There are several causes of insomnia. We will start with the environmental ones; for instance substances that can be consumed.

Caffeine, for instance. It takes twenty-four hours for one cup of coffee to pass through the kidneys and urinary tract. People who have several cups of coffee, chocolate, and sodas have lots of caffeine in their bloodstream. The distress and stimulation from caffeine can inhibit sleep, especially sound sleep. The body must expend energy in expelling the caffeine, plus it generates less energy at the same time because of lack of sleep, a terrible cycle. Those supposedly innocent cups of coffee during the day take their toll during the night. Fresh air is another factor that affects sleep, as we noted in the chapter on air. Those who sleep in fresh rather than stale air invariably report better sleep. Exercise (covered in the next chapter) also helps to oxygenate the blood and facilitates the removal of toxins from the body, giving the system less to do in terms of removal of waste at night, so better sleep is enjoyed.

Try this: Instead of gulping down two cups of coffee at your next coffee break, which will catch up to you later with the demand for more coffee, find a quiet place, still your mind, close your eyes, and take a few deep breaths and relax your muscles. Turn your coffee break, your stimulation break, into a rest break and see for yourself what a positive difference this will have on your day. Just try it!

 By far, the factor that most affects one's sleep is food. Nothing can disturb sleep more than eating at bedtime. The primary reason for sleep is to regenerate nerve energy. Eating before sleeping redirects much of the energy to the digestion of the food. Since the brain is involved in digestion, less sleep will result. You simply should not expect to sleep well while the body is conducting digestive tasks. At least two hours should elapse between eating and going to bed.

 The more toxic you are, the more difficult it will be to sleep through the night. An eating life-style that is based on more wholesome food requires les s digestive energy. Wholesome food lessens sleep needs and increases sleep efficiency. This is why diet and eating practices weigh so heavily on how much sleep we need and how well we sleep. THE BIGGEST SINGLE FACTOR CONTRIBUTING TO SOUND SLEEP, WHICH IN TURN SOUND SLEEP CONTRIBUTES TO, IS GENERAL HEALTH.

Stress and insomnia

 Since the quality of our food so dramatically affects our health, it is easy to see why it' s such an important factor in the quality of our sleep. Over the past seventeen years many hundreds of people said that their sleep improved dramatically immediately upon upgrading their diet.

When energy is squandered unnecessarily, all body activities are seriously lessened. This means poor digestion and impaired elimination-a surefire way to put on weight, feel tired and stressed, be lacking in energy, invite disease, and just feel generally lousy. This is a very common cause of insomnia, since there are very few adults that are not used to products like coffee.

 For various reasons, sometimes a night's sleep may be inadequate, perhaps due to a particularly stressful day, some disturbing toxic crisis your body is undergoing, or arousing thoughts of a momentous situation in your life. When your sleep is inadequate due to any of these conditions and you become drowsy, sleepy, listless, or down during the day, you need rest. To some, people suggesting they take a nap in the middle of the day is akin to suggesting they poke themselves in the eye with a sharp stick. Nap is virtually a bad word. In today's hustle and bustle atmosphere of workaholism and efforts to succeed and get ahead, the body's biological needs are sometimes sacrificed in favor of productivity at any cost.

Much of the stress that so many working people struggle under can be traced to forcing the body to go beyond its capabilities and thereby pushing it to the brink. Our "succeed at any cost" culture has some people thinking they would rather be caught stealing than caught taking a nap. So they push themselves though feeling in need of a rest and resort to stimulants (coffee, tea, soft drinks, "uppers," etc.) to perk themselves up. This practice takes its toll. The problem is aggravated rather than solved. People who take this route further drain nerve energy, even though the drain may not be evident at the time. In many countries around the world a siesta is the normal practice. Animals in nature also rest during the heat of the day. Napping contributes to health and well-being.

Somehow it has become almost chic not to sleep many hours during the night. You will hear people saying, "Boy, I worked until two A.M. and was up at seven!" And someone will answer, "Wow! That's great!" Or people will be bragging about how much sleep they get, and the one who gets the least seems to be the winner! That's just not how it's supposed to be. Sleep is a vital commodity, like good wholesome food or a walk in the fresh mountain air. It is not something to be done without. Quality and quantity are both important.