• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Sustainable Life & Health

Be the most VIBRANT you!

SEARCH

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Blog
  • Helping Hand
  • Let’s Connect
  • Testimonials
You are here: Home / Archives for sleep

sleep

Why Sleep? Your Adrenals Need a Break

October 29, 2019 by Joni Leave a Comment

tired woman

The “fight or flight” syndrome – you’ve heard of it, right? Accompanied with the image of the saber-toothed tiger dashing after a hunter, getting ready to attack. You often get into this situation, don’t you? In modern times, we’re not literally in that frantic position, but our bodies are often reacting as if we were fighting for our lives. Our adrenal glands, located on top of each kidney, are forced to work overtime in an effort to deal with stress from all sources:  injury, disease, work, family, finances, environment, etc.

What Adrenals Do

It’s hard to imagine these small endocrine glands, essentially the size of a walnut, responsible for the manufacture and secretion of vital hormones such as cortisol, estrogen and testosterone. The cortisol production is crucial for the body to combat stress. Whereas thousands of years ago the stress was a finite amount of time – you either outran the predator or survived or you were eaten – nowadays, stress seems to be a state of being for so many people.

Although not getting along with a boss or missing a bill payment are not life-threatening like the saber-toothed tiger, our bodies react to the stressors in a similar fashion. The body starts to feel unsettled. More and more cortisol is produced because the body believes it needs massive amounts of energy to run for its life. This happens over and over again throughout the day:  getting the kids ready for school and getting yourself ready for work, traffic, spilling coffee on your new suit, your assistant calls in sick and you’ve got to send out 20 packages today, the babysitter is late picking up the kids from school and taking them to soccer practice, your late afternoon meeting runs over and you leave the office late so family dinner becomes you eating leftovers alone. And all this is going to happen again tomorrow!

drawing of adrenal glands

The Warning

Here’s the problem:  chronic stress can overload the adrenal glands to the point of exhaustion. For some, the fatigue will become overwhelming and the adrenals will no longer function properly to provide the energy and resources the body needs on a day-to-day basis. When someone is exhausted, a natural suggestion is to get more sleep. That’s not always easy with adrenal problems because insomnia is a common symptom. There are, however, steps you can take to prepare yourself for sleep, which is certainly one of the best ways to refresh and rejuvenate your body, mind and spirit.

Set a Sleep Routine

For better sleep and to heal your adrenal glands:

  1. Go to bed at the same time every night between 10-10:30pm.
  2. Avoid stimulants such as caffeine and sugar in late afternoon/evening (or remove them completely from your diet to avoid any rollercoaster-like blood sugar surges).
  3. Keep a gratitude journal near your bedside. Every night, list five things for which you are grateful. Remind yourself that even though you may feel fatigued, there are wonderful aspects of your life and many reasons to heal.

How is your energy level throughout the day? Do you wake up feeling tired? Give your adrenals some love and they will love you right back. Take care of yourself, please. I’m here to support you be your most vibrant self! 😉

Filed Under: Body Tagged With: adrenals, hormones, sleep

Why Sleep? Your Adrenals Need a Break

August 8, 2019 by Joni Leave a Comment

sleep

The “fight or flight” syndrome – you’ve heard of it, right? Accompanied with the image of the saber-toothed tiger dashing after a hunter, getting ready to attack. You often get into this situation, don’t you? In modern times, we’re not literally in that frantic position, but our bodies are often reacting as if we were fighting for our lives. Our adrenal glands, located on top of each kidney, are forced to work overtime in an effort to deal with stress from all sources:  injury, disease, work, family, finances, environment, etc.

It’s hard to imagine these small endocrine glands, essentially the size of a walnut, responsible for the manufacture and secretion of vital hormones such as cortisol, estrogen and testosterone. The cortisol production is crucial for the body to combat stress. Whereas thousands of years ago the stress was a finite amount of time – you either outran the predator or survived or you were eaten – nowadays, stress seems to be a state of being for so many people.

Although not getting along with a boss or missing a bill payment are not life-threatening like the saber-toothed tiger, our bodies react to the stressors in a similar fashion. The body starts to feel unsettled. More and more cortisol is produced because the body believes it needs massive amounts of energy to run for its life. This happens over and over again throughout the day:  getting the kids ready for school and getting yourself ready for work, traffic, spilling coffee on your new suit, your assistant calls in sick and you’ve got to send out 20 packages today, the babysitter is late picking up the kids from school and taking them to soccer practice, your late afternoon meeting runs over and you leave the office late so family dinner becomes you eating leftovers alone. And all this is going to happen again tomorrow!

Here’s the problem:  chronic stress can overload the adrenal glands to the point of exhaustion. For some, the fatigue will become overwhelming and the adrenals will no longer function properly to provide the energy and resources the body needs on a day-to-day basis. When someone is exhausted, a natural suggestion is to get more sleep. That’s not always easy with adrenal problems because insomnia is a common symptom. There are, however, steps you can take to prepare yourself for sleep, which is certainly one of the best ways to refresh and rejuvenate your body, mind and spirit.

For better sleep and to heal your adrenal glands:

  1. Go to bed at the same time every night between 10-10:30pm.
  2. Avoid stimulants such as caffeine and sugar in late afternoon/evening (or remove them completely from your diet to avoid any rollercoaster-like blood sugar surges).
  3. Keep a gratitude journal near your bedside. Every night, list five things for which you are grateful. Remind yourself that even though you may feel fatigued, there are wonderful aspects of your life and many reasons to heal.

Your adrenals depend on you to give them a break to reset and rest. Let me know how it goes!

Filed Under: Health Tagged With: adrenals, self care, sleep, stress

Start a Gratitude Practice

December 2, 2014 by Joni Leave a Comment

Attitude of Gratitude

Gratitude. It’s not just for social etiquette.

As tiny humans, from the time we were able to interact with adults, we are taught to say thank you. Thank you is drilled into our heads as a polite thing to say. It’s part of the social norm, the social etiquette of a civilized society. We recite from rote and pay no mind to what it really means to us physiologically.

Recently, the science, yes, I said science, of gratitude has really blossomed. Positive Psychology is a relatively new field in science that looks at how ordinary people can become happier and more fulfilled. Gratitude plays a big role. Doesn’t matter how young, old, sick or tired you are – gratitude helps. Even “Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a Rather Large Amount of Gratitude” (A.A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh).

Benefits of Gratitude

Increases your happiness
Protects you from stress and negativity
Reduces your materialism
Leads to better relationships
Improves sleep quality and duration
Increases immunity

Really want to understand how scientists study the relationship between gratitude and biological responses in our bodies? Watch Dr. Wendy Mendes of the University of California, San Francisco, discuss her research, “Effects of Measured and Manipulated Gratitude on Biomarkers of Health and Aging.” Super interesting and proof positive that gratitude makes you healthier while making your life sweeter!

Barriers to Gratitude

There are barriers to gratitude and they are self-imposed. Before you read further, promise to be candid with yourself and see if there is something you can improve upon in this list.

Thoughtlessness – Ouch! None of us like to feel like we are thoughtless, but when we run the gerbil wheel of life instead of mindfully walking our own path things are forgotten. For example:

• Too busy doing
• Not understanding where true help comes from
• No time to dedicate to others
• Not paying attention to others’ feelings, comments or behaviors

Discontent – Follow me here and ask yourself the question, “How can I share true positive feelings if my mind is cluttered with negative emotions?”

Selfishness – Another ouch! Be honest with yourself and see if you have any of the following habits.

• Disregarding team efforts
• Taking credit on the back of others
• Motivating by personal gain
• Disrupting conversations or meetings
• All day on the phone with no respect for others

Gratitude Practice

Something so simple can garner huge benefits in living a more sustainably healthy and happy life. Living an attitude of gratitude is not difficult, but may feel awkward at first. Remember, as humans, we tend to gravitate to the familiar – whether it is good for us or not. This includes our thoughts. Try these tips to flex that gratitude muscle inside. Dust it off and work it out real good! You will see and feel results. Others will notice it in you too. Once you see and feel the difference, don’t stop. Push through the pull of ‘normal’ and create a vibrant new normal for yourself.

1. Journal – Scientists have found keeping a gratitude list can increase your well-being and significantly increase your happiness. There is data showing daily or even weekly gratitude journaling is helpful. It’s a good practice to take 10 minutes a day to write down things you are grateful for and that bring you joy. They can be big or small as long as you tune into the feelings of gratitude for having them in your life right now.

2. Meditate – Dedicate a few minutes each day to gratitude. If you are new to meditation there are powerful guided meditations centered on gratitude to get you started. This short video by Brother David Steindl-Rast is fabulous as well. Great reminder – watch it and bookmark that baby for future reference!

I have faith in your ability to adopt an attitude of gratitude. My heart swells with gratitude that you are here reading this –  right this very moment. Peace and blessings…

Filed Under: Body, Mind, Spirit Tagged With: featured, gratitude, health, immunity, peace, sleep

Humidifier, Vaporizer or Diffuser. . .

November 20, 2014 by Joni Leave a Comment

Diffuse
Humidifier, Vaporizer or Diffuser…What’s The Difference?

Ready to diffuse your essential oils but not sure where to start?  You’ve probably heard of humidifier and vaporizer, but the word diffuser may be new to you.  There is a difference between the three, so think about them as tools used for different conditions.  Here’s a simple explanation of the differences for your reference, and why you’ll want to make sure you always have a diffuser for essential oils.

The Basics

Humidifiers – vaporize water into the air. Increasing the amount of moisture in any one area.  The ultimate purpose of a humidifier:  To increase humidity by heating water and oils. Using oils with a humidifier can often “break apart” the full benefit you can receive from essential oils due to excess heat. Giving you less than a 100% effect.

Warning: Make sure your humidifier is actually made for the use of essential oils. Some EO’s can eat away at some plastics, and therefore ruin your machine. Be sure your machine is EO friendly.

 

Vaporizers – boil water, releasing moisture and steam into the air.  Any liquid including that of essential oils when added to them will change into a vapor or a gas and be released into the air as a steam. The ultimate purpose of a vaporizer: Is to increase moisture and is used for individual inhaling treatment purposes by heating water and oils. Warning: Make sure you are using a vaporizer that is actually made for the of use essential oils.  Some EO’s can eat away at some plastics, and therefore ruin your machine. Be sure your machine is EO friendly. If your vaporizer is not made for EO’s you can also lose the effectiveness of your oil.

 

Diffusers –  are made up of many forms, shapes & sizes and are used almost solely for the purpose of diffusing EO’s for all types of aromatherapy purposes. This includes, but are not limited to: electric diffusers, ceramic diffusers, lamp rings, etc. Most Electric EO diffusers Lotus Diffuserare designed to vaporize a micro fine mist, dispersing a cold air misting effect, scattering and spreading water molecules combined with EO’s. These very fine water droplets give the EO’s a ride in the air so to speak. Electric diffusers do not create heat to create “steam” to dispense oils. Ultimate Purpose of a Diffuser: Is to disperse essential oils into a large area to create a therapeutic effect on respiratory systems, and aromatic effect in any room.

 Why should I diffuse?

I suppose it was presumptuous to think you already know the why. Maybe you do, but if not, here’s the scoop.

Aromatherapy is the practice of using the natural oils extracted from flowers, bark, stems, leaves, roots or other parts of a plant to enhance psychological and physical well-being.The inhaled aroma from these “essential” oils is widely believed to stimulate brain function. Essential oils can also be absorbed through the skin, where they travel through the bloodstream and can promote whole-body healing. It is used for a variety of applications, including pain relief, mood enhancement and increased cognitive function. And now you know!

What should I diffuse?

I love to experiment and you should too! Here are some we’ve tried…

Diffuse
Here are some blends others have found helpful!

When Cassis or Cinnamon is diffused it can help with fevers, colds, flu, low vitality, chills and will support the digestive system.

Put a few drops of Eucalyptus in a diffuser to ease bronchitis, flu and hay fever.

Frankincense when diffused creates a YUMMY pleasant fragrance, yet at the same time may be beneficial with bronchitis, headaches and pneumonia.

If you’re plagued with headaches, mental exhaustion and depression, Grapefruit is a great pick-me-up.

Diffusing Lavender oil may support the body’s natural defense against airborne sensitivities to the skin and immune system.  It can create a very relaxing atmosphere.

Lemongrass oil diffused can be used for nervousness and as an insect repellant.  It is also great to revive the mind when feeling lethargic and to energize and relieve fatigue.

To promote sleep and feelings of peace, diffuse Marjoram. Can also prove to be beneficial when diffused for asthma, bronchitis, poor circulation, coughs, physical exhaustion, headaches, tension, insomnia, sinusitis, anxiety, nervous tension and stress.

Wild Orange when diffused can assist with colds, flu, nervous tension and relaxing for children at bedtime.

Diffuse Peppermint or Rosemary oil in the room while studying to improve concentration and accuracy.

If you want a calming and relaxing atmosphere, diffuse Ylang Ylang.

Diffuse Purify to clean the air and neutralize foul or stale odors.

To help stop nocturnal teeth grinding, diffuse Calming Blend while sleeping, also to calm overactive or hard-to-manage children.

And of course you can diffuse your favorite oil or blend of oils to enjoy a freshly scented room! Let me know if you have a favorite…

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Body, Mind, Spirit Tagged With: aromatherapy, colds, diffuser, essential oil, essential oils, featured, flu, sleep, stress

Before Footer

Digging Deeper…

Footer

  • Home
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Disclosure

Copyright © 2023 · Wellness Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in