Sleep and the over-loaded nervous system
SLEEP--it's debatable how long we can go without sleep, but one thing for sure is...NOBODY functions well when they have been sleep-deprived.
When accumulated over time, even minimal sleep deprivation can have serious ramifications.
It's estimated that between 50 and 70 million Americans suffer from sleep dysfunction!
We think that is an underestimation. People who are sleep-deprived regularly tend to suffer from heart disease, anxiety, inflammatory disorders, hormone imbalances, metabolic disorder, weight gain, poor memory, thinking, etc. It's during sleep that we heal, recover, and restore.
We have both, at times, suffered from horrible insomnia. Our lives were so overwhelmed with stress that when it came time to shut down/turn off and go to sleep, our nervous system could not get the message. We were stuck in over-drive. We had injured our nervous systems by too many stimuli and could not come out of a 'sympathetic state' (fight or flight). It took a lot of studying and practice to find things to help our injured systems. Creating a healthy sleep hygiene protocol was necessary to heal our systems.
Creating a healthy strategy for restoring optimal sleep patterns...aka 'Sleep hygiene’. - Make sure the room you are sleeping in is completely dark. If that's not possible, wear an eye mask. Light during the night will interrupt our circadian rhythm. This is because if the light hits the retina during sleep, your body will immediately decrease or cease melatonin production. Night lights, street lights coming in through the window, digital alarm clocks, blue light from screens are all familiar nighttime light sources.
We have windows in our room, and it's virtually impossible to get our room completely dark. So we wear eye masks. We have finally found a comfortable, breathable one that we love:
The Manta Sleep Mask Pro
Disclaimer: The links on this page are affiliate links. We make a small commission on each sale from affiliate pages. Every product we sell is one we use ourselves and recommend to all our clients. We have thoroughly vetted each product and company for the highest quality.