Physically B A L A N C E D Part 1 of 8
I have been writing about being spiritually balanced. And I really believe that being physically balanced affects our spiritual lives as well. So I will be writing back and forth between the spiritual and the physical.
It is hard to be physically balanced with the chaos in the world today. We are rushing here and there and life is so full that we forget to take care of ourselves, not only spiritually, but also physically. In this series on being balanced in the physical area of our lives I will be focusing on the following:
Bed Time
Aqua
Light
Air
Nutrition
Control
Exercise
Dependence on God
In part one I will be focusing on Bed Time.
Bed Time
Getting adequate rest is so important. It affects every aspect of our physical health when we do not get the rest we need. Our bodies actually repair at night while we are sleeping. Getting the rest we need, will help us with keeping a healthy weight, keeping our emotions balanced, our immune systems strong, and many other things. And from what I have learned for those that are still growing, you actually grow while you sleep. We need to rest.
How much sleep you need depends on your age. We often think the older you get the more sleep you need but that is not necessarily true, according to the Sleep Foundation (https://www.sleepfoundation.org/press-release/national-sleep-foundation-recommends-new-sleep-times). There are recommended amounts of sleep but also you can oversleep as well. There again there is a balance in all things. Newborns up to 13 need between 9-17 hours, Teenagers 8-10 (14-17), Young Adults 7-9 (18-25), Adults 7-9 (26-64), and Older Adults (65+) 7-8. If you want more details check out their website.
Prepare for bed
All the 8 laws of health that I am going to talk about through this series can help improve your sleep. All these work together and are intertwined. But I am going to only address sleep while you keep in mind that all 8 laws affect your sleep also.
There are things that you can do that will get you ready for a good night’s sleep. It is best to be off any kind of electronics an hour or two before bed. All the electronics stimulate the brain so that it has a hard time shutting down. So this would include but not be limited to your cellphone, computers, iPods, iPads or equivalent, and television. So many people watch TV right before bed or even check their phones (guilty); this can affect your sleep. It is very difficult not to pick up some device. Some people even read a book on their electronic device. May I suggest a real book that you can touch and has real pages! Reading a real book before going to bed can be helpful.
You also want to be sure that your bedroom is dark. This is so important in your melatonin and serotonin levels. We were meant to sleep in the dark. But often we have night-lights, clocks, and other devices that light up our rooms. It is best to keep all electronics out of the room as well. Go back over 100 years I am sure their sleep was so much better than it is in our modern age. When the lamp was put out it was dark, darker than most of us have ever experienced.
It is really helpful to have fresh air coming into your bedroom as well, which can be difficult in the winter months. But it aids in better sleep. And believe it or not, having a cooling room aids in sleep. May I suggest that you dress warmer so that you can have that fresh crisp air in your bedroom for a great restful sleep?
Other ways…
There can be other things that you can do to get your body into the relax mode so it is prepared to sleep. There are herb teas that you can drink like Chamomile, Sleepy Time (One of my favorites), and many others. Pick a favorite herb tea along with your favorite book and spend some time sipping tea and reading. This can get you all relaxed.
Another amazing thing is a nice warm bath or if you don’t have a bathtub you can do a hot footbath as well. Take some Epson Salt and add a few drops of essential oils like Lavender to it and place it in your bath. This is a great way to relax your body to get ready for sleep.
If you don’t have time for a bath or maybe even drinking some tea while reading a great book, use some essential oils. You can diffuse some in your room, like Lavender, Serenity oil blend, Petitgrain, just to name a few. I also like to put a drop on each one of my feet and breathe it in, the bottom of our feet have the largest pores and take things in more quickly. And the aroma is very effective as well, as it hits that olfactory nerve which tells the brain, “It is time to relax”. This writing is not exhaustive when it comes to supporting our sleep but this can get you started with some ideas.
Dear Father,
Thank You for all the things that you have given us to help promote good health. Help us in following your laws of health and using the things that You have provided in nature so that we can be in ultimate health.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
Focus on making sure you get great sleep.
What changes have you made or plan to make so that you can get better sleep?
If you have questions feel free to reach out to me.