If you feel refreshed when you wake up on your own (without an alarm clock), you’ve had ‘enough sleep.’ Your body has been able to do the sleep jobs we learned about in Part I. Now, my Common Sense says that since we’re all individuals – your answer to ‘how much is that?’ is likely to be somewhat different from mine. However, since we are all human beings, the differences won’t be really major.

Average Sleep Hours Vary

 Some differences in sleep needs are age-related. Everybody knows that babies need a lot of sleep – newborns may sleep as much as 20 out of the 24 hours. Scientific studies suggest that as children grow up they gradually require less sleep.  Infants may need around 15 hours a day. Older school children probably need only around 10-11 hours a day as an average. And adolescents still need an average of over 9 hours a day.

 The general recommendation for adults is that they should get 7.5-8.5 hours of sleep per night. But, as an average, this is certainly not a good fit for everyone. Sleep experts today suggest that genetics may contribute to some adults needing longer sleep times and others being able to stay healthy with significantly shorter ones.

 Common Sense says to me that sleep needs can be expected to be longer when you are sick or stressed. It may be ‘just a cold’ or a more long-term disease process, the stress of employment demands or a major life change. Your body needs extra time to deal with fighting the intruders and repairing damaged tissues. Your mind needs extra time for recouping the energy depletion caused by stress, and letting non-conscious problem-solving work for you.

 On the other hand, those who are in good health and enjoying a comfortable life style or the elderly who no longer have children at home or participate in regular employment can expect to need less sleep time.

 How to find your ideal hours of sleep. 

 Here’s an easy way to determine how much sleep you need: 

1. Plan for a couple of weeks when you can keep to a regular bedtime.
2. Select a bedtime and stick with it every night. Make it early enough that you know you’ll be able to get up in time for any commitments without an alarm clock.
3. Allow yourself to sleep in as long as you want, awakening without an alarm clock in the morning.
4. After a few days, you will have paid off your sleep debt. As you keep track of how much you sleep each night, you’ll be able to see what the average amount of sleep that you need is.

How to actually get your ideal hours of sleep.

 Now you know how much you need, keep up with it by getting to bed at an appropriate time so you can get up for the next day’s activities. If you have had trouble going to sleep when you get into bed, here are some good tips: 

1. Keep a pretty consistent sleep and wake schedule, even on weekends
2. Make your bedroom a comfortable sleeping area – dark, quiet, comfortable and cool
3. Sleep on a comfortable mattress and pillows
4. Finish eating at least 2-3 hours before bedtime
5. Exercise regularly during the day, but not closer than a few hours before bedtime
6. Avoid caffeine and alcohol products close to bedtime and give up smoking
7. Create a regular, relaxing bedtime routine for an hour or so before you need to be asleep – like soaking in a hot bath or listening to soothing music.
8. Use your bedroom only for sleep and sex – no TV, computer work or reading in bed.
9. Make it a priority. Sleep can’t be the thing you do only after everything else is done.  Make it a personal appointment and stop doing other things so you get the sleep you need.

This is just common sense, after all. Your ideal sleep time is your own natural, personalized medication to help your body heal itself and keep you healthy – physically, mentally, and spiritually.

OK – In your quest for health, sooner or later the topic of sleep comes up. But different people have different takes on it. Either you get too little sleep – or you get too much sleep! You either really need to get 8 hours a day – or eight hours of sleep a day is a colossal waste of time when there are so many thing we need to fit in! What’s the truth? 

Well, since sleep is clearly a natural part of life, Common Sense tells me that if we understand its value better, we’ll be better able to use it in a healthy way.  

So what is the importance of sleep anyway? 

The experts tell us that sleep is a state in which our bodies go into the growth and repair mode. They, like anything else, will wear out or break down without regular maintenance. And they will certainly work better and last longer if you give them a rest now and then.  

Actually, sleep time is when our ‘physical plant’ works on tuning itself up and repairing itself. Muscles, organs, and glands that have been busy responding to the conditions around them all day while you’re awake need time to re-group and prepare for the assault of another day’s activities.

Sleep is for our mental health, too. We spend our all conscious day observing, reacting, thinking, creating, and figuring things out. That takes a lot of energy and gets to be a lot of information to be processed! Your brain needs to replenish its energy stores and organize the day’s experiences. Sleep time allows your non-conscious brain an opportunity to work freely, without your conscious mind’s objections, on all that information, too!

It looks like human bodies do need sleep!  If we don’t give our bodies enough sleep, they will go into a state the experts call ‘sleep deprivation’ and develop deficiency symptoms!

What exactly happens if you don’t get enough sleep?

Here are some symptoms the experts associate with ‘sleep deprivation’:

• Tired during the day  – ever hear of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?!
• Can’t think straight – or even walk straight, sometimes!
• Frequent colds or infections
• Can’t focus on anything – and easily annoyed  
• Weight plateauing  

Lack of sleep can be dangerous

Scientific studies associate some physical and mental dangers that follow those who don’t sleep enough:

• You’re more likely to get into an accident
• You’re more likely to develop health problems like diabetes and heart disease
• Can’t lose weight – your body wants more food for the energy it doesn’t replenish through sleep.
• Can’t cope well – leading to discouragement, depression and substance abuse
• Can’t to pay attention well, react to signals or remember new information

Studies show that too much sleep is associated with some of these problems, too – but more likely as a consequence of them than as a cause. What’s actually caused by too much sleep are things more often seen the as social and spiritual dangers.

•  Others’ lack of trust in you – a reputation for laziness and poor work.
•  Hunger, poverty and social dependence due to not enough time or energy to work.  
•  Isolation due to non-participation.
•  Apathy and stagnation
•  Short-sightedness and lack of preparation for even anticipated events.

It does seem to be pretty common sense that, as human beings, we really do need appropriate amounts of sleep, doesn’t it? We’ll explore just how much is enough in Sleep:  A common sense cure Part II – How much is enough sleep for you?

As a breast-feeding mother, chances are you’ve been hearing all kinds of advice about what to eat and drink – and what not to eat and drink. Here are a few common sense rules to take the mystery out of it and give you the confidence to enjoy a varied diet while you breast feed.

Common sense rule #1

- your baby is drinking 24-48 oz. of fluid a day, so you need to take in that much more water than you need for your own health. It doesn’t take milk to make milk (adult cows make plenty, but don’t drink any!), but it does take liquid. You probably know by now that water, juice, and milk are good sources of fluids. But caffeinated beverages actually deplete your body of water. If you are used to using them, cut down to only one or two glasses a day. As you choose healthier drinks, you will find you no longer crave – or even really like – the caffeine flavor (or artificial energy) so much.

 Your body is pretty good at telling you when you need to drink if you pay attention to it. You’ll probably find that while you are breastfeeding your mouth starts to feel dry. Keep a big mug of water at your ‘breast feeding station’ and start each feeding with a big drink of water. Then have some more during and afterwards as your body suggests. You can drink water or juice between feedings whenever you think of it, too. But stay away from using soft drinks and alcohol on a regular basis – neither of them is healthy for you or the baby.

Common sense rule #2

 - Your baby is taking in 200-500 calories a day, so you need to take in that many more calories than you use yourself. Just remember that it isn’t just calories baby needs, he needs vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, and carbohydrates too. Your body will sacrifice its own health to make good milk for the baby, so keep yourself healthy by learning and practicing good nutrition. It’s often a good idea to keep taking your prenatal vitamins for as long as you breast feed.

Common sense rule #3

 - Whatever is dissolved in your bloodstream will be passed into baby’s milk supply. That means if you eat chocolate, baby will be drinking chocolate metabolites. I used to be able smell it on my babies – it doesn’t smell like chocolate really, but does have a distinctive odor! If you take medication, baby will be getting some drugs too. When I was badly injured and was taking pain medication, my breastfeeding baby got really sleepy! (I had to pump and dump my milk until I could get off the really strong stuff.) If you eat hot, spicy food, baby will be getting some spicy capsasin in his milk, too.

Now, if you have been eating chocolate, spices, and broccoli right through your pregnancy, your baby has been exposed to all those metabolites in its blood supply and will be used to them. They should not give him/her any particular upsets. But if somebody told you to avoid such things while carrying the baby, you haven’t prepared him/her for the things you will want to be eating afterwards. Then s/he may react unfavorably if you decide to indulge yourself once the baby is born! In any case, if baby seems to become gassy or have unusual stools whenever you eat certain foods, you would be well advised to avoid them for at least a few weeks and then try introducing them again in smaller ‘doses.’

And that’s just common sense for a happy and healthy mom and baby breast feeding experience!