Featured on National TV

Elizabeth Shannon and her work promoting experts and leading edge Natural Solutions for Insomnia has also been featured on the ABC New Inventors TV Program, Mornings with Kerri-Anne TV Program, Radio 2UE, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, The Sun-Herald, The Financial Review Magazine, Better Homes and Gardens and numerous other publications.

Hours of Sleep Teenagers Need

Here is the link to a new study that says that if your teenagers are getting less than 5 hours sleep a night it triples their chances of developing mental health issues.

http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2010/09/01/2999748.htm

The best information I can find is that they need about 9+ hours (a little more than adults) to be at their best – which is very difficult given their sleep phase delay (which means their bodies actually don’t want to go to sleep early – it is NOT their bad behaviour!)…  I can remember it well myself, actually.

So let them sleep in if they ever get the chance!

Other sleep information on this site that relates to teenagers and sleep can be found here:

http://sleeplessnomore.com/research/age-related

Virgin Active Health Club Sydney CBD

Wednesday morning I was helping Virgin Active Health Clubs announce the results of their new sleep survey that was focused on workers obtaining a healthier and more balanced lifestyle, increasing their productivity and motivation at work, etc.

A fabulous focus, don’t you agree?  I haven’t seen such a useful survey designed to help 9 to 5-ers everywhere.

It was fun…  they brought one of their sleep pods to Martin Place, Sydney – in the middle of the morning peak hour rush to see if anyone would like to try it!  And it looked surreal against the cityscape – like something (!!?) had just landed!

Some of the more interesting findings from the survey include:

• 89% of Australians would like to achieve a healthier and more balanced lifestyle by changing their daily routine.  How they would like to do that varied.  e.g. 81% thought exercise, 66% through diet, 60% more sleep (glad to see it is up there!)…  and 42% more sex…  well – hmmm!  And not surprising perhaps is that 48% of men wanted more sex, and only 34% of women…
• The average worker is only getting about 6 hours sleep a night, instead of the recommended 8 hours
• A whopping 1 in 3 has “taken a sickie” to catch up on sleep (Gen Y 44%, Baby Boomers 23% – its a ‘cultural’ thing…?)
• 19% have actually admitted to falling asleep on the job, during a meeting… you know the stuff!  (Men more likely here too…  maybe it’s that extra sex they are dreaming of?   ‘Scuse me..)
• A surprising 63% would be interested in having a lunchtime nap if they could find a comfortable, affordable and safe place to do it.  Only 21% (one in five) have actually found a good place at work to doze off.

Research has shown that a 20 minute nap in the REM (rapid eye movement) state during the day can be very helpful, and be the equivalent of about 1.5 hours of sleep.

This evidence is based around the normal sleep brain wave patterns that ebb and flow during normal sleep time.  It takes many people quite a while to achieve their first bout of REM (rapid eye movement or alpha brain wave sleep) when they go to sleep at night.

The sleep pods have ambient music in them, with headphones, and you can set the system to wake you up (gently!) after a certain amount of time.

With evidence that during our sleep we are recuperating, rejuvenating, de-stressing, reducing anxiety, growing (in some cases), even learning etc…  that’s a pretty good thing to do at lunch.

The cone closes over to make the space blacker for you – so maybe Get Smart’s ‘Cone of Silence’ actually will Get Smart results at your workplace?

Catalyst ABC TV, Weight Loss, Sugar Diabetes and Sleep

I’ve previously posted information on how lack of sleep messes with our normal body functions – including leptin production which effects hunger/feelings of ‘fullness’ after eating, etc.  http://sleeplessnomore.com/index.php?s=leptin

We also know that being overweight effects sleep apnea, snoring, a reluctance to do proper exercise (vicious circle), diabetes, etc.

This topic will be covered on Catalyst this Thursday August 19, 2010.  8:00 pm (20:00), ABC1, Australia- I recommend you watch it.

I recommend you watch it to find out more about these relationships.

Put your comments below here on anything you’d like more information about, and I’ll get some expert interviews organised around those topics.  What was the best thing you learned on Catalyst, what have you heard 1000 times before?  Join the conversation.

Peaceful sleep

Elizabeth

Your Wake Up Time hints at your Natural Sleep Solution

We have probably all heard of the Chinese Meridian systems in traditional Chinese medicine.. but did you know that this ancient system could lead us to a solution to insomnia today?

The 24 hours in a day are governed by 12 different meridian systems – each governing a particular 2 hour period.  Here they are:

11 pm (23:00) to 1 am – Gall Bladder.  Decision making abilities, impetus, inspiration behind decisions.  In ‘negative’ – irritability, rage, gall, acidic emotions, bitterness, constant sadness, anger of the sort that leads to irrational or hasty decisions.  Allergies.

http://www.wisdomofthebody.net/Body/internal/gall%20bladder+.htm

1 am to 3 am – Liver.  Drive, endurance, perseverance, quick and clear intellect, patience, ambition, organisational abilities, patience, sense of well-being.  Out of balance can be anger, depression, impatience, hatred, jealousy, self-insistence, attachment to strong opinions, controlling, power hungry, overly ambitious.

http://www.wisdomofthebody.net/Body/internal/liver+.htm

3 am to 5 am – Lung.  Compassion, instinct and intuition, free will, positive outlook.  In negative resentment, sorrow, sadness, grief, claustrophobia, nostalgia, pessimism, inflexibility. 

http://www.wisdomofthebody.net/Body/internal/lungs+.htm

5 am to 7 am – Large Intestine.  What you assimilate and reject, inflexibility, stubborness, holding on.

http://www.wisdomofthebody.net/Body/internal/colon+.htm

7 am – 9 am – Stomach.  Confidence, understanding of appropriate behaviour, trust, considered thought and action.  What can’t you stomach or tolerate?  Skepticism, feelings of suspicion or mistrust.

http://www.wisdomofthebody.net/Body/internal/stomach+.htm

9 am – 11 am – Spleen.  Clear thought processes, memory, honest introspection, loyalty, willpower, expressing sympathy.  Pensiveness, overthinking, worry, vacillation, analysis paralysis, self-pity, stubbornness, obsession, attachment, cloudy thought processes, poor concentration, lack of focus.

http://www.wisdomofthebody.net/Body/internal/spleen+.htm

11 am – 1 pm (13:00) – Heart.  Joy, gentleness, emotional balance, spirit, love, integrity, zest for life, wisdom.  In negative dullness, hysteria, erratic behaviour, mood swings, jealousy, melancholy.

http://www.wisdomofthebody.net/Body/internal/heart+.htm

1 pm (13:00) – 3 pm (15:00) – Small Intestine.  Breaking down complex matters for assimilation, accurate examination, etc.

http://wisdomofthebody.net/Body/internal/small%20intestine+.htm

3 pm (15:00) – 5 pm (17:00) – Bladder.  What inappropriate emotions are you storing that you need to release?  Are you willing to release fears, doubts, resentments, remorse, guilt, etc?  Are you too retentive?

http://www.wisdomofthebody.net/Body/Repro_Urinary/bladder+.htm

5 pm (17:00) – 7 pm (19:00) – Kidney.  Fear, fright.

http://www.wisdomofthebody.net/Body/Repro_Urinary/kidney+.htm

7 pm (19:00) – 9 pm (21:00) – Circulation Sex.  Relationships, sex, security and boundary issues.

http://www.lieske.com/channels/5e-pericardium.htm

9 pm (21:00) – 11 pm (23:00) – Triple Warmer.  Relates to the function of heat regulation.  Immune system, fight or flight response, emotional upsets caused by breaking of friendships or family relations, depression, suspicion, anxiety, poor elimination of harmful thoughts, habits to manage stress or threat, impatience.  Hormonal glands.

So what has that got to do with finding a natural insomnia solution?

Well, each of the meridians also relates to emotions and particular physical functions. 

Many health care professionals ask us to observe exactly what time it is when we wake up, or cannot sleep.  With this information we can then get more detail on the underlying problem that presents itself as insomnia.  (Remember that insomnia is always a symptom of something else.) 

I’ve put the whole 24 hour clock in here, which might be useful for shift-workers?

So look again at the list above to get more detail on the emotion that relates to that time.  It is particularly revealing if your wake up time is habitual.

Tailor your sleep solution around the presenting imbalance from the Chinese meridian system.

Peace

Elizabeth

PS A reminder that The Hypnos Club is now launched.  I’ve put a video up here to help you discover Your Insomnia Type:  http://www.SleepTreasury.com/insomnia-type

Nyx Essence

Nyx Essence was developed by Geraldine Gallagher to help my clients.

If you would like to participate in our trial program, please order through this link:

http://www.worldinternetoffice.com/SecureCart/SecureCart.aspx?mid=F7D12B8D-E68C-437F-AB6F-6FA2A5E6117E&pid=f7a0246bddeb57b55cb0a6cb9c86537b&bn=1

Paraliminal Sessions

Here is a list of the Paraliminal sessions that have been the best received by our clients over the years:

Deep Relaxation

Anxiety-Free

New Behavior Generator

10-Minute Supercharger (for the next day, or anytime you need a lift):

Tell me how YOU go with these, I’d love to have your comments.  And so would everyone else.

Thanks for helping

Elizabeth

Sleep Apnea, Snoring and Food Additives

OK guys, I get it… you all want to know about the connection between food additives and snoring and sleep apnea.

This information was a small part of what Sue Dengate helped us with in the series Sleep With The Experts.

Here are some of the food additives, colorings etc associated with snoring and sleep apnea:

• sunset yellow 110
• bread preservative 282 calcium propionate (not in Bakers Delight, Brumbies and Banjo’s Brands – which are Australian brands).  Calcium propionate doesn’t always show on labels because of the 5% labeling loophole in Australia (if its less than 5% of content it doesn’t have to appear on the label.. so it doesn’t – of course.)  Since Sue Dengate’s lobbying there may be other brands that are OK.. but you will have to reference them on her site to keep up with it.
•  282 can appear in other foodstuffs too, not just bread.
•  MSG 621
• fumes from matresses (generally new ones)
• a2 milk is more tolerable than a1 milk, even better than soy milk for some snorers too. 

According to Sue Dengate’s research, if you suspect you have sleep apnea you might have to check all the nasty additives on her nasty additives list.  There are over 50 of them.

Here’s the link to the nasty additives list:
 
http://www.fedupwithfoodadditives.info/information/additives.htm

Click Here to find out more about the Sleep With The Experts training program

Click Here to find out about The Hypnos Club

Online Mental Health Treatment – Prof. Gavin Andrews

I watched a great Insight program a couple of weeks ago that featured the work of Professor Gavin Andrews at St. Vincents Hospital Anxiety Clinic.  The team that developed the program includes Dr Nick Titov and others.

What’s good news for us web-savvy types is that they have established an online mental health education and treatment program for:

• major depression
• panic disorder
• generalised anxiety disorder
• social anxiety disorder

It is based on cognitive behavioural therapy, which is a sound modality with proven success.

The program is NOT suitable for patients with a history of:

• schizophrenia
• bipolar disorder
• substance dependence

You do need a valid email address, and you also require a prescription from a GP who is registered and aware of this program.

The website to visit for more information is:  http://www.crufad.org

When you go to your GP to be referred to the program (and receive your entry codes, passwords etc into the online site) you can take this letter with you, in case your GP is unaware of the program, and the procedures behind it.

http://www.crufadclinic.org/images/stories/clinic/CRUfAD_Patient_letter_to_clinician.pdf

Another relevant site you can investigate is http://www.crufadclinic.org

What is good about this is your ability to do your exercises and study from the privacy of your own home and start seeing results.

Here’s a bit more information from an earlier Catalyst program:

http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/2708750.htm

I’m very keen for you to participate in this study, as it looks very promising.

Tell me how you go with this, and if you have any problems getting the right referrals etc.   I know it probably won’t work for our friends overseas, but if your an Aussi and have any difficulties getting in, post your problem(s) here.

Take care

Elizabeth

Tell me what you think about this.

The Enteric and Autonomic Nervous Systems

The Enteric and Autonomic

Nervous Systems

The enteric nervous system (the abdominal brain) and the autonomic nervous system (the cerebral brain) and their communication effects sleep, stress and anxiety.

The communication between these two systems represents the age old challenge between our instinctive responses (enteric nervous system) and our brain’s logical integration of a response.  The stress response usually occurs in our gut first, then our mind has a think about it.  (I won’t complicate this blog with conversations of sympatheric nervous system vs parasympatheric.) 

But we do need to know that when there is conflict between the cerebral brain and the abdominal brain there is going to be more stress than ever.  People who have gut problems have brain problems, and vice versa.

We are all aware that stress messes with our sleep, we get that.

But we might not all be aware of this great solution, offered by Geraldine Gallagher in her Sleep With The Experts webinar in 2009.

So in order to create calm and sleep peacefully, do the following:

Hold one hand 3 finger widths below your navel, flat to your stomach. It will cover the martial arts point known as dan tien (or ‘one point’).

Hold the other hand on your forehead.

Whilst thinking of the problem or stress that you have, breathe in and out slowly, and rotate your eyes around in a circle.

In one direction, completely, then back into the centre (straight ahead).  Then the other direction, completely, then straight ahead.  Still breathing slowly and deeply.

Now close your eyes, and do the full eye movements and breathing again.  Breathing slowly, still thinking of the stressor, and moving your eyes in the circles and back into the centre, then the other way.

Sometimes this exercise will even generate a message for you.  So write it down immediately.  Can be a resolution or a new option that has been generated.

This is a very powerful technique, you will feel better actually WHILE doing it, but continue right to the end before opening your eyes again.

This method is similar to Andrew Verity’s Options Generator described here: http://sleeplessnomore.com/blog/974/generating-options-to-your-stress

This exercise doesn’t make a lot of sense.  It messes with my cerebral brain… but just do it… BECAUSE it actually does… and aligns the two nervous systems to reduce stress around any issue you direct it to.

It’s amazing actually… this, and Andrew’s Options Generator are my two absolute favourite stress reduction strategies….  apart from heading to the beach for the day with a good book.

Actually, that was a joke, but there’s gotta be something more to that beach story..  might do a PHD on that one day!

I’m rambling..

To hear it explained in full detail by the experts visit http://www.SleepWithTheExperts.com

Peace

Elizabeth

Sue Dengate’s books in the Fed Up Series

Sue Dengate’s books Fed Up and

The Failsafe Cookbook.

 

I get a lot of people asking me about Sue Dengate’s book Fed Up, so here is the information:

Fed Up, understanding how food affects your child and what you can do about it.  Sue Dengate. Published by Random House, Australia, 1998. ISBN 0 09 183698 0

Barcode number 9 780091836986

It’s a very thorough book to help you with your children’s health as well as your own.

And this is the Failsafe Cookbook.  Failsafe stands for  Free of Additives, Low in Salicylates, Amines and Flavor Enhancers

I absolutely recommend these books to readers of my blog.

Elizabeth

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