Liz Seal Holistic Massage
Sleep is an important part of our daily life- the right amount of quality sleep plays a vital role in maintaining good health and well-being. Sleep can restore us physically and emotionally, protecting our mental health and quality of life.
During sleep, our bodies are at work to support healthy brain function and maintaining our physical health. In young people, sleep can also support growth and development.
Research has shown that while we are asleep our bodies restore and rejuvenate, grow muscle tissue and synthesise hormones. People who achieve a good quality of sleep tend to retain information and perform better on memory tasks. Poor sleep patterns have been linked to poor health, it seems that those who sleep less than 6 hours a night have a shorter life expectancy than those who sleep longer.
Sleep may seem like a passive or dormant state, although the activity in the cortex of the brain may drop by up to 40% in the first phases of sleep, the brain remains highly active during later stages.
Research has shown that sleeping while fighting illness can aid recovery. Getting enough sleep can help resist infection, sleep deprivation in otherwise healthy young adults results in a reduction in white blood cells, which form part of our defence against infection.
Can we improve our sleep pattern?
Simply, Yes! By having a routine to wind down at the end of a day, reducing light and noise interference, cutting down on screen use (the flickering light of TV or screen images has been shown to be detrimental to restful sleep) and finding ways to relax can all contribute to being able to settle to sleep. Each person will have their own rest-triggers, for some, a warm drink and a chapter of a good book may be the right way to settle. For others a routine of yoga or gentle stretching can be helpful. Being warm and comfortable, feeling safe and secure are key, and here aromatherapy can help. Using a diffuser or simply placing essential oils on a tissue under the pillow will trigger rest. The blend of oils is a personal choice, there are a number of oils which will sedate and relax. My ‘sleep well’ blend contains a number of these oils, and the feedback I have received has been that this blend helps clients get off to sleep and rest throughout the night.
Contact me for more information on how a diffuser blend might help you.