Sleep. its one of those glorious things that can either constantly elude us, or we never get enough of with today’s busy lifestyle.

Here in Japan,? a recent survey stated that approximately half of the population get less than six hours of sleep a night. Half! That probably explains the practice of people mass dozing on trains every day, and those that regularly fall asleep in meetings here (the more attendees the merrier). However it doesn’t excuse the fact that it isn’t enough to function effectively, day after day, without long term physical and psychological consequences.

Many of you reading this right now may be nodding your head , saying “hey, he just described me! Yes, the problem stretches across the globe as all of us work under heavier workloads, increased expectations and struggling economic realities.

Blaming it on a busy lifestyle isn’t enough; many people end up sitting prone in front of a TV till the early hours of the morning, simply because they cannot switch off, unwind, and let sleep come to them naturally.

Thats because its not enough for many people just to jump in the bed; you have to be ready to sleep- laying down on the bed often makes us suddenly aware of how stressed out or worried we really are, or something that we have been putting off, or ignoring.. the list goes on.

Stress is a prime factor for lack of sleep. So what can we do to limit its effects?

1. Turn the TV off a good half hour or more before you hit the sack.

2. Have a stretch- this often is enough to bring whatever is on your mind right to the fore, as well as the related stiffness in your body.

3. Meditate/deep breath/ conscious relaxation methods. It works, because it puts you in touch with you, your state of mind, where you are at this very moment.

4. Get your partner to relax also. Its no good you trying to slow down if they are frantically preparing for the next day.

5. Create a meditative space- bath, candles, lights, music, incense, aromatic oils..gee, it sounds great already! For me, the sense of smell is supreme, so if I create a space where my environment tells me to calm down or to prepare for a transition, I usually take its advice.

6. Don’t do any intense exercise at least an hour or two before you sleep.This tends to wake you up and get the heart and blood pumping way too much, meaning that your down time will suffer. (I have done it and watched, wide-eyed, its effects)

These are very simple strategies, but worthwhile. It might require you to plan a bit ahead when you get home from work and make sure that whatever needs to get done that night is finished in a timely fashion, but hey, that’s a no brainer, right?

You are the most important person to your life, your family and friends. Therefore incorporating simple strategies to keeping you fit, fed and well rested, is primary.

Also, make sure you spend some quality time checking in with your partner/kids/pets. They will certainly appreciate it, just remember to be consistent about it as well ;).

How about you? Got any effective strategies that work well with getting enough rest, and leading an active lifestyle? Let us know.

Now, go get some quality rest tonight!

Cheers,

Markeu

MY HISTORY WITH RLS

For 10 years now I have published an annual music directory called The Indie Bible. If you have a friend that has recorded a CD, there is a good chance they’ve heard about it. They may even have a copy.

We probably don’t have a lot in common when it comes to what we do for a living ... but there is ONE thing that we do share. We both know how emotionally devastating it is to suffer from Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS).

I am all too familiar with that horrible feeling of lying in bed, desperately trying to fall asleep BEFORE your legs start twitching. I know the deep despair of lying there and feeling that FIRST little spark. That tiny twitch that signals the inevitable.

That small twitch is the signal that it’s going to be ANOTHER restless night. The twitching is going to get worse until you finally have to get up and walk around (my wife called it “travellin’”) or sit at your desk and work, until you’re so exhausted that you feel there’s a SLIGHT chance you may be able to fall asleep before the twitching returns again.

During the evening, I could barely SIT beside my wife Barb, let alone HOLD her hand as we would watch TV. Often, my legs would be buzzing so intensely, I would have NO choice but to watch TV standing up.

I used to FLY to a lot of MUSIC conferences. I remember how I would try to mentally prepare myself DAYS before the trip. There’s nothing more intimidating to a RLS sufferer than knowing you’ll have to sit STILL in a plane seat for FIVE HOURS. Sure enough, after a SHORT grace period, the twitching would begin. I can’t tell you how many times I WALKED up and down the airplane aisle pretending that I had to go to the bathroom, just to walk off my wonky legs.

RLS TREATMENTS I’VE TRIED IN THE PAST

I can’t remember exactly when it all started? I didn’t even know it had a name until a few years ago. Up until that time, it was just my “wonky legs” acting up again.

Through the years I tried all sorts of teas, diets, oils, vitamins and massage. I tried workouts, bicycling and jogging. Nothing helped, or at least NOT for very long.

Several years ago, Barb suggested that I go see a Chiropractor … so I gave it a try. I was pleasantly surprised that it actually helped a bit. However, after the INITIAL relief, the treatments started LOSING their effectiveness. After about a year, I gave up and stopped going.

A few years later a local Acupuncturist was recommended to me. I went and saw him for a treatment. I was amazed at the relief I gained through his combination of electro-acupuncture followed by a DEEP tissue massage. The massage was excruciating, but I stuck it out because I was DESPERATE to get rid of my twitchy legs. He had hands like a mechanic, and TEARS would shoot out of my eyes as he massaged my legs, but I kept going to see him. It was the MOST relief I’d ever had from my restless legs.

I saw him periodically for a couple of years, and eventually, as was the case with the Chiropractor, the treatments became ineffective. I was DEVASTATED. I felt like I was COMPLETELY out of options.

THE ABSOLUTE CURE FOR RLS

Shortly after I stopped seeing the Acupuncturist, a seemingly disconnected series of events ALL came together and resulted in the development of a SIMPLE CURE - a cure that has freed me from the grip of my Restless Legs Syndrome. And because the CAUSE of the RLS has been addressed, I KNOW that it’s not coming back.

In my book “The ABSOLUTE Cure for Restless Legs Syndrome” I list the HERBS, VITAMINS, MINERALS and SUPPLEMENTS that are required to remove both the cause and the symptoms of your RLS.

I also explain in the book WHY your Restless Legs Syndrome exists in the FIRST place - HOW it came into being.

And just as importantly, the Program I have created provides you with the TOOLS to begin the EMOTIONAL healing that MUST occur once your physical problems begin to disappear.

PAY … WHEN YOU’RE CURED

As an long-time RLS sufferer, I’m well aware of ALL the SHADY websites offering a SECRET cure for Restless Legs Syndrome. Because of this, and the fact that scientists are not even CLOSE to finding the cause or cure … the odds of anyone believing that I found a REAL CURE are less than ZERO.

Since the skepticism level of the average RLS sufferer that visits my website is about 100%, I had no choice but to offer the Program for FREE in order to get people to try it.

You can READ it and TEST it out … with no obligation to pay ANYTHING until you are COMPLETELY cured.

YOU CAN BE FREE OF YOUR RLS!

I suffered from RLS for over 20 years. In only 48 days, I was able to become totally RLS free (you can view my DAILY PROGRESS CHART on my website. By following the Program I have developed, you can become free of your RLS … no matter how long you’ve been suffering!

If you are looking for exercises to stop snoring, then you must be one that want to cure your snoring in a natural way without going through any surgeries. Snoring is an annoying problem, it not only causes serious problems to yourself, but also your partner. It is best that you find a solution to it and stop your snoring.

So, are snoring exercises workable? In order for us to get the answer, we have to find out what are the causes for snoring and the principles behind these snoring exercises.

Most snoring is caused by the weak throat muscles that collapse during sleep. As snoring exercises aim to strengthen the jaws and throat muscles , so these types of exercises make sense as you stop your snoring once your jaws and throat muscles are strengthened.

If your snoring is caused by your tongue falling back into your throat, then you may do some ‘tongue exercises’ to help solve the problem. Simply stick your tongue out and stretch it as far as you can, then hold it in the air for 5 - 10 seconds. An alternative method is to touch the tip of your chin and nose with your tongue. Do these exercises everyday. You will soon notice the results once your throat and tongue muscles become stronger.

You can do these exercises to stop snoring naturally. After all, it has no side effects. There are techniques that you can use to stop snoring effectively, simply learn and use it to yield the benefits for yourself.