Sleep Tip #1

I'm a sucker for sleep tips. Because I am such a sleep obsessive, I'm always on the look out for concise lists telling me how I can get better sleep. Here's one I just found from the Mayo Clinic. It is a list of 7 things that you can do to improve the quality of your sleep, thereby improving the quality of your life.

The first sleep tip is particularly difficult for me though when I am able to do it -- stick to a sleep schedule even on weekends and holidays -- everything works out better. I'm more productive, in a better mood all day long, and generally just much happier. I have learned to do what this tip suggests, if I don't fall asleep fairly quickly (within 10 to 15 minutes of going to bed) I get up and do something else. Most of all I don't worry about it like I used to do. Like the article says, if you "agonize" over falling asleep (and what sleep obsessive worthy of the name hasn't don’t that), it will take much longer and more effort to do something that frankly should happen pretty naturally.

Writing in my journal is particularly effective, especially when I know there are things that I haven't "processed" during the day that are keeping me awake. Reading a fast paced, interesting novel is also really good because it makes me sleepy pretty fast.

What is your favorite thing to do when you can't sleep?

Cure for a Stiff Neck

Lately I have been suffering from a very stiff neck. I don't know why, maybe I'm spending too much time hunched over my computer, or it's stress from thinking I have to carry the weight of the world on my shoulders, or maybe I need a better pillow or to do more yoga or . . . well who knows what it's caused by.

One of the best remedies I've tried is the neck wrap by Bucky that you heat in the microwave. It's filled with buckwheat hulls and the warmth of the wrap immediately penetrates and soothes my tired, stiff neck. It's nothing short of heavenly.

Sleep Poems

Thought it would be fun to look for poems by famous poets on the topic of sleep. Here's one I especially liked.

A long, long sleep, a famous sleep
That makes no show for morn
By stretch of limb or stir of lid,
An independent one.

Was ever idleness like this?
Upon a bank of stone
To bask the centuries away
Nor once look up for noon?

Emily Dickinson

When Light Keeps You Awake (aka "When it's Better to be Kept in the Dark!")

Light is often a bigger problem than people realize when they're trying to fall asleep. Even the dim green or red light from your alarm clock on your bedside table can keep you awake.

So, what should you do? "Limiting your light exposure in the evening tends to transition you into sleep," says Helene Emsellem, M.D., Associate Clinical Professor of Neurology at Georgetown University and Director of the Center for Sleep and Wake Disorders in Chevy Chase, MD. And surrounding yourself in darkness all night helps you stay asleep.

Here are some more tips to keep you in the dark (a good thing when you're trying to sleep!!):

Cover your eyes with an eye mask big enough to cover your eyes completely. Contoured foam masks like Bucky's 40 blinks are ultra lightweight and very comfortable. If you need to block light completely, soft padded masks work best but cost a little more.

Use a low power light instead of a bright bedside lamp if you read in bed before sleeping. Low power lighting encourages your brain's shift to sleep. Clip on lights work particularly well (maybe that's why you feel so tired after flying at night with the little light button on).

Seal off your windows, especially important if your bedroom gets early morning light or if you have a streetlight right outside your window (like I do), with blackout shades or drapes. Heavy wooden plantation style shutters work well too, but cost a bit more.

Up next: Why what you wear to bed matters for how well you sleep

Lack of Sleep may Make you Fat!!

According to Anahed O'Connor in her recent blog article in the New York Times, lack of sleep is associated with weight gain. In a study published this year in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, a small group of men who slept only 4 hours took in more than 500 extra calories (that's 22%) than those who got 8 hours of shut eye.

A 2009 University of Chicago study had similar findings for both men and women. Subjects in this study took in significantly more calories from snacks and carbs after 5 1/2 hours than after 8 1/2 hours of sleep. I don't know about you, but I definitely crave carbohydrate rich foods when I don't sleep well.

O'Connor goes on to say that some studies blame hormones, aruging that decreased sleep creates increased ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates appetite and a decrease in leptin, which signals fullness. However, more study is needed.

The Bottom Line: Don't skimp on sleep and avoid carbs and snacks at bedtime if you don't want to gain weight (and you'll also probably be happier too!!)

Bucky Questions and Answers

There is some useful information on Bucky's website that I thought would be worth sharing. Some people who enjoy Bucky products don't know a lot about how they're made or how eco friendly they are so I thought I'd post an abbreviated version of the FAQ's for your reading pleasure and educational benefit.

Frequently Asked Questions (and Answers) about Bucky's Wonderful Products:

What's inside my Bucky?
Bucky uses only natural grain fillings in its pillows. Your pillow may be filled with whole buckwheat, buckwheat hulls, millet hulls, flax seeds or other botanicals.

Can I microwave my Bucky?
Bucky’s travel, kids, and bed pillows are designed to provide unsurpassed comfort without heating, and can not be microwaved.
Bucky’s spa and gift items, which includes the Neckwrap, Bodywrap, Heartwarmer, HotWaterBottle, Serena, Eyelove and the kids' Woopsise are designed for hot and cold therapy. They contain whole buckwheat seeds, without zippers or metal parts and can be safely microwaved. However, please do not heat the aromatherapy sachets. The essential oils used to scent the sachet can cause the Hottie to burn in the microwave. For best results, tuck the aromatherapy sachet into the Hottie after it is heated.
*Please read and carefully follow all heating/chilling instructions.

Are buckwheat hulls hypo-allergenic?
Yes! Less than .016% of people have a reaction to buckwheat hull pillows. That's 1 in 6000.

How do I clean my Bucky?
Read and carefully follow the care instructions found on packaging or on the care label sewn to the pillow. NEVER wash any grain or grain hull filling.

Does Bucky use buckwheat hulls that are sprayed with pesticides?
Bucky’s buckwheat hulls are pesticide and herbicide free, as these are not needed when farming buckwheat. No chemicals or radiation are used in the cleaning of the hulls.

Why does Bucky use buckwheat hulls?
Buckwheat hulls are lightweight and durable and adjust easily to fit the contours of your body. Their unique triangular shape allows the hulls to lock together to provide firm, even, restful support. Buckwheat hulls allow constant air circulation through the pillow, keeping you cool and dry. Those with allergies to feathers or synthetics will appreciate buckwheat's hypo-allergenic nature. Unlike other pillow fillings, buckwheat hulls (and millet hulls!) do not compress under pressure which reduces stress on your head and neck. Best of all, buckwheat is natural AND environmentally friendly.

Why does Bucky use millet hulls?
Millet is best known as bird seed in America, but this tiny, nutritious grain is eaten daily by many cultures. Milling millet releases the half-spherical hulls from the seed. The hulls are smooth and durable, able to support the weight of your head without losing shape. They're quiet and slightly heat conserving. Like buckwheat, millet is hypo-allergenic. Millet hulls are also rich in silicic acid which, when released through body heat, can soothe muscle pain, stimulate the metabolism and improve the immune system.

Will the fillings break down?
Buckwheat hulls, millet hulls, and flax seeds are durable and will give years of exquisite comfort with normal use of your pillow.

Dim the lights please

It seems like everyday there's something in the news about sleep. Here are some great tips from Monday's San Francisco Chronicle. I especially like the one about avoiding bright light up to 3 hours before going to bed -- that means no more late evening workouts at the gym for me if I want to fall asleep easily.
Stanford's Dr. Clete Kushida, president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, who has worked in the field of sleep research since 1977, offers these tips to a better night's sleep:

Maintain a regular schedule, getting to bed and rising at the same time as consistently as possible each day, selecting the number of hours of sleep that make you feel best, whether it's seven hours or 10.

Use bright light within five minutes of waking, for 30 minutes, to synchronize your internal clock.

Avoid bright light two to three hours before bedtime, which delays sleep onset. If you read, get just enough light to read and avoid halogen.

Avoid remaining in bed if you can't sleep. After 20 minutes, if you can't sleep or fall back asleep, go into another room and do something else until you feel drowsy.

Avoid reading or watching TV in bed (especially thriller novels or action shows) unless it makes you drowsy.

Avoid napping, unless you nap every day at the same time for the same amount of time or you are tired and about to get behind the wheel of a car.Read the whole article here.
To learn more about insomnia, you can read Stanford Professor Dr. Rachel Manber's paper here.