Health Tips - Rest Versus Sleep
Bodies survive best when they get enough rest every day without fail. (See health tip Hours of Sleep for the total hours that are best.) Rest is part of the body's design to restore its reserves and get its many jobs done.
While sleep is the best form of rest, you do not have to sleep to get value from rest! In the past, doctors prescribed "bed rest" for infections and certain other conditions. They prescribed antibiotics only for very severe infections that did not respond to bed rest. Now that drug companies give more benefits to medical doctors, MD's usually prescribe more drugs instead. In hospitals however, patients still spend most of their time in bed to assist their healing.
A study of 24,000 Greek adults showed that people who napped several times a week had a lower risk for dying from heart disease. Napping also improved memory, cognitive function and mood.
At nighttime, if you cannot sleep, lie flat anyway! Turn the lights off and close your eyes, as that raises sleep hormone levels and has many benefits. See health tip Effect of Light on Sleep.
Some people dislike resting because their minds race or they get upset about not sleeping. In these cases, taking two or three Core Level Thiamine tablets (balanced vitamin B-1) helps prevent getting upset. Read with a low-level light while lying flat to keep the mind busy. Watching a DVD/TV may not have the same sleep-producing effect due to the type of light given off by these machines. (See the effects of different types of light on sleep here.) So try reading, you might just fall asleep!
Regardless of what your sleeping habits are, get enough total hours of rest!
Read the other health tips in my sleep and bedrooms series to learn how to keep your bedroom healthful and restful.
Enjoy!
Dr. Pepi
December 2, 2008