Fatigue … so often the root cause of fatigue is traced back to something as simple as poor nutrition and sleeping habits. I use the word “habit” because whatever we do regularly, be it calling a cup of coffee “breakfast” or staying up late to catch another CSI show, becomes a habit. Habits are so easily formed – just twenty-something days – and so so hard to break. Don’t even try, simply form news ones to take their place. May I suggest …
New Fatigue Busting Habit – Feed your tired adrenals the “good stuff.”
It is time to get into seasonal fruit and veggie shopping. Fresh produce tastes better, will improve your appetite and entice you to eat more and eat healthier. Stock up this weekend at your local Farmer’s Market, and then join in our Monday Fruit and Veggie Day.
July’s produce bounty includes:
* Fruit: apricots, blackberries, blueberries, cantaloupe, cherries, honeydew melons, limes, nectarines, peaches, plums, strawberries and watermelons.
* Vegetables: corn, cucumbers, lettuce and radishes.
Source: Buy Ketchup in May and Fly at Noon: A Guide to the Best Time to Buy This, Do That and Go There
New Fatigue Busting Habit – Sleep tight.
7 fool-proof ways to get the sleep you need to stop feeling tired and wired.
There is one major reason why so many of us are tired all the time, sleep deprivation. Sometimes it’s because we allow ourselves to turn into zombies in front of the boob tube. Other times a metabolic imbalance can trigger insomnia. Ah, I know this one too well. Here are my favorite insomnia-busting tools and tricks …
1. The 10:00 p.m. bedtime hour. It is critical that people with fatigue and sleep problem be in bed and well on their way towards sleep by 10:00 p.m. Why? There is a dreaded adrenal gland “second wind” that kicks 
in around 11:00 p.m. and launches an exhausting two to three hour cycle of insomnia. Let me say this another way so you really get it.
If you don’t want to toss and turn and huff and puff in frustration until 1:00 or 2:00 a.m. you must be sound asleep before 11:00 p.m.
2. The 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. snooze. This may seem like the impossible dream. Start with a Saturday or Sunday. Then make it every Saturday and Sunday. Make deals with your spouse, friend, neighbor …
According to Dr. James Wilson, author, Adrenal Fatigue The 21st Century Stress Syndrome, “There is something magical about the restorative power of sleep between 7:00-9:00 in the morning for people with adrenal fatigue.” Sometimes I’ll get up early – do what I need to do – and go back to bed during this time. As often as possible I’ll sleep in on weekends to tap into this magic.
3. The 2:00 p.m. Power Nap. According to Dr. Lynn Hasher this is not luxury, it is the “best time of the day” to take a break and refresh our bodies and our brains so that we can be incredibly productive for the rest of the day. (Tell that to your boss and co-workers.) So, go to your car, close the door to your office — do whatever you need to do and slip a power nap into your day.
Psst. This is my problem-solving time of the day. I put out a question or request to my angels, shut my eyes and wake up fifteen minutes later with a solution. Amazing.
4. The sleep inducing power of Magnesium. I was listening to a radio show years ago and the topic was insomnia. The guest was Dr. Anne Louise Gittleman
5. Inspirational Books: Always end your day, in bed with an inspirational book chapter (not a murder mystery thriller.)
For topics oriented to love and relationship please visit the Get Ready For Love Booklist. For mind/body health and inspiration there is the Fatigue Be Gone Reading Room.
6. Healing Music: Soothe your mind and body while you sleep with Dr. Weil’s Self-Healing with Sound and Music CD
7. Experiment with your sleeping “arrangements.” Do what you need to do. Rearrange your bedroom. Change your sheets. Get rid of any and all sleep obstacles even if doing so makes you feel mean and unloving. In the past three years I’ve gone from a husband, a dog and a bird to the same husband, six dogs, 3 cats and a bird. My bed has become a tad crowded.
Could that be contributing to recent spats of insomnia? Last night I ran an experiment and kicked all the cats and dogs OFF the bed. I didn’t kick off my husband but he kindly took his hacking cough into anther bedroom. Anyway … I slept and slept and slept and woke up this morning like the happy woman in the Ambian commercials minus the side affects or potential health problems.
So my friend, give this a whirl over the weekend and drop me a note on Monday. I’d love to hear how it works (or doesn’t) for you.
Cheers!
Viveca
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I’ll comment on my own post!
Yes, kicking all the animals off the bed has been good for my sleep! (I’ll have to ask them if they are sleeping better now that they’re in their own beds. Maybe Michael and I were keeping them up!)
Lucy Lou my beagle/Chi/Min Pin Mix does have a way of sneaking on the bed sometime in the wee hours but that’s o.k. since I am down for the count. In the morning everyone piles on to say hello and that is a GREAT way to wake up!
Cheers! Viveca
Wonderful article! I’ve run across information about sleeping before 10 (something to do with circadian rhythm and cortisol cycles) and taking magnesium, but I’d forgotten that information until now. These are all great suggestions – thank you for posting them.