‘Master Your Sleep: Proven Methods Simplified’ by Tracey I. Marks, MD – Book Review

I love to read about a variety of topics. Although I don’t have a problem with getting to sleep (I probably sleep a little too much!), I wanted to learn about the science of sleep. ‘Master Your Sleep: Proven Methods Simplified’ by Tracey I. Marks, MD taught me a lot about the subject from a medical professional’s perspective.

Here is a synopsis of this book:

Sleep disorders plague a frightening percentage of the population, and many people who have problems sleeping simply learn to live with their affliction. But at what cost? Sleep disorders can affect all aspects of life, from school and work to personal relationships to mental health. Because of the myriad types of sleep disorders and the equally numerous treatment methods, there is no quick fix for all sufferers.

Master Your Sleep is for people who want answers about sleep problems. Dr. Tracey Marks explains how and why we sleep and delves into the many types and potential causes of sleep disruption. Master Your Sleep will help readers understand their sleep patterns and provides an extremely thorough exploration of potential treatments, from herbal and prescription medications to a variety of therapies.

From the simple to the complex, Dr. Marks explains the potential risks and benefits found in all treatment methodologies. Master Your Sleep is an invaluable addition to the libraries of those who suffer from sleep disorders as well as family members of sufferers. The proven methods simplified will help these people understand their sleep problems so they can regain control of their nights AND their life.

Here is a biography of this author:

Tracey Marks, MD, is an Atlanta psychiatrist and psychotherapist, specializing in the interplay between mind and body, and how it shapes our quality of life.

Dr. Marks has worked with numerous professional men and women who struggle to find balance between life and work. Underneath burnout, depression and stress, she often finds sleep problems at the root of her patients’ problems. She wrote Master Your Sleep: Proven Methods Simplified (February 2011, Bascom Hill Publishing Group) to help them understand – and conquer – their sleep patterns. She provides a thorough exploration of potential treatments, from herbal and prescription medications to a variety of therapies, explaining the potential risks and benefits related to all treatment methodologies.

Dr. Marks obtained her undergraduate degree from Duke University and her medical degree from the University of Florida. She completed her residency training at The New York Presbyterian Hospital, Cornell Medical Center. In her last year of training, she served as Chief Resident, a position reserved for outstanding resident doctors possessing superb clinical skills and great leadership potential.

Since 2001, Dr. Marks has been working as a psychiatrist and psychotherapist in private practice in Atlanta. Dr. Marks has sub-specialty training in Forensic Psychiatry. She is board certified in both General Adult Psychiatry and Forensic Psychiatry and is a frequent forensic contributor on TruTV’s “InSession.”

Dr. Marks is also the founder of the Beyond Burnout Blog, where she features videos and articles that help people deal with stress, anxiety, sleep problems, and other life-balance issues.

Here is the trailer for this helpful book:

In the Introduction, Dr. Marks shares these statistics:

It is estimated that 1/3 of the United States population is currently suffering from insomnia. That means there are approximately 100 million people tossing and turning their way through troubles nights. The majority of these people will never seek help from a professional , choosing to suffer in silence instead. Many people grow accustomed to the problem, adopting the attitude that it is just another part of a modern, stressful life. They learn to ignore the difficulties, believing that the nighttime nuisance is simply “normal.”

After all, if 100 million people share a struggle with sleep, how abnormal could it possibly be?

Current numbers for the percentage of the population suffering from insomnia exceed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s present estimates for heart disease and diabetes. Research has also revealed that insomnia is a determined independent risk factor for both diseases, meaning insomnia alone can increase the risk of developing these disorders.

The economic asking price for this public health problem is massive, estimated at $147.2 billion in 2006 dollars (these costs include treatment of illnesses related to sleep deprivation, missed time from work and a marked decrease in overall productivity). (p. IX)

These are staggering numbers all the way around.

This book has two sections – Understanding Sleep and Sleep Solutions.

Dr. Marks shares with her readers ‘Sleep Architecture,’ the components of the sleep cycle:

Sleep is divided into five stages. Stages 1-4 are called Non-REM (Rapid Eye Movement), and Stage 5 is REM. The various stages are clearly demonstrated when observed through the brain-wave patterns found on an electroencephalogram (EEG). The pattern appears distinctly different for each stage.

As we fall asleep, we progress from stages 1-4 and then move backward from stages 4-1 until we reach our first stage of REM. Non-REM sleep is considered “quiet sleep” because the brain slows down and each stage pushes the body progressively deeper into sleep. A person in the first stage of their sleep might easily awaken from the sound of rain or thunder as opposed to being “out cold” during stage 4, at which point it become far more difficult to be roused from slumber. (p. 3)

One thing I learned that was completely new is the term Sleep Inertia; I’ve experienced, but wasn't aware there is a name for it:

Sleep inertia is that foggy feeling we occasionally get when we first open our eyes in the morning, and take a while to get started. We have a difficult time thinking clearly, speaking with clarity, or moving with steady direction. It is easy enough to mistake this sensation for not having had enough sleep. As a consequence, some people will lie in bed and attempt a return to sleep or move clumsily through the morning, aided by the crutch of caffeine.

Physiologically, sleep inertia occurs when you awaken from slow-wave or deep sleep. As previously mentioned, the usual process for waking is to gradually transition from the deeper stages to lighter stages of sleep. However, various factors can cause someone to rise prematurely, catching them in a deeper stage of sleep and resulting in a transient period of impaired performance that can last anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour. (p. 8)

There are detrimental consequences when we don’t sleep. An unexpected one is weight gain:

Chronic sleep loss, as defined by episodes of poor sleep for greater than one month, can cause lasting damage to our bodies. For example, sleep deprivation causes an increase in the body’s production of the hormone cortisol, which increases blood-sugar levels and blood pressure. (p. 11)

Another potential side effect is cardiovascular disease and shortened life span:

Many studies have articulated a direct relationship between sleep deprivation and coronary artery disease, one of the world’s leading causes of adult mortality. The amount of time someone regularly sleeps is a lifestyle marker that can be used when assessing a patient’s overall health and life span.  

In a recent Journal of the American College of Cardiology study from Japan, it was revealed that sleeping either too long or too little was associated with an increased risk of both diseases and premature death. In this particular study, the optimal sleeping time was specified at seven hours. Extended sleep was set between seven and twelve hours, and shortened sleep between five and six. (p. 14)

There are many reasons why one’s sleep can be inhibited, including caffeine consumption:

Our sleep is affected by caffeine consumption in a couple of different ways. First by extending the period of time it takes to fall asleep and then by shortening our total duration of rest. The older we are, the more sensitive we are to these effects. Similar to alcohol, caffeine has a diuretic effect, meaning it causes frequent urination, which causes the body to lose water. How much caffeine does it take to affect our sleep? Depending on the amount of time between ingestion and attempt to sleep, anything from 200mg of caffeine would be anything 200 and 300mg per day. Heavy caffeine consumption would be considered anything from 500mg per day or above. (p. 27)

One of the chapters is entitled ‘Medications – What Pills Help?’ Dr. Marks opens up the chapter talking about prescription sleep medication. I prefer the natural remedies personally. She does discuss those later in the chapter. One that I have had to use in the past (when I went on a missions trip to Warsaw, Poland, where the sun rose at 3 am) is Melatonin; it was highly effective for me:

Melatonin is not an herb. It is a hormone secreted in the brain to help regulate the sleep-wake cycle. Melatonin, of both the synthetic (man-made) and natural (derived from animals) varieties can be purchased over the counter and acts similarly to the prescription drug Rozerem.

…Some studies have proven that Melatonin is a useful agent when attempting to shorten the length of time it takes to fall asleep, while also improving the overall quality of sleep. The problem with Melatonin is that the minimum effective dose is still not agreed upon. In addition, and as with any natural standard for each pill’s ingredients. Varying brands can and do deliver different effects because of the variables in their ingredients. (pp. 54-55)

Our thought life/patterns have a large impact on our sleep. Dr. Marks gives us some valuable advice in the chapter, ‘Cognitive Therapy – Ways You Can Think.’ One thing we need to avoid is Intrusive Problem-Solving:

You will find that giving yourself a set time each day to problem-solve will relieve your mind of the burden of managing your life issues at night when it is also time to get to sleep.

This technique is especially effective for those who worry. Rather than allowing your mind to run wild with what-if scenarios at any time of day, limit yourself to thinking about these things only when you see the results through your own actions and come to believe that you will have adequate time to worry. Additionally, for many people seeing their concerns on paper makes the issue less threatening than when it is only in their heads. Some problems that look like mountains in our heads are only mole hills on paper. (p. 99)

The Bible gives some good advice in that area; this is from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:34)

There is also a valuable chapter on how to overcome sleep disordered in children. It is important that these issues be addressed early in life:

It is of vital importance to get a proper handle on these sleep problems in children, because sleep problems that start in infancy can progress to chronic sleeping problems that persist through preschool and beyond. However, you must also keep in mind that sleep consolidation (or uninterrupted sleep) is a developmental process that can be delayed just as any other developmental process such as walking or talking. (p. 111)

I found this to be an interesting book. I learned a lot. I would recommend this book to anyone whose sleep problems – both personally and without the family – are adversely affecting their lives. There are solutions, and I appreciate that Dr. Marks shared them with us in this useful resource.

You can order this book here.

The Advanced Reader Copy of this book was provided by its publisher, Bascom Hill Publishing Group. The page numbers used in this review are from the ARC; they may not match the final version, which is currently available.

‘Cardio Fitness Can Save Your Life’ by Forrest Blanding – Book Review and Giveaway

I have made a point this year of being more conscientious with regard to my physical health. The latest book on my reading list, ‘Cardio Fitness Can Save Your Life’ is in line with that goal.

Here is the synopsis of this book:

A readable analysis of new findings from scientific research on exercise that reveal its even larger importance to health, and how we can exercise much more efficiently for a longer and more enjoyable life.

We are told incessantly that we should exercise, but not accurately how we need to exercise to usefully improve our health. Many are now wasting time doing far more incorrect exercise than is useful. Author and scientific analyst Forrest Blanding first showed the importance of cardiofitness to health in his 1982 book, The Pulse Point Plan (Random House). His new book cited as “Excellent” by top authority Dr. Kenneth Cooper who is known as the “Father of aerobic exercise” provides new insights on how we need to exercise to achieve better health.

He shows us how to measure our cardio progress with a new simple-to-use Cardiofitness Point method, and how a correct Cardio Fitness Ratio can be more important to our health and future life than is cholesterol, blood pressure, or even smoking! He shows how proper walking can be ten times more productive of health than is some ordinary walking. He also shows us how to formulate new and more efficient moderate exercise programs for cardio and overall health, and how to make our future years significantly more healthy and enjoyable ones!

Here is the biography of this author:

The author and scientific analyst Forrest Blanding was born in a suburb of Chicago. He received a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Illinois and a post graduate degree from Princeton University. He was a career employee of the Exxon (now Exxon Mobil) Corporation for 35 years as researcher, manager and executive. He worked in New Jersey and in New York City and travelled the world. Retired, he now lives in Las Vegas, Nevada.

During the 1970's, he became interested in the importance of exercise to long range health as a personal project because of his poor family health history. Most researchers then were dismissing exercise as unimportant. From what was a most extensive-then five year study of exercise research, he found that cardiovascular fitness from exercise was a major factor involved in risk of heart disease. His book ‘The Pulse Point Plan,' published by Random House in 1982, provided a first scientific verification of the importance of what is now termed cardiorespiratory or cardiofitness. This book was introduced by Dr. Samuel Fox, the top regarded authority on exercise and heart disease at that time.

During past two decades, Forrest has been developing the Life Ahead Program that is today's most advanced scientific computer model of how life-style habits and factors produce the major diseases that terminate life. This project has included a Global Analysis of all published research on exercise and disease that is described in this book. The Life Ahead Model, a free download, values how all types of exercise are involved in causing the major terminators of life. The program is available at and verified by nearly 100 scientific papers published on the internet at www.lifeahead.net.

These new and more extensive analyses now show that cardiofitness may be more important to our health and life than the other major risks of cholesterol, blood pressure or cigarette smoking. Yet, incredibly, most health experts today seem to have little understanding either of cardiofitness or of its importance. A major problem has been the lack of a useful measure of cardiofitness, and a generally useful test for measuring it. This book provides solutions to each of these problems.

In the Prologue, Mr. Blanding explains that this book brings to the public some conclusions pertaining to exercise benefitting health that he’s come to after decades of analysis and study:

This book shows for the first time, from more than twenty years of scientific analysis, how exercise benefits health. A new theory from this analysis deserves to be called revolutionary because it upsets so many wrong ideas about how exercise benefits us. This new Heart Theory of Exercise and Cardiofitness shows that 85% of the exercise benefits to our health develop from the cardiofitness it produces. Cardiofitness is a measurable physical condition of our heart and its accompanying cardiovascular muscle that can be improved only by aerobic exercise. Exercise that does not contribute to cardiofitness – and this is much of what many now do – can be of little benefit to health.

The new Heart Theory shows that cardiofitness does not develop from calorie amounts of physical activity, as has commonly been assumed. It develops from the same process that improves other muscles, as for example how those in our arms develop from weightlifting. This new theory explains the many previously puzzling research findings about how exercise benefits us. (p. vi)

As a result of these findings, Mr. Blanding has come up with an exercise program that incorporates what he’s learned:

I suggest a simple but scientifically-designed new exercise program for nearly everyone called CARDIO 120. This program, requiring just one and a half to two hours a week of exercise, should develop for sedentary people, an improvement in cardiofitness from nearly any type or combination of moderate exercises. Continued faithfully over an extensive time, CARDIO 120 can develop a high level of cardiofitness from an exciting new concept called cardio feed back. CARDIO 120 did this for me. (p. vii)

Mr. Blanding explains what this book is:

This is not a book about bodybuilding and athletics. It gives a new message about how correct exercise can improve our health. It shows how we can waste enormous amounts of time doing exercise that can be of little benefit. It explains and extensively verifies how cardiofitness from moderate exercise can contribute more to our health and longevity than any other now known thing. I hope you will enjoy reading this book, and that it will help you enjoy a longer and better life. (p. vii)

Mr. Blanding uses a measure called cardiofitness ratio, or CFR, to assess one’s health:

An average CFR of men and women is 100, and the unfit group of men and women in this research had about a 90 CFR, or a cardiofitness 90% of that of average. The moderate fitness group had a CFR of about 110, and the high cardiofitness groups had a quite high cardiofitness of about 140 CFR or 140% average for age and gender.  (p. 7-8)

The latest research has shown that two hours of exercise per week is adequate for good cardiofitness:

Walking for durations up to about 2 hours per week at a given pace and exercise intensity reduces risk of heart disease as expected. Walking similarly for amounts beyond 2 hours per does not reduce this risk further.

This discovery is both new and shocking. Nearly every ‘expert’  recommendation about exercise has told us that we should walk at least 30 minutes  nearly every day and from 3 ½ to 7 hours per week. Yet nearly every useful research study on walking shows no further reduction in risk of heart disease for walking in excess of two hours per week! This was not just ordinary research. It included multiple results from our largest and most respected studies of up to 70,000 persons. Have millions been mostly wasting time doing vast amounts of exercise that produces near zero health benefit? (p. 20)

Mr. Blanding’s Heart Theory of Exercise explains how cardiovascular exercise benefits the body:

Our cardiovascular system is in part of muscle. Cardiofitness is a measure of a physical capability that determines how effectively our heart can circulate blood and its nutrients throughout its extensive system of arteries, veins and capillaries. The Heart Theory holds that cardiofitness develops from the building of heart muscle by the same process that strengthens other body muscles such as those in arms and legs. This concept is not new. What is new is the specific way that cardiofitness develops – or will not develop usefully – from different kinds of exercise. A higher blood flow developed throughout the cardiovascular system provides a higher exercise intensity similar to that produced by the lifting of more weight in a weightlifting program. Muscle builds from the added blood flow in the cardio system and duration of this higher blood flow. Muscle builds similarly from the weight size and number of repetitions of lifting it in a resistance exercise program. (pp. 25-26)

I was fascinated with Chapter 7 – ‘How Cardiofitness Reduces Risk of Major Disease.’ I am of the opinion that we need to more focused on disease prevention before we get the disease, so that we don’t have to worry about (at least to a lesser extent) getting a deadly disease. Mr. Blanding provides a lot of evidence for how cardiofitness can do that. The reduction of heart disease is obvious, but there is also evidence that cardiofitness reduces the risk of cancer:

The risks of each type of cancer appeared to be reduced similarly by an improvement in cardiofitness. An average 4% reduction in cancer risk was obtained for each unit increase in cardiofitness in CFR (p. 79)

A disease that is exploding in this country is diabetes. Improved cardiofitness reduces the risk of that devastating illness:

Each increase of 1 unit or 1% in the CFR appeared to reduce risk off diabetes by 5%. This compares with values of 6.4% per CFR for heart disease and 4% per CFR for cancer.

This suggests that an increase of ten in CFR from a quite brisk walking program should reduce diabetes risk by 40%. A 25% increase in CFR from an effective cardio exercise program should reduce risk by more than three times. These values all are for people of a given weight. A much larger benefit from exercise than this probably will develop because weight also is usually reduced by exercise (pp. 81-82)

Another advantage to good cardiofitness is that it helps reduce weight:

But muscle weighs more than the fat it replaces, and this part of the advantage for building muscle from resistance exercise could be lost when measured on the weight scale. A response here is that a person’s figure will be improved a bit despite this problem of muscle weighing more than fat. (p. 130)

Here are some benefits from resistance training (p. 133):

·         reduces body weight

·         improves body density and reduces risk of osteoporosis

·         decreases incidence of injuries and risk of falls

·         reduces blood pressure

·         reduces arthritic pain

·         improves glucose tolerance

·         improves value of cholesterol

·         can improve appearance and body image better

Another benefit of exercise is that it can lower stress:

Exercise can take your mind off of troubling problems and gives you a timeout from them. It may break down the hormones and other chemicals that build up during periods of intense stress. The electrical activity of tense muscles decreases measurably after a bout of exercise. (p. 162)

Exercise can also improve your mood:

Studies indicate that exercise can be as effective as some antidepressants in treating mild depression. Moderately depressed persons who engage in aerobic exercise often experience a mood change after two to three weeks of exercise. This may be due to changes in brain nutrition such as an increase in endorphins, and a decrease in cortisol and other stress hormones. (p. 162)

Having a history of depression myself, I am relieved to have exercise as a treatment option.

As I am just getting into running (after years of marathon/half marathon walking), I was happy to learn this about that activity:

[Running] may be the #1 of all exercises that contribute to cardiofitness. Yes, it does contribute several times more falls and injuries than does walking. But any overall health debit for this must be trivial compared with the major benefits.

Running may be the best of all usual exercises that can reduce weight. Runner says that they obtain exhilaration and euphoria well into and after a run. This comes from a beta endorphin release triggered by the neurons in the nervous system that creates a feeling of extreme happiness and exhilaration. Runners claim to achieve more energy in daily life. And it helps bring appetite, exercise and food into balance. Because running makes the body function better, it improves sleeping, eating and relaxation. (pp. 169-170)  

Mr. Blanding has a free computer program called Life Ahead, which is available on his website, www.lifeahead.net. This website also has nearly 100 mostly informal scientific papers describing the construction of the model and the analyses for each included health risk and disease:

I have been developing the Life Ahead Program now for more than three decades. It now provides today most comprehensive and sophisticated representation of how lifestyle habits determine our risks of different major diseases, likely length of life, and the number of future days, both well and alive, we are able to enjoy. (p. 182)

I have to admit that my eyes glazed over at times with all of the charts and graphs and analysis of scientific research. Practical information (for me, the non-scientist) came later on in the book.

I have tried to make a point to take control of my own health (to the extent that I am able through diet and exercise), as opposed to allowing the medical establishment controlling it for me. 

I would prefer to focus on exercise and good dietary choices instead of pharmaceuticals, etc…  I thank Mr. Blanding for sharing his passion and for providing this useful tool to help me move forward to better health and happiness!

You can order this book here.

This book was published by Bascom Hills Publishing Group and provided by them for review and giveaway purposes.

___________________________________________________

I have a copy of this book (thanks to Emily at Bascom Hill Publishing Group!) that I would love to send along to one of you! 

There are several ways to gain entry:

1) Leave a comment here on the blog, telling me how you would practically use this book.  Please make sure to leave your email address in this format – sample[at]gmail[dot]com.

2) Follow Bascom Hill Publishing on Twitter; please let me know that you have done so in a new comment.

3) Visit Forrest's site, and give me your thoughts on it in a new comment.

4) Follow me on Twitter; I will more than likely follow you back!  If you are already a Twitter follower, that counts, too!  Please leave a new comment to that effect.

5) Follow me as a Google Friend on this blog; if you are already a Friend, that counts, too!  Please leave a new comment to that effect.

6) Become my Facebook friend.  Please leave a new comment to that effect.

7) Follow this blog as a NetWorked Blog Follower after you’ve become my Facebook friend.  Please leave a new comment to that effect.

So there are seven chances to enter!  Please limit one entry per option.

This giveaway is for U.S. residents only.  The deadline for entry is Tuesday, August 3, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. EST.  A winner will be chosen via the Random Number Generator on Wednesday, August 4, 2010 and will be contacted via email.  The best to all of you!