February 2002
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HOLISTIC SLEEP: Reviewed by Lynne Lamberg |
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"No one but you can solve your sleep problems.
It starts with good sleep habits, a healthy lifestyle, and a belief
in your own ability to take charge of your life." The same pronouncement applies to excessive consumption
of food, alcohol, cigarettes, television...in short, almost any habitual
human activity. If people heeded such advice, they might improve their
lives. But most struggle mightily with behavioral change. Why is that, and what can help motivate people
to start and stick with a helpful regimen? Francis Buda, a sleep specialist
practicing in Atlanta, Georgia, reminds readers that sleep problems
that developed over weeks and months seldom respond to quick fixes.
To ward off discouragement, he calls for a commitment of at least
two weeks to efforts to embark on new routines. In this book he covers the usual bases, describing
normal sleep states and stages, sleep over the lifetime, common sleep
disorders, and mental and physical illnesses that undermine sleep.
He advocates exercise and sleep rituals, such as reading for relaxation
at bedtime. Numerous conversationally-written case histories may help
readers examine their own lives and try out possible solutions. Buda ventures onto scientifically shaky ground
when he offers diet advice. His "perfect soporific supper"
includes turkey for its high tryptophan content, and chamomile tea,
a putative relaxant. It's a big stretch to suggest that adding fennel
seed to salad dressing will improve a diner's slumber hours later. Even more "new age," Buda devotes several pages to Feng Shui, the Chinese philosophy of household design. He includes drawings to show where to place the bed. He even cautions against using sheets "bold in color or pattern." This sort of unscientific advice, delivered in the same even-handed manner as appropriate cautions against using alcohol or melatonin as sleep aids, detract from what otherwise is a straightforward guide. |
Copyright (c) 2002
Websciences |