In the previous entry we talked about the effects of your thoughts; whether they are positive or negative and how this effects and plays on your overall nutrition. With that said there is an often very, VERY much overlooked aspect of your Nutrition and that is something we do (or should be doing daily) which is none other than what we know as : ‘Sleep’. When we are speaking of ‘sleep’ we are not talking about ‘rest’ which is something altogether different in itself. Getting proper sleep is just as important and vital to your Nutrition as it is to juice regularly, eat large portions of leafy green vegetables and getting your fair share of exercise throughout the week. Sleep is important to your nutrition and to your mental well being for many reasons, which we will discuss shortly.
It is important to remember that if one juices, takes supplements, exercises and takes all the necessary precautions to avoid toxins and prosper in a healthy manner; many of those things may end up being null in void if your body doesn’t receive the proper amount of sleep to harness all of that energy. Why? During this time the body repairs any muscle and tendon issues that need to be sorted out, your heart slows in order to decrease fatigue and most importantly because of the fact that during the sleep process, you actually synthesize all of the nutrients that you have placed in your body.
So here is the problem, while much of this sounds great reading it on a computer screen many of us live in world now that is requesting more and more of our time to be awake, miss meals and neglect ourselves at almost every turn. Many of us are working 2 and we have even seen some have 3 jobs just to make it and provide for their families. The constant push of this reality have caused some to experience Sleep Debt; which is the result of the body literally shutting down and forcing you to sleep in order to “pay back” the sleep that was missed in order to revitalize again. There have been some cases in which sleep debt has caused some to do almost nothing for 3 days just to get caught up.
And in our quest to remain healthy and able to keep up with the demands that require our attention everyday; we do follow the recommendations of holistic and plant based eating; which in itself is a great thing and should never be stopped. However where we have seen people get into trouble is in the fact that many are starting to feel so good and energized for the first time in a long time and many neglect deep sleep. Remember, there is no substitute for proper sleep. While we are able to replicate minerals and supplements in pill form; proper sleep cannot be replicated. If we are missing proper sleep day after day, Sleep Debt is trailing close behind only to force payment on your body whether we’re ready to pay or not.
There is no question that keeping the proper foods in your system should, inshallah keep your body working properly; yet it shouldn’t be forgotten that proper sleep is needed to synthesize all of it. These are the topics that are important to us here at Nature’s First Path; topics that see nutrition as all aspects of health and not just fragments. How much sleep you need can only truly be determined by you; we just know that it is important to get it. If you are struggling with sleep, always consult your doctor and let them know what’s going on. There are many other natural ways to have deeper sleep which is readily available online and at your local natural food stores. Live long and prosper people.
-Dr. Daud Scott N.D.; CHNP.
NATURES' FIRST PATH: HOlISTIC MEDICINE. 