CAN?T sleep? Can?t stay asleep? Look deeper into yourself.

Consistent sleep deprivation ultimately takes a toll on your health.

?You won?t get a heart attack next week, but its health consequences will eventually get you later in life. Living a healthy lifestyle and exercising regularly will offset the damage from inability to sleep, but they will not make a difference in the long run,? said naturopathic physician and wellness guru Dr. James Rouse in an interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Rouse was the guest speaker of Healthy Options last week.

Chronic sleep deprivation profoundly affects the immune system and can increase the risks for anxiety disorder, stress, depression, heart diseases, weight gain, arthritis, lupus, type 2 diabetes and hypertension.

Peace of mind

Sleep, said Rouse, is the ultimate elixir, yet one of the most undervalued human needs. For restless nocturnal souls, exercising, modifying one?s sleep environment, choosing to live in the present and even whipping up sleep-inducing recipes just might do the trick.

The key to sound sleep is having peace of mind, said Rouse. According to the US-based National Sleep Foundation, 50 percent of insomnia is caused by stress or anxiety. Popping sleeping pills addresses the symptoms, not the cause.

To achieve long-term benefits, know what causes the mind and body to be restless at bedtime.

?Objectively look at your life. What are you doing all day that causes stress? A person you?re seeing that afternoon could be giving you anxiety,? Rouse said.

Too many people, he said, are focused on the past or the future, which only causes greater anxiety and/or remorse, hence the tossing and turning. Realign the spirit by staying in the present. Accepting change is not as simple as it sounds.

Rouse said the key to making changes in one?s life is to put willingness over willpower. Willingness opens the heart and mind to accept and make changes; willpower involves the ego leading the self to win.

?Look at it as spiritual medicine; it should be a soulful experience. Do things that will make you happy, not necessarily focus on things that determine the household?s income. You don?t have to figure out everything. Finding happiness can give you inner peace,? Rouse said.

Exercise no guarantee

Not everyone who regularly exercises gets good sleep. Rouse said people who can?t sleep often have too many things taxing their mind. Exercising could be some people?s form of overcoming tension. But once they leave the gym, they add up things they must do. At the end of the day, things pile up, which can be overwhelming, again causing restlessness and lack of sleep.

Try doing strength-training in the morning and meditation in the evening, he said. Also, change your diet.

Insomniacs, Rouse said, are often guilty of feeding the body with too much sugar during the day. The reason is simple: Lack of sleep causes a sharp drop of sugar in the body. But too much sugar leads to inability to sleep?a vicious cycle.

Changing diets can help restore the ?good sleep chemistry? in the body. A good mix of lean protein with whole grains can induce restful sleep. Eat the right protein foods, such as those that contain the amino acid L-Tryptophan. Also, get enough calcium and Vitamin C.

Sleep deprivation caused by busy minds that refuse to shut down at bedtime can benefit from the mineral magnesium, the herbs passionflower and skullcap, and lavender for aromatherapy.

Learned habit

So is it true that the older one gets, the less the body needs sleep? ?It?s a learned habit. We think we need less sleep because we will, in fact, be getting less sleep,? explained Rouse.

Melatonin, a brain hormone responsible for sleep regulation, drops as people age. Taking melatonin supplements can help people sleep better and longer. Regardless of age, people should be getting between six-and-a-half and eight hours of sleep everyday. Rouse said melatonin also helps jet-lagged people readjust to their time zones.

Use ?bookend?

Put a ?bookend? between your day and sleep. A ?bookend,? Rouse said, is a 20-minute break between whatever activity you were doing and hitting the sack. Staring at the computer before sleeping, for instance, will affect the melatonin in your brain and will cause sleeplessness.

Do breathing exercise, listen to calm music, read or put yourself under low light for 20 minutes. Simply put, give the mind and the body time to adjust and realize it will no longer be doing anything.

Any light, even thin red numbers on the digital alarm clock, can affect the brain?s melatonin, pulling you away from good sleep. Cover the clock or turn it away from you.

Graveyard-shift remedy

People in graveyard shifts, such as call center staff, should put a window between work and sleep. Instead of running to a dark room after finishing work just before sunrise, Rouse said they should take a 20-minute walk around the block and take in as much sunshine before going to bed.

The circadian rhythm is controlled by daylight. Working at night?thus reversing the body clock?can affect your melatonin levels. By catching sunlight, the body will know it is still connected to the real world, that it is not living in a cave 24 hours a day. The sun sets the body clock again to face another day.

The body will begin to respond. You can achieve a good night?s rest in two to four weeks.

?This is very, very important to remember when working the graveyard shift. You will feel more rested after following this simple rule. That?s a guarantee,? Rouse said.