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Are you struggling with...
The natural approach to
optimal health
Solaris Whole Health
5
Morristown Rd, Suite C
Bernardsville, NJ 07924
908.221.1112
www.solariswholehealth.com
Visit us at our
NEW & EXPANDED
location!
Weight loss?
Getting out of bed in the morning?
Food cravings?
Staying focused & productive?
Indigestion or heartburn?
Joint or muscle pain?
Sleeping through the night?
Headaches?
Allergies?
?
Anxiety, depression & irritability
whole heal th
nutrition & weight loss
Q&A WITH HEALTH AND
NUTRITION EXPERT
By: Stephanie Solaris
Q
uestion:
I have trouble sleeping – getting
to sleep AND staying asleep. I feel more
wound up at night and sluggish in the
morning. Help!
Answer:
Sleep hygiene is one of the many
challenges I come across with my clients at
Solaris Whole Health. I remember being the
global pharmaceutical market manager for
a fortune 100 company, traveling 3 out of
4
weeks a month and sleeping 2-3 hours
per night. I saw my body shape, moods and
immune getting worse. I knew it wasn’t
good but I didn’t now how to change it.
Sleep or lack thereof affects your ability to
lose weight, deal with typical daily stresses
effectively, and fight off colds.
Sleep is a
necessity, not a luxury.
Here are 3 reasons
why lack of sleep affects your health
and and 8 tips on how to change it!
1.
Sleep and Hunger. Sleep loss discon-
nects your brain from your stomach.
There are 2 digestive hormones that
control hunger; ghrelin and leptin.
Ghrelin, or the ‘go hormone or green
light hormone’ is secreted when your
stomach is empty, telling your body to
‘
eat’. Leptin, your “red light” hormone
is secreted when your stomach is full,
telling you to ‘stop eating’.
A 2004 University of Chicago study
showed that when people were allowed
only 4 hours of sleep, two nights in a
row, leptin (stop eating hormone)
decreased by 20% and the “eating hor-
mone” ghrelin increased! The people in
the study had a 23% increase in hunger
and appetite. Not only did they want to
eat more, they craved sweets, salty
snacks, and starchy foods.
Bottom
Line:
Sleep loss tricks your body into
believing it’s hungry.
2.
Sleep and Stress.
Lack of sleep
increases cortisol levels in the afternoon
and evening. Increased cortisol levels
tell your body to break down muscle
and store fat. It also inhibits secretion of
serotonin – your ‘feel good hormone’.
Not only does this effect how you deal
with stress, it also makes you crave ‘feel
good foods’ (like cookies for example).
Bottom Line:
Sleep loss keeps you in
an ever present ‘stress mode’,
depleting your ability to cope with
daily stresses.
3.
Sleep and Colds.
A JAMA study con-
cluded that those who get less than 7
hours sleep are 3 times more likely to
catch a cold.
Bottom Line:
Sleep
boosts immunity while sleep loss
impairs it.
What can you do.
1.
Whatever you do, keep to a ‘sleep
schedule’.
Go to bed and wake up at
the same time no matter what hours
you work. When you travel, stick to the
hours in your ‘new time zone’ you’re
traveling to, not the time zone you left.
2.
Keep distractions to a minimum.
Your bedroom is for two things: sleep
and sex. TV, computers and reading
need to be left to other parts of your
home. When you feel sleepy, let your-
self go to bed instead of falling asleep
on the couch.
3.
Make sure you have a comfortable
mattress. Keep it quiet.
Even if you
live in a noisy area, find ear plugs, keep
dogs out and use a fan or wave
machine for white noise and
Keep it
dark.
Keep to minimal distractions;
dark blinds, eye sleepware, etc.
4.
Come up with your own nighttime
and wake up ritual.
Take a hot quick
shower, wash your face, brush your
teeth, comb your hair, get into your
sleep clothes etc. Prepare yourself and
your body for a clean, comfortable
sleep.
5.
Quiet your mind.
If your mind races at
night, dump all your thoughts on a
piece of paper and tell yourself you’ll
deal with it in the morning after a good
night’s sleep.
6.
Don’t fight it!
If you find yourself lying
in bed for more than 15 minutes unable
to sleep, do something that’s not too
stimulating like listening to a guided
mediation app, or a soothing audio
book or a white noise app.
7.
Don’t go to bed hungry or too full.
Maintaining consistent blood sugar is
key. Eat nutrient rich foods that are
gluten free along with vegetables, veg-
etable juices, lean protein and fruits in 5-
6
small meals per day. If you don’t eat
enough or eat too much right before bed
a dip in blood sugar will wake you up.
8.
Practice.
Sleeping well does not hap-
pen overnight! If these things don’t
work, seek out a health professional
you trust to help your body get back
into balance. A good night’s sleep never
felt so good.
Stephanie Solaris, is an Integrative Health and
Nutrition Practitioner, featured speaker and
the Director of Solaris Whole Health located in
Bernardsville, NJ. She lost
100
lbs 11 years ago, has kept it
off and helped hundreds of
others do the same. For ques-
tions and to learn more go to
www.solariswholeheatlh.com or
call 908-221-1112.
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