What are the answers to your pertinent questions? Let’s address your concerns as candidly as possible.

Why do I sleep less as I get older?

At age 63, I can get by on five hours of sleep. Sleep requirements may vary from person to person. However, most healthy adults normally require anywhere from 7.5 to 9 hours of sleep per night. This applies to sleeping straight through the night. Frequently waking up and not feeling rested in the morning are clear indicators of restive sleep.

As the body ages, it produces fewer growth hormones, which lead to a decrease in deep sleep. The result is the production of less melatonin, the hormone secreted by the pineal gland that is involved in regulating sleeping and waking cycles.

(Melatonin is derived from serotonin; it is secreted in response to darkness and is linked to the regulation of circadian rhythms, according to Medicine Net.)

What should you do?

1) Have a hormone test. See an endocrinologist.

2) Check your maintenance medicines (if any). They could be interfering with good sleep.

3) Check if you’re going through menopause, pre- or post-menopause. Hot flashes and night sweats can interrupt your sleep. See your doctor.

4) Practice stress management. Don’t go to bed feeling angry. Calm down, relieve your anger and anxieties.

5) Improve your sleep habits. Train yourself to sleep earlier every night. The ideal time is

10 p.m.

6) Supplement. Try taking 1-3 mg of melatonin tablets 30 minutes before bedtime.

7) Bedroom sanctity. Do not work on your bed. It is not an office. Your bedroom should only be for sleep and intimate relations.

8) Clock ban. Remove the clock from your bedside. This includes all gadgets.

9) Exercise. A daily workout promises a good night’s sleep.

10) Meditate or pray. This centers you, body and soul.

Fears and worries

What can you recommend for my anxiety attacks?

Vanessa, a 55-year-old widow, often thinks about her 25-year-old daughter who is working in Australia. Her thoughts are dominated by fears and worries about her daughter’s safety and happiness.

The attacks come when she is alone, along with symptoms like hyperventilation, palpitations and restlessness.

The episodes last two to three hours, then they stop as quickly as they begin. Anxiety is a feeling of fear or nervousness over an impending or anticipated situation.

This condition falls under the broad category of stress. When the mind is overwhelmed with powerful emotions like fear, physical symptoms are often felt. The challenge to anyone suffering from anxiety is to be able to predict its arrival in order to prevent its damaging effects on one’s sense of equilibrium.

While some are aware of the reasons for its presence in their lives, others do not realize that their fears are deep-seated. Buried beneath their consciousness are probably underlying circumstances in their childhood which have not been confronted.

What to do?

1) See a therapist.

2) Consult your doctor on possible mineral deficiencies like vitamin B, magnesium and calcium, which are contributory factors to mood swings. Check also your hormone levels.

3) Positive self-talk helps.

4) Talk therapy with a priest/ counselor or trusted friend might help.

5) Exercise to ease your tensions.

6) Go for a therapeutic massage using mood alleviating aromatherapy oils like lavender, peppermint and ylang-ylang.

Diabetes doesn’t run in my family, but after ignoring my symptoms for three months, I was diagnosed as Type 2 diabetic. Are there natural remedies you can recommend, apart from my doctor’s medical prescription?

1) Diet is the key to getting better. There must be a careful balance of good carbohydrates, protein and fat. Remove all simple sugars, especially white sugar. Use a healthier substitute like coconut sugar or stevia. Increase the intake of monounsaturated fat like olive oil.

2) Exercise to burn fat. Shed off some excess weight. This guarantees a stronger you.

3) Vitamin C protects cells, preventing sugar found inside cells from converting into sorbitol, a sugar alcohol. A build-up of sorbitol leads to diabetes complications through kidney, eye and nerve damage.

4) Stop all alcohol intake.

5) Vitamin healing combination like this cocktail can help you:

B complex – 100 mg

Biotin – 15,000 micrograms

Calcium – 1,000 mg

Chromium – 200 mg

(chromium picolinate or niacin-bound chromium)

Magnesium – 500 mg

Vitamin C – 100-8,000 mg

Vitamin E – 100-800 iu (international units)

This week’s affirmation: “I am fearless.”

Love and light!