Lani Lopez - Good night, sleep tight with Chamomile tea

Chamomile tea soothes the anxious beast. Its one of the world's most popular herbal teas. A United States hospital gave this herb, as a tea, to heart patients who had not responded to sleep-inducing drugs. Of the 12 patients, 10 immediately fell asleep. A stressful time for them and it still worked wonders.

Chamomile can taste a bit like hay, so you can flavour it with milk, honey, or add it to your favourite herb tea. I add it to Lemon verbena, another lemony herb that can also induce sleep.


Sleepy Stats
Lack of sleep is more than fatiguing. Long-term it is associated with heart disease, high blood pressure, decreased immunity, stroke, diabetes, obesity, loss of libido and depression.

Research shows that 1 in 5 adults have difficulty sleeping.

If you struggle to sleep on more than three nights a week in any month, you are considered to have chronic insomnia.


How Much is Enough?
It is normal to take 30-45 mins to fall into deep sleep. Different people need different amounts of sleep and it changes over time. Average sleep needs*:

• Children over 5 sleep 8-9 hours a night.
• Adults, 7 hours a night.
• By age 80 we need as few as 5-6 hours.

*Sleep time taken from when we close our eyes to go to sleep, until fully awake.


Break out Quotes:
"Sleep may sometimes feel like a luxury; it is in fact the foundation of our immunity".


Fatigue is the Foe
Sleep may sometimes feel like a luxury; it is in fact the foundation of our immunity. We’ve all suffered from insufficient sleep and know its effects: fatigue, headaches and stress. But long-term, lack of sleep has serious consequences and is strongly associated with heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, stroke, diabetes, loss of libido and depression.

Our immune system is energy hungry and easily run-down, and skimping on sleep is an invitation to illness.  The most common barriers to sleep are alcohol, drugs, medication, illness, sleep apnea, bladder and bowel trouble (night-time toilet need), shift-work, noise, sleepwalking, stress.

To sleep soundly and wake less often you need:

• A sleep sanctuary. Bedroom is for sleep and loving only. No TV, laptops, ipads or any gadgets; these prevent our brains relaxing into slower sleep-ready cycles.
• Sleepy staging. Keep your bedroom quiet, dark and at a comfy temperature. If you don’t have black-out curtains, use an eye mask/blindfold.
• Sleepy schedule. Establish a restful routine to go through nightly before bed.  Use as a deliberate relaxation time to slow your breathing and calm your mind. Listing tomorrow’s to do’s helps put your mind at rest; a few long slow stretches are relaxing.
• Nap now. Go to bed when you feel tired. It’s ok to leave chores undone; sleep is your priority.
• Up and at ‘em. Get out of bed when you wake. This may be hard at first but soon sets up a healthy sleep pattern.

Insomniac Errors

• No alcohol, coffee, tea or other stimulants for 4 to 6 hours before bed.
• No smoking before bed or at night.
• No big or spicy meals in the 2 hours before bed.
• No strenuous exercise just before bed.
• Don’t stay sleepless in bed; get up and repeat your sleepy schedule. Do not work or watch TV.

In summer you can get away with skimping on sleep and driving yourself to get the most out of every day, but in winter it simply isn’t worth it. Good sleep is an investment in immunity.

Lastly, keep exercising. Alongside rest and stress management, exercise is the most potent sleep inducer we have and it is so easy to access.