Sleep is absolutely crucial for a number of reasons…
1) Western scientific studies have shown that tumours can grow 2 to 3 times faster in animals that are deprived of sleep. Other studies have shown that people who get short amounts of sleep, disturbed sleep or who work night shifts (when the body should be at rest), all had considerably higher risks of developing cancers in comparison to those who get reasonably healthy amounts of sleep.
1) Western scientific studies have shown that tumours can grow 2 to 3 times faster in animals that are deprived of sleep. Other studies have shown that people who get short amounts of sleep, disturbed sleep or who work night shifts (when the body should be at rest), all had considerably higher risks of developing cancers in comparison to those who get reasonably healthy amounts of sleep.
2) Sleep helps us to regain general balance in our bodies. If we keep running our systems for too long we will simply burn out and crash. Sleeps helps us to prevent this by turning ourselves down to a slow peaceful setting, allowing our organs to build our energy backup and recharge. This boosts the entire health of the body in every possible way.
3) Studies have shown that people who skip sleep have lower general energy and will tend to gain weight more easily. This happens for two reasons – with a lack of sleep they become tired and try to get more of their energy from food so they tend to generally over eat. And again because of this tiredness there is less energy for their digestion to properly break down the food they consume, so it leaves bigger undigested food particles behind, which eventually leads to more phlegm and fat accumulating in their bodies.
3) Studies have shown that people who skip sleep have lower general energy and will tend to gain weight more easily. This happens for two reasons – with a lack of sleep they become tired and try to get more of their energy from food so they tend to generally over eat. And again because of this tiredness there is less energy for their digestion to properly break down the food they consume, so it leaves bigger undigested food particles behind, which eventually leads to more phlegm and fat accumulating in their bodies.
4) Sleep gives our minds a chance to calm and to quiet down. It helps them to organize and archive our thoughts and memories; and to sort out some of our hassles and problems.
It gives the mind the opportunity to be able to clear some of the clutter from our conscious minds and to reset them, preparing them to start fresh and rejuvenated again the next day.
Without enough sleep our minds can become stressed and overworked. This can lead to a lack of clarity, mistakes and bad decision making. Life can begin to seem far more complicated than it should be. Eventually without sleep, our minds can even become paranoid and delusional.
5) While most of our organs are slowing and cooling down during sleep, our hormonal ones are actually waking up and doing the opposite; they are busily producing hormones to regenerate and heal our bodies.
This happens in two phases during sleep - the first phase creates and releases growth hormones which work to replace old cells with new ones. In a healthy body any worn out old cells will be replaced during this time.
The second phase releases cortisol and other hormones to fix up and heal any damage that has been done to our cells and bodies. If we do not get adequate rest then this process is badly affected, slowing down and limiting our natural healing capabilities. With inadequate sleep we will find it much harder to recover from any physical damage or illness.
It gives the mind the opportunity to be able to clear some of the clutter from our conscious minds and to reset them, preparing them to start fresh and rejuvenated again the next day.
Without enough sleep our minds can become stressed and overworked. This can lead to a lack of clarity, mistakes and bad decision making. Life can begin to seem far more complicated than it should be. Eventually without sleep, our minds can even become paranoid and delusional.
5) While most of our organs are slowing and cooling down during sleep, our hormonal ones are actually waking up and doing the opposite; they are busily producing hormones to regenerate and heal our bodies.
This happens in two phases during sleep - the first phase creates and releases growth hormones which work to replace old cells with new ones. In a healthy body any worn out old cells will be replaced during this time.
The second phase releases cortisol and other hormones to fix up and heal any damage that has been done to our cells and bodies. If we do not get adequate rest then this process is badly affected, slowing down and limiting our natural healing capabilities. With inadequate sleep we will find it much harder to recover from any physical damage or illness.
6) Our immune system runs off of our energy system. If we are tired there is less power to create white cells to defend us. Studies have shown that people who get less sleep also get more colds.
But of course our immune system does a lot more than just defend us from external bacteria and viruses. It also helps to kill and destroy anything that should not be in us. If we aren’t getting enough sleep we are seriously undermining this precious system.
But of course our immune system does a lot more than just defend us from external bacteria and viruses. It also helps to kill and destroy anything that should not be in us. If we aren’t getting enough sleep we are seriously undermining this precious system.
A lack of sleep clearly helps the mechanisms that support cancer.
Whereas all the processes that help our systems fight cancer can be boosted by good quality sleep …
It helps to strengthen our energy to be able to power up systems to tackle and remove phlegm and toxins from our body.
It helps us to cool by slowing down the working engines in our bodies, letting them rest and settle down.
It boosts the immune system, powering it up with energy to produce lots of natural killer cells to attack and remove cancerous cells.
It helps us to quiet our minds and to lose tension and stress; thus helping to allow circulation to move more freely through the body.
Whereas all the processes that help our systems fight cancer can be boosted by good quality sleep …
It helps to strengthen our energy to be able to power up systems to tackle and remove phlegm and toxins from our body.
It helps us to cool by slowing down the working engines in our bodies, letting them rest and settle down.
It boosts the immune system, powering it up with energy to produce lots of natural killer cells to attack and remove cancerous cells.
It helps us to quiet our minds and to lose tension and stress; thus helping to allow circulation to move more freely through the body.
If you have cancer your body will need extra rest and sleep to deal with this disease; when it slows down and becomes less active internal healing mechanisms will have a chance to come to the forefront and take charge.
So it is vital to ensure that you are getting at least eight or nine hours sleep every night. Don’t attempt to skip it or to do with less. Healthy revitalizing sleep is more ammunition to use to win in your battle against cancer.
So it is vital to ensure that you are getting at least eight or nine hours sleep every night. Don’t attempt to skip it or to do with less. Healthy revitalizing sleep is more ammunition to use to win in your battle against cancer.
Some tips for healthy sleep…
Avoid eating stimulating heat creating foods at night time. Instead drink only water, peppermint tea, green tea and mildly bitter fruits or juices.
Don’t have your room too hot or too cold. Both of these temperatures can agitate the body and disturb restful sleep.
Street and other sources of light are now preventing us from the natural darkness our ancestors would have had as they slept; so use blackout blinds or curtains on your window and eliminate all signs of light in the room. The darker the room is, the deeper your sleep will become.
Develop a wind down routine for bed… Get into bed clothes and prepare yourself for sleep about half an hour before you go to bed. Do quietening and calming things. This will send signals to the brain that it is time to start shutting things down.
If you are busy working on a creative project then sometimes thoughts will keep coming into your head keeping you awake; so put a pen and paper by your bedside and use this to put your thoughts into. As soon as this is done you will find your mind is released from the cycle and can start to switch off.
Keep your bed for sleeping in or making love in. Avoid using it for watching television or reading and so on. When your brain associates other things with your bed you may find it harder to relax in it and then have difficulty getting to sleep.
If you cannot get to sleep then get up and drink a glass of cool water. The cold water will deplete some of the hot energy from your stomach, heart, liver and blood. This will in turn cool the blood going to your mind, helping to turn it off and making you more tired in general.
Try to keep the same bedtime every night, including weekends. If your mind gets use to this internal setting it will very easily and automatically know to wind things down for that time.
Make sure you have a comfortable bed. It sounds obvious and simple, but many people sleep on the same bed year after year without checking it. And as it becomes lumpy and deteriorates, so does their sleep.
If you feel stressed, frustrated or angry, then massage your hands and feet using downward strokes away from the head and body. Also try pinching the tips of your fingers and toes (until they sting a little). This will send hot energy and blood down away from your head, allowing it to cool down and become calm. This technique can often help you to fall asleep under those stressful conditions; however it will usually take 10 to 15 minutes to drain the hot energy from your head, so you need to be a little patient with it.
Make sure there is good ventilation in your room by leaving your bedroom door open a little or by using a wall vent. You can also open a window if it is not too cold outside. When your room is stuffy it can cause you to overheat and can also weaken the good air and energy levels in the room and in your body. Without good energy the organs keeping you asleep won’t function properly and may wake you up.
If you can’t get to sleep then don’t lie there thinking over and over about not getting to sleep and the negative consequences that may cause you. This will only wind you up further, making it more difficult for you to settle down. The mind tends to create more of whatever it is thinking about; so the best thing to do is to distract it by thinking of something else. If that doesn’t work then get up and do something relaxing or boring until the mind slows, calms and quietens down. Then you can try sleeping again.
Avoid arguing, over-excitement or any other strong emotional states before going to bed. That includes reading books or watching anything on T.V. that could also create the same states. Things that distress and disturb your mind will have to be dealt with by your subconscious and conscious minds when you are asleep. These can easily lead to restless sleep, vivid dreams and nightmares.
If you are too hot or your mind is racing or overactive then make a general increase in levels of vegetables in your diet. The minerals and heavier particles will cool and slow down hot active energy, thus calming your heart, blood and head. Beetroot and green leafy vegetables are quite good for cooling the blood and promoting sleep.
Finally, both Chinese Herbal Medicine and acupuncture can greatly help with promoting high quality deep sleep in a very natural way.
Avoid eating stimulating heat creating foods at night time. Instead drink only water, peppermint tea, green tea and mildly bitter fruits or juices.
Don’t have your room too hot or too cold. Both of these temperatures can agitate the body and disturb restful sleep.
Street and other sources of light are now preventing us from the natural darkness our ancestors would have had as they slept; so use blackout blinds or curtains on your window and eliminate all signs of light in the room. The darker the room is, the deeper your sleep will become.
Develop a wind down routine for bed… Get into bed clothes and prepare yourself for sleep about half an hour before you go to bed. Do quietening and calming things. This will send signals to the brain that it is time to start shutting things down.
If you are busy working on a creative project then sometimes thoughts will keep coming into your head keeping you awake; so put a pen and paper by your bedside and use this to put your thoughts into. As soon as this is done you will find your mind is released from the cycle and can start to switch off.
Keep your bed for sleeping in or making love in. Avoid using it for watching television or reading and so on. When your brain associates other things with your bed you may find it harder to relax in it and then have difficulty getting to sleep.
If you cannot get to sleep then get up and drink a glass of cool water. The cold water will deplete some of the hot energy from your stomach, heart, liver and blood. This will in turn cool the blood going to your mind, helping to turn it off and making you more tired in general.
Try to keep the same bedtime every night, including weekends. If your mind gets use to this internal setting it will very easily and automatically know to wind things down for that time.
Make sure you have a comfortable bed. It sounds obvious and simple, but many people sleep on the same bed year after year without checking it. And as it becomes lumpy and deteriorates, so does their sleep.
If you feel stressed, frustrated or angry, then massage your hands and feet using downward strokes away from the head and body. Also try pinching the tips of your fingers and toes (until they sting a little). This will send hot energy and blood down away from your head, allowing it to cool down and become calm. This technique can often help you to fall asleep under those stressful conditions; however it will usually take 10 to 15 minutes to drain the hot energy from your head, so you need to be a little patient with it.
Make sure there is good ventilation in your room by leaving your bedroom door open a little or by using a wall vent. You can also open a window if it is not too cold outside. When your room is stuffy it can cause you to overheat and can also weaken the good air and energy levels in the room and in your body. Without good energy the organs keeping you asleep won’t function properly and may wake you up.
If you can’t get to sleep then don’t lie there thinking over and over about not getting to sleep and the negative consequences that may cause you. This will only wind you up further, making it more difficult for you to settle down. The mind tends to create more of whatever it is thinking about; so the best thing to do is to distract it by thinking of something else. If that doesn’t work then get up and do something relaxing or boring until the mind slows, calms and quietens down. Then you can try sleeping again.
Avoid arguing, over-excitement or any other strong emotional states before going to bed. That includes reading books or watching anything on T.V. that could also create the same states. Things that distress and disturb your mind will have to be dealt with by your subconscious and conscious minds when you are asleep. These can easily lead to restless sleep, vivid dreams and nightmares.
If you are too hot or your mind is racing or overactive then make a general increase in levels of vegetables in your diet. The minerals and heavier particles will cool and slow down hot active energy, thus calming your heart, blood and head. Beetroot and green leafy vegetables are quite good for cooling the blood and promoting sleep.
Finally, both Chinese Herbal Medicine and acupuncture can greatly help with promoting high quality deep sleep in a very natural way.
To treat sleep problems always think of the bigger picture of your overall health in all areas - physical, mental and emotional. Concentrate on a generally healthier you and you will find that your sleep starts to improve alongside your overall well-being.
