So how well did you sleep last night? Did you have problems getting to sleep or did you wake several times during the night? It is believed that one in three adults in the UK suffer from poor or lack of sleep, with stress, modern day lifestyles and televisions in the bedroom often blamed for the lack of quality sleep.
Insomnia itself can take different forms; from finding it difficult to fall asleep, waking up too early and being unable to fall back to sleep again, to waking up frequently or waking up feeling unrefreshed. All or any of these are symptoms of insomnia.
Many side effects of lack of sleep, such as feeling tired and grumpy to not working at your best, are well known. But did you know that sleep deprivation can also have profound consequences for your physical health?
Don’t worry about an occasional night without quality slumber, although you are likely to feel tired and irritable the following day, it will not harm your health.
However after several nights of little or no sleep and the effects both mental and physical become more serious. Your thinking will lose clarity and you will start to experience difficulty in making decisions. Your risk of injury and accidents at home, work and on the road increases.
If allowed to continue, lack of sleep can affect your overall health and make you prone to serious medical conditions such as obesity, heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. The cycle needs to be broken and this is where the Bowen Technique may be able to help you.
It is believed that the Bowen Technique prompts the body to reset, repair and balance itself, providing a simple and effective way to deal with both physical and emotional issues, including insomnia.
A very common and often the first noticed reaction following a Bowen session is that the client feels energised and often reports an immediate improvement in both the quality and quantity of sleep, often when the reason they sought help had nothing to do with their daily energy levels or sleep patterns.
There is also the fact that these improvements are seen without the need of medication, so therefore Bowen therapy could be seen as a more natural approach and something you should consider trying before resorting to taking tablets.
As well a lack of sleep being detrimental to your health, a good night’s sleep can actually boost your health:
1. Sleep boosts your immunity
Prolonged lack of sleep can affect and disrupt your immune system leaving you more susceptible to colds, flu and other illnesses. If you seem to catch everything going, consider getting some extra sleep.
2. Sleep can slim you down – yes really!
Sleeping less can make you weigh more! Studies have shown that people who sleep less than seven hours a day are 30% more likely to be obese than those who get nine hours of sleep or more.
This is because it’s believed that sleep-deprived people have reduced levels of leptin, the chemical that makes you feel full and increased levels of ghrelin, the hunger-stimulating hormone. Therefore lack of sleep can make you prone to overeating.
3. Sleep boosts your mental wellbeing
If you think how just one sleepless night can make you feel – moody, grumpy and irritable, it is not surprising that chronic sleep deprivation may lead to disorders such as depression and anxiety.
4. Sleep can help to prevent diabetes
If you are regularly having less than five hours sleep a night, studies have suggested that this increases your risk of having or developing diabetes.
This is believed to be because missing out on deep sleep may be changing the way the body processes glucose, the high-energy carbohydrate that cells use for fuel and therefore may lead to type 2 diabetes.
5. Sleep increases your sex drive
Research shows that both men and woman who do not get enough quality sleep have lower libidos.
6. Sleep wards off heart disease
There appears to be an association between long term sleep deprivation and an increased heart rate and an increase in your blood pressure.
The value of a good night’s sleep should therefore never be underestimated. Night, night, sleep well……….. and if you don’t, why not call me on 07709 452412 and learn if Bowen therapy could be your answer to a good night’s sleep.
