Fatigue Causes – Toxic Relationships, Energy Vampires and the “News”

Fatigue is a complex topic. If you are feeling tired all the time you can bet you are under the spell of a combination of fatigue factors. The culprits include but are not limited to: your diet, exercise, finances, work environment, lifestyle and the quality of your relationships. Today I’d like to address just one of these, relationships gone bad.

Do you feel more fatigue around certain people? I do. In fact three chronically fatiguing Continue reading

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Tired all the time?

Boost-energy. Eliminate fatigue and insomnia. How? Sleep.

Tired all the time? Time to learn how to sleep tight all night.

Tired all the time? Time to learn how to sleep tight all night.

There is one major reason why so many of us are tired all the time. Crappy sleep a.k.a. insomnia. This feel-good thief sneaks up on me just like it sneaks up on you. By Friday I am a mess unless I’ve been up to my favorite insomnia-busting 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 it 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.

Three of my favorite sleep inducing resources:

* 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.

* Healing Music: Soothe your mind and body while you sleep with Dr. Weil’s Self-Healing with Sound and Music CD

* 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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Insomnia & Fatigue Revisited.

Just got in my copy of Prevention (1-year) Magazine which included some excellent tips on how to overcome insomnia in an article written by Camille Noe Pagan. I am always researching this topic as insomnia is a major contributor to fatigue.

Here goes …

1. Turn all of it off at least one hour before bed. T.V., telephones, blackberries, strawberries, pagers, computers … (click here for tips on how to also turn off arguments, anxieties and stress or here for a great place to vent, let go and move on!)

2. Take a warm shower or bath. Apparently your body temperature goes down after you get out and this drop makes you feel sleepy. Water also washes away the energy, arguments, excitements and attachments accumulated in the day which is why I always bathe at night.

3. Meditate or pray for 10 minutes. Start this a minute at a time. Another opportunity is a 20 minute group visualization/meditation with NightlyHealing.com

4. After 6 p.m. just have one or two glasses of water and do 10 to 20 Kegel Exercises a day. If you are getting up more than a couple times a night you will love how well this duo works!

5. Try a small dose of melatonin. .5 mg 15 minutes before bed. More melatonin isn’t better, in fact and can cause nightmares and depression.

6. Sleep Apnea? Symptoms include poor sleep, snoring and being overweight. Make an appointment to talk to your doc and see if you have this problem. While you wait to get in work at losing some pounds and getting more exercise.

Someone I know and love was recently told he was “obese” and had to lose 50 lbs OR ELSE (continue to suffer from acid reflux, headaches etc.)

He lost the weight and those two conditions have tremendously improved. A couple “bonuses” are less snoring and his sleep apnea has diminished. Who would have thunk?!

7. Sleep on your side. Sleeping on your side vs your back opens up airways so you’ll breathe easier, snore less and wake up feeling more refreshed.

8. Keep pets off your bed! This is tough for me! I usually have a pup and a cat or two snuggling around me and my man. I have to admit they do wake me up a couple times a night and making space for them often leaves me feeling cramped. So …. even though I don’t like the idea of pet free sleeping I may give this a try …

Below are past posts on the topic of fatigue and insomnia. If you have any tips please add them via the “Comments” feature. You never know who will benefit from what you have to share. Thanks! Viveca

* Insomnia & Fatigue. More Lights Out Tips.
* Insomnia. If you can’t beat it LOL at it!
(Psst. The more you fight it the worse it gets.)
* Magnesium & Insomnia & Fatigue. Duh. What was I thinking?
* Nine Tips to Help Moms Overcome Fatigue
* National Sleep Foundation Facts & Stats
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