Sleep Disturbance: 7 Energy Science Solutions
There is nothing like a good night's rest and when that doesn't happen it's a source of deteriorating health Chronic disease ) is often associated with sleep problems More than 25% of the US population have sleep disturbances and 10% have chronic insomnia Although not specifically studied with the IC syndrome, sleep disturbances occur in people with diabetes, depression, obesity, and those with cardiovascular disease
It's not too difficult to understand why sleep disturbances would occur with chronic disease Getting up at night in order to pacify a bladder that wants to urinate is understandable but other situations such as rectal spasm or bowel symptoms may also play a role in altering the sleep pattern And of course the ramifications of chronic fatigue from sleep deprivation begin to show when continued problems of interrupted sleep occur
So what can be done to help with sleep disturbance that can support pharmaceuticals that are prescribed?
Sleep Aids
There are many effective sleep pharmaceuticals to use but they have the potential of sleep hangover so there are some natural sleep aids that can help Try several of these suggestions as their effects will mount up
Eating cherries or drinking cherry juice This fruit is a natural source of melatonin and tryptophan so drinking cherry juice around bedtime makes complete sense Researchers at LSU used tart cherry juice and found an increase of 90minutes of sleep a night
Moderate exercise This helps tax the body so that it wants rest at night Nothing like making the body tired Pranayama can be a very effective way to exercise if you have difficulty with walking, running, or accessing equipment
Prepare for sleep If a sleep disturbance occurs one of the first things is to look at what time you're going to bed and what time you're waking up In general bedtime should be around 10pm and wakeup around 7am So if your planned bedtime is 10p begin getting ready for bed around 930p taking a warm calming tub bath and massaging the head and feet with bhringaraj oil that relaxes the nervous system Listening to calming music, pleasant reading and NOT watching TV are good things to do for sleep preparation
So Hum There may be times when you want to fall asleep but the mind is just too agitated for one reason or another to let the body relax Instead of counting sheep or listening to the mind's endless chatter you can use So Hum breathing So Hum is a mantra that mimics the sound of the breath So on inhalation and Hum on exhalation When you use this mantra you can calm the nervous system and bring on sleep much more easily
Interrupted sleep Some recommend that if you're having trouble waking up in the middle of the night and cannot get back to sleep that you stay up if you have given yourself an adequate chance to go back to sleep When you stay up and begin the day at 3am and do that for three days in a row, it will be impossible for you not to have a good night's sleep This is especially if you avoid naps during the day The body requires sleep and deprivation for 17 days leads to death so forcing sleep deprivation can become a solution
Nutmeg and milk The herb nutmeg is an excellent sleep aid and coupled with a soothing cup of warm milk will help take the edge off and allow you to go into slumberlands Other herbal therapies There are a number of herbs that can act synergistically with one another in order to cumulatively give you better rest along with dealing with other physiologic problems Rasayans as well as tagar, valerian, brahmi, shankapushpi, jatamamsi, and vidari are excellent at calming the nervous system and promoting better sleep
Chamomile tea This herb also has a sedating effect to the nervous system and can be effective as a sleep aid
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Getting More Energy From Your Foods
All disease except for trauma begins in the GIT and so this underscores why nutritional habits are so important
But what nutritional habits? This is where the energy science can make its biggest contribution because the matter science molecular approach has no adequate model of disease So it becomes hit and miss recommendations So to heal any disease process one has to do this foundational work of nutrition which according to the energy science guidelines is very very important
Ten Ways to Feel Energized by Food
1 Eat Foods with High Prana
Prana is the vital energy present in fresh vegetables and fruits and pure air that we breathe From an energetic point of view one of the reasons for eating is to gain prana, so you want to choose foods that are high in prana
Incorporating more fresh vegetables and fruits in your diet will give you an immediate energy boost It's also important to cut the vegetables and cook them fresh at every meal Buying pre-cut vegetables means that you have already lost some of the prana For that reason, buy vegetables and fruits whole for maximum vitality
2 Eat Organic or Locally Grown Foods Whenever Possible
Organic foods have more prana than foods that have been polluted with chemical fertilizers and pesticides If your body has to work hard to detoxity the chemicals every time you eat with the liver, you'll feel fatigued and toxic
Locally grown foods are also higher in prana, because they don't have to be shipped or stored and can be bought tree-ripened There is another reason to eat locally grown foods--they contain the same ratio of the five fundamental levels as the climate in which you live
One ayurvedic principle says that equal proportions of the elements is always enhancing Locally grown herbs, fruits, vegetables and dairy products will have a more powerful and energizing biological impact Herbs and plants grown in the desert are more helpful for the people who live in that kind of dry, hot climate
This principle doesn't apply to grains or beans, which are grown in different regions And if you can't get locally grown veggies or fruits, it's better to eat imported produce The point here is that if you have a choice, buy or grow local produce for more vitality
3 Avoid Eating Dead or Unintelligent Food
Just as fresh produce has more prana, food that is old, dead, or heavily processed contains very little life force Frozen, canned, packaged, processed, bottled, fermented or leftover foods are either too old to be healthy, or even worse, have been altered with chemical preservatives and flavorings This kind of unintelligent, dead food is difficult to digest and creates ama, which clogs the body's channels and creates fatigue Choose food that is fresh, whole and unaltered by chemicals or harmful processing methods
4 Eat Energizing Foods
Besides fresh, organic fruits and vegetables, an energizing diet includes whole grains such as quinoa, barley and amaranth For protein, organic milk, lassi (a yogurt drink), paneer(fresh cheese) are energy-producing Almonds, cashews, or walnuts are an excellent source of protein if they are soaked first or cooked with the grains to make them more digestible Split-mung dhal and other small or split beans are an excellent source of protein Some delightful foods that are also excellent sources of protein are Milk-date Shake and Rice Pudding
Rice Pudding
Ingredients:
1 c. water
1/2 c. basmati rice
4 c. whole milk
1 tsp. chopped dates
2 tsp. cashews or pistachios
3 small pieces green cardamom, crushed
1 tsp. sugar (or to taste)
Directions:
Soak rice in water for 2 hours Boil milk Add rice and all other ingredients Boil slowly for 30 minutes or more until the mixture reaches a slightly thick consistency, but you can stir it easily It will thicken a little more when you let it cool
Fresh, easy-to-digest oils are another important part of the energizing diet Ghee is an excellent cooking oil or baking oil because it doesn't burn at high heat Extra virgin olive oil from the first press is healthy for baking or sautéing at low temperatures
5 Eat a Variety of Foods
Rather than getting in a rut and just making rice, dhal and the same vegetables every day, be sure to rotate your selection so you are always getting a wide variety of grains, fruits, vegetables, proteins and flavors
Ayurveda recommends that you eat all six flavors--sweet, sour, salty, bitter, astringent and pungent--in every meal If you are getting bored with your food, or if you are having cravings for unhealthy foods, that's a clue that you are not getting all six tastes You can take the guess work out of food selection by going to foodsheal.com to see what foods are best for you
One way to add more flavor and fun is to use Peach Chutney and Mango Chutney to complement the food. Each contains all six tastes, adding zest and energizing spice to the meal
6 Cook with Energizing Spices
Cooking with spices makes the food more digestible and creates energy The ayurvedic way to cook with spices is to sauté them at low heat in olive oil and ghee, then stir them into steamed vegetables, cooked grains, or soupy dals An alternative method is to sauté the spices in Ghee or olive oil and then sauté the raw vegetables, grains or dal Add water and cook until tender
Choose spices that are recommended for your body type Spice mixtures called churnas can be made from recipes at foodsheal.com
7 Avoid Energy-Draining Combinations
Avoid foods that don't digest well when combined Combining the following foods create ama and low energy
8 Drink Energizing Water
Drinking lots of coffee, tea or caffeinated soft drinks may give you a false burst of energy, but caffeine taxes the liver, creating a toxic build-up and fatigue It's better to drink beverages that clear toxins from the channels of the body
9 Minimize Restaurant Eating
If you must eat out, choose your restaurant carefully Keep an eye on the ingredients and cooking methods. Are the ingredients fresh or frozen? Are leftovers served? Are there healthy oils? These are the questions you can ask
10 Eat in a Settled Atmosphere
Ayurveda recommends that you eat in a settled atmosphere to gain maximum vitality from food If you talk on the phone, watch TV or conduct a business meeting over lunch, your food is not going to digest properly It will probably create ama, which is the cause of dullness and fatigue. Eating while standing, walking or driving also creates ama rather than energy
Turn off the electronic devices and eat with someone you care about Leave your responsibilities at the door--and instead revel in the beautiful colors, tastes, smells and textures of the food All of this amounts to respecting your food and your digestion, and will help create the kind of light, clear, vital feeling that good food is meant to do
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Windows of Observation: Stories from the Energy Body
In any physiologic dis-ease qualities become our way of having awareness that something is "not right in river city" For example the sensation of hot leads to the burning sensation on urination or a feeling of burning in the vagina, prostate, or perineum This quality also leads to irritability, impatience, anger, resentments about the disease that's being experienced
The mobile quality leads to frequency of urination, getting up at night, urgency to urinate, and anxiety of not knowing what's going on or if the problem will ever go away
Sensations Are More Than You Think
Have you had the experience of equanimity? That is, the sense that the body is peaceful and restful There are no abnormal sensations being reported to you Yes, I think we can all relate to that sense of peace in the mindbody
So when we have sensations in our body they are messengers from inner space from our energy field And rather than be stressed out about them we can welcome them for what they truly are...messages from the mindbody of dis-ease Nothing more and nothing less It's the mindbody's way of getting in touch with us and letting us know that something is not quite right
Hence sensations become our windows of observation of the inner workings of our energy field and so we should never ever discount sensations Rather than be fearful of the abnormal sensations we can simply observe and be grateful that the mindbody is letting us know that something has caused us to leave our state of equanimity
For example, if you go on a hike with your kids and you find that your back muscles are getting tired due to the steep grade of the hill your kids are running up, you take a rest because the mindbody is telling you that your muscles are not conditioned enough to keep on doing the task You give the muscles some rest and they're ready to begin to do some more work This process is called conditioning and the messages from your mindbody are not to stop but to simply rest
What about emotions? Do they lack sensations? Of course not The sense of compassion, kindness, gratitude, and love all carry sensations of oily, liquid, soft, warm, light, subtle, and clear
Using Sensations in Dis-eases of the Energy Mindbody
So it's important as much as we can to observe our energy field by noticing our sensations When we begin becoming a better observer we become a better healer How could this be?
The subtle noticing of how the sensation of hot or mobile is changing for the better gives us a clue that what we are doing is making a difference....that we're on the right track toward dealing with our dis-ease whatever that might be
I've mentioned journaling in past blogs and this is where jotting down your observations can be very helpful because at times the changes in sensation can be so subtle that we may not be able to remember how that sensation was yesterday or last month or even last year Being able to go back over your notes can reassuringly help remind you of how much progress you have made
Healing is not made in a straightline It occurs in waves exactly how the energy field expresses itself So there are good days and bad days and by journaling we get to see this wave like effect in action
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