Sleep...elusive sleep

Another sleepless night behind me. The laptop gets a real workout when I'm wide awake in the middle of the night. Research, general reading, emails and blogging fill the dark hours. Last night I managed to do a little research on the wonderful tools available on Gmail (Google's email). I discovered I can create a calendar my team can view and edit. I can sync my IPhone with my calendar, documents and email wirelessly! WOW! There are many more features my son, Wayne, is telling me about. I'll spend some time with him today learning more.

I am reminded however, how beneficial sleep is. There have been so many studies published recently on the benefits of just one additional hour of sleep. Also, there are many studies showing insomnia is very detrimental to our health. Our risk of developing various degenerative diseases are very increased when we do not sleep well or don't get enough sleep.

I am not a total insomniac but I am often awakened in the wee hours and remain awake for a couple of hours. During those hours I fire up the laptop, prop up in bed and start perusing the different sites I frequent. I am grateful those sleepless nights are occurring less often these days.

I try to compensate for the sleeplessness by eating better and and drinking more water. I am also trying to eliminate caffeine from my diet. The latter is a process lest I suffer from caffeine withdrawal...ouch!

Attending a Prevention Plus Lecture yesterday, I was reminded of the benefits of "live" food. The title of the lecture was, "Live People Thrive on Live Food." Dr. Carol Watson presented the research and practical ways to get more whole, raw, organic food into our diets. Enzymes are the "live" part of our food and heating food to a temperature of around 110 to 118 degrees Fahrenheit will destroy the enzymes. That doesn't mean cooked vegetables are totally unbeneficial. They still have calories, vitamins, fiber, etc. However, the more raw food we can incorporate into our diets, the healthier we will be. It isn't that difficult if you love salads. Almost any vegetable or fruit is good in a salad.

I admire a friend who has made salad her family's main dish at each meal. The meats and cooked food are side dishes. She keeps a ton of organic produce, both fruits and vegetables, and each child (six of them) can make their own. They add their favorites making sure there is a rainbow of colors in their meal. I am hungry just thinking about it.

The biggest benefit from the synergy of vitamins, minerals and enzymes in fresh, raw fruits and vegetables is the reduction of oxidative stress (free radicals) that causes aging. Having just turned sixty a few days ago I'm all over slowing the aging process. I'm going to make a salad....talk to you later!