Barefoot Wisdom by Sharon Whiteley

Author:Sharon Whiteley
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: -
Publisher: Schiffer Publishing, Ltd.
Published: 2020-08-27T00:00:00+00:00

Writes Dr. Andrew Weil in an article published in Self Healing8 magazine about sleep deprivation, “Insufficient sleep has been linked to a higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular disease, cancer, obesity, and lowered immunity.” Not to mention the multitude of daytime distracted work-related and traffic, airline, and machinery accidents promulgated by persons operating on little or no sleep that make headlining news virtually every day. There are many known causes for those sleepless nights, with anxiety, stress, medication, illnesses, allergies, noise, poor diet, and caffeine, among them. But inflammation, the ceaseless opportunist that thrives because of our disconnected lifestyles, makes a poor bedfellow as well and is increasingly thought to be behind our debilitative wakeful nights.

A recent study in the journal Biological Psychiatry9 reports that inflammatory markers were found in people who have sleep disturbance issues. Researchers found that sleep disturbance (not sleeping well or suffering from insomnia) as well as too much sleep (exceeding eight hours) were associated with increased levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), inflammation markers that circulate in the blood stream and are predictors of health issues such as hypertension, cardiovascular issues, and type 2 diabetes.

Michael Irwin, one of the researchers involved in this study, stated, “Insomnia and sleep disturbances should be viewed as risk factors for inflammation, along the same lines as sedentary behavior or an unhealthy diet are. Sleep behavior treatments could be a way to resolve the inflammation and to reduce the risk of subsequent diseases.”

Rubin Naiman, sleep specialist and clinical assistant professor of medicine at the University of Arizona’s Center for Integrative Medicine, points to research that links a lack of sleep to a rise in cortisol levels and inflammation biomarkers. And it goes both ways. “Sleeplessness increases chronic inflammation,” Naiman says, “but chronic inflammation also increases sleeplessness.” Our bodies should do exactly what the planet does when the sun goes down, says Naiman. “All of the heat absorbed during the day should dissipate and steadily decrease throughout the night before reaching its lowest point just before the dawn and coming back up,” he says. “Sleep is a release of energy.” Scientists have found that people suffering from sleep disorders don’t get cool enough at night because they’re inflamed. In some cases, their body temperature literally qualifies as a fever state, says Naiman.

“Go outside during the day, disconnect from your daily routine, and connect to nature,” he advises, explaining that one of the main reasons for insomnia is hyperarousal. “We live in an age of velocity, speeding through our days, speaking faster than ever, and even watching TV programs paced to race. The antidote is humility.”

Humility? Interestingly, as many linguists know, humility comes from the word “hummus” which means soil. So taken literally, humility means coming down to the ground, and reconnecting with the pace of nature, which goes and slows, enjoying a built-in respite from the rhythm of the day. People who are hyper-aroused don’t have time for sleep and must consciously choose to slow down and start to feel life again.

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