Dramatic events have compelled me to write once again about the powerful impact on our bodies and minds of drinking enough water.

I researched the issue of proper hydration in 2009 when I was writing my ebook about insomnia.  What I learned compelled me to write a post about it, and to finally figure out how to guarantee that I consumed at least 64 oz of water every day.

The solution was brilliantly simple – every day I would write the numbers 1 2 3 in the bottom corner of my daily planner. I kept a beautiful blue water bottle on my desk, and each time I filled and drank the contents I circled one of those numbers. And voila, I became a regular water drinker!

Fast forward to a month ago. It was time to get a new daily planner, and the store no longer had my favorite notebook. I kept thinking I would find it somewhere else, so I just started making my daily list on random pieces of paper until I found my special notebook. After a few weeks I finally gave up and bought a different notebook, and went back to my old system.

With one important difference. I had lost the water habit somewhere in this transition, and forgot to begin again with entering the 1 2 3 on the lower corner of my notebook.

I was busy. A lot was going on in our lives. So my trusty blue water bottle sat quietly on my desk, waiting for me to rediscover it.

Then last week I really took a dive emotionally. I felt fatigued, depressed, unable to concentrate, and had trouble remembering things. I would look at some notes I’d made a day or two before and could not figure out what I was talking about.

Oh my God, I thought, this is it, this is the beginning of Alzheimers. My mother, grandmother and aunt had it, and now here it is. I was petrified – how could it be happening this early? I started talking to friends about how scared I was, how I would have to cut back on what I was doing, how my mental capacity was slipping away each day.

And then, a few days later, as I was sitting at my desk, resigned to a life of small projects and simple thoughts, I noticed my blue water bottle on my desk. Wait a minute, when did I stop drinking water? I remembered how the effects of being dehydrated had been so powerfully imprinted in me when I collapsed some years ago during the Avon Breast Cancer Walk in 100 degree heat. Granted, that was an extreme event, but – could some of what I was feeling be because I had stopped my water habit?

I grabbed the blue bottle and ran downstairs to fill it up. I came back upstairs, filled my glass, and drank it down as though I had been walking in the desert for days. Then I wrote 1 2 3 in the corner of my planner, and poured another glass.

That day I drank my three bottles of water. And the next day I did the same. And — this is so remarkable I understand that you may have trouble believing it – the next day my mind cleared! The fog rolled out, energy poured back into my body, the depression lifted. I felt like one of those people you see in the movies who drops to their knees and yells out to the world that they’ve have been cured.

So guess what, no onset of Alzheimers. My brain cells were just crying out for water and were trying to get my attention. No chronic fatigue, just my body’s cells begging for water. No depression, just my entire being trying valiantly to remind me how good it was to be given the water it needs to perform its excellent work every day.

I understand that this little story may seem simplistic. And I know that there are many other causes for many of the ailments and diseases we struggle with. But from my research, and from this dramatic incident in my own life, I say with all my heart – please do yourself a favor and figure out how to drink enough pure water every day. Guideline is 64 oz a day just to replace what we lose. If you drink a lot of coffee or exercise heavily, drink more than that.

And now, I need to call some people to let them know I am still able to discuss complex issues. . .

I have a confession to make. I don’t always meditate every day, even though I tell everyone they should.

What happens to me is what happens to most of us. We have every intention to stop, to sit still for brief time, to just be. But life gets going, we get revved up, and the day slips by before we know it. We smack our foreheads on the way to bed and say “Oops, I forgot to meditate today!”

I wrote a book about learning to meditate, and I wrote an e-program about how to become a confident sleeper, so, for the most part, I practice what I preach. Not to be goody-two shoes perfect, but because I really do understand how I benefit from doing what I tell other people to do.

But I get sloppy. I convince myself that as an experienced meditator who knows the value of it, I will remember to sit every day – but this really isn’t true. I go on automatic pilot, get through the entire day, and smack my forehead on the way to bed, just like everyone else.

When I was talking with my coach about how I was having trouble with my spiritual connection, she asked me how often I was sitting. Big (huge) light bulb moment! There is a direct correlation between how often I meditate and how connected I feel to my spiritual source.

At her suggestion, I changed my practice from that of “I know I will remember to sit every day because I write about this and I’m a seasoned meditator and I’m really cool with this, thanks” to something really brilliant. I decided to set a time that I will meditate every day. Okay, snicker if you want. I’m just trying to be honest here, even if it makes me look like a bit of a doofus.

After I implemented this brilliant plan, I sat every day, usually for 45 mins to an hour. I did this for 10 days. Here is what happened during that time. I slept really well every night. I was open and creative, and completely concentrated and focused when I needed to be. I loved myself and those around me. I was inspired and inspiring. I was connected to my spiritual source. In short, life was great!

And then one day, I “forgot” to meditate. It wasn’t on purpose. I was out running errands and didn’t get back in time, and then it slipped my mind that day.  The next day, I managed to sit but not at the appointed time. Slippery slope. In an amazingly short period of time, I had reverted to my former hit and miss approach.

And guess what? Didn’t sleep as well. Not as creative. Not able to focus like before. Striving for spiritual connection, but feeling like it eluded me. Inspiration was a distant memory.

What have I learned from this fall from grace? Simply this, it really was a fall from grace.

Do I want grace? You bet. I love grace. I love the way it makes me feel. And I know how to get it. Every day, at the appointed hour, all I have to do is Sit.

And say to myself every day that what is most important is most important. Act on it. Every day. My life will work better, I promise.

Today I received invitations to two teleseminars — each one striking a responsive chord with my own thoughts about how to prosper in 2010. Here’s what I’ve been thinking about:

#1. How can we sustain our sense of calm energy when there is much in our lives to feel stressed about?

Our effectiveness goes down when our stress goes up.  We “telegraph” our stress in our messaging and our interactions with our market. We’re not as creative and in the “flow” when we’re stressed. Seems to me there might be  simple equation here:

Stress + Unrestorative Sleep + Mindless, Reactive Behavior = Poor impact on Our Business

#2. How do we rise above the “noise” in an overwhelming flood of emails, tweets, facebook, linked-in and dozens of other sometimes not-so-social media requests?

If we are overwhelmed by the sea of hands raised for our attention, even if some of it is nicely done, pertinent, well written and respectful, we can probably assume that our customers and prospective customers are also. Now is when we need to get really grounded, breathe deeply, and allow our minds to wander creatively. Something needs to change. We need to change. But we can’t do it until we calm down.

Quite a conundrum, eh?

My approach has been to work on #1 first. This is why I meditate daily, and it’s why I spent last year learning everything I could about how to be a Confident Sleeper in Stressful Times. I knew times were going to be tough, and unlike the old John Wayne days when we said things like “When times get tough, the tough get going” — I knew we needed to be able to stay calm, relax our minds, and let go of obsessive thinking.

I’ve been successful at #1 — and I love sharing what I’ve learned and the Sleep Program I’ve created with the world.

Ah, now comes #2. How do I rise above the noise? I’m going to sit in on this teleseminar today — stay tuned for what I learn. . .

Arriana Huffington and Cindi Leive have issued a 2010 Sleep Challenge for Women in The Huffington Post. I am estatic that they are drawing attention to the importance of Sleep!

I began my campaign in 2009 to help women take responsibility for learning how to become Confident Sleepers. What I know is that a big part of being able to do that is learning how sleep works. Sleep tips are fine, but we are each unique — what works for one person may not work for another. I find that most people are in the dark about the real facts, and lack the deeper understanding they need to get adequate, restorative sleep on a consistent basis.

I suggest you think of this as a business problem — that’s what I did when I created Insomnia Relief Recipes. What did I need to know in order to solve this problem, what were all my options, what worked best for my unique situation? You can learn more about about what I spent 2009 researching and developing at Insomnia Relief Recipes.

If women can get the restorative sleep we need no matter what the circumstances, imagine how we will feel, how well we will be able to think, how clearly we will see what is most important. My vision for 2010 is to empower women to become Confident Sleepers. Thanks Arianna and Cindi for making this serious issue visible!