The Rest Principle of the NEWSTART Complete Health Program

What is The Rest Principle of the NEWSTART Complete Health Program?

The rest principle of the NEWSTART complete health program is a set of guidelines to keep you in health. It includes ways to properly rest to provide your body with time to restore itself, as well as how to rest to insure the air your body is both fresh and healthy.

There Should be Regularity in Sleeping in the Rest Principle

The importance of regularity in the time for eating and sleeping should not be overlooked. Since the work of building up the body takes place during the hours of rest, it is essential, especially in youth, that sleep should be regular and abundant. {CG 363.2} (Ellen White, Child Guidance, page 363, paragraph 2).

Why?

… Irregular hours for eating and sleeping sap the brain forces… {CD 395.1} (Ellen White, Counsels on Diet and Foods, page 395, paragraph 1).

…if they…strictly observe regularity in sleeping and in eating of simple food, taking nothing between meals, they need not be sick… {CH 142.2} (Ellen White, Counsels on Health , page 142, paragraph 2).

Get to Bed by 9:00 PM (9:30 for Students) in the Rest Principle

It is a very bad habit to let work drag and drive one. Drive the work, and then you will not become discouraged. It is a bad plan to give way to impulse. If you see a book you would like to read, and sit down in the midst of your work and read during the precious hours of the day, when there is work that needs to be done, then the work is neglected. Make it habit not to sit up after nine o’clock. Every light should be extinguished (there are exceptions to the rule)… {9MR 46.1} (Ellen White, Manuscript Releases Volume 9, page 46, paragraph 1).

In regulating the hours for sleep, there should be no haphazard work. Students should not form the habit of burning the midnight oil and taking the hours of the day for sleep. If they have been accustomed to doing this at home, they should correct the habit, going to bed at a seasonable hour. They will then rise in the morning refreshed for the duties of the day. In our schools the lights should be put out at half past nine.  {CT 297.1} (Ellen White, Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, page 297, paragraph 1).

Why?

…sleep is worth far more before than after midnight. Two hours of good sleep before twelve o’clock is worth more than four hours after twelve o’clock… {7MR 224.3} (Ellen White, Manuscript Releases Volume 7, page 224, paragraph 3).

As a rule, the labor of the day should not be prolonged into the evening. . .I have been shown that those who do this, often lose much more than they gain, for their energies are exhausted, and they labor on nervous excitement. They may not realize any immediate injury, but they are surely undermining their constitution. {Te 140.1} (Ellen White, Temperance, page 140, paragraph 1).

What Hinders Proper Sleep?

1) Turning Night Into Day & Reading Until Sleeping Hours

…This turning night into day is a wretched, health-destroying habit, and this reading much by brain workers, up to the sleeping hours, is very injurious to health. It calls the blood to the brain and then there is restlessness and wakefulness, and the precious sleep, which should rest the body, does not come when desired. [9MR 46.1] Ellen White, Manuscript Releases Volume 9, page 46, paragraph 1).

2) Eating Before Bedtime

In most cases, two meals a day are preferable to three. Supper, when taken at an early hour, interferes with the digestion of the previous meal. When taken later, it is not itself digested before bedtime. Thus the stomach fails of securing proper rest. The sleep is disturbed, the brain and nerves are wearied, the appetite for breakfast is impaired, the whole system is unrefreshed, and is unready for the day’s duties. {CD 176.1; 181.4} (Ellen White, Counsels on Diet and Foods, page 176, paragraph 1).

3) Lack of Fresh Air

…care should be taken, that, sleeping or waking, day or night, they breathe a pure, invigorating atmosphere…  {MH 381.3} (Ellen White, Ministry of Healing, page 381, paragraph 3).

Naps Should be Taken in the Day (Especially for the Elderly & Sick)

I urge you not to work above that which you are able to do. You should have less constant, taxing labor, that you may be able to keep yourself in a rested condition. You should take a sleep in the daytime. You can then think more readily, and your thoughts will be more clear and your words more convincing….But it is not required of you or of me to be on a continual strain…  {2SM 230.3-.4} (Ellen White, Selected Messages, Book Two, page 230, paragraph 3-4).

Take a Power Nap to Help Re-energize

My husband laid down upon a bench in the depot, and slept about fifteen minutes, which relieved his weariness in a measure…  {RH, February 20, 1866 par. 9} (Ellen White, Review & Herald Articles, Book 1).

Get Some Rest/Sleep If You Have to Speak in the Evening

We rode about seven miles, to Bro. Gurney’s, and obtained some rest and sleep, to prepare us to attend the evening appointment.  {RH, February 20, 1866 par. 9} (Ellen White, Review & Herald Articles, Book 1).

Do Not Sacrifice Rest/Sleep in Pursuit of Money in the Rest Principle

One of the most fruitful sources of shattered constitutions among men is a devotion to the getting of money, an inordinate desire for wealth. They narrow their lives to the single pursuit of money, sacrifice rest, sleep, and the comforts of life to this one object. Their naturally good constitutions are broken down, disease sets in as a consequence of the abuse of their physical powers, and death closes the scene of a perverted life…  {Te 140.3} (Ellen White, Temperance, page 140, paragraph 3).

The Sabbath is Given to Us is to Give us Rest to Help Refresh Our Bodies and Minds

Elder White and Dr. Kellogg have not given themselves proper rest. God instituted the Sabbath as a day of rest to repair nature’s exhausted energies. No mind can continue day after day without cessation, either in business which taxes the mental powers, or in the acquirement of knowledge, without injury… (PH043 39.1) (Ellen White, Pamphlets Book 1, page 39, paragraph 1).

Who Needs Rest in the Rest Principle?

1. The Sick: The sick, as a general thing, are taxed with too many visitors and callers, who chat with them, and weary them by introducing different topics of conversation, when they need quiet, and undisturbed rest… {2SM 458.2} (Ellen White, Selected Messages, Book Two, page 458, paragraph 2-4).
2. Children: (they need frequent intervals) Children need more frequent change of employment and intervals of rest than grown persons do… {AH 289.2} (Ellen White, The Adventist Home, page 289, paragraph 2).
3. Gospel Workers {DA 360.2} (Ellen White, The Desire of Ages, page 367).
4. Nurses {MH 220.1} (Ellen White, Ministry of Healing, page 220, paragraph 1).
5. Overworked persons {GW 243-246} (Ellen White, Gospel Workers, pages 243-246).
6. Aged Ministers {2SM 226.2} (Ellen White, Selected Messages, Book Two, page 226, paragraph 2).
7. Bible Workers {EV 494.1} (Ellen White, Evangelism, page 494, paragraph 1).
8. Women Workers {EV 494.1} (Ellen White, Evangelism, page 494, paragraph 1).
9. Sanitarium Workers {CH 314-315} (Ellen White, Counsels on Health , pages 314-315).
10. Those with tired nerves {MH 326-327} (Ellen White, Ministry of Healing, pages 326-327).
11. Persons engaged in constant mental labor {CH 563.2-564 (top of page)} (Ellen White, Counsels on Health , page 563, paragraph 2).
12. Physicians {CH 361.5} (Ellen White, Counsels on Health , page 361, paragraph 5).

*** Those who do not labor have no need for rest. {GW 246.1} (Ellen White, Gospel Workers, pages 243-246).

*** Remember that James White suffered tremendously from not resting his mind enough… {1T 519.1-.2} (Ellen White, Testimonies for the Church Volume 1, page 519, paragraph 1-2).

Do Not Sacrifice Sleep for Amusements

The majority of pleasure lovers attend the fashionable night gatherings, and spend in exciting amusements the hours God has given them for quiet rest and sleep in order to invigorate the body. . .. They are robbing the cheeks of the glow of health, and then to supply the deficiency use cosmetics.  {ML 143.5} (Ellen White, My Life Today, page 143, paragraph 5).

Would it not be better, therefore, to break up this habit of turning night into day, and the fresh hours of morning into night? If the youth would form habits of regularity and order, they would improve in health, in spirits, in memory, and in disposition. (ML 143.4-.6) (Ellen White, My Life Today, page 143, paragraphs 4-6).

Proper Periods of Rest and Sleep are Essential to Health of Body and Mind

Proper periods of sleep and rest and an abundance of physical exercise are essential to health of body and mind. To rob nature of her hours for rest and recuperation by allowing one man to do the work of four, or of three, or even of two, will result in irreparable loss. {7T 247.1} (Ellen White, Testimonies for the Church Volume 7, page 247, paragraph 1).

More Facts about Sleep and Rest in the Rest Principle

• Babies need fresh air while sleeping {MH 381.2} (Ellen White, Ministry of Healing, page 381, paragraph 2).
• Covering a baby’s head during sleep is harmful {MH 381.2/2SM 465.2} (Ellen White, Ministry of Healing, page 381, paragraph 2).
• Children and youth should not be permitted to sleep in {CH 187.2/ML 143.3}(Proverbs 6:9) (Ellen White, Counsels on Health , page 187, paragraph 2).
• Nature given time to repair during sleep {MM 80.3} (Ellen White, Medical Ministry, page 80, paragraph 3).
• Sleep, nature’s sweet restorer, invigorates the weary body and prepares it for next day’s duties {CH 147.2} } (Ellen White, Counsels on Health, page 147, paragraph 2).
• God watches over His people when they are asleep at night {SC 85.4} (Ellen White, Steps to Christ, page 85, paragraph 4).
• Angels are unseen visitors in sleeping room {CH 417.1} (Ellen White, Counsels on Health, page 417, paragraph 1).
• Do not sacrifice sleep for amusements {ML 143.5} (Ellen White, My Life Today, page 143, paragraph 5).
• Don’t sacrifice sleep for earning money {Te 140.3} (Ellen White, Temperance, page 140, paragraph 3).
• The labor of the day should not be prolonged into the evening {Te 140.1} (Ellen White, Temperance, page 140, paragraph 1).
• God’s people labor too hard without allowing themselves periods of change and rest/recreation {AH 494.1} (Ellen White, The Adventist Home, page 494, paragraph 1).
• Care needs to be exercised in regard to the regulation of hours for sleeping and laboring. We must take periods of rest, periods of recreation, periods for contemplation. . .. The principles of temperance have a wider range than many think. {AH 494.4} (Ellen White, The Adventist Home, page 494, paragraph 4).
• There are benefits from rising early {6T 188.1} (Ellen White, Testimonies for the Church Volume 6, page 188, paragraph 1).
• Proper periods of sleep and rest are essential for health of body and health of mind
• The sick need undisturbed rest {2SM 458.2} (Ellen White, Selected Messages, Book Two, page 458, paragraph 2).
• A good respiration induces good, sound sleep {MH 272.1} (Ellen White, Ministry of Healing, page 272, paragraph 1).
• Fresh air induces sound, sweet sleep {1T 702.2} (Ellen White, Testimonies for the Church Volume 1, page 702, paragraph 2).
• Do not sleep in ill-ventilated rooms {2T 527.3/CH 57.1} (Ellen White, Testimonies for the Church Volume 2, page 527, paragraph 3).
• Digestive organs should be resting during sleeping hours {CH 118.3} (Ellen White, Counsels on Health , page 118, paragraph 3).
• Sleeping rooms should be large {CH 57.4} (Ellen White, Counsels on Health , page 57, paragraph 4).
• Sleeping rooms especially should be well ventilated, and the atmosphere made healthy by light and air. {2SM 462.3} (Ellen White, Selected Messages, Book Two, page 462, paragraph 3).

NOTE: Though time is short, and there is a great work to be done, the Lord is not pleased to have us so prolong our seasons of activity that there will not be time for periods of rest, for the study of the Bible, and for communion with God… {ML 133.2} (Ellen White, My Life Today, page 133, paragraphs 2).

Study and Teach Laws of Preventive Medicine.–There is now positive need…to interestedly instruct those who look to them for medical skill to ascertain the cause of their infirmities. They should call their attention in a special manner to the laws which god has established, which cannot be violated with impunity. they dwell much on the working of disease, but do not, as a general rule, arouse the attention to the laws which must be sacredly and intelligently obeyed, to prevent disease. {MM 223} (Ellen White, Medical Ministry, page 223).

Medical Science for the Rest Principle

Getting Less than Six Hours of Sleep Doubles a Person’s Chances of the Following:

• Anxiety
• Chest Pain
• Coronary Artery Disease
• Depression
• Diabetes
• Exhaustion
• Heart Disease
• High Blood Pressure
• High Cholesterol
• Messing with the Genes
• Strokes
• Weight Gain

*** Getting nine or more hours of sleep triples a person’s changes of all the above diseases. ***

Articles for the Rest Principle

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120326113805.htm

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/feb/25/sleeping-six-hours-night-activity-genes

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2157461/Less-6-hours-sleep-significantly-increases-risk-stroke-fithealthy.html

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/science/2009-08-13-sleep-gene_N.htm

Excessive Sleep is a Sin (CD 44.1) (Ellen White, Counsels on Diet and Foods, page 44, paragraph 1).

***A person should Get 7-8 hours of sleep each night.

What to do if You Can’t Go to Sleep

• Sit in the sun from 8:00-9:00 am every morning
• Drink Hop tea “…Hops tea will induce sleep…” (2SM 297.5} (Ellen White, Selected Messages, Book Two, page 297, paragraph 5).(1.5 t. hops in a coffee cup. Pour boiling water on top and cover (steep) x 20 minutes)
• Walk 1 hour every day in the sunshine in the morning hours
• Pray
• Soak in warm water x 30 minutes. Warm, not hot water

*** Do not watch T.V. or be on the internet right before bedtime

*** Turn alarm clock facing away from you if it has a red light on it…this interferes with proper sleep.

What to do if You Can’t Stay Asleep

• Sit in the sun from 4:00-5:00 pm every afternoon (Spring/Summer months…earlier for Fall/Winter months).
• Sunshine helps with serotonin levels which help build melatonin levels at the proper time.

http://www.yurtopic.com/health/alternative-medicine/sunshine-benefits.html 

http://www.ehow.com/way_5631046_much-do-need-boost-serotonin_.html

Additional Information and Quotes on proper Sleep and Rest in the Rest Principle

• Even light physical activity can help you sleep better at night
• Missing out on sleep can promote Alzheimer’s
• …rising at three o’clock in the morning and writing from six to fifteen pages before breakfast… {LS 267.4} 
•  …I rise in the morning at two, three, and four o’clock… (3SM 118.1)
•  If our medical missionary workers would follow the Great Physician’s prescription for obtaining rest, a healing current of peace would flow through their souls…  {CH 370.2} (Ellen White, Counsels on Health , page 370, paragraph 2).
• Sleep is so important for brain function. The brain has Lymphatic system called a glymphatic system.
• Less than eight causes sleep deprivation and over nine hours can cause you to die quicker according to the Breslow study.
• 8-9 hours is optimal.
• Harvard University found that at 9 at night the glymphatic system kicks in and does a deep cleaning of the brain for about an hour. Then from 10-12 it does a through flushing of the brain. So, from 9:00 to midnight it’s cleaning the brain. Guess what, we need to be asleep to flush the brain. It’s kind of like not flushing the toilet.  The brain needs to be cleaned to discern God’s word. The brain need to be cleaned to have that relationship with Christ. Have we ever heard the hours before midnight is twice the hours before midnight?

NEWSTART + 6 The Fourteen Principles

1. Nutrition: Eating a healthy diet.
2. Exercise: Walking every day, outdoors if possible.
3. Water: Drinking the right amount of water.
4. Sunshine: Getting sunshine for vitamin D every day, even in the winter.
5. Temperance: Abstain from the bad, moderation for the good.
6. Air: Open your windows even in winter.
7. Rest: Get the right amount of sleep.
8. Trust in Jesus: Pray, study, and let God
9. Dress: Modest dress for health.
10. Words: Speak softly and kindly, never be vulgar.
11. Attitude: Don’t pout, express feelings of anger appropriately.
12. Hygiene: Washing and proper cleanliness
13. Service: Helping others
14. Posture: Sitting and standing the right way.

For more information read the following:

Do You Know God’s Proven Blueprint for Health?

Basic Principles of the Blueprint Healing Program

Basic Principles of the NEWSTART Complete Health Program

The Nutrition Principle of the NEWSTART Complete Health Program

The Exercise Principle of the NEWSTART Complete Health Program

The Water Principle of the NEWSTART Complete Health Program

The Sunshine Principle of the NEWSTART Complete Health Program

The Temperance Principle of the NEWSTART Complete Health Program

The Air Principle of the NEWSTART Complete Health Program

Bible Quotes

Matthew 11:28

Come unto me all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Psalms 127:2

It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so He giveth his beloved sleep.

Spirit of Prophecy Quotes (Ellen White)

… Sleep, nature’s sweet restorer, invigorates the weary body and prepares it for the next day’s duties… {AH 289.1} (Ellen White, The Adventist Home, page 289, paragraph 2).

Pure air, sunlight, abstemiousness, rest, exercise, proper diet, the use of water, trust in divine power—these are the true remedies. every person should have a knowledge of nature’s remedial agencies and how to apply them… {MH 127.2} Ellen White, Ministry of Healing, page 127, paragraph 2).

True temperance calls for…reform in…sleeping…  {Te 196.2} (Ellen White, Temperance, page 140, paragraph 1).

The importance of regularity in the time for eating and sleeping should not be overlooked.  {CG 363.2} (Ellen White, Child Guidance, page 363, paragraph 2).

…Irregular hours for eating and SLEEPING sap the brain forces… {CD 395.1} (Ellen White, Counsels on Diet and Foods, page 395, paragraph 1).

…Sleep should be regular and abundant…  {Ed 205.4} (Ellen White, Education, page 205, paragraph 4).

…If they…strictly observe regularity in sleeping and in eating of simple food, taking nothing between meals, they need not be sick…  {CH 142.2} (Ellen White, Counsels on Health , page 142, paragraph 2).

BOOK ABBREVIATIONS by Ellen G. White (See EGW Abbreviations tab under the Resources menu for a full list)

Disclaimer

Only a physician can diagnose, treat, and prescribe for illness and disease. Living by the Blueprint neither diagnoses nor treats disease. We have provided this material as public information to explore the outcomes of natural remedies. Because of certain laws and restrictions, we must tell you that the information provided is not to diagnose, claim to prevent, mitigate, or cure such conditions. If you are ill, have any disease, are pregnant, or are trying to improve your health, we must tell you to consult a medical doctor for medical advice, treatment, and services.

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