Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ

A lot of people have regular problems sleeping well.  I do.  Search on "insomnia" and you'll find a whole bunch of information, must of it worth what you've paid for it (including this, of course).

Exercise is a good thing.  I hear some claims that exercise about three hours before bedtime may enhance sleep, closer than that to bedtime may be a problem.  Lighter, less spicy evening meals can be better for good sleep.

I've had mixed results with melatonin.  Some say stay out of bright lights for a couple of hours before bedtime.  Unclear if this means sunlight-bright or normal-living room-bright.

There's probably lots more to try, I'm drawing a blank right now.

Coupla things you might look into:

     • Have your thyroid checked--it's a blood test, and there are several parameters, all of which should be tested.

     • At the same time, have your free testosterone levels checked (you look a bit young for this to be an issue, but it's a possibility, and it's an easy and relatively inexpensive test.

     • Look into the possibility of sleep disorders in general, and sleep apnea in particular. Googling 'sleep apnea' will put you in the picture on that one. Unfortunately, diagnosis of sleep apnea can be involved, ultimately requiring what's called a 'sleep study' (clever, what?) in which you get hooked up with about forty leads and (attempt) to sleep in a strange bed in a clinic somewhere, but some preliminary readings can be had by sending you home with an oxygen sensor for you to sleep overnight with (big fun, eh?) to see what your oxygen intake profile looks like during your sleep cycle.

     eB

Vevolis wrote:

Perry, when you say Tofu, do you mean RAW (as in completely uncooked) Tofu accompanying vegtables or is it prepared in a way that is doesn't have the texture of modelling clay? Is there anything I CAN cook? Eggs for instance (Hard boiled for a cold salad? Can it be warm?

Heavy soya intake is under debate these days. Worth a read:

http://www.organicconsumers.org/Organic/soyaisbad.cfm

Note particularly the manner and amount of consumption by Japanese.

edosan wrote:

Vevolis wrote:

Perry, when you say Tofu, do you mean RAW (as in completely uncooked) Tofu accompanying vegtables or is it prepared in a way that is doesn't have the texture of modelling clay? Is there anything I CAN cook? Eggs for instance (Hard boiled for a cold salad? Can it be warm?

Heavy soya intake is under debate these days. Worth a read:

http://www.organicconsumers.org/Organic/soyaisbad.cfm

Note particularly the manner and amount of consumption by Japanese.

Thanks for the heads up Edosan. Scott, I would certainly read up more if you seriously plan on radically altering your diet. If you want to read up on raw foods, the book my sister-in-law had was RAW: the Uncook Book by Juliano Brotman

My tofu comes from the local produce stand, "home made" or at least made in the back of the shop. I would say that for those few raw days, Tofu amounted to about 15 percent of my diet. It was raw. You can find Tofu commercially in at least three grades - silk, soft/medium, and firm.  You'll need to experiment to find the consistency you like. Silk is great as a side dish with just a bit of Soy sauce and scallions. There is a way to cook it to give it a more meat-like texture. Cut into 1" squares and brown each side on a non stick pan with a little cold pressed oil. Be careful to not break up the tofu. It's great on a salad.

I once had the pleasure of dining with the nutritionist of the White House when Clinton was in office. We shared a table at a Vietnamese restaurant in Chinatown, NYC. I said "What are you doing here?" I thought eating at a restaurant would be the last thing some one with his background would want to do. He said the best thing for a healthy body is a little bit of everything and not a whole lot of one thing. Simple as that. (Bill looked pretty healthy didn't he?)

Happy eating! Perry

Excellent point, Perry. I'm 52 and when people try to guess my age they never go over forty. I jokingly teach my "method" to my students as DEA, which does not stand for Drug Enforcement Agency although the thought applies . It stands for Diet, Exercise and Attitude. It's not about any kind of fundamentalism but curiosity, research and awareness.
  I have been vegetarian for more than thirty years and I don't find much need for Tofu. I did start eating fish when I lived in Japan and it's still a small but important part of my diet. I bought a Vitamix blender and throw a bunch of fruit, nuts and greens into it in the morning. It's fabulous and super nutritious. I also go the extra expense to eat mostly organic.
I am afraid that Exercise is fundamental, Scott. As both a Flute and Percussion player I consider it a fundamental part of my honoring the instrument to minimize or eliminate technical and physical limitations. Being fit is not optional and it will make you a much happier and healthier human being. Don't let it depend on batteries!
That said, I have to admit that I was a lot less aware and serious about it when I was your age... but then again, I think your sleep and tiredness problems are a wake up call from your body and you'd be wise to heed the call.
  The solutions are always simple. The difficulty is the commitment. We are funny that way... most of us take much better care of our car than our own body.
  Have you tried meditation?. It may not only help to calm your mind before bed but it may also bring many layers of deeper understanding about yourself and your needs.
Also "spend time with the wife" sounded a little cold?. The quality of your relationship is basic to your well being, and good regular sex also goes a long way to keep us positive and healthy. Give a lot of love, get a lot of love... and get laid
  Best wishes

Vevolis wrote:

Does anyone have a particularly good remedy for always being exhausted? I find that 6 hours of sleep seems to be my norm...

I agree with the previous response that 6 hours seems a bit on the low side, if you want to get up at 6:00 like you say you'll be going to bed at 12:00 midnight, getting up at 6:00, avoiding any napping and going strong until 12:00 midnight and repeating that at least 5 days a week. I'm sure that there are some that can do that, but I'm certainly not one of them. The diet suggestions are good too, although I'm personally a bit wary of the vegetarianism thing because if it's not done right it can do more harm than good. Also going to a doctor because you get heartburn after eating pizza seems to be a bit like going to a doctor for headaches because you bang your head against the wall. I don't think I've ever read anywhere that pizza is health food. However, at 5' 11'' and 200 pounds I'm probably not the person to take diet advice from.
  The real reason I'm responding is that you seem to have a tendency of looking for things outside of you to help with your lack of energy. You already mentioned coffee, ginseng, Jasmine tea, a Wii fit, and meditation CD's in just your first post. What you didn't mention is your stress levels, they can be a real energy drainer. How to deal with stress? Of course since this is the shakuhachi forum yoga and meditation would probably be the first choices to look at, some deep introspection and maybe even therapy could help, and in these days of $4.00 gasoline maybe somebody to help with your finances (either a financial planner or someone that can help you get more money like a better employer) could relieve a lot of stress, but something clicked with me when you mentioned your own meditation CD's and your being critical of them. It's not a bad thing for anyone to listen to or create meditative music, but when you mention that you're 24 I've got to think that you need to release some of that first chakra stuff with some Me Talk Pretty or White Stripe or whoever is high energy these days. Maybe not right before bedtime, but try getting a healthy dose sometime during the day, like maybe the drive or walk (everybody under 30 has an Ipod these days, right?) home from work. It works kind of like method acting, if you want to act sad, go around the day before getting angry at everything, your sure to tap into that sadness the next day. In the same manner if you listen to high angst kind of music for a while, the serenity will follow naturally. Also, since the Wii fit doesn't sound like its novelty is all that inspiring for you, maybe try some African dance or capeiro or something, if Vancouver (if I'm remembering correctly that's where you said you're from) is anything like around here many yoga studios open up their space for those kind of classes. The combination of music and exercise could go a long way to balancing your chakras and releiving stress.

Hi Vevolis,

You should take any of this advice with a big grain of salt because we are not doctors and you are an individual.

The symptoms you describe could be a gluten intolerance (celiac disease). It's an epidemic in the western world. I have a young friend who stopped eating wheat products and got rid of it.

Be careful with ginseng, there are different kinds which are prescribed for different reasons and for different physical types. You should not take it without consulting a Chinese doctor unless you know which kind is right for you. In my case it's white Wisconsin ginseng.

As far as diet is concerned some of the least healthy people I've met are vegetarians so that's not necessarily the answer. Dalai Lama himself started eating meat for health reasons. I have more energy at 48 than at 24 and one of my changes is that I was a vegetarian back then.

Chinese traditional medicine is good for dealing with balancing and restoring energy, you're in Canada with a strong Chinese community, go for it.

Ciao,

BR

An interesting read, 'The World Peace Diet', by Will Tuttle. You can download it for free at www.worldpeacediet.org

Tairaku wrote:

Hey Vevolis, using a bike as transportation is a good way of getting exercise into your daily life. Would it be feasible to ride to work, school, lessons, etc.?

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc12 … miling.jpg

Toronto isn't a very good place to own a bike right now. It would either get stolen (There's a huge deposit of over 2000 stolen bikes with the Metro Toronto Police right now from a ring of theft) or I’d get wedged in a streetcar track (which I see daily). I promised myself I’d never ride a bike here... the police call riding on the sidewalk "reckless driving" and they will charge you as well. So you're basically forced onto a *usually* unsafe road. I do a lot of walking... in fact I walk about twice as fast as the regular person... (Maybe I’ll go in for a stress test as well

I guess it all boils down to doing more if not all of the things we are supposed to be doing at any given moment, being disciplined and keeping an eye out for minor shifts in diet, exercise and psychological regimes that work for an individual. So ultimately, I have to be doing everything I’m not currently doing.

I got about 5 hours of sleep last night, mostly because I flooded the kitchen. *sigh*

Tairaku wrote:

Get a fixie and a good lock and you won't have to worry at all.

Translation time:

Fixie: the cycling equivalent of jinashi.

rpowers wrote:

Tairaku wrote:

Get a fixie and a good lock and you won't have to worry at all.

Translation time:

Fixie: the cycling equivalent of jinashi.

Please note: The jinashi police will be arriving chez Powers with a warrant in the morning...

Just an after thought.

You know, we often eat more than we need.  I've found that eating less actually increases my energy (to a point of course there is no need to starve yourself).  The metabolism works more efficiently, and I don't get that crash after meals.