You’re probably familiar with the REM sleep cycle. That’s when your eyelids twitch, and you have the most vivid and memorable dreams.
But have you heard of the Delta sleep cycle? It’s the stage you enter right before REM. It’s a deep, dreamless stage. You are so soundly asleep that your body is practically paralyzed.
It’s where you want to spend most of your time sleeping…
Because it’s at this stage that your body begins to heal itself. Let me explain…
Being in a deep Delta state triggers the release of Human Growth Hormone. In fact, as much as 75% of HGH is released during this cycle.
And HGH is one of the most effective ways to turn back the clock on aging.
HGH can:
- Increase your energy
- Decrease your risk of heart disease and diabetes
- Enhance your sexual performance
- Build muscle and bone
- Improve your immune function, mood, and vision
- Reduce wrinkles
The science backs it up…
In a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine, 12 volunteers aged 61 to 81 were given HGH injections.1
Within six months, the study participants saw their gray hair turn dark. Their energy levels soared. Sexual appetite improved. These previously overweight patients turned into younger, leaner, and more energized versions of themselves.
The reversal in their age was equivalent to 10 to 20 years.
If you’re interested in trying HGH therapy at the Sears Institute for Anti-Aging Medicine, please call my staff at 561-784-7852. They are happy to answer any questions you have.
If you decide to get HGH therapy elsewhere, make sure you’re getting real HGH, which is only available from a doctor. Avoid getting it from the Internet. There are a lot of fakes out there.
But you can also increase levels of HGH levels easily at home. Deep, restorative Delta sleep is one of the best ways.
Unfortunately, most people – especially as they get older – have trouble falling and staying asleep for a full 7 to 9 hours.
In fact, insomnia has become an epidemic in today’s world. And modern medicine does very little to help you restore natural rest. Big Pharma’s answer is to knock you out with dangerous drugs.
But that’s not the same as sleep. And it won’t help you reach the deep sleep level that increases HGH levels.
For your best night’s sleep, I recommend jujube fruit extract. This staple of traditional Chinese medicine is prescribed regularly for tension, nightmares, night sweats, and sleeplessness.
And like most natural medicines, there are modern studies to confirm their effects.
Today, we know the extract of the jujube fruit works by affecting an area of your brain called the hippocampus. The hippocampus is located in the middle of your brain and is one of your brain’s emotional centers. Jujube fruit acts to relax your hippocampus which helps your mind relax and calms your emotions. It works especially well for people who lay awake thinking or worrying.
After gently getting you to fall asleep, it then extends the amount of time you stay asleep.2
But recent research shows that the flavonoids in jujube, called jujubesides, can increase the amount of time you spend in deep restorative Delta sleep.3
I like drinking a cup of jujube-ginger tea about an hour before I go to bed. You can also supplement. Aim for 25 mg at bedtime.
Try my 3-step plan to help you sleep more soundly
In addition to adding jujube to your bedtime routine, I offer my patients a three-step program to help them get the deepest sleep possible.
- First, switch to this kind of meal plan. A ketogenic diet, which is a key part of my Primal meal plan, will increase the amount of time you spend in Delta sleep. A study published in the journal Epilepsia found that while the ketogenic diet may decrease the total amount of time spent asleep, it improves the quality of your sleep by getting you to the Delta stage more quickly.4 Another study compared the keto meal plan to a high-carb diet. Using a computerized sleep system to record sleep patterns, researchers found that those who ate a very low-carb diet spent more time in Delta sleep than the high-carb group.5
- Next, meditate before bedtime. I first discovered meditation when I was coaching gymnasts in college. I used it to help them keep from choking in competitions. Today, research proves this ancient Indian art form can help you sleep more soundly.6 Meditation doesn’t have to be complicated. And you don’t have to twist your body into a contorted position. Just sit somewhere comfortable and quiet with your eyes closed. Keep your back straight, your chin tucked in, and focus on your breathing. Slowly inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. At first, do the breathing exercises for two minutes a day. But make them as mindfully perfect as possible. Each week, add two minutes to your mindful meditation. When you’ve mastered mindful breathing for 10 minutes
- Finally, take the right kind of sleep aids. Two natural products I recommend are Jamaican dogwood extract and thiamine. The leaves and bark of the Jamaican dogwood tree have long been used in the tropics as a treatment for insomnia and anxiety. All you need is 10 mg a night. Thiamine is also called vitamin B1. It’s well-known for supporting healthy circulation in the brain. But studies show thiamine improves sleep patterns when you have enough. The best food sources are organ meats, peas, pork, beans, and sunflower seeds. To regulate sleep, I recommend 40 mg a day.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD, CNS
References:
1. Rudman D, et al. “Effects of human growth hormone in men over 60.” N Engl J Med. 1990;323(1):1-6.
2. Jiang JG, et al. Comparison of the sedative and hypnotic effects of flavonoids, saponins, and polysaccharides extracted from Semen Ziziphus jujube. Nat Prod Res. 2007 Apr;21(4):310-20.
3. Wang L, et al. Potentiating effect of spinosin, a C-glycoside flavonoid of Semen Ziziphi spinosae, on pentobarbital-induced sleep may be related to postsynaptic 5-HT(1A) receptors. Phytomedicine. 2010 May;17(6):404-9.
4. Hallböök T, et al. Ketogenic diet improves sleep quality in children with therapy-resistant epilepsy. Epilepsia. 2007 Jan;48(1):59-65.
5. Afaghi A, et al. Acute effects of the very low carbohydrate diet on sleep indices. Nutr Neurosci. 2008 Aug;11(4):146-54.
6. Black D, et al. “Mindfulness meditation and improvement in sleep quality and daytime impairment among older adults with sleep disturbances.” JAMA Intern Med. 2015 Apr 1; 175(4):494–501.