WIRED FOR HEALTH

How I improved my sleep and health by visiting HealthWalk

By Libby Gill, Business Coach, Brand Strategist and Bestselling Author

Although I pride myself on taking good care of my health, my recent visit to HealthWalk™ gave me quite a wake-up call about my sleeping habits and my health. Marilyn Tam, the co-Visioneer of HealthWalk had invited me to stop by and visit the clinic when I was in the Carlsbad, CA area and I’m so glad I did. During my tour of the leading edge integrated healthcare facility, Dr. Maness offered to take a look at my brain (HealthWalk Brain Technologies™). Who could resist an invitation like that?

After writing for the Healthy Living section of the Dallas Morning News for the past couple of years and completing a book about how our primitive brain prompts us to avoid risk-taking, I was eager to take a peek at the inner workings of my own brain. Assuming Dr. Maness would see my verbal skills, perhaps even my latent literary genius, I was a bit taken back when he said my brain wave pattern showed I was under stress. A lot of stress.

Dr. Maness was right. In the past three months, I’d written a book, launched a website and prepped a product launch. Even when I thought I was sleeping, I was working in my head. The result of this over-activity was actually under-activity in the creative areas of my brain, exactly what I didn’t need.

But Dr. Maness didn’t leave me hanging. He showed me how MindSoul Brain Technologies’ via sound frequencies, biofeedback, natural supplementation can teach me how to manage my own brain to regain the optimal frequencies for mental functions and sleep. He also gave me some very simple, practical advice so I can get started before I came back for more treatments. He told me to get a micro-recorder and keep it next to me in bed. When a pressing thought woke me rather than getting up and writing it down, I could simply record it. No need to turn on the lights, grab a notepad or fire up the laptop. I could capture the thought and get back to sleep easily. I am looking forward to going back to work with him on more lasting ways to de-stress and achieve even greater creativity!

I completed my HealthWalk tour with a very eye opening look at my live blood cells under the microscope (HealthWalk’s Vital Hematology™). The aptly named Dr. Walden, an expert in numerous natural healing modalities, pointed out the healthy cells, but also the bacteria and metals in my bloodstream. After several tests, she recommended some remedies to strengthen my immune system (stress rearing its ugly head again!) and clean out the unhealthy bacteria. I’m happy to say, I’ve continued on my healing path, armed with new information, natural supplements and homeopathic help. Thank you HealthWalk.

I’m also sleeping much more soundly with my new partner beside me. My micro-recorder, that is. And since my new book YOU UNSTUCK: MASTERING THE NEW RULES OF RISK-TAKING IN WORK & LIFE features, ironically, an entire section on what doctors refer to as “sleep hygiene,” I’ve included an excerpt here. I think I’ll re-read it myself!

EXCERPT FROM YOU UNSTUCK

While you may have thought that sleep deprivation is merely a nuisance that keeps you from feeling perky during your workday, think again. In addition to negatively affecting your mood and overall quality of life, sleep deprivation can have serious health consequences, including increasing your risk of obesity.

Although sleep experts have long recognized that serious sleep problems like chronic insomnia, sleep apnea and narcolepsy increase the risk for illness, now they’re discovering that even among people who are generally healthy, a lack of adequate sleep can carry significant risk.

The initial findings suggest that lack of sleep causes serious disruptions in our biological systems. Dr. Sanjay R. Patel of Harvard Medical School led a study involving 82,000 people and found an increased risk of death in those who consistently slept six hours or less per night. (And I’m not even counting accidents caused by falling asleep at the wheel or when operating machinery.)

Like being in a constant state of fight or flight, sleep-deprived people have increased levels of stress hormones in their bodies which appear to keep them on high alert just in order to function. Those hormones increase their risk for stroke, heart attack, high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer.

Newer studies are showing that lack of sleep can even make you fat. A study out of Columbia University links sleep loss and obesity, showing that people who are sleep deprived have problems producing the hormones that regulate appetite.

Sleep experts agree that many people can eliminate insomnia by improving what scientists call “sleep hygiene,” the pattern of behavior that influences how well we sleep each night. Here are some ways to improve your sleep hygiene habits so you can get the zzzz’s you need.

If you’re overweight, get the pounds down. Excess fat can impair breathing and reduce sleep quality. Conversely, lack of sleep can also affect hormones that regulate feelings of hunger and fullness. Studies show that poor sleepers – male and female - are fatter than good sleepers. Make your bedroom a sleep sanctuary. Use your bed for sleeping and sex only. Get your TV and computer out of the bedroom, and resist the urge to make it an office.

Establish a day/night routine. Go to sleep and get up at the same times every day, even weekends. If you vary by more than 90 minutes, you risk throwing off your entire sleep schedule. Stick with your exercise program, but try to not work out less than three hours before bedtime.

Keep your stress levels down. Pass up pre-bedtime activities that will raise anxiety levels, including stressful work tasks, bill-paying or watching or reading scary material (like the news). If you’re a man, get a partner. If you’re a woman, get earplugs. Studies show that men sleep much more soundly when they’ve got a partner snuggled up beside them in bed. But whether women are wired to be light sleepers so they can care for infants or it’s just a dirty trick of nature that makes men the snorers, women sleep less well with partners than men. Try earplugs, a white noise machine or send him off for a sleep test.

Of course, if I’d known Dr. Maness when I wrote YOU UNSTUCK, you bet I would have included a visit to HealthWalk and the micro-recorder in my list of tips! So do check out HealthWalk if you wish to improve your health, I’m sleeping more soundly and feeling more alert and energetic since I’ve started the living the HealthWalk way. http://www.healthwalk.com

Libby Gill is a business coach, brand strategist and bestselling author. You can sign up for her free newsletter and get the first chapter of YOU UNSTUCK at www.LibbyGill.com.