LIVE PART II: Sleep

Today, I will align myself with cherishing reality, focusing and having fun , so that I have the energy to enthusiastically, LIVE, love, learn and leave a legacy of excellence. LIVE: SLEEP: Maintaining health and functional ability (I don't like the term "fitness") is a matter of rest, exercise and proper nutrition, and it is difficult to say that any ONE of these is THE most important because they are truly part of a whole. However, if you were to push me into a corner and tell me I had to pick one, it would be sleep. That doesn't mean that you can sleep your way to good health to the exclusion of the other two, but without sleep, the other three may not matter much, and in the case of exercise, may actually be detrimental as you are burning the proverbial candle at both ends. Since the invention of the electric light, our natural circadian rhythms have been forever disrupted, and we no longer go to sleep at sundown or shortly after, and then get up at dawn. We are a sleep deprived society and we pay a heavy price for this. Also, we have bought into a work ethic that actually looks down at people who rest "too much" as lazy. The fact is that proper sleep (at the proper time) should be as important on your priority list as any of your other "to do's", in fact probably more than most. Have a negative attitude? Get some sleep! Feeling overwhelmed or depressed, maybe even on anti-depressant medication? Get your sleep pattern in order! (anti-depressants generally try to regulate the neurotransmitters that are out of balance that would naturally be regulated during proper sleep). Having trouble losing weight even though you are dieting and exercising? You guessed it: sleep. Not getting the results from your exercise program you feel you should be getting? Ditto. Without proper sleep almost every thing else you do to improve your health and functional ability may amount to straightening deck chairs on the titanic. Sleep deprivation is also linked to heart disease and cancer. I highly recommend the book: "Lights Out: Sleep, Sugar and Survival"..... Thanks for reading.... and sweet dreams!