SLEEPY TIME JOE

It seems that we are not getting enough sleep.

According to Dr. Douglass RE: Daily Dose-Get your sleep-or else! realhealth@healthiernews.com, poor rest is linked to dimentia.

". . If it's true, it doesn't surprise me in the least. All those late nights aren't just making people tired and crabby -- they're killing us, plain and simple.

But first, they destroy our brains.

Researchers at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis studied mice that had been engineered to have an Alzheimer's-like condition. They found that when these mice were awake, levels of amyloid-beta -- a protein linked to the condition -- rose. When the mice slept, those levels fell.

But when the mice were forced to stay awake -- like many of us force ourselves to, nearly every night -- those levels really shot up. And the researchers believe this happens in our brains, too, sleepless night after sleepless night.

And believe me, if that's causing dementia, we're going to see an explosion of Alzheimer's in a few years.

Today's kids are raised on mega-doses of caffeine, sugar-filled energy drinks, and violent videogames. They're killing brain cells every night as they play these games and send text messages until dawn, and then fade in and out of consciousness all day long at school.

But that's perfect training for life as a 21st-century adult. Too many grown men and women suffer from sleep disorders, many of their own making. Plenty of us even willingly sacrifice that crucial sleep in a pointless attempt to keep up with the rat pack at work.

Bad move, pal -- that big promotion today isn't going to mean squat if it costs you your mind tomorrow.

Don't look to sleeping pills with their bizarre and even deadly side effects for answers. If you can't cure your insomnia with lifestyle changes such as earlier bedtimes, then you probably need an HGH boost. Skip the kind that comes in a bottle and head straight to your doctor for some prescription-strength injections, four times a week until you're straightened out. [ Easy there doctor, growth hormones are a drastic step for just a little shut eye]

Add a nightly dose of melatonin to the mix, and you'll be sleeping like a baby in no time.. . "

RE:

http://www.melatonin.com/melatonin-faq-general.php

Melatonin is a hormone produced naturally in the pineal gland at the base of the brain.

It is important in regulating sleep, and may play a role in maintaining circadian rhythm, the body's natural time clock.

Natural melatonin production decreases with age, and the decrease is associated with some sleep disorders, particularly in the elderly.

The use of melatonin supplements became popular in the mid-1990s as a way of treating insomnia.

Studies suggest that supplements can hasten sleep and ease jet lag, without the hazards or side effects of prescription sleeping pills.

Melatonin may have many other uses and has been reported to make people feel better, strengthen the immune system, and reduce free radicals in the body.

Current research is exploring melatonin's effect as an anti-oxidant, immno-modulator in cancer, delayed sleep-phase disorders, and more. For example: "... Consuming melatonin neutralizes oxidative damage and delays the neurodegenerative process of aging [in mice]." (Science Daily)

Tests are still underway, so there is much to still be learned about melatonin and its effects on the human body.

"Based on available studies and clinical use, melatonin is generally regarded as safe in recommended doses for short-term use.

"Available trials report that overall adverse effects are not significantly more common with melatonin than placebo." (U.S. National Institutes of Health)

"In the most extensive clinical trial to date a high dose of 75 milligrams of melatonin per day was given to 1400 women in the Netherlands for up to four years with no ill effects." (Newsweek, 6 Nov. 1995, 60-63.)

Melatonin reportedly doesn't have that morning-after effect of sleeping pills. You should Normally wake up well refreshed and full of energy.

Dosages should begin small, .5 mg or less, then increased to get the desired effect

DISCLAIMER

This blog article is not written by a health professional, nor is the information contained within to be considered prescribed procedure or to have any claimed medical or scientific authenticity. It is merely information gleaned from the referenced sources, and should not be considered medical advice.

With Love and Kindness,

THE HATMAN