Sleeping well -the Key to a Long Life
By admin on 2015-01-16

ABOUT one third of our life is spent sleeping with our head on the pillow. Sleep and good health is a life-long companion. Traditional Chinese medicine constantly stresses the scientific nature of sleep. "Sleep and eating are the keys to preserving health." "Those who sleep well can eat well and live long." After five years of investigation and study of 7,000 people, two American scientists reached the conclusion that there are seven factors that influence life expectancy, and one of these is good sleep. What can be called good sleep? There are 11 points:

1. Getting up and going to bed should be regular. Based on the theory that "heaven is interrelated with humans," traditional Chinese medicine maintains that we should arrange our life in regular patterns according to the different seasons. For example, in the spring "go to sleep late, arise early and take a walk in the yard. " In the summer, "go to sleep late, arise early and you'll not feel weary during the day." In the autumn "go to sleep early, arise early together with the rooster." And in the winter "go to sleep early, arise late with the sun." That is to say, in spring and summer sleep can be shortened; while in autumn and winter sleep can be more. In short, changing your time for sleep casually now and then is likely to disturb the life system and damage your spirit, causing either poor sleep or an addiction to too much sleep. Elderly people especially should work and rest according to the rhythm of their biological clock, which is difficult to change.

2. Sleeping time. This varies from person to person and from time to time. Therefore, no uniformity should be imposed. Eight hours is the usual average. People of different ages need different times, however. For example, babies under one need 14 to 18 hours; a juvenile between 7 and 15 needs 10 hours; an adult needs 8 hours; people 60 to 70 need 7 to 8 hours, those 70 to 80 need 6 to 7 hours, and those 80 to 90 need 9 to 10 hours. The Research Center for Sleep Studies of Stanford University found that sleep is related to many factors such as the periodic fluctuations of body temperature, the state of one's health, the intensity of work, nutrition, and work conditions (factors such as high temperatures and noise). When your health is not good, you need more sleep than usual.
Sleep time is also related to one's character. A lively, san?guine disposition usually does not need 8 hours sleep, while a quiet, sentimental character needs 9 to 10 hours.
Of course, good sleep depends not only on the length of time, but on the quality of the sleep. The criterion for good sleep is that it should recover one's spirit and physical strength. As long as you get rid of fatigue, are comfortable, think clearly and are energetic and competent in the work of the day, it is sufficient sleep no matter how little you had.

3. The environment for sleep. Air conditioners are an important factor in improving the sleep environment, but people have become aware of their deficiencies. Traditional ways of
keeping the air in the bedroom fresh are still not out-of-date. Open your window in the daytime to bring in plenty of oxygen. In temperate seasons such as spring, summer and autumn, you can sleep with the window open, though the breeze should not blow directly on your face, for it is cooler than the room temperature. In badly ventilated rooms in the cities, the carbon dioxide in the air is as high as 30 times more than in the countryside. Sleeping in such a condition is likely to give nightmares and when awakening headache and a feeling of dizziness and weakness.

If the room is not ventilated, there is likely to be a big difference between in-room and out-of-room temperatures and this might cause colds. In the winter, open a small transom to ensure air circulation. Room temperature should be kept be?tween 18° C and 20° C. Too warm or too cold will influence sleep; so will a strong light, noise, unpleasant neighbors, etc., while a quiet, clean and comfortable environment makes it easier to fall asleep. If there is noise, do as Tao Yuanming, an ancient Chinese poet, said, "Living in a noisy town, you won't feel it if you don't care."

4. Sleeping position. Many people do not care about this. But if your position is not correct, it may not only affect your sleep but harm your health. For instance, some people like to sleep on their stomach, but they never thought that such a posi tion presses their chest and stomach, hinders breathing and de creases vital capacity. It also presses the heart and interferes with its functions. Some people like to sleep on their left side,
but this also presses their heart and sometimes causes nightmares. Some people like to sleep on the back, unconsciously putting their hands on their chest, stretching the legs out. This can stretch the muscles too tightly and disturb rest. The right posture for good sleep should be to lie on your right side. Bend the legs slightly, relax the body, put one hand with arm bend before your pillow, the other on your thigh. The backbone is bow-shaped, the legs and arms can move easily and the muscles of the whole body are relaxed. This helps muscle tissues get enough rest and removes fatigue. Meanwhile, sleeping on your right side puts your heart in a high position, helping it to drain blood and release its burden. The liver can obtain more blood, for it is in a low position. It also helps the stomach move food to the duodenum. A lot of old people sum this all up with "Sit like sitting, sleep like sleeping, go to sleep like the crescent moon." This makes sense.

5. What you sleep with. First, the height of the pillow should be moderate. There is a saying, "Shake up the pillow and have a good sleep," but shake the pillow doesn't mean that the higher it is, the better. Usually 8 to 15 cm is preferred because your head can bend a little forward, your neck muscles can be fully relaxed, breathing can be free, and the blood sup?ply to the brain normal. The pillow should be neither too hard nor too soft, and should have some elasticity.

The medical pillow should be mentioned. In ancient times, those who wanted to preserve good health liked to use a medical pillow. This not only made sleep comfortable but pre?vented and cured disease, for instance, people with hyperten?sion used a pillow filled with mung bean or silkworm residue. This has an anti-pyretic effect, gives clear sight and can elimi?nate headache. Those with neurasthenia used a "pillow with mgnetite."

Second, the bed should not be too hard or too soft, for a hard bed cannot meet the needs of the curved body and can cause reflected pressure on the cervical vertebrae. If the bed is too soft, the middle part of the body will sink, curving the trunk and adding a burden to the ligaments and joints of the cervical vertebrae. A wooden bed with strung crisscrossed coir ropes is soft and springy, yet retains enough hardness.

If you are accustomed to sleep naked, you should wear soft, loose pajamas instead of close-fitting underwear, thus allowing the blood of the skin to circulate properly.

6. Good sleep first of all requires that you relax the heart. "First relax the heart" means that before falling asleep your nerves should not be excited. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that people fall asleep easily when mentally quiet. If you are excited, nervous or too concentrated on something, it is difficult to fall asleep. Therefore, before going to bed you should not read books or magazines, especially literature and art, for they can make thoughts throng your mind and you become anxious. You should not talk volubly with your friends in order not to become excited, anxious or vexed. In short, "only when the masculine air enters the feminine side can you get to sleep," only after your heart is relaxed. Before you sleep, dispel distracting thoughts and put your mind on sleep.

7. Cultivate good sleep habits. Before going to sleep, brushing your teeth and washing your feet is a good habit. Washing your feet in warm water not only cleans them but is a good stimulus to your mind. Drinking alcohol, tea or coffee, eating chocolate or smoking are not good habits. When in bed, do not tuck your head under the blanket.

8. Diet moderately. Traditional Chinese medicine thinks that "if the stomach is not comfortable, sleep is not peaceful. " If you eat too much before going to sleep, your stomach and intestines will have too much to do. Yet if you go to sleep too late, you may not fall asleep because of hunger.

9. Don't sleep too much. Traditional Chinese medicine holds that "sleeping too much hurts the vital energy" and influences its flow, possibly leading to dizziness, weakness of the limbs and a jaded appetite.

10. Work and rest moderately. Violent sports, physical labor or intense mental work excites the nerves. So before going to sleep do not overwork. But "fatigue is the best sleeping
pill. " If you work or study hard during the day, tiredness in the evening will make it easy to fall asleep. After retirement, elderly people usually do less mental and physical work, and therefore are not able to work and rest moderately, which leads to restless sleep. To compensate, do some work during the day, or take a 30-minute walk before going to bed.

11. Treat insomnia actively. Insomnia is a bitter thing. When night falls, heavyheartedness and worry comes. The more one worries, the more difficult it is to fall asleep. This becomes a vicious circle. To treat insomnia, first try to find the real cause. If it is because of habits bad for sleep, such as drinking strong tea or playing cards or chess before bedtime, change it. If it is caused by the sleep environment, such as temperature too high or too low, change these factors too. If it is caused by disease, for example neurasthenia, get proper treatment. Do not neglect insomnia.