But here it is another night or I should say morning, 3:33 am my time and I’m up and in front of my computer again. Those cramps are back and now I have no more muscle relaxers to take and really, I wouldn’t take one if I had it.

I wish I had a glass of wine though. That was a quick pain reliever! But I’m glad that’s not part of my life anymore. Too easy for one glass to become two, become three and then at least 2 every evening. It wasn’t worth the price. None seems to be how I have to do it.

I have found something else that helps with the menstrual pain. My sister made me some microwave heat packs. You know, those wheat filled bags you can toss into the microwave and heat up for a few minutes. Not too long, you don’t want them too hot! I put on a weight reduction belt and stick those bag in-between the belt and my clothes, one in front and the other in back and I have a portable heating pack.

It looks like I have a strange shaped tire around my middle, but who cares it does work. For all but the worst pain anyway. Last night it wasn’t working, that’s why I took a drug. Was the full night’s sleep worth it? I’m undecided. I feel better now that it is out of my system, but I still have dark circles under my eyes. I guess one good night’s sleep can’t make up for a number of interrupted ones.

I’m heading back to bed with my portable heating pack and my copy of “The Life on Mars”. Wish me luck…

Still awake? Have you tried valerian?

Well, it’s almost 4 am in my time zone and here I am awake again after only a few hours of sweaty sleep.

These hormonal changes are not what I’d call fun! Night sweats being only one of the lovely effects. Of course being awake at this time of the day when there is so much to do later in the day is also a challenge.

What to do? I’ve already shamelessly promoted my husband, Bob Baran and his solo piano music. I guess I could go listen to “Martian Wonders”. Its combination of ambient sounds and piano usually helps put me back to sleep. But then again, sitting here blogging is pretty entertaining… And yes, oh yes, addictive.

Maybe I want to stay up a little longer.

I could take some valerian root. It is kinda tasty in a cup of tea. Herbal tea of course. If I drink any caffeine at this time, it’ll be 4 pm before I get back to sleep. It is Saturday. It might be an interesting way to spend the day. Buzzy from lack of sleep. Stumbling around blurry eyed. Umm, maybe not.

If I drink some valerian now, I might get to sleep in an hour or so. It isn’t the greatest of sleep aids, but it does mellow me out a bit.

Are you familiar with valerian root? It has a strong, rather sweetish odor that is unmistakable once you are familiar with it. I discovered it back in the 80’s when I was doing massage for a living. I have always kept some in tincture form around just for nights like this. Though sometimes it doesn’t do more than chill me out a bit. Other times, I’ll hit the hay in short order. I guess it just depends on how tired I really am.

Interested in knowing more about valerian, here are a number of factoids:

According to Wikipedia: the main current use of valerian is as a remedy for insomnia. It has been used as a medicinal herb since at least the time of ancient Greece and Rome. Most of the page on valerian has a bunch of technical jargon. But there were some other interesting facts listed there.

For example:

How valerian works as a mild sedative remains unknown.

It has been used as a sedative, anti-convulsant, migraine treatment and pain reliever…

And it has an unusual affect on cats and rats.

Some cats will act like they have found the catnip of their dreams. Rolling on the dried root, salivating all over it and eating it, if you leave it out where they can get at it. Burmese cats go as far as deliberately destroying containers to obtain it. Then again, some cats will not go near valerian root.

“Valerian is also very attractive to rats, so much so that it has been used to bait traps. Some versions of the legend of the Pied Piper of Hamelin have him using valerian, as well as his pipes, to attract the rats.

Valerian’s effect on cats is featured as a clue in two works by Agatha Christie.”

All of the above is either directly from Wikipedia (shameless copy/paste placed in quotes) or paraphrased.

What are the side effects of valerian root you might ask? Again according to Wikipedia:
“Valerian root is non-toxic but may cause side effects in excessive doses.” Few adverse effects have been reported. “Large doses or chronic use may result in stomach ache, apathy, and a feeling of mental dullness or mild depression. In some individuals, valerian can cause stomach ache, anxiety, and night terrors.” So don’t take too much and don’t make it an every night treatment for your insomnia.

I’m actually feeling the effects of the valerian I took awhile back. I guess it’s time to go curl up against my man, under my heavy blanket and get some sleep before dawn.

Hope you get some sleep soon too. Maybe give valerian a try. It might help you and as you saw above there really are no side effects unless you take too much or take it for too long. (Legal stuff… Check with your doctor first before taking any kind of medication, herbal or otherwise.) Of course we all follow that advise when we grab that 2nd or 3rd glass of wine. Don’t we?!

Good night and thanks for being here,

Gwen

What have you tried to help you get to sleep?

Herbs, Melatonin, Drugs, Counting Sheep, Alcohol, etc…

Have they worked?… Probably not, since here you are…

My name is Gwen and I’ve tried them all too, with varying degrees of success.

The herbs like Valerian are a helpful sleep aid if I’m already close to sleep but am unable to completely shut down. I’m not sure why I haven’t used Melatonin more. The studies seem to be positive on it. Maybe I tried it and just didn’t feel it was effective for me. When it comes to the prescription sleep aids, there is the possibility of addiction and if I can find another route, I’ll take it!

Have you ever tried counting sheep? I tried counting sheep, it just lead to my brain being even more awake and as a sleep aid I’d give it a failing grade.

For years I’d have a glass of wine or three before going to sleep only to wake up a few hours later and unable to get back to sleep and unwilling to drink more wine to get a few more hours of sleep only to awake again un-rested and hung over. Concern for my liver and overall health finally got me to kick that habit.

What about sex? It’s great if you are in a situation where you can get it on a regular basis. It’s been touted as an excellent sleep aid, especially for men, but for me, sex seems to energize me. Sure there are times I’ll sleep like a baby after sex, but other times you’ll find me on the computer for hours afterwards. Creating or surfing, just can’t seem to get to sleep.

What else have you tried? Oh, there’s always reading a very dull book. I’ve done it a number of times, but I drop off and the book falls and bang, I’m awake again!

What about music? Have you tried listening to music as a sleep aid?

I have found several things that work on a consistent basis, for me anyway. One is a heavy blanket. Not a good alternative in the summer and lately with my changing hormones I get overheated and I wake up to throw it off. The other thing that works as a consistent sleep aid for me is music. Not just any music but the new quantum consciousness music.

You may not have heard of it yet but you will. If it helps you sleep maybe you’ll be one of the people telling others about it. I’ll admit the only reason I know about it is that I know the composer. Okay, okay, so I’m married to him. So if you are turned off by that, well, there’s nothing I can do about it. If you still want to you could head over to Gathering Wave® with me and listen to some music, that would be nice and who knows maybe it will help you get to sleep.

One of the main reasons we have difficulty sleeping is because we can’t relax or turn off our mind. So if listening to this unique new style of music would help you get to sleep so you can get the rest you need, that would be a very good thing! Wouldn’t it?

So would you be open to listening to some of this quantum consciousness music?

There are those who swear by it. I’m one of them. What to you have to lose? More sleep? You are already up and you’ve found this site so why not at least listen to some sound bites and if you don’t feel more relaxed you can move on to the next site in your search list.

What type of music do you like? Are you into only acoustic instruments like the piano or are you open to the new sounds made possible by technology? Perhaps you’d like a combination of both?

Okay, I’ve done my part to shamelessly promote Bob’s music and now I’m going to go listen to The Life on Mars and fall asleep.