By Dr. Kaleb Montgomery TCM
Sleep is a wonderful thing. Unfortunately for many of us a good nights sleep is something that happens all too infrequently. In fact some studies have shown that most of us in North America are chronically sleep deprived. In the second part of this article we will explore some ways to improve your sleep that you might not have thought about, however first let us look at some of the reasons why we sleep.
The most obvious answer as to why we sleep is to recover and heal. The body needs to repair itself, clean out waste products and replenish energy stores. Waking up feeling rested is one of life’s simple pleasures. However this physical recuperation is only one of the many functions of sleep.
When we sleep we go through 2 main phases. The first phase is when our body and our minds are both at rest. This part happens shortly after we first fall asleep. It is brought on by reduced sensory input. (darkness, quiet, no movement etc.) The function of this part of sleep is the restorative one mentioned above.
The second phase of sleep is called Rapid Eye Movement or REM sleep. This is the part of sleep were we dream. It is called Rapid Eye Movement because of the movement of our eyeballs underneath our eyelids that happens when we dream. This part of sleep is not necessarily restful. Our mind is acting like it is awake during REM. Our body can react too. Sleep walking, talking in our sleep and tossing and turning in response to a dream all happen during REM. We cycle through these two phases of sleep throughout the night. As the night progresses we have less “restful” sleep and more REM sleep. If REM sleep is not restful then why do we have do it?
REM sleep has many functions. One purpose is to help with memory and learning. Research in rats suggests that we repeat things we have done in the day again during REM sleep. This repeating of newly learned things during REM looks like it could be a key step in our learning process.
Another function of REM is in processing the emotional stress we experience during the day. Our dreams express our fears, anxieties and frustrations. Here our dreams act like a release valve, blowing off the accumulated steam of the day. This is a critical function for our survival. In a set of Machiavellian experiments with rats it was discovered that if you deprive rats of any sleep, they die after about 3 weeks. If you allow them to have the first “restful” phase of sleep but not REM sleep they die after 5 weeks. Seeing these results open my eyes to other possible functions to sleep besides physical resting and restoring.
Through the rat sleep deprivation experiment I noticed how critical REM sleep and dreaming is to our survival. The rats died quickly even when they were allowed to have the first “restful” portion of sleep. This illustrated that without the nightly processing and stress release of REM sleep life quickly becomes figuratively and literally unbearable.
Now that we have explored some reasons as to why we sleep we will now look at some way to improve our sleep.
[pullquote]Sleep and dating have something in common. The harder we try the less likely we are to succeed.[/pullquote]
Sleep and dating have something in common. The harder we try the less likely we are to succeed. We can do things that make the probability of sleep more likely, however we cannot necessarily control falling asleep. This can be frustrating for many because even if you avoid caffeine, alcohol, heavy meals late and you exercise properly you still might not sleep well. Sleep reminds us of the unpredictability of nature, that even with all of our knowledge and technology we are still subject to nature’s whims. We have no ultimate control over sleep and therefore it highlights our vulnerability and helplessness in the face of nature. However for those of us that do not sleep well we do have to confront this aspect of ourselves if we want to learn to sleep better.
In order to sleep well we must let go of control. We are obliged to learn to entrust our well being to something other than our conscious self, and to let the deep, dark and scary sub-conscious mind take over. The subconscious is where dreams come from. This realm of dreams is strange and wonderful. The colourful images of our dreams offer us a window into our own unlimited creative potential. Our dreams can encourage us to create. In fact creating, by taking our dreams and manifesting that vision into reality, is a great way to increase the possibility of sleep.
Another way to increase the likelihood of sleeping well is acting with integrity. Worrying about whether or not we will be caught out in our deceptions takes a toll on us. We use the expression “being able to sleep at night” to denote that we have acted honourably and that our conscience is clear. As Macbeth will tell you, a troubled conscience leads to troubled dreams and disturbed sleep.
My own struggle with insomnia has led me to be a better person. I find that if I am “cleaner” with my energy, e.g. that I avoid lying, cheating and stealing on all levels, my conscience is clearer and I sleep better. The more integrity and honour I act with, the better I sleep. I find that if I try to get an advantage over someone or something by dishonest means that there is a cost to my actions, my own health. The peace of mind of not having anything to hide is tremendously freeing. Not having to worry about being caught in my deceptions leaves more energy for my own health and healing. By acting with integrity, my goal is to stop adding skeletons to my already crowded closet. It is much easier and quicker to empty out my closet if I stop adding new things to it.
In trying to sleep well, our challenge is to do the right thing, even if it takes longer or does not payoff in the short run. Come clean. Shelve your pride and admit to someone your role in a problem. Go ahead and tell your mom that it was you that broke the window and not the kid down the street. Then watch and see how much better you sleep.