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Do You Sleep Well?
by Scott Sumner
Copyright (c) 1999-2001, Scott A. Sumner


If you spend a night with a poor sleep the next day you're not a happy
camper. In our last  three columns we talked about exercise aerobic and
anaerobic, as well as what you eat- Canadas Food Guide.
 A third component to health is proper rest. Many people don't achieve a
consistent sleep for various reasons. However the most prevalent reason
is that they simply can't sleep well. There is usually no reason why you
can't sleep well each night . All it takes is some common sense
thinking. In fact there has been much written on this subject.  Perhaps
a first step is to determine how much sleep you need at night to
function well through out the day. You can determine this by
experimentation. I'm sure sometimes you need more sleep some nights than
others, depending on your recent activity level or general health. If
you have a cold you could sleep all day but if you're on a holiday in
Southern California you are ready to get by on much less sleep.
   Sleep works well if you develop a routine. Go to bed at the same time
if at all possible. This will help your body get on a regular clock.
Before you go to bed try to wind down from your day by following some
soothing activities, such as  taking a hot bath or reading a book.
Listen to music. Don' t allow your mind to think about problems or
things that are worrying you. Try to relax. Eliminate caffeine for at
least 6 hours before bedtime. Also eating late or strenuous exercise
will make your body work and not want to sleep. Alcohol is also a
stimulant that will affect your sleep patterns. I am a believer in
afternoon naps, but don't try it in the evening before bed. It will
disrupt your night pattern and create sleep difficulties.
If you are a sensitive sleeper make you bedroom as quiet as possible,
and keep it dark. Overall good rest allows your body to regenerate and
awaken fresh for a new day.
   Other components of health that seem obvious includes the way you
treat yourself. There are reams of evidence that proves smoking is
probably the worst thing you can do to yourself. Common sense should
scream at us loud and clear that cigarettes negatively affect our heath.
In whatever way you can you MUST STOP SMOKING!. There is no way around
it. YOU MUST STOP SMOKING if you want to really improve you quality of
life
    Drinking is also something I'm not a fan of . It represents an
increase of unwanted calories. Also the potential for abuse is mammoth.
One of my biggest so called "vices "is candy. This is another enemy to
your health. Candy provides  little advantage for you, since  sugar
intake tends to be counter- productive to a healthy body. It creates
poor calories with no positive nutrients. If you have a sweet tooth, try
to limit your candy  to as little as possible. The only candy I partake
of is when I'm at a social gathering away from my own home. I've learned
that not having any sweets in the house allows me to avoid eating it.
About The Author:
Scott Sumner grew up in Northwestern Ontario and is a graduate of
Lakehead University's
( Thunder Bay, Ontario Canada ) Honour Bachelor of Commerce Program as
well as York University's ( Toronto, Ontario Canada ) Master of
Business  Program. He founded North Superior Publishing Inc, a regional
specialty publishing company almost 20 years ago in 1982.  This company
has published 10 titles in the areas of real estate, business,
lifestyle, travel, golf, snowmobiling, automative and family. His book
Create An Exceptional Life: Mind, Body, Money can help you look at ways
to accomplish more in your life that you ever thought possible. It will
start you on a process of living your life to it's fullest potential.
Visit www.scottsumner.com