Losing sleep? Relax every day and rest easier

If you're not getting a good night's sleep, you may need a good day's rest.

While boomers and seniors often complain about the quality of their sleep and many say they are always tired, one expert says the problems begin during the day because we don't get enough rest.

"Rest is much bigger than sleep," says Dr. Matthew Edlund, director of the Gulf Coast Sleep Institute in Sarasota, Fla. "Rest is literally how the body rebuilds itself, renews itself, rewires itself."

Unfortunately, most of us don't know how to rest.

In his book "The Power of Rest: Why Sleep Alone Is Not Enough," Edlund identifies four types of rest: physical, mental, social and spiritual. He also offers advice and tips on his website, therestdoctor.com.

Many think rest is a time of inert relaxation, perhaps sitting in a chair and watching TV.

Edlund differentiates this type of "passive rest" with "active rest," a more robust and beneficial activity. For example, watching a TV show on which someone is walking in the park is passive rest.

But active rest would be if you are the one actually walking in the park. By using your muscles and exposing yourself to ultraviolet light, allergens, chemicals, noises and other stimuli, your body will respond and adjust by doing a number of things unconsciously. When you go to sleep later, your body will renew, rebuild and regenerate, making you stronger physically and mentally, Edlund says.

"People ask me, 'How can I prevent Alzheimer's?' " Edlund says. "I tell them, take a walk across the street. If you are physically active, during sleep you will grow new brain cells."

For older people, rest is especially important. Because they wake up more often during the night, they do not sleep as efficiently as they did when they were younger.

"A lot of people, especially in their 70s and 80s, tell me they feel tired all the time," Edlund says. The solution: Take time to rest before you go to bed. "Make that hour before you sleep a time of great rest and calm so you fall asleep naturally and let your biological clock take over."