Would you like to sleep like a baby without taking drugs? Americans spend upwards of 3 billion dollars a year on sleep medications, but to avoid the side effects, there are a number of natural remedies you can try first. Read on to learn some of the ways to get a good quality night’s sleep.

1. Relaxing Rituals to Rest Easy
In Chinese Medicine, nighttime is yin time—or, simply, when the body takes care of itself instead of your desires. Proper sleep is required for your body to repair itself and regenerate. To reach deep, restful sleep, your spirit and heart must be calm. Excessive worry, anxiety, and depression can all disturb the spirit and activate the mind—making it near impossible to fall asleep and stay asleep. Rituals to sooth your spirit and induce a sleep response before bed include soaking your feet in Epson salts for 15 minutes, writing all of your thoughts in a journal to get them out of your head, and practicing relaxation before bed, like the Stress Release meditation below.

2. When Food Disturbs Sleep
When you eat late, you wake up tired. Your body will be busy digesting your dinner while you are trying to sleep, so you won’t feel rested in the morning. Do not eat anything for at least three hours before bedtime. Also, cut back on eating bacon, cheese, chocolate, ham, potatoes, tomatoes, and sausage, especially before bed. These foods contain tyramine, which inhibits neurochemicals like norepinephrine and can cause insomnia. And, of course if you have sleep problems, caffeine should be cut out.

Eat for sleep! Try eating more grains at dinner; carbohydrates tend to make people sleepy. Another snooze snack is a warm cup of milk; because milk is rich in the amino acid tryptophan, it can sometimes aid in deep sleep. Mix in natural vanilla flavoring for a soothing snack. Or if you prefer, eat 1 cup of natural yogurt an hour before bedtime.

3. A Peaceful Place for Sleep
Your sleeping environment makes a huge difference to the quality of your sleep. Do everything you can to create a quiet and cozy atmosphere. Ideally, your bedroom should be located in the quietest area of your home. Keep the décor minimal. Lighting should be dim and any music that is played should be soothing. Research has found that lavender, vanilla, and green apple are among the best scents to help lower anxiety and induce sleep, making these smells a good choice for a scented candle or heated essential oil. Try to limit your pets to outside of the bedroom because their movements will keep with your body from fully relaxing into deep R. E. M. sleep. As much as possible, your bedroom should be only for sleep.

4. Exercise Enables Sleep
People with regular exercise routines often sleep better and have fewer incidents of insomnia than those don’t get regular physical activity. Exercise promotes sleep and improves sleep quality by altering brain chemistry. Exercising moderately for 20 to 30 minutes three times a day, combined with meditation or tai chi in the evening, will not only help you fall and stay asleep, but will also increase the amount of time you spend in R.E.M. sleep. In fact, for some people, exercise alone is enough to overcome sleep problems. Exercise in the morning or afternoon, but do not exercise for at least two hours before bed.

5. Herbs to Sleep Tight
A calming tea before bedtime can ensure a good night’s sleep. Drink valerian or passionflower (or passiflora) tea before bedtime every night for one month. Simply steep 1 to 2 tablespoons of the dried herbs in one cup of hot water and drink just before bed. Or look for one with the traditional Chinese herbs zizyphus or jujube seed, bamboo shavings, and oyster shell, which soothe the mind and spirit.

You might also try Calm-Fort/Sleep formula with useful herbs like lily bulbs, polygala and turmeric that help manage stress and calm the spirit while relieving restlessness and insomnia.

6. A Sleep-Friendly Meditation
I had one patient with insomnia who also felt anxious and even a little depressed. In addition to acupuncture and herbal therapies, I decided to teach her a stress release meditation that she could do before bedtime to help with her anxiety. I am happy to report that she is now sleeping like a baby.

Try this Stress Release meditation, which works for the majority of my patients who have sleeping problems:

Sit comfortably or lie down on your back. Slow your respiration to deep, abdominal breathing. Utter the word “calm” in your mind with every exhalation. Focus on relaxing each area of your body in sequence, from the top of your head to your toes. Starting with the top of your head, inhale and then exhale while visualizing your scalp muscles relaxing. Say “calm” in your mind. Repeat this with each body part as you move down through all body parts, front, back, and sides, in succession: your face, throat, chest, arms, stomach, abdomen, thighs, knees, legs, ankles, until finally you reach your feet.  When you’ve relaxed your feet, visualize all the tension in your body leaving through your toes as dark smoke. Practice this for at least 15 minutes before bedtime.

It will have you sleeping in no time. If you do better with meditative visualizations that are narrated, try my Stress Release CD.

I hope you find the ways to resting easy and waking up refreshed!

May you stay healthy, live long, and live happy!

-Dr. Mao

Feeling crabby lately? It could be you aren’t getting enough sleep. Work, household responsibilities and child care can make sleep difficult to come by. Factor in other unexpected challenges such as financial worries, layoffs, relationship issues or an illness, and quality sleep may be even more elusive.

You may not be able to control or eliminate all of the factors that interfere with your sleep, but you can create an environment and adopt habits that encourage a more restful night. Try these suggestions if you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep:

1. Go to bed and get up at about the same time every day, even on the weekends. Sticking to a schedule helps reinforce your body’s sleep-wake cycle and can help you fall asleep better at night.
2. Don’t eat or drink large amounts before bedtime. Eat a light dinner about two hours before sleeping. If you’re prone to heartburn, avoid spicy or fatty foods, which can make your heartburn flare and prevent a restful sleep. Also, limit how much you drink before bed. Too much liquid can cause you to wake up repeatedly during the night for trips to the bathroom.
3. Avoid nicotine, caffeine and alcohol in the evening. These are stimulants that can keep you awake. Smokers often experience withdrawal symptoms at night, and smoking in bed is dangerous. Avoid caffeine for eight hours before your planned bedtime. Your body doesn’t store caffeine, but it takes many hours to eliminate the stimulant and its effects.  And although often believed to be a sedative, alcohol actually disrupts sleep.
4. Exercise regularly. Regular physical activity, especially aerobic exercise, can help you fall asleep faster and make your sleep more restful. Don’t exercise within three hours of your bedtime, however. Exercising right before bed may make getting to sleep more difficult.
5. Make your bedroom cool, dark, quiet and comfortable. Create a room that’s ideal for sleeping. Adjust the lighting, temperature, humidity and noise level to your preferences. Use blackout curtains, eye covers, earplugs, extra blankets, a fan, a humidifier or other devices to create an environment that suits your needs.
6. Sleep primarily at night. Daytime naps may steal hours from nighttime slumber. Limit daytime sleep to about a half-hour and make it during midafternoon. If you work nights, keep your window coverings closed so that sunlight, which adjusts the body’s internal clock, doesn’t interrupt your sleep. If you have a day job and sleep at night, but still have trouble waking up, leave the window coverings open and let the sunlight help wake you up.
7. Choose a comfortable mattress and pillow. Features of a good bed are subjective and differ for each person. But make sure you have a bed that’s comfortable. If you share your bed, make sure there’s enough room for two. Children and pets are often disruptive, so you may need to set limits on how often they sleep in bed with you.
8. Start a relaxing bedtime routine. Do the same things each night to tell your body it’s time to wind down. This may include taking a warm bath or shower, reading a book, or listening to soothing music. Relaxing activities done with lowered lights can help ease the transition between wakefulness and sleepiness.
9. Go to bed when you’re tired and turn out the lights. If you don’t fall asleep within 15 to 20 minutes, get up and do something else. Go back to bed when you’re tired. Don’t agonize over falling asleep. The stress will only prevent sleep.
10. Use sleeping pills only as a last resort. Check with your doctor before taking any sleep medications. He or she can make sure the pills won’t interact with your other medications or with an existing medical condition. Your doctor can also help you determine the best dosage. If you do take a sleep medication, reduce the dosage gradually when you want to quit, and never mix alcohol and sleeping pills. If you feel sleepy or dizzy during the day, talk to your doctor about changing the dosage or discontinuing the pills.

If you’re having problems sleeping more than three times a week for a month’s time, see your doctor. You could have a sleep disorder, such as obstructive sleep apnea or restless legs syndrome. Identifying and treating the cause of your sleep disturbance can help get you back on the road to a good night’s sleep.

Among the national brands selling latex mattresses, Englander can certainly make a strong claim for having been the pioneer marketing force of foam rubber bedding. In fact the company still has old advertisements from the 1950’s which clearly show beds manufactured with a layer of channeled foam rubber. One advertisement has a headline which reads, “Sleep as you’d sleep at the Waldorf-Astoria –Englander’s Foam Latex Hotel Sleep Set” The price featured in the ad is $119.50 for both the mattress and the box spring.

Times have certainly changed since then; however, just as Englander was a leader then so too, the well-known brand name company remains a leader in offering a distinct and high performance series of products now. Englander, which was founded by Max Englander in 1894 in New York has gone through many changes and advances over the years, and today the company offers a full range of products to meet the needs of a broad spectrum of consumers.

Perhaps the best known product brand name is the Lady Englander™ line of luxurious sleep systems. This line is known as the mainstay line supported by Englander’s Redline® foundation, and is touted by Englander as “the industry’s best for over 50 years.”

The Tension Ease® line is Englander’s version of an independently encased coil system mattress with a zoned sleep design created to provide additional back support. This system was designed for consumers who are specifically looking for additional support.

In 1993 Englander introduced the company’s 21st Century® Sleep System, which was designed to offer the ultimate in luxurious sleep for the most demanding consumers. Company officials note that this system was over 100 years in the making and based on Englander’s unique experience in the marketplace. With the patented Adjusta-comfort design, each sleeping partner can choose his/her level of comfort.

Then there is the bedding line, which rightfully belongs as the center of focus for those interested in all natural latex rubber bedding. In 1995 Englander introduced its acclaimed Nature’s Finest® Sleep Systems with 100% Natural rubber. This line was introduced in the mid-1990’s to offer consumers the ultimate in sleeping comfort based on natural products including Englander’s exclusive all-natural Laytex rubber, wool, silk and cashmere.

Top marketing executives at Englander know in their hearts that they have something different and unique to offer retailers and their customers. Robert W. Ashburn, Vice President of Sales for Englander and the Southern Cross® Division of Spears Mattress out of Rome, Georgia is enthusiastic and bullish about Englander 100% all natural Laytex mattresses. “We see our 100% rubber as an analogy to ‘pure gold’”, says Ashburn. “Our mattresses really do have a softer ride. You can immediately feel the difference from mattresses made with synthetic latex.” When asked by BEDROOM Magazine if there is any truth to the claim by competitors that all-natural latex rubber crumbles over time, Ashburn and Englander Senior Vice President David Clarke address the issue head on. It is all in the manufacturing process. The all-natural latex has to be poured within two weeks of the time the rubber is drawn from the trees. There has to be very tight quality control to achieve the superior quality results demanded by Englander.

Clarke and Ashburn note that latex rubber trees can only be grown in plantations 10 degrees North or South of the Equator. Clarke notes that Englander has a unique relationship with a source providing rubber from 5.5 million trees in Sri Lanka. Englander buys all-natural latex cores that have been poured out of the trees and into the mould within two weeks. Englander’s relationship with the source is good not only from the perspective of supply and quality control, but it guarantees a certain level of consistency and stability for Englander’s customers.

One can tell that the Natural Laytex® line offered through the Nature’s Finest line is a source of pride and success for Englander sales people. This gives Englander’s retail customer a superior line with an unparalleled feeling of luxury. Ashburn summarizes a couple of key selling points, “These products conform like no other to the customer’s body. You can actually feel the mattress pushing back, naturally supporting every curve in your body. Truth is the longer you rest on the mattress, the better the feel and the greater the sense of luxury. This is a must for retailers who want to offer supreme all-natural luxury at a good price.”

There are any number of other powerful claims a retailer can make when selling Englander’s Laytex mattresses. One is less tossing and turning. All-natural latex reduces pressure points up to 90% by conforming to the human body, and instantly adjusting to the body’s every move. This promotes healthy capillary blood flow. The results for consumers: less muscle aches and less tossing and turning…creating a natural, healthy sleep.

Another attribute is the breathability of the mattress. Proper airflow is important to a restful night’s sleep. In a Laytex mattress, air circulates through the pincore holes and open bubbles to create a mattress that is cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. This serves as a natural heat/cold mechanism that creates greater comfort for the consumer. Englander executives truly believe that no other material breathes like the Englander Latex mattress.

Englander also sells their mattresses as a health product. Ideal for allergy sufferers, rubber is inherently anti-microbial, hypo-allergenic and dust mite resistant. The material simply will not support mold, mildew or bacteria. Studies have shown, according to Englander, that their rubber is 300% more resistant to dust mites than other mattresses.

Finally there is the issue of durability. The Englander team asks the question, “Why is our mattress so durable?” They say the answer is simple: because it is natural rubber, not a synthetic blend. They have control over the source and the process. They produce a quality product, and they stand by it. Englander’s Latex mattresses are built to last, retaining their combination of comfort and support for a lifetime. They even challenge a retailer or consumer: “To demonstrate our quality, please lift the edge of our mattress to feel its weight, It’s up to four times the weight of the synthetic blends, which are used in most traditional mattresses. More weight means longer life. It’s that simple.”

With over 100 years of business experience behind them, and with a truly unique all-natural product, it is no wonder that the new Englander team is moving forward with unprecedented interest from retailers in their Nature’s Finest Sleep System line.