Getting enough sleep is a beauty aid that costs nothing and has a tremendous positive effect on how we look and feel. Most of us take our sleep for granted but what happens when just can’t get the quality of sleep we need on a regular basis? Well, this is what has been happening to me and I can tell you, it’s exhausting, depressing and a complete drain on your resources. Never mind about being 50, you can look (and feel) nearer to 90. To start with I thought it was probably hormonal (read menopausal) but I now believe it is more to do with adrenal burnout. I’ve always been a Type A personality so sitting and doing nothing, taking it easy etc has not been part of my lifestyle. I even chat through pampering (supposedly relaxing) massages! This has now taken its toll and I need to start nurturing myself properly. Not that I thought I was abusing myself before, but this is caring on a very different level. The upshot is that I need to give up some of my former ’treats’. One of my pleasures in life is good coffee and another is a glass of wine (or two) after work. I have noticed that indulgence in either of these two ‘poisons’ leaves me wide awake at 1.30 and unable to get back to sleep. It’s not unheard of for me to be sending emails at 3am because my head is buzzing and I’m fed up with tossing and turning to no avail. I’m also having to eat regular meals – unheard of me – and I’m finding that quite hard to do. Luckily, I’ve never liked junk food and have always eaten good, quality, natural food and love my fruit and veg. My water intake has been increased and I now consume 3 pints a day, the first on awakening. People have noticed that my skin is plumper and fresher, so a plus factor aIready emerging. In this country we really don’t have adequate information about the importance of healthy, functioning adrenal glands. They are incredibly important. Your adrenals are responsible for producing the fight or flight hormone, which responds when you find yourself in a fearful situation. Well, there are no sabre tooth tigers to run away from now, but our everyday stresses unwittingly promote the same reaction. Unfortunately, our adrenals can’t distinguish a real danger from a perceived threat so we can get the same reaction from an overdue credit card statement landing on the doorstep to that of a stranger with a knife at your throat. We need to be able to relax and calm ourselves, by getting off the treadmill before it’s too late and we become really ill. I’ll keep you informed of my progress. If any of you have any hints or tips, please drop me a line. Good books to read if you also are going through sleep deprivation are Dr Marilyn Glenville’s ‘Fat Around The Middle’ (yes, another symptom of adrenal malfunction) and ‘Tired of Being Tired’ by Dr Jesse Lynn Hanley.