The daily stresses we have such as problems at work, the state of our finances, family issues, the list goes on. Unresolved experiences one has during the day can all add up and keep a person up at night. The mental chatter that goes on and the replaying of the events of the day, over and over again, create anxiety and worry while the minutes and maybe even hours tick away. What you can do to minimize the mental chatter is to deal with each problem or misunderstanding as it arises. How many times have you sat wondering about what you should have said or could have said. What you need to do is communicate to the person or persons involved and get some closure. This releases a lot of your attention. Another thing to do is imagine leaving all the mental baggage from the working day outside your front door – do not bring the office back to your home. Your home is an environment for relaxing, entertainment, fun, and family. It is best to keep it that way.

Eating snacks or large meals at night can interfere with your ability to sleep. Late night meals engage all the resources of your digestive system – your body is actually doing a lot of work when it’s supposed to be resting. A lot of this late night food is stored as fat, creating additional problems. Try to aviod large meals and snacks such as potato chips and chocolate.

Exercise contributes to restful sleep. When you have done vigorous physical work the body needs to recover. Sleep lets your body repair and rebuild, getting stronger in the process. Regardless of the stresses and worries, vigorous exercise makes a physical demand on your body that will relax you and bring about a restful sleep. If you do not engage in regular exercise, the strong physiologic need for deep rest is missing, and you’ll likely be tossing and turning the night away.

Soft, old and lumpy mattresses can also disturb sleep. Too firm mattresses can also cause problems. A good mattress is supportive and comfortable. It “gives” in all the right places and provides a balanced, springy platform for a restful night’s sleep. Ensure that your bed is right for you. Make sure that your pillows are supportive too, enabling your body to relax.

It is unrealistic for people living in the modern age to engage in a lengthy detox, so a series of gentle detox programmes is perfect. After all, it may have taken a person 20 years to get into their current state – a sudden and deep detox may be too much of a shock to the system. You can start with a 24 hour detox, a week later a 3 day detox.

Benefits

The benefits of a detox are well known – the number of detox centers that have appeared over the last few years is a testament to this. Apart from obvious detox benefits such as more energy and vigour, efficient digestion, improved immune system and better skin complexion your clarity of mind improves, with a vast reduction in “mental chatter”.

Side Effects

It is not uncommon to experience headaches during the beginning of a detox as your body is dealing with the dramatic reduction of its daily poisons. This is why reducing caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol is important before one starts. Reduced energy during the beginning of a detox has also been been reported.

Before the Detox

If you are on any medication or have any health concerns then consult your doctor. Try and cut down or eliminate caffeine, nicotine, alcohol a couple of days prior to the detox if possible. Avoid strenuous exercise like running, try walking, yoga, or pilates instead.

After the Detox

It is unrealistic to cut out all foods that may have a negative effect on the body. The 80/20 rule is a good guide after the detox. Basically you can be good 80% of the time, the rest of the time add in a little naughtyness!

General Guides

During the detox it is very important to get enough sleep – especially during the early stages. This is not as important during the 24 hour detox. The number of hours for a person to sleep varies, but as a genreal rule one hour before is better than one hour after i.e. go to bed earlier and rise earlier.

A good amount of water, at least 1 and a half litres per day is essential. Do not go to extremes with this however as anything in extremes is dangerous. Herbal tea or even warm water is very beneficial during a detox, as this boosts your metabolism. Try warm water with some fresh lemon juice

Try and cut back on solid food, try a broth made from warm water and vegetables. Salads are the exception, as well as some fruits.

Try this recipe for herbal broth:
Chop 3-4 whole, unpeeled potatoes
3-4 stalks of celery
Handful of green leafy vegetables
Herbs to taste
Place in 1 and a half litres of water and simmer for 20 minutes. Blend and then strain.

1-3 Day Detox

Morning:
herbal tea

Mid morning:
Glass of warm water with lemon

Lunch:
Electrolyte broth
Herbal tea

Afternoon:
Glass of warm water with lemon

Dinner:
Electolyte broth
Herbal tea such as camomile