Three Things That Help Me Sleep Better

As I approached my 50's, sleeping well was becoming a challenge. Over the last ten years, I have made these three changes that has helped me sleep much better.

Number 1: Elevating My Head While Sleeping

Breathing becomes much easier when you elevate your head while sleeping. I suspect many of us suffer from a mild case of sleep apnea, which is a reduction of breathing while we sleep. Raising your head 4 to 6 inches while you sleep is one way of treating sleep apnea.

Sleeping with your head elevated is also a good way to help you sleep without heartburn.

Elevating your head also reduces the blood pressure on your sinuses. This reduces the likelihood of blood gorging and swelling your nasal membranes, which can block air flow through your nose. Raising your head also helps your sinuses drain, and thus allowing you to breathe more freely while you sleep.

I have put blocks of wood to elevate the head of my bed. I also like to sleep on two pillows with the net effect of raising my head at least 6 inches above my heart. Some people may prefer to use either a Cervical Pillow or a Wedge Pillow . Whatever method you use, I think that you will have a better night's sleep with your head raised, which allows you to breathe freely while you sleep.

Related Link: "Changing Sleep-Related Habits for Better Respiratory Health."

Number 2: Melatonin

With the approval of my doctor, I now take 300 mcg of melatonin about 30 minute before going to bed every night. I haven't experienced any of the melatonin side effects. It does help me sleep much deeper and a little longer than I do without it. As with most drugs and supplements, more is not better. Just a little will help you sleep.

For men, you may find that melatonin helps you with prostate function as you get older. In my case, I have found that it does help with symptoms of enlarged prostate.

Number 3: Choline Supplement

As I approached 50, it started experiencing digestive tract cramping at night. I tried everything from changes in diet to Chinese herbs. Nothing worked and the cramping kept me from getting a good night's sleep.

Finally, I researched possible causes of liver and gall bladder dysfunction. I found that choline deficiency can be one possible cause. So I started taking a choline supplement in the form of phosphatidylcholine, which is found in soy lecithin. I will never forget that night after taking the lecithin supplement for about two days. I laid down in bed, and my digestive system was absolutely quiet for the first time in years. I slept like a baby.

I now routinely take a teaspoon of lecithin, three times a day with my meals.

After a ten year battle with sleep problems, I now have been sleeping extremely well for a year now. May you to sleep in heavenly comfort.

Charles

Brain Energy Restored by Sleep

In an article published by PsychCentral titled "Sleep Restores Brain Energy", it is reported that research conducted at the Harvard Medical School shows the energy levels in the brain are dramatically recharged in the initial stages of sleep.

The researchers measured a chemical that is responsible for energy transfer in cells called adenosine triphosphate or ATP. They found that ATP levels in certain areas of the brain increased when rats were in non-REM sleep as brain activity decreased. When the rats were awake, ATP levels remained steady. When the rats were kept awake 3 to 6 hours past their normal sleep times, there was no increase in ATP.

This shows that a sleep dependent energy capacity surge is necessary for restorative processes absent during hours of wakeful activity.

Exercise-To-A-Healthier-Life.com

Does Brain Training Improve Cognitive Abilities?

Alvaro Fernandez of SharpBrains does a good job on his commentary about the results of a recent brain training experiment in Britain, in his article titled " BBC 'Brain Training ' Experiment: the Good, the Bad, the Ugly ."

The good is that brain games do not improve cognitive function in general. These games will help you improve at doing one particular task, but will not improve your overall brain health. For example, doing cross-word puzzles will help you improve at doing cross-word puzzles, but nothing else.

The bad of this experiment in Britain is that the experiment was poorly designed and lacked adequate quality control. The amount of training time was very low, and there was no quality control as participants did their testing at home with no supervision.

The ugly is that the researchers made a large conclusion from a single negative findings of a flawed experiment.

If people truly want to improve their cognitive abilities, I believe that they must seriously work at it. Simply playing games will not help much. We should focus on

• Staying physically active and eating properly as suggested in "Diet and Exercise Can Improve Thinking" , and "Mediterranean Diet And Your Brain."
• Getting adequate sleep to improve memory - "Sleep and Memory."
• And using meditation and mindfulness training to improve cognitive abilities and memory - "Mindfulness Training."

Exercise-To-A-Healthier-Life.com

Sleep and Memory

In a HealthDay article titled " Afternoon Nap Might Make You Smarter ", studies are showing the taking a nap after studying can improve your performance on tests. Apparently, a phase of non-dreaming sleep boost memory.

This type of research is not new. In an article by Dr. Shannon Moffett titled " Sleep, Tetris, Memory and the Brain ", she discusses her experiences with sleep researcher Dr. Robert Stickgold. His research has shown that sleep improves both procedural memroy and declarative memory. Procedural memory is the type of memory that is created when you practice a musical instrument or learn to play tennis. Declarative memory has to do with facts such as where you put your keys. According to Dr. Moffett, just sleeping on new information somehow cements the new info into your mind so that it is resistant to interference.

Check out these short videos for more information on Dr. Stickgold's research on sleep - Why Sleep Matters.

Charles

Lack Of Sleep Can Be Deadly

Exercise-To-A-Healthier-Life.com

In addition to possibly causing serious accidents, the lack of sleep over a long period of time can also be linked to obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and shorter lives according to the article "Lack of Sleep Could Be Deadly" by Tina Hesman Saey.

You may also find this collection of videos by Harvard Sleep Lab scientist Dr. Robert Stickgold and colleagues interesting: Healthy Sleep. These videos summarize the need for sleep, and the consequences of the lack of sleep.

Charles