Simple Natural Methods to Refresh Your Mind, Body, and Spirit
Sleep Disorders
Depression (Books)
Happiness Self-Help
Date Published: April 7, 2020
Publisher: Bublish, Incorporated
"[An] incredible self-help book. Highly recommended!" Susan Keefe, The Columbia Review of Books and Film
“Dr. Buddharaju dissects the most complex sleep science into simple practical strategies that can be put to use by anyone!” — Murali Ankem, MD, MBA, Associate Dean School of Medicine at University of Louisville
Did you know that sleep is a key component for a happy life? Research shows us it is. But with all of today’s technology and stresses, many people are getting less sleep or experiencing poorer quality sleep. This can negatively impact mood, concentration, productivity, physical health and, yes, even happiness.
As a practicing physician for more than twenty years, Dr. Venkata Buddharaju (known as Dr. Buddha to his patients) has extensive experience treating patients with sleep problems. And the number of patients he is seeing with sleep disorders is on the rise.
In Better Sleep, Happier Life, Dr. Buddharaju teaches seven simple, practical, and natural methods to help you get better sleep in order to refresh your mind and body. Filled with wisdom from his years of experience as well as simple lifestyle changes, Better Sleep, Happier Life can help you find rest and refreshment in the midst of your busy life…and reap the benefits.
Diet and Sleep
There is strong scientific
data supporting the notion that our sleep patterns and sleep duration influence
our eating behavior. Sleep deficiencies are associated with increased hunger
for high-calorie and high-carbohydrate foods, which may lead to weight gain and
even obesity. Diets that can help sleep initiation and maintenance contain high
amounts of melatonin and serotonin. Diets that reduce serotonin levels can
cause insomnia. American adult obesity rates have increased from 33.7 percent to
39.6 percent over the past decade, according to the CDC. Obesity has been
linked to sleep apnea, heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes. As a doctor,
it is no coincidence to me that obesity rates have skyrocketed at the same time
that we have entered a public health sleep crisis. According to the CDC, one
third of adults fail to get the recommended seven hours of sleep at night. Salivary
production and gastrointestinal motility decrease during sleep. Gastric acid
secretion peaks between 10:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. and decreases in the morning
hours after awaking.
Gastrointestinal motility is lowest during sleep. These normal changes
that take place during sleep delay esophageal acid clearance and prolong acid
contact with esophageal
mucosa in patients with acid reflux. That’s one reason why what
you eat and when you eat it can influence the quality of your sleep.
Sleep-encouraging Recipes and Practices
Blue or black berries, almonds, walnuts, cherries, and kiwifruits
can encourage sleep onset and improve sleep duration and quality. These nuts
and fruits have a high concentration of the amino acid tryptophan, which
converts into sleep-promoting melatonin and serotonin—neurotransmitters that
encourage and improve sleep.
Below are three recipes that can help you ingest more of these
sleep-friendly foods
• Cinnamon Turmeric Lemon Water (CTLW).
Drinking the following recipe has curbed my need for coffee,
improved my sleep, lessened my fatigue, and kept my mind sharp. Heat
approximately one liter of water until it is lukewarm. Add the juice of one
lemon for taste and Vitamin C. Then, lightly sprinkle the beverage with
cinnamon and turmeric powder. Stir until dissolved. Drink this beverage warm on
an empty stomach and be prepared to empty your bladder over the next few hours.
If you suffer from acid reflux, don’t add lemon.
• Cinnamon and Turmeric.
Both of these spices have been on the forefront of eastern diets
for decades. Because of their flavor and health benefits, they are now gaining
popularity in the West as well. Cinnamon has antioxidant properties and can help
lower blood sugars. A 2009 study abstract published in the Journal of Medicinal Food by Jitomir J and Willoughby DS from the
Department of Health, Human Performance Recreation at Baylor University in
Texas showed that supplementation of cassia cinnamon facilitates glucose uptake
into the cells by improving insulin sensitivity and may attenuate insulin
resistance from sleep loss. Turmeric belongs to the ginger family and also has
antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, with curcumin as the most active
compound.
• Soaked Almonds and Walnuts.
The following recipe helped me to eat more nuts, which, as I
mentioned earlier, can help your body create sleep-encouraging chemicals. I
find it easier and tastier to eat soaked nuts rather than dry nuts. Soak a
handful of raw almonds and walnuts in drinking water overnight. The next
morning, remove the skins of the almonds. Then, eat a few almonds and/or
walnuts after or in between drinking the CTLW.
Sleep Inhibiting Habits and Substances
While nuts and fruits can help with sleep, other foods, habits,
and substances can inhibit the onset of sleep and deprive you of quality sleep.
Below is a list of some of the
worst sleep-inhibiting foods, habits, and substances.
Fatty and oily foods.
Eating fatty or oily foods for dinner or close to bedtime is not
conducive to sleep, as your digestive system slows at sunset and can’t handle
these heavier foods. It is advisable to eat easily digestible, plant-based
foods in small quantities in the evening.
Late meals.
Eating within a few hours of bedtime is a bad idea unless you are
diabetic. As our systems slow in the evening, contractions propel waste to the
colon to be eliminated in the morning. Eating close to bedtime interferes with this
process and doesn’t allow the stomach to rest while we sleep.
Caffeine.
Ingesting caffeine in the evening can cause insomnia by
counteracting sleep-inducing adenosine, which accumulates in the brain throughout
the day during the awake state. When consumed close to bedtime, it delays sleep
onset, decreases total sleep time and sleep quality. Caffeine reduces slow wave
sleep (deep sleep). Be cautious about drinking coffee or tea (check the caffeine
content of your tea) close to bedtime. Different people have different levels
of sensitivity to caffeine. Interestingly, increasing caffeine intake over time
can lead to an accumulation of adenosine and begin to encourage sleep during the
wake period—having the opposite effect that most people hope for when they
drink caffeinated beverages. My own experience is that when I cut back or
completely stop drinking caffeine, I sleep longer and deeper and feel more
refreshed in the morning. If you have sleep problems, cut back or stop drinking
coffee—especially in the afternoon, evenings, or close to bedtime.
About the Author
Dr. Venkata Buddharaju (or Dr. Buddha, as his patients call him) is a fellowship-trained physician at the Albany Medical Center in Albany, New York. He is Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine from the American Board of Internal Medicine.
He now teaches and consults at hospital intensive care units and pulmonary units as well as sleep medical practices. He is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) and teaches medical students from UIC, Chicago Medical School and Internal Medicine resident trainees at Weiss Memorial Hospital in Chicago.
He directs the Sleep Disorders Center and Clinic at Thorek Memorial Hospital in Chicago and serves as a Section Chief of Pulmonary & Critical Care at AMITA Health Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center Chicago where he teaches Internal Medicine and Family Practice Residents while working in ICU as an Intensivist. Additionally, he is president of the medical staff at Kindred Chicago Lakeshore and Central hospitals. Dr. Buddharaju has numerous medical-device patents and is working to develop more patient friendly medical devices. Throughout his career, he has conducted clinical research, published his work in various medical journals, and worked to develop and implement high quality patient-care policies. He believes strongly that balancing natural healing practices with traditional medicine is important for the future of effective health care.
For additional resources, visit www.drbuddha.com.
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