Do You Get Enough Sleep? Do Your Children?

The hours we spend sleeping are vital to our well being... this is when our bodies can turn their attention away from activity and work on repairing themselves.

In kids, sleep is when hormones that help them grow are released and when tissues not only repair themselves, but grow. Without sufficient sleep time, they can suffer serious long term damage.

Studies now show that kids between 5 and 12 years of age need 11 hours of sleep each night and teens need 8 1/2 to 9 hours.

Parents are right to be concerned about kids not getting sufficient rest, but wrong when they think that as adults they don't need to pay attention to their own sleep patterns.

The average adult needs about about 8 hours – and we should take it, no matter how many tasks and obligations demand our time. Our bodies also need time to repair, and without adequate rest, we aren't very efficient at taking care of all those obligations that keep us awake.

But it isn't always demands on our time that rob us of sleep. Sometimes it's our minds and emotions that keep us awake long after we've turned out the lights.

Because this is so common, Feel Bach! has created 4 different Sweet Dreams blends to help you break the "sleepless" pattern and begin getting the rest you need.

Because they're Bach Flower Essences, they won't leave you drugged and groggy in the morning - and you need have no fear of side effects. Unlike pharmaceuticals, they won't cause you to get up and go driving while you're asleep!

Sweet Dreams #1 is for people who can't let go of the day, but instead lay in bed thinking about unfinished work and what needs to be done tomorrow. This one can turn into a chronic habit that's difficult to break - I know, because I did this for years.

In fact, during an especially busy period of my life, I actually stored things away to think about after I went to bed, because I just didn't have enough quiet time earlier in the day. Talk about a wrong approach!

Sweet Dreams #2 is for those who can't relax enough to ignore the little noises of the night, or when you're worried about waking up on time in the morning. The very night when you should get plenty of rest to be sharp for a morning presentation turns into the night when you lay awake until an hour before the alarm rings.

Sweet Dreams #3 helps calm the fears that keep you awake. If you lay there and worry about something that may happen, or re-live something that did happen, this is the blend for you.

Sweet Dreams #4 is for folks who fall asleep easily, but then awaken far earlier than necessary.

If you're not getting enough sleep because you simply aren't going to bed when you should, change your habits. Your health is at stake and it's worth more than that TV show or last chapter of a good book.

If your lack of rest is because you agree to do too many things, begin saying "No" when it means you'll lose out on sleep.

But if the problem is that you just "can't sleep," try one of the Sweet Dreams formulas.

You'll feel better physically and mentally - and you'll probably accomplish more every day as well.

How fast do Bach Flower Remedies work?

Two weeks ago I was writing about surviving the heat - and now we're COLD! The squash plants now have black leaves from being hit with frost, and it's no fun to eat dinner on the patio any more.

Fall is definitely here, and just when I found the short pants I bought last fall to wear this summer. Ah well - next year.

Meanwhile, I've been thinking about how fast Bach Flower Essences work. A friend with no computer access called me a couple of days ago and asked me if I'd order him some more Sweet Dreams, because he had run out and had started losing sleep again.

He had started with the remains of my bottle - because when I used it for only a couple of weeks I was cured of sleeplessness and didn't need it any more. I gave it to him when he told me about his sleep problem, and it worked for him the very first night. After months of not sleeping, he was overjoyed.

So why did Sweet Dreams cure me almost immediately, but he needs to keep taking it indefinitely?

Of course I don't actually know the answer to that, but my guess is that it has to do with our relative health, and the medication he's taking.

My friend is quite ill - with everything from heart disease to kidney malfunction to diabetes. As a result, he's taking a dozen or so prescription drugs every day. It would scare me silly to put that much poison into my system, but when his doctors say "take this" he takes it. He's in that precarious position between being afraid to take the medication - and afraid not to take it.

That fear may have a lot to do with his sleep problems, too. So between the illnesses, the chemicals, and the worry, it may take a while for Bach Flower Remedies to make a permanent difference. I'm just thankful that they are there to give him much-needed sleep as long as he takes them.

With me it was just a matter of being unable to shut off my "mindspeak." I kept waking up thinking about things I needed to get done the next day or mentally re-writing something I'd done the previous day. The Bach Flower Essences re-balanced my energies and got me back on the right track quickly.

We'd love to hear about your experiences - to know how fast Bach flowers worked for you, and if you have influences like my friend's that are affecting your life.

Meanwhile - "Feel Good, Feel Bach!"

Marte