Better Sleep, Happier Life: Simple Natural Methods to Refresh Your Mind, Body, and Spirit by Venkata Buddharaju MD FAASM FCCP
Did you know that sleep is a key component for a happy life? Research shows us it is. But with all of today's technology and stresses, many people are getting less sleep or experiencing poorer quality sleep. This can negatively impact mood, concentration, productivity, physical health and, yes, even happiness. As a practicing physician for more than twenty years, Dr. Venkata Buddharaju (known as Dr. Buddha to his patients) has extensive experience treating patients with sleep problems. And the number of patients he is seeing with sleep disorders is on the rise.
In Better Sleep, Happier Life, Dr. Buddharaju teaches seven simple, practical, and natural methods to help you get better sleep in order to refresh your mind and body. Filled with wisdom from his years of experience as well as simple lifestyle changes, Better Sleep, Happier Life can help you find rest and refreshment in the midst of your busy life…and reap the benefits.
Targeted Age Group:: Adult – This book is for adults, also benefits young adults and school children from knowing the importance of sleep and longer sleeps duration needs than adults, in learning, education, performance in tests, sports and other couriers they pursue in their life.
Heat/Violence Level: Heat Level 3 – PG-13
What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
As a busy practicing and teaching physician in Sleep, Pulmonary & Critical
Care, ICU Medicine, In my late forties, I had noticed, how working longer
hours with work stress influencing my sleep time and health, so I made few
changes to my lifestyle, organized my time better to include morning
exercise, balanced diet, relaxation techniques to deal with stress and to
finally a Better Sleep Happier life.
So with extensive patient experience, my own experience and wisdom, I
have decided to write my first book, Better Sleep Happier Life, an easy to
follow natural methods to improve sleep and health of many people around
the world.
How Did You Come up With Your Characters?
Nonfiction
Book Sample
Stress and Sleep
For the purpose of our discussions in this book, we will define stress as physical and
emotional tension related to external or internal events. Stress can be acute or chronic.
Acute stresses are short lived, our mind and body reacts, responds and adapts, and life
goes on. On the other hand, chronic stress results from ongoing stressful events that go
on for a longer period of time and can aff ect our physical and mental health.
Over millions of years of biological evolution, nature’s successful species have developed
stress responses to cope with and adapt to their environment. The human nervous
system is no exception. It has evolved in order to survive various threats. Before we
began living together in cities, the biggest threat to our survival was from natural
predators, like tigers and lions. You have to think fast if you want to outsmart a
tiger or lion. This is why one of our natural adaptations is called the flight-or-fight
response—we have to decide quickly whether we are going to flee when danger strikes
or stay and fight. Even today, with no predators threatening us, we still experience
our body’s flight-or-fight response when confronted with acute stress. Just as we did
years ago when we faced the lions, our bodies release chemicals called epinephrine,
norepinephrine, and cortisol. These chemicals trigger glucose sugar production
for the quick burst of energy that our muscles need to run. Our heart beats faster to
pump blood quickly into our muscles. Our brain is alerted by these chemicals to be more
attentive in order to escape the imminent danger. Our other organ systems slow down
during these times of stress to keep our body’s energy focused on the threat at hand. In
these moments, our body and mind prioritize survival—nothing else matters.
The flight-or-fight response has been genetically programmed over millions of years,
and it continues to evolve as we evolve. In theory, this stress response should last for a
short period of time and should dissipate once the threat has passed. In today’s world,
however, we often deal with chronic stress. This means our body stays in a sort of
ongoing flight-or-fight mode and continues to release chemicals that it shouldn’t
release for long periods of time. The consequence of our body’s confused state can be
high blood pressure, glucose intolerance, sleep difficulties, anxiety, depression, and
more. Living in an ongoing flight-or-fight mode is bad for our health. Chronic stress
must be addressed to avoid lasting side effects on the mind and body. Stress is part of
life. We can’t avoid it. Yet, somehow, we delude ourselves. We go through different
stages of life believing that the next stage will be better and less stressful. I hear
people say things like, “I will be happy…”“…once I complete this task…”or “…after I
solve this problem…” or “…when I pass this exam….” In my experience, this notion of
“no more stress” in the future is counterproductive. Solutions for one problem can bring
new problems. As humans, we are never satisfied. We are constantly scanning for the
next threat, the next potential difficulty. We worry and try to avoid these potential
threats in order to live a peaceful life. In reality, it is impossible to avoid stressful
situations in life. It is much better to learn coping mechanisms that can help us deal
with the inevitable stresses that life will throw our way. When we spend too much time
worrying, called rumination,our sleep can be disturbed. Worry causes frequent
awakening, especially in the early morning hours. Poor quality sleep then results in
daytime tiredness and irritability. It becomes a vicious, unhealthy cycle. Therefore, we
must learn coping strategies to combat stress and maintain balance in our lives.
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