Smarter Sleeping 101

Archive for March, 2008

Recalling one’s dream can sometimes be the most difficult challenge of the day. We often find ourselves getting ready for work, in the shower, or making breakfast in the morning and thinking, ‘I know I had a dream last night, but for the life of me I can’t remember what it was…’

It can be a real pain, and taking SleepSmart will assist you in this regard. With such memory-enhancing ingredients as Vinpocetine, Huperzine, and Bacopa Monnieri, and 5HTP and Valerian which help to potentiate vividness, dream recall has never been easier.

There are many tips and tricks in addition to a memory and dream enhancing supplement to aid dream recall. Outlined below are six helpful hints to help you remember your dreams:

1. Sleep Well: It’s an obvious tip, but getting plenty of sleep is the first step to good dream recall. If you are rested it will be easier to focus on your goal of recalling dreams, and you won’t mind so much taking the time during the night to record your dreams.

2. Repeat After Me…:Before dozing repeat to yourself several times, “I will remember my dreams. I will react in my dreams.” This will cement in your mind the goal of recognizing that you are dreaming and increasing the odds of recalling your dream when you wake.

3. Write It Down: As soon as you wake, be it in the middle of the night or when your alarm goes off in the morning, write down as many of your dreams as you can recall in as great of detail as possible for you. This will not only train your mind to save your dreams in a sort of ‘mental cache’ for easy retrieval when you wake, but will also accustom you to transcribing your dreams. It will become easier and soon you will be able to recall your dreams in greater detail. A general rule would be to make a point of recalling colors, shapes, gender, water, weather and movement. These details are revealing details into the current state for your well-being.

4. Review: Before bed, break out your dream journal and reread previous dreams. This allows you to begin to reconnect with your dream memory. This is also an good opportunity to spot parallels and congruency between your dreams and your waking life.

5. Wake Up Slowly: It is sometimes extremely difficult not to panic/stress/freak out in the morning when our alarm goes off. This is often a direct cause of our inability to recall dreams. Next time you wake, turn off your alarm and lie still. Do not think about the day ahead, but try to concentrate your mind on whatever it was that you were just dreaming about, even if you don’t remember having a dream. The act of trying to remember will help train your mind to have your dreams on the cusp of retention when you wake, so the next time you attempt to recall your dream it will be top of mind.

6. Be Patient: Dream recall is a mental muscle which may require some time to get back into shape. SleepSmart will help you train this muscle and boost your memory processes (consolidation, sorting, and storing) to aid int he dream recall process, but the key here is not to try too hard. Do not take dream recall too seriously or risk straining yourself. The last thing we want is a forgotten dream and a migraine to boot. Relax and calmly retrace your dream steps as much as you can. The more often you do this, the farther you’ll go.

Rest Well. SleepSmart!

Time for another list of our Sleep Tips of the Week. This week we take a look at some tips to help you sleep smarter. A natural and organic way to optimize your sleep (in addition to taking SleepSmart, of course!) See below and have a restful weekend!

1. Reduce Screen Time Before Bed
A recent study shows people who consume electronic media just before bedtime report lower-quality sleep even when they get as much sleep as those who do not. The light penetrating the body stimulates the brain and slows the production of Melatonin, the hormone produced to help you fall asleep. Stop watching TV, checking Email, or looking at any other LED backlit screen an hour before bed to combat this issue.

2. Exercise to Enhance Sleep
Exercise at least 20-40 minutes each day. This provides immeasurable health benefits overall in addition to a better night’s rest. However, refrain from exercising at night as much as possible. The National Sleep Foundation reports that exercise in the afternoon can help deepen sleep and cut down on sleep latency. But, they caution, vigorous exercise leading up to bedtime can actually have the reverse effects. A 2003 study found that a morning fitness regime was key to a better snooze. Researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center concluded that postmenopausal women who exercised 30 minutes every morning had less trouble falling asleep than those who were less active. The women who worked out in the evening hours saw little or no improvement in their sleep patterns.

3. Eat Healthy, Eat Wisely
Some foods are more conducive to a better night’s sleep than others. Foods such as warm milk, chamomile tea and turkey, bananas, potatoes, oatmeal and whole-wheat bread are all helpful. Warm milk and turkey contain Tryptophan, a key ingredient in the SleepSmart complex (as 5HTP).

4. The Dreaded Alarm
A major reason why many of us are not morning people is due to those annoying, obnoxious alarm clocks that rip us out of a peaceful slumber with a loud BEEP BEEP BEEP. Well until the Glo-Pillow hits retail markets, I suggest either a dual alarm clock (explained below), or an alarm that wakes you up slowly, with light, smell, and sound. Check out the Peacefull Progression Wakeup Clock.

Dual Alarm Clock: (from Lifehacker) Put one alarm clock on your nightstand, the other across the room and make sure they’re in sync. Set the alarm clock on your nightstand to go off at, let’s say, 6:30 a.m., if that is when you need to get up. I set that one to use the radio, and make sure it is loud enough to wake me up, but not too loud (I don’t want to wake my wife on purpose). The second alarm clock on the dresser is set to go off exactly one minute later, but using that dreadful buzzer. So, when my alarm goes off in the morning, it doesn’t startle me like the buzzer. Then, I know I have about 60 seconds to get up and turn the other one off before I hear a buzzing sound. At that point, I am out of bed, and no buzzer.

5. Solve Problems in Your Sleep
Wrestling with a tough decision, stuck in a creative rut or having a hard time solving a complex problem? Studies show that a little shut-eye can help you tackle problems and make tough decisions.

6. Beat Insomnia with Visualization
There’s nothing worse than laying awake throughout the night, watching the clock tick away seconds knowing you’ll be a zombie the next day. When insomnia’s kicking your sleepy butt, use a self-directed meditative visualization technique to quiet the whir of a racing mind.

Each week we will be outlining the benefits and potential side effects of an ingredient included int he SleepSmart complex. These entries will be taken from a credible source to ensure validity. This is solely for the benefit of our customers to learn more about what SleepSmart is and if it is right for them. This week’s Supplement Fact covers Valerian, a key ingredient in the SleepSmart complex.

From Web MD

What is valerian?

Valerian is an herb that people have used for centuries for anxiety and as a sleep aid. It is also used to ease menstrual and stomach cramps. It comes from the root of the valerian plant, found in areas of North America, Europe, and Asia. Of the more than 200 known species of valerian, the Eurasian variety V. officinalis is the one people use most often as medicine. Valerian root is known for smelling like sweaty socks.

Valerian is sold as a dietary supplement and is available as an extract in powder or liquid form, as a dried herb in tea form, or in pills. As a sleep aid, valerian is most effective if you take it shortly before bedtime. For anxiety, you may take a dose 3 times or more during the day, including before bedtime.

People often use valerian in combination with other herbs, including St. John’s wort, passionflower, lemon balm, kava, and hops.

Valerian does not interfere with sleep cycles or with restful REM sleep.

What is valerian root used for?

People use valerian to relieve anxiety, depression, and poor sleep, and also to ease menstrual and stomach cramps. Research shows valerian has a mild calming effect that does not usually result in sleepiness the next day. As a sleep aid, valerian seems to be most effective for people who have trouble falling asleep and who consider themselves to be poor sleepers. It also has had good results for people who wake up during the night. Some studies show that valerian may provide quick relief for poor sleep; however, it may take 2 to 4 weeks of daily use to bring improved sleep for people with serious insomnia.

Is valerian root safe?

Side effects from valerian are rare but can include mild headache or stomach upset, abnormal heartbeats, and insomnia. Because of valerian’s calming effect, you should not take it at the same time as other calming medicines or antidepressants (or do so only under medical supervision). You also should not take valerian if you will be driving or need to be alert.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not regulate dietary supplements in the same way it regulates medication. A dietary supplement can be sold with limited or no research on how well it works.

Always tell your doctor if you are using a dietary supplement or if you are thinking about combining a dietary supplement with your conventional medical treatment. It may not be safe to forgo your conventional medical treatment and rely only on a dietary supplement. This is especially important for women who are pregnant or breast-feeding.

For more on Valerian - click here.

I’d like to start a new series called ‘Insomnia Stories.’ Each week I will post a story regarding an experience with acute or chronic insomnia. Many of us have stories we want to share about what keeps us up at night and how we’ve conquered it (or rather seeking advice on how to conquer it). If you would like to share your story on the Smarter Sleeping 101 blog, please email me at patrick@smartersleeping.com. Our first story comes from the fountainside blog:

“Based on everyone’s advice, I was really strategic about my bedtime last night. Comfy clothes, no TV, fluffy yet not too enthralling book (The Nanny Diaries) at the ready, a mindset to rest and not fall asleep.

The first half hour was great; I hit the pillow and five minutes later was asleep. According to Sam I was even snoring, which is brilliant (for me, obviously not for him).

Enter our neighbour’s muffler.

Words cannot describe how much I hate our neighbour’s beat-up old car. I dream about smashing in its windows and letting out its tires. This car not only causes its fair share of air pollution but makes a horrific, earth-shattering noise when it revs, like a succession of lawnmowers amplified by ten, always at odd hours of the night.”

Please continue with reading the rest of the story by visiting the fountainside blog here.

The Discovery Health Channel is premiering a new show on dreaming called “In Your Wildest Dreams” on Mar 22, 2008, at 9:00 pm EST. This is the basic summary of the show (click the image for repeat showings):

“Everyone dreams several times a night. Dreams are a very mysterious, yet common everyday experience. Some people remember their dreams, some don’t. Viewers examine their inner universe as dreamers.”

Thanks to The Curious Dreamer blog for the info. The Curious Dreamer is a great resource for dream interpretation and analysis. Check it out!

SleepSmart has been shown to improve dream recall with such memory enhancing supplements as Huperzine A, Bacopa Monnieri, and Vinpocetine. If you are having trouble recalling your dreams, consider trying SleepSmart(tm).