A Natural Alternative to Address the Debilitating Issue of Lack of Sleep

Cultural adaptation took us all down a dangerous path in a critical, but often neglected member of the “Big 4” keys to golden health. Generally speaking, the “Big 4” act as foundational pillars for a long satisfying life. We need a proper diet with sufficient liquid nourishment. We need exercise to promote strength and a positive mindset. We need satisfactory relationships with others. We also need to get away from it all with sufficient rest in the form of proper sleep.

Oprah Winfrey followed her recent retirement from her goliath syndicated talk show with a surprising message to her minions across the globe: we need to be better at doing nothing. Integral to this concept is repose through proper sleep. Keep in mind that this message was coming from one of the most driven and accomplished people ever to live. While it is easy to view her warning with cynicism, given her high position of financial status, the better way to look at it is a perceptive commentary on behavior arising from social causality in our culture. A less fancy way to say this is: we glorify the person who works ultra-hard in pursuit of success and even glorify that person’s ability to function on an unhealthy miniscule amount of sleep. We also glorify the night owl who parties until dawn and seems to function normally.

Rather than get into the divergent scientific positions about how many hours is necessary, it is sufficient to state: the general consensus is that the greater danger lies in not getting enough sleep rather than getting too much. It seems that multiple times each year sleep studies emerge that link lack of proper sleep during proper hours of the night, to not only negative mood and poor productivity, but weight gain, dangerously high blood pressure, and premature signs of aging. So sleep directly affects the other 3 keys to health. Miss this puzzle piece and risk the whole. Getting too little sleep isn’t cool or admirable or a sign of dedication. It is a sign of a person out of balance in a potentially very unhealthy way.

Coinciding with this emerging body of knowledge is a welcome renewal of our individual emphasis on sleep. According to Adage.com, sleep aid drugs are an industry that garners drug companies billions of dollars in annual revenues. While results vary, the cost to the consumer can often be his or her peace of mind. Many of these drugs operate on a patented formula basis with an expectation that the user should trust the positive results of similarly situated people as evidence that concern isn’t warranted.