HOW TO NATURALLY IMPROVE YOUR SLEEP IN 30 DAYS – PART 3

by Bill Pickard

If you have already read Parts 1 and 2 of this blog series, please skip down to the “NATURAL SLEEP SOLUTIONS” heading.

If you have not read Parts 1 and 2 of this blog series, please click here for Part 1 and click here  Part 2. Part 3 builds on the previous blog posts and it would be helpful if you read them first.

In Part 3 of this four-part blog series, we will dig deeper into the second of the three categories of “Natural Sleep Solutions” that was addressed in Part 1 – Informational Materials.

NATURAL SLEEP SOLUTIONS

The focus of this blog series is on how to improve the quantity and quality of your sleep – naturally. 

As you probably already know, there is an almost limitless variety of options available for improving your sleep. The following three categories of natural sleep solutions will be addressed in this four-part blog series:

  1. Natural Supplements
  2. Informational Materials
  3. Sleep-Related Consumer Products

In today’s blog post, we will focus on the second one - Informational Materials. 

Sleep-Related Consumer Products will be addressed in the next blog post.

 

 

INFORMATIONAL MATERIALS

There is a ton of informational materials out there claiming to be able to improve your sleep naturally. This information comes from numerous companies in many print and electronic forms. Some examples include blogs, articles, websites, books, e-books, newsletters, and many more. 

Regardless of the format of this information, there is at least one thing in common with sleep-related natural supplements and consumer products. The quality and efficacy of all these three categories of “sleep solutions” varies dramatically. In all three cases, there is a vast range from one extreme to the other. Some of them provide people with tremendous improvements in their sleep, and others do not help at all. 

In some cases, “sleep solutions” that do not help the user are fraudulent, counterfeit, scams, or just plain ineffective. In other cases, these items may work for some people but not for others. As I previously mentioned, the causes of sleep problems are numerous and diverse. As a result, the corresponding solutions are also numerous and diverse.

The key to finding a natural and safe sleep solution – or more likely a combination of solutions – is rarely simple. You should treat it like any other “project” in your life that you REALLY care about. Treat it like you are planning a vacation or even – dare I say it – a wedding. 

In my own experience and my observations of many other people, people don’t usually go “all in” on health-related issues. (This is, of course, unless it becomes so serious that they have no choice.) When we have a medical problem, most of us “throw ourselves on the mercy of the court” so to speak. 

In other words, we let the four super-powerful industries that control the overwhelming majority of our so-called “healthcare system” handle everything. This group includes (in no particular order) the pharmaceutical, health insurance, medical, and legal industries.

Each of these industries has its own special language and its own indecipherable way of doing things. The average American has almost no idea about how these four industries actually work as far as healthcare and wellness are concerned. Here are just a few examples of my point:

  • Prescription drugs that nobody can pronounce, much less understand. 
  • Health insurance codes that mean nothing to most of us. 
  • Medical diseases, disorders, disabilities, and dysfunctions – Oh my!
  • Legal terms – and sky-high fees – that few of us can comprehend, much less afford to pay.

With all this complexity, it’s no wonder so many people just throw up their hands – and maybe their supper – and get on the “medical conveyor belt.” The main problem with this process is that it’s not any fun, it involves a lot of time waiting around, and they make you get off when your money runs out. (It’s a lot like the magical kingdom full of cartoon characters and long lines.)

All you have to do to understand the long-term effects of this conveyor belt process is watch the zillions of class action lawsuit commercials on TV. Then, listen to the unbelievably scary side effects of many prescription drugs. And the weird part is that these same scary commercials are designed to convince YOU to convince YOUR doctor to prescribe those medicines for YOU.

If the potential side effects of a drug designed to clear up your skin include cancer, incontinence, or heart attack – NO THANK YOU!

Now, please understand that if I really NEED a prescription drug or surgery, I will seriously consider it. I am NOT advocating that anyone swear off all medical advice and pharmaceutical products.

What I am advocating that you do is take charge of your own health and wellness as much as possible. Consider natural products (and information) and consult your healthcare practitioner(s) as appropriate. Also, consider “traditional” medical and pharmaceutical advice side-by-side the natural kind. Most importantly, educate yourself and participate in your own decisions.

Now, back to my vacation and wedding analogy… My point here is that we all should devote the appropriate amount of time and effort to our health and wellness just like we do for these two important events. I have often heard of people spending weeks or months planning an elaborate vacation. I have also known regular, middle-class people who spent tens of thousands of dollars on a wedding. Please understand that this is NOT intended to be a criticism or a judgment – just an observation.

I’m not saying or implying that anything is wrong with these decisions. Vacations and weddings are important events and, for most of us, we have more of the former than the latter. In any case, what I’m advocating is that you give your own health and wellness the attention it deserves. After all, vacations, weddings, and health/wellness have one thing in common. They can all be VERY EXPENSIVE.

NATURAL SLEEP RECOMMENDATIONS #3

Take control of your health and wellness. By that, I mean many different things. Here are a few of the most important steps you can start taking TODAY:

  • Keep a medical notebook. Include your notes, questions, calendar, records, etc. I don’t think I’ve ever gone to a doctor’s appointment when I remembered to ask all the questions I needed to ask. This medical notebook can be a three-ring binder with tabs, a steno pad, or something in between. (You can even do it electronically if you dare. Please just back it up at least twice.) Make note of any questions or concerns you have so that you remember to ask at your next appointment. If you have multiple healthcare practitioners, you might want to include a tab for each one. You may even want to include a section for your dentist and your pharmacist.
  • Drink plenty of safe drinking water. This may require a filter, purifier, or bottled water. Plenty of water is essential to good health, as everyone already knows. Most of us, however, don’t follow this sound advice. The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine says that “adequate daily fluid intake” is about 15.5 cups (124 ounces) for men and 11.5 cups (92 ounces) for women. I suggest you drink at least that much water, not just fluids. There are so many other “fluids” out there that it’s impossible to list which ones are good for you and which ones are not. The Mayo Clinic suggests “between half an ounce and an ounce of water for each pound you weigh.” According to that recommendation, someone who weighs 150 pounds should drink between 75 and 150 ounces of water daily. (Just for reference, there are 128 ounces in a gallon.)
  • Exercise regularly. According to the CDC, you should exercise for “30 minutes a day, 5 days a week.” (For the mathematically challenged out there, that’s 150 minutes or 2.5 hours per week.)
  • Stop smoking and drink in moderation, if at all. The National Institutes on Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism (NIAAA) defines moderate drinking as “up to four alcoholic drinks for men and three for women in any single day and a maximum of 14 drinks for men and seven drinks for women per week.”

NOTE:  There are many more aspects of health and wellness than those listed above. This is not intended to be an all-inclusive list. There are a gazillion (mostly) helpful health hints out there in written form and on the internet. I suggest that you use discretion about what information you take to heart and what you ignore.


Bill Pickard, Guest Blogger for Hoppy Dreams Sleep Company
Founder of Success Business Communications
Primary Focus:  Copywriting and Content Writing for the Natural Health Industry
Relevant Experience: Internet and print sales with BellSouth Advertising & Publishing and AT&T Advertising.
Natural health industry sales experience with Gaia Herbs, Inc. (an industry-leading manufacturer of premium herbal supplements), and Braven, Inc. (a successful e-commerce reseller of top-quality natural supplements).

 

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