Ottawa Reflexology and Sleep.
Sleep is very important. Without sleep our bodies cannot function properly – both physically and emotionally. Even getting a few hours less sleep each night for a few days can be as detrimental to your health and wellbeing as staying awake all night. Lack of sleep can drastically impact our externals behaviours. We can become short-tempered, and cannot concentrate or take in information properly, affecting our decision-making, reaction time and ability to cope with everyday pressure. This, of course, can be dangerous – getting behind the wheel of a car when you are sleep deprived although not illegal can be deadly.
Not getting enough sleep also affects our hormones, including insulin, that help regulate blood glucose levels, and has an impact on our immune system, reducing its ability to fight infections.
Long term, a lack of sleep can lead to many issues, including anxiety or depression; and increase the chances of you having a heart attack or stroke due to increased blood pressure – all of this because your body has not had enough rest!
Most of us thankfully do get enough sleep and only very occasionally we have our sleep interrupted, but for some people not getting enough sleep can be a big problem.
The Ottawa Insomnia complex
This is when you find it difficult to get to sleep or if you wake in the night, have difficulty getting back to sleep. So what can cause insomnia? According to NHS Choices, the following are possible causes of insomnia:
- Stress and anxiety
- Poor sleep routine
- Poor sleep environment
- Drinking alcohol
- Smoking
- Drinking energy drinks
- Drinking caffeinated drinks in the evening
- Having an underlying health issues
- Depression,
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Heart conditions
- Respiratory conditions
- Neurological conditions
- Hormonal problems
Reflexology can help reduce Insomnia
Ottawa Reflexology can help with sleep problems, but as described in the above about stress, reflexology alone is only part of a solution. You may also need to make small changes to your lifestyle. There are things, you can do to help get a good night’s sleep. There have been a number of studies carried out to see if reflexology alone can help with sleep. Results have been very promising and more and more people are turning to reflexology to help combat insomnia.
