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a wake-up call; it also sets in motion the desire to sleep, and it does so
by keeping our internal clock wound. Spending a block of time outside
every day helps us sleep for another reason: it helps normalize thyroid
function.^4 This is important because falling into a state of hypothyroid-
ism makes normal sleep next to impossible.
How Much Sleep Is Enough?
The amount of sleep individuals need varies. Some people, mostly men,
don’t need more than fi ve hours of sleep a night. Others need as much
as twelve hours to be productive and alert during the day. While in
college I read about a research study on sleeping patterns and their
effects on longevity in a journal whose name I’ve long since forgotten.
The study made an indelible impression because researchers tracked
the sleep habits and life spans of sixty thousand subjects. It showed that
those who slept seven hours nightly lived the longest. Eight-hour sleep-
ers lived almost as long. However, sleeping even one hour over the
standard eight hours sharply curtailed longevity, whereas individuals
who slept less than seven hours, even those who slept only four or fi ve
hours a night, lived almost as long as the seven-hour sleepers. Seven
hours of sleep may very well be most conducive to health and longevity,
but if you feel rested and alert only by sleeping longer, curtailing your
sleeping hours because it might extend your life for a few months would
be counterproductive.
How to Treat Insomnia
The most effective antidote for insomnia, of course, is a healthy, meta-
bolically appropriate diet. When digestion is complete we have no
symptoms of indigestion, and when we feel well, we fall into a state of
calm that is conducive to sleep.
Avoiding eating before you go to sleep is helpful because digestive
problems arising from the evening meal are more likely to be resolved
by the time you rest your head on the pillow. There are people, how-
ever, who insist they can’t go to sleep on an empty stomach. Often the
problem is not hunger or a feeling of emptiness in the stomach as they
