Better Sleep Month
What is the recycle rate of a human being? In other words, how long can we last without sleep before we start to see declines in brain function or impairments within our bodies?
I don’t understand what people mean by ‘I have to get ready for bed.’ I am always ready for bed.
Sleep Matters
Getting a good night's sleep is very important and increasingly difficult to accomplish in today's distraction-laden world. Sleep deprivation has become so prevalent that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls it a public health epidemic.
Part of the problem with sleep is that for decades we have considered sleep an unproductive part of our day, when from a physiological standpoint it is the most important part of our day. As self care advocates let’s change the paradigm of people bragging about how little they sleep to boasting about getting a full 8 hours a night of quality sleep. We know that getting 8 hours of sleep each night has a long list of benefits, including helping you maintain a healthy weight, feel energized, concentrate more easily and protect your long-term health. Insufficient sleep, on the contrary, has devastating consequences. It causes a host of illnesses, compromises health and safety, productivity and quality of life.
According to the Mayo Clinic, the first thing people should do to improve sleep is stick to a regular schedule. "Being consistent reinforces your body's sleep-wake cycle and helps promote better sleep at night”. For more information and tips to a better night’s sleep, see Sweet Dream Are Made Of…
I recently became aware of an excellent book, “Why We Sleep”, by Dr. Matthew Walker professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of California, Berkley. Dr.Walker has made it abundantly clear that sleep is one of the most important but least understood aspects of our life. Until very recently, science had no answer to the question of why we sleep, or what good it served, or why we suffer such devastating health consequences when it is absent. As he points out, lack of sleep will prevent your brain from making new memories. It will also lead to a build of a toxic protein in the brain, beta-amyloid which has been associated with Alzheimer’s Disease. The lack of sleep effects the body in many ways. The link between poor or inadequate sleep and cancer is so strong that recently the World Health Organization classifies any night-time shift work as a possible carcinogen. One poor night’s sleep can reduce your body’s immune function as much as 60 to 70%. We also know that lack of sleep effects our cardiovascular system. It is during deep sleep that our heart rates and blood pressure go down and as Dr. Walker explains, provides a natural blood pressure medication that reboots our cardiovascular system. If you are getting six hours of sleep or less, you have 200 times increase in having a fatal heart attack or stoke during your lifetime.
One illuminating concept that Dr. Walker talks about is: What is the recycle rate of a human being? In other words, how long can we last without sleep before we start to see declines in brain function or impairments within our bodies? It seems to be about 16 hours. Once we get past 16 hours, research shows that’s when we see mental and physiological deterioration in the body. Take look at Dr. Walker’s informative five minute video, “Why We Sleep”.
As Nikken consultants and part of our International Wellness Community we can be of service to the millions and millions of people that struggle with sleep deficiency. We can educate on the importance of sleep and share solutions we have in our Nikken Kenko Sleep System and Kenko Sleep Products. As a go-to sleep resource, we want to help everyone get a quality night’s sleep and Be Healthy by Choice.
Quality Sleep and the Wellness Home
This year's theme “Begin with Sleep” highlights the importance of good sleep health for individuals to best achieve their personal, family, and professional goals.
"Sleep’s the only medicine that gives ease.” Sophocles
Quality Sleep is a foundational component of the Nikken Wellness Home.
Coincidentally as I write this blog the National Sleep Foundation in celebrating its annual Sleep Awareness Week, March 11 to 17,2018. This year's theme “Begin with Sleep” highlights the importance of good sleep health for individuals to best achieve their personal, family, and professional goals. Today, March 16th, is World Sleep Day. Its goal is to celebrate the benefits of good and healthy sleep and to draw society's attention to the burden of poor sleep.
We have previously blogged about sleep and its importance to our health. Sleep is the single activity that we spend the most time doing in our lifetimes. We spend one-third of our lives asleep and for good reason. William C. Dement, M.D., Ph.D., Stanford University, is one of the world's leading authorities on sleep. He is sometimes referred to as the father of sleep medicine. To quote Dr. Dement, “Healthy sleep has been empirically proven to be the most single important determinant on predicting longevity, more important than diet, exercise and heredity.” Matthew Walker, a professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of California, Berkeley agrees, "I used to suggest that sleep is the third pillar of good health, along with diet and exercise, but I don't agree with that anymore. Sleep is the single most effective thing you can do to reset your brain and body for health."
We need sleep to be heathy, happy and productive. Without it we suffer consequences both physically and mentally. Sleep is the most important determinant to being healthy by choice, so, choose to get enough quality sleep. Sleep Matters.
Sleep is not only about how many hours we sleep, but more importantly about quality of sleep that we are receiving. A significant component of sleep quality is dependent on our sleep environment. For that reason, the foundation of the Nikken Wellness Home and our personal choice, is the Nikken Kenko Sleep System. It uses natural materials and simple principles to create Adaptive Sleep Technology. This includes, self-regulating temperature control, advanced magnetic technology and passive massage to provide a natural, relaxing sleep environment to for a deep restful, rejuvenating sleep.
Naturest® Mattress Topper
The system includes three main components, the Nikken Naturest® Mattress Topper with a KenkoDream™ Comforter and the Kenko Naturest® Custom Pillow. Each component contains advanced technology and materials to improve sleep quality. The Nikken Naturest® Mattress Topper features a design that has no springs. Its construction forms itself to body contours. This prevents the formation of pressure points (feeling to heavy in one spot that often precipitates tossing and turning) that can interrupt sleep and prevents us from attaining optimal rest. The natural latex foundation is firm yet comfortable, and resists sagging. This support system combines advanced scientific technology and natural materials in a design that promotes healthy and refreshing sleep. An impressive merger of two very different design principles, Naturest features advanced sleep innovations, including a revolutionary new design in magnetic technology, seen nowhere else — and traditional materials that are not only environmentally responsible but help you sleep soundly and wake feeling refreshed and energized. After trying the Kenko Naturest Mattress Topper, you’ll never want to sleep without it.
Kenko Dream Comforter
A perfect balance of comfort for all climates, the Kenko Dream® Comforter combines revolutionary technology and the finest materials allow better rest. Ceramic-reflecting fibers help regulate temperatures to keep you warm or cool and is designed for all-season use. Chitocotton, another innovation, contains chitosan to help fibers retain a clean, fresh scent. A magnetic layer completes the cocoon effect with ceramic-reflective fibers that help to release heat and maintain a comfortable temperature. The breathable cover provides ventilation and releases excess heat for comfort and is finished in an elegant, satiny weave that dresses up your bed.
Kenko Naturest® Custom Pillow
Inside the Kenko Naturest® Custom Pillow is a special filler of rolled natural latex. It’s designed so that you remove or replace filler to achieve the desired degree of firmness —your personal perfect fit. The latex is especially resilient, so it resists being compressed flat, unlike a down or foam pillow. A head and neck insert helps provide correct spinal alignment. The pillow cover is a natural, breathable cotton blend. Deep within the Custom Pillow is patented DynaFlux® Magnetic Technology, a series of magnets arranged to surround you in a cocoon of magnetism.
Nikken Kenko Sleep products are made in the USA.
Regular sleep on a Kenko Sleep System can contribute to improved learning ability and decision-making abilities, improved memory, alertness and increased mental acuity. Quality sleep supports physical health including improved immune system function, better ability to resist premature aging, increased ability to resist stress, and better-regulated hormone production that can help prevent weight gain or obesity.
Sleep Matters and is a vital component of every Wellness Home. Get at least 7.5 to 9 hours of quality sleep per night with the Nikken Kenko Sleep System and BE HEALTHY BY CHOICE, NOT BY CHANCE.
Sleep for Better Health
Stop doing other activities so you get the sleep you need. I realize that this is not easy for many of us, but give it a try and you will see that with more and better quality of sleep your mood, effectiveness and productivity will improve.
Sleep for Better Health
“Sleep is that golden chain that ties health and our bodies together”
Like many others, getting enough sleep and good quality sleep was one issue that was very difficult for me through much of my adult life. My sleep was often interrupted with thoughts, projects or just that flood of ideas that ran through my head preventing me from going to sleep. Once asleep, (if I really was?), I would wake up every few hours and look at the clock. Doze and look at the clock became what I considered to be a normal sleep pattern for me. From a personal standpoint, my perception of sleep was that it seemed like a waste of valuable time. A non-productive part of my day. Not until my mid-40’s did I take heed of what I knew about sleep to be healthy by choice.
In our fast paced, highly productive lives, we often sacrifice sleep for other activities. This is due in part to this perception of sleep as a non-productive endeavor, when from a physiological and health standpoint it is the most productive time of our day. Work that must be completed, a project that just must be finished, studying for that mid-term, getting up an hour early to exercise or miss that rush hour traffic on the way to work are a few of many reasons we rationalize not sleeping but for the most part it is our perception of sleep. Sleep is anything but a waste of time. While many people think of sleeping as the body “shutting off” until morning, nodding off activates an organized, complex process to help you feel rested and healthy the next day.
Until the 1950s, most people thought of sleep as a passive, dormant part of our daily lives. William C. Dement, M.D., Ph.D., Stanford University, is the world's leading authority on sleep. For this pioneering work in a previously uncharted field, he is sometimes referred to as the father of sleep medicine. To quote Dr. Dement, “Healthy sleep has been empirically proven to be the most single important determinant on predicting longevity, more important than diet, exercise and heredity.”
"I used to suggest that sleep is the third pillar of good health, along with diet and exercise," says Matthew Walker, a professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of California, Berkeley. "But I don't agree with that anymore. Sleep is the single most effective thing you can do to reset your brain and body for health."
In a 2015 CNN documentary Sleep with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, he states, “If you have an extra hour in the day to exercise, you would be well advised to use that hour for sleep, as it will provide more health benefits.”
Given all the scientific evidence to the importance and benefits of a good night’s sleep we are a sleep-sick society, ignorant of the facts of sleep and the price of sleep deficiency.
It is estimated that nearly 70% of American’s do not get adequate sleep. National Institute of Heath research studies on sleep state that the average American gets less than 7 hours of sleep per night. Cognitive performance after less than six hours of sleep is equivalent to getting no sleep for 48 straight hours. Cognitive performance relates to mental processes of perception, memory, judgment, and reasoning.
Sleep Deprivation Statistics from the American Sleep Association:
37% of 20-39 year-olds report short sleep duration
40% of 40-59 year-olds report short sleep duration
35.3% adults report <7 hours of sleep during a typical 24-hour period.
A good read on the importance of sleep and ways to get a better night’s sleep are elucidated in Dr. Dement’s book The Promise of Sleep.
One thing I do and suggest others do is to make sleep a priority. It may sound funny, but schedule sleep like any other daily activity, so put it on your "to-do list" and cross it off every night. Don’t make sleep the thing you do only after everything else is done. Stop doing other activities so you get the sleep you need. I realize that this is not easy for many of us, but give it a try and you will see that with more and better quality of sleep your mood, effectiveness and productivity will improve.
Sleep Matters and getting enough sleep is one way that we all can be healthier, more productive and happier.
Tips for a better night's sleep:
- Stick to a sleep schedule, even on weekends.
- Practice a relaxing bedtime ritual.
- Exercise daily.
- Evaluate your bedroom to ensure ideal temperature, sound and light.
- Beware of hidden sleep stealers, like alcohol and caffeine.
- Turn off electronics before bed. Avoid reading on electronic devices.
- Sleep on a comfortable mattress and pillows.
Healthy Sleep System
Since you spend a third of your life sleeping it is as important to choose healthy bedding as it is you living room couch and matching drapes. . “Most mattresses contain a petroleum-based polyurethane foam and flame retardants that release volatile organic compounds, which can pollute your bedroom air, irritate your respiratory system, and cause skin problems and other allergies,” saysTasha Stoiber, EWG senior scientist. Stoiber’s tips:
Look for natural materials: Choose a mattress that include at least 95 percent organic content, such as cotton, wool, or natural latex.
Avoid fire retardants: Chlorinated Tris, a chemical flame retardant commonly found in mattresses, sleeping mats, pillows, and futons, is a known neurotoxin and carcinogen.
Wash and cover: “When you’re tossing and turning in bed, you can stir up a lot of dust in your mattress that can potentially cause allergy issues. It’s important to frequently launder your bedding, and vacuum your mattress once in a while.” Also, use a mattress cover, preferably one made of tightly-woven, organic cotton, to avoid dust mites.
Steer clear of additives: Mattresses and toppers treated with antimicrobial solutions and added scents can contain hidden carcinogens.
I recommend a visit to our Kenko Sleep Shop for the best in healthy choice sleep.
Sleep is an essential physiological process.
Get 8 hours a night of good quality sleep. It’s one way to be Healthy by Choice.
“Without enough sleep, we all become tall two-year olds”