Treating Insomnia Naturally

How to Get a Good Night’s Sleep: Treating Insomnia Naturally

Insomnia and fatigue are two of the biggest complaints I hear from my patients. Whether you are having difficulty falling asleep at night, staying asleep, or simply don’t wake up feeling rested, no one enjoys insomnia and the fatigue and grogginess that follow a night (or many nights) of poor sleep. From the frustration of not being able to sleep, to the fatigue and poor concentration (among other things) it causes, everyone wants a solution. Poor sleep can even lead to increased anxiety and depression, and weight gain due to increased appetite and poor blood sugar control. Our bodies are designed to get restful and rejuvenating sleep nightly, and without it, our bodies and minds cannot function at their full capability.

There are different types of insomnia.  The two main types include difficulty falling asleep and difficulty staying asleep.

Difficulty falling asleep is being unable to fall asleep even once in bed at night, regardless of how tired you actually feel. There are different factors that can keep us up at night. Some of the most common are:

·         Stimulation/stimulants before bed

·         Stress/anxiety

·         Poor sleep schedule: sleeping in too late, going to sleep at a different time every day

·         Lack of exercise/physical activity during the day

·         Poor sleeping conditions (room not dark enough, room too warm or too cold)

Difficulty staying asleep includes waking multiple times throughout the night or waking once and being unable to fall back to sleep, or waking up too early in the morning.

The most common causes of this are:

·         Blood sugar dysregulation causing a drop in blood sugar in the middle of the night

·         Poor sleeping conditions (room not dark enough, noise disruption)

·         Stress/anxiety- if you fall asleep worried, stressed or anxious about the following day (or anything), your body will often wake you up prematurely due to its lack of being able to fully relax

Tips to a better night’s sleep: Say “Goodbye!” to insomnia and “Hello!” to a restful night’s sleep!

·         Create a bedtime routine

·         We all had a bedtime routine when we were kids, but somewhere along the way we lost it. If you are having trouble sleeping, now is the time to bring it back! It will differ from when you were a kid (or maybe not!) but creating a routine helps your mind and body prepare for what is coming. Your routine will start to signal to your brain that sleep is coming, and help your body get ready.

·         Maintain a regular sleep schedule

·         Supporting the body’s natural sleep cycle helps promote better sleep at night. Your body naturally produces melatonin when it is dark out to promote sleepiness and produces a spike in cortisol in the morning to help you wake up. Our bodies do very well on schedules and a sleep schedule is no different. Of course there is no one correct bedtime for everyone, so it’s more about consistency rather than timing. Creating a healthy sleep schedule by going to bed at the same time every night and waking up at the same time each morning can help regulate both melatonin and cortisol which makes it easier to fall asleep at night, and wake up in the morning!

·         Going to bed at the same time each night can help you avoid going to sleep before your body is ready or staying up too late which can cause your body to become over tired making it difficult to fall asleep at night..

·         Waking up at the same time every morning helps promote healthy cortisol production. Cortisol production should spike in the morning to provide energy for your day. Waking at the same time can also help you avoid sleeping in too late which can prevent you from falling asleep at night. It sounds simple enough to not sleep in too late (and for some of us, sleeping in late is not something we even have the option of (“hello parents of babies and toddlers!”)) but when we don’t have a regular sleep schedule, waking at different times each morning makes it harder to fall asleep at the same time each night which is vital in being able to fall asleep easily and stay asleep.

·         Create a sleep friendly sleep environment. Decrease stimuli and make sure the room is dark (reduce ambient light, turn off all screens and make sure there are no other lights on). Black out curtains are also a great option to reduce outside light from infiltrating your sleep space.

·         Relax before bed

·         Relax: do an activity that is relaxing before bed to help your body get ready for sleep. Find whatever relaxes you, such as a warm bath, reading a book, or simply chatting with your partner in bed before you go to sleep.

·         Avoid screen time before bed.

·         Avoid screen time (television, computers, tablets, and cell phones are all included in this) for at least 10 (but preferably 30-60 minutes) before bed. The bright lights from screens (even when they are dimmed) is very stimulating to our brain and nervous system and make it harder for our bodies to determine between day and night which alters our cortisol/melatonin production and makes it difficult to fall asleep when we want to.

·         Sleep as long as necessary to feel rested (usually six to eight hours for adults)

·         Do not force sleep. Find a bedtime that suits your schedule and is approximately 6-8 hours before you need to wake up. Trying to make yourself go to sleep before your body is ready often leads to more frustration.

·         Resolve stress, concerns or worries before bedtime

·         De-stress. Decreasing stress is all about finding what works for you. Not everyone is relaxed by the same things and what one person may find relaxing may actually stress someone else out. So make sure to find what works for you!

·         Deep breathing and meditation are two great options. They take our focus off our day to day lives and stressors and help calm our minds down.

·         If your mind is running and keeping you up at night, try to write down worries/stresses before you go to bed so that they are “out of your mind” or create a plan of action on how to tackle the issues keeping you up at night.

·         Example: If you are constantly thinking about all of the things you have to do the next day, make a To-Do list for the next day before you go to bed. This helps you feel more in control of your day and better able to tackle the tasks ahead.

·         Eat a bedtime snack: Do you often wake up in the middle of the night around 1-3am? If so, then your blood sugar may to be blame!

·         Protein and fat at bedtime can help you fall asleep and stay asleep more easily. A snack about 30-60 minutes before bed will help to keep your blood sugar stable throughout the night so that you aren’t being woken up (often between 1 and 3 am) due to low blood sugar.

·         Foods such as turkey, chicken, hard boiled eggs, and avocado are great bedtime snacks. Turkey and chicken contain tryptophan which can help promote sleep and the protein helps keep your blood sugar stable for longer. Turkey, chicken, spinach and salmon also contain Vitamin B6 which help promotes sleep. Other snack ideas include: vegetables with hummus or guacamole which will provide the fat and protein needed to stabilize blood sugar.

·         Avoid stimulants before bed. This includes coffee/caffeine, sugar and alcohol. This also includes nicotine (but I recommend that everyone avoid this one anyway!).

·         Caffeine: Don’t drink coffee or other caffeinated beverages after 3pm to avoid causing a spike in energy and your cortisol when there shouldn’t be one. Drinking all of your coffee by lunchtime is best.

·         Sugar: This includes anything that can spike your blood sugar- sugary foods and desserts, soda, bread, white potatoes, and pasta. (These foods should be limited in your diet anyway, but if you do eat them, try to do them closer to lunch rather than dinner.) Blood sugar spikes before bed can cause a crash in the middle of the night which will cause your body to wake up in an effort to regulate blood sugar.

·         Alcohol: Many people think that an alcoholic beverage before bed helps them sleep, but this in unfortunately not the case. Alcohol affects your nervous system and blood sugar and can cause poor, disrupted sleep. While some people often think a drink before bed can help them fall asleep, the quality of sleep tends to be poor and you will actually wake feeling less rested.

·         Exercise regularly, at least 3-4 hours prior to bedtime

·         Exercise during the day can help you fall asleep at night more easily

·         It is best to avoid exercise at least 3-4 hours before bed. Exercising right before bed can actually be stimulating. Giving your body a break between exercise and sleep allows your body and nervous system to recover properly allowing you to fall asleep easier.

·         Avoid daytime naps longer than 20 to 30 minutes and avoid naps late in the day

Using the tips above can help you make sure you are getting a full and restful night’s sleep every night!

Make your appointment with Dr. Sahni today to get to the root cause of your insomnia and receive a personalized sleep plan specifically for you!

Supplements to Promote Sleep. Make sure you have followed the above guidelines before adding any additional sleep aids. It is best to get to the root of the problem rather than using medications and/or supplements. Supplements can be very helpful for short-term insomnia but using them long-term can create dependence just like prescription sedatives can.

• Melatonin– The body naturally produces melatonin when it is dark out to promote sleep. Supplementing with melatonin at night can help promote falling asleep. This has its limitations however as melatonin only helps signal the brain to fall asleep; it does not help you stay asleep.

• 5-HTP - this is the precursor to serotonin which is required for melatonin synthesis. Taking 5-HTP can not only help boost your mood but also improve your sleep.

• Valerian is calming herb which is great for those who find it difficult to fall asleep due to an overactive mind at bedtime.

• Passiflora, Chamomile, Kava, and Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) are great relaxing herbs for the nervous system which can help decrease anxiety and create a general sense of relaxation and well-being. Taking these before bed can help promote a calmer state to allow the body to more easily fall asleep and stay asleep.

• Lavender essential oil is a calming essential oil to help decrease stress and anxiety. Putting a couple drops on your pillow can help promote better sleep.

*Make sure to consult with your physician before beginning any new supplement. Supplements also vary in quality and efficacy so make sure to get your supplements from a reputable source.