Sleep—The New Sex?


I know that sleep is important but I didn’t know this! Recently I read in People Magazine (May 2008 issue) that “Sleep is the new sex: Everyone’s talking about it, and no one is getting enough of it.” Our bedrooms are to be used for two things: sleep and sex. If few are getting enough sleep then most are too tired for sex. Over time hormone balance is disrupted. How do we get our bedrooms back?!

The U.S. is a country of hard workers with very little time off. We have been taught to be productive. We derive a lot of self-worth from doing, and feel lazy when we’re not. We go from working long, late hours to over-exercising because more is better, right? I certainly believed that earlier in my life.

One of my goals when I work with clients is to help them get their libido back. It’s all about balance. Whatever your body is lacking you will need to replace and replenish: from vitamins, minerals, fat, amino acids, and fiber to exercise and sleep. Lack of sleep over time creates something called sleep debt and causes major hormone imbalances, eventually depleting our sex hormones. Imbalances of sex hormones lead to lowered sex drive, balding, prostate enlargement, urinary hesitancy and dribbling, nighttime urination, PMS, uterine fibroids, heavy menstrual flow, breast tenderness*, depression and anxiety, just to name a few symptoms. It is important to understand why a hormone is low, as is it rarely helpful just to replace that one hormone. Remember it’s all about balance. The tips below will help you as a first step to tuning up your libido. As Austin Powers would say, “Yeah, Baby!”

Practice these five suggestions to get your hormones balanced so you can enjoy some private playtime to a ripe old age!

1. Get enough sleep! For each person it’s different, but shoot for 8 to 9.5 hours per night.

2. Do less activities overall and put your feet up more.

3. Never go more than five hours without eating a well balanced meal.

4. Avoid sleep medications (and medications in general) both prescription and over the counter when you can, as they are not supportive long-term for healing and proper sleep cycles.

5. Exercise! All types of exercise raise testosterone levels, but focus on interval, strength and resistance training, i.e., tennis/surfing, yoga/pilates, weights.

* Harding, Pauline MD, Eat Your Way to Better Sleep, article.

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Tidbits

	Foods that spice up your love life (remember that what is good for the heart is good for libido): oysters, ginseng, lean protein, cinnamon, chocolate, fruit, garlic, nettles, legumes, damiana, ginger, nuts and seeds, parsley, oats, maca
	Visit your local farmers’ markets and enjoy all the beautiful foods of summer! To find one near you go to the web and check out these sites: The Green Gate: http://www.nrdc.org/greengate/guides/markets.asp Local Harvest: http://www.localharvest.org/csa/
	AVOID the Dirty Dozen – non-organic foods that contain high pesticide residue:
		1. Apples 2. Bell peppers 3. Celery 4. Cherries 5. Imported grapes 6. Nectarines	7. Peaches 8. Pears 9. Potatoes 10. Red raspberries 11. Spinach 12. Strawberries
	What’s in season? Focus on consuming these local, in-season foods:
	Artichokes Asparagus (through June) Avocados Broccoli Carrots Cabbage Cauliflower Celery Corn Cucumbers Fava beans	Garlic Lettuce Mushrooms Onions Peppers Potatoes Spinach Sweet potatoes Squash Tomatoes Apples Apricots	Berries Figs Grapefruit Grapes Lemons Honeydew melon Persiann melon Oranges (Valencia) Peaches Plums Watermelons