Sleep disturbances are one of the most common problems in Australia.
Did you know that sleep disturbances affect 1 in 3 people?
So if you have trouble sleeping you are definitely not
alone!
Insomnia can be defined as:
·
Difficulty getting to sleep
·
Staying asleep or
·
Having non restorative sleep despite having
adequate opportunity for sleep
·
Together with associated impairment of daytime
functioning
·
With symptoms being present for at least 4 weeks
Some risk factors for insomnia include:
·
Advancing age (45 years plus)
·
Overweight and obesity
·
Hormonal disturbances
·
Poor diet and lifestyle factors
·
Chronic disease
·
Mental health issues
Why is sleep so important?
During sleep there are many physiological processes that
occur in the body. Both hormone production and cellular repair takes place.
There is tissue growth and repair occurring, energy is restored and hormones
are released. Poor sleep even disrupts cortisol and insulin production so
insomnia can then trigger a stress response, increase sugar cravings and
predispose you to metabolic syndrome.
So what can be done to ensure you are getting an adequate
night sleep?
As a first line treatment there are several dietary and life
style factors to consider.
1.
Avoid stimulants after 2pm. This includes
caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, sugar and chocolate. As all of these substances
are stimulating they stop the body from relaxing and make it nearly impossible
to wind down.
2.
Turn off
all technology at least 1 hour before bed. This includes your mobile phone,
computer, TV or other personal devices. The blue light these devices emit
disrupts the body’s natural production on melatonin- our sleep hormone.
3.
Make sure your bedroom is a peaceful sleeping
environment. This means it should be pitch black, free from noise, comfortable
in temperature, comfortable bed and pillow, free from disturbances from family
members or pets. These eliminate outside causes of insomnia.
4.
Exercise regularly. Exercise is so great when it
come to sleep promotion as it exhausts you both physically and mentally so you
can easily fall asleep. It reduces your cortisol levels so that stress isn’t
keeping you up at night. It also enables you to keep to a healthy weight
eliminating obesity as a cause of insomnia.
5.
Exposure to natural light helps to enhance the body’s
natural circadian rhythms. Try going outside first thing in the morning to get
some sun and in the evening before bed to get some moonlight. This will allow
your body to produce melatonin at the correct time.
6.
Use meditation or relaxation practices before
bed. You may have been wondering when I mentioned to switch off you devices 1
hour before bed what you would do in this time? This is the time for relaxation,
so take a bath, practice meditation or deep breathing or relax in bed listening
to soothing music. This will calm your nervous system, relaxing your body so
you can easily drift into sleep.
7.
Eat foods high in tryptophan, which support
melatonin production in the body. These include turkey, chicken, lean red meat,
pumpkin seeds, beans and hard cheeses.
8.
Use herbal support and supplementation to reduce
stress, enhance relaxation and regulate your sleep/wake cycle. Some essential
nutrients to promote sleep are magnesium and B vitamins. There are many herbs
with different actions that can help with sleep. Different herbs will be
effective for different people depending on the cause of insomnia. A few
include:
·
Lavender- Calming on the nervous system
·
Kava- reduces stress and anxiety
·
Withania- calming on the nervous system, mood
boosting and anti-anxiety
·
Valerian- regulates circadian rhythms
·
Hops- Helps maintain sleep in those with sleep
maintenance issues.
·
Zizyphus- calming and cooling so helps when hot
flushes are keeping you up at night.
·
Passionflower- calming on the central nervous
system
·
California poppy- has a sedative quality and
also helps to reduce pain if chronic pain is contributing to insomnia.
No comments:
Post a Comment