A Practical Guide To Getting Your ZZZZZs

64 million people every year suffer with insomnia. It’s true, and the chances are that if you are a woman, you are much more likely to suffer from it. It can be categorized in two ways: having trouble falling asleep, and having trouble staying asleep. Does any of this sound like you?

You have a big dinner and you feel full or bloated. You’re house is stuffy and it’s making you uncomfortable. When you finally try to get to sleep, you can’t. Your mind is racing and you can’t get relaxed enough to sleep. Or maybe you get to sleep just fine, but when you do, you can’t stay asleep. You wake every hour and have to start all over again.

It happens to us all every once in awhile. But what about when it’s constantly happening? How long does it take before it affects your functioning and the way that you work, both in your personal life or in your career.

Our sleep patterns are crucial to how we function. Sleep is how your body tunes itself up. It’s where the maintenance takes place. Sleep is when you make the neurotransmitters that help you function throughout the next day.

Our bodies are programmed to wake with the sunrise and go to sleep with the sunset. Nature did not intend for us to sleep with the TV on, or for us to spend our evenings watching television. Nature did not plan for the light of alarm clocks or lamps. And as a result of all of these man-made advances, we are actually killing ourselves.

So, what can we do to try and cure our insomnia as naturally as possible, without popping a magic pill that might get us to sleep, but ignores the body’s signals that something is wrong?

There are several general things we can do:

  1. Go to bed close to sundown -- about 9 PM. Our bodies are at their best at around 7 to 8 a.m., so you want to get to bed early and get a full night’s sleep when nature intends for your body to be in a resting state.
  2. No food after 7 PM.
  3. No caffeine or alcohol.
  4. No noise: ideally anti noise shutters, noise absorbing walls.
  5. No light at all: from windows, computer and alarm clock lights, etc.
  6. No electromagnetic field exposure: shield with foil or electromagnetic shield canape, foil under the bed, turn off fuses, Wi Fi, unnecessary electric devises.
  7. No smells that are artificial, like air freshener.
  8. Fresh air is necessary. Open a window if you can!
  9. Clean up your air: Get an air purifier, use plants, vacuum often, try to get away from rugs, keep sheets clean, use natural detergents like liquid.
  10. Get peace of mind before going to bed.  Meditate if necessary.  Avoid action movies or other things, like bill paying or emotional discussions, as they may keep you up well after it is over.
  11. Use sex to relax.
  12. Try to keep the temperature n yur bedroom on the low side, but still comfortble.

As for supplements, there are several options:

1.  Melatonin works only if you do not have it enough.  The best thing is to check your melatonin level. Caveat: taking more melatonin when it isn’t what you are lacking, can have the opposite effect and actually cause insomnia to worsen, so I stress going to check levels before using a supplement.
The usual dose (if you are deficient) is 0.25 to 1 mg.  Do not ever take more that that.  Another other option is sublingual drops that work much faster than pills.  These are good to take if you need fast action: for example if you wake up at night and cannot go back to sleep.  Remember: if you are not deficient in melatonin, taking more melatonin may make your insomnia worse.

2.  Food: sometimes you may get up at night because of low sugar.  The best way is to get it checked out. Chromium supplements and complex carbohydrates before sleep can be a resolution.  A possible reason for it may be yeast/hypoglycemia. The quick answer is also to avoid simple carbs that may cause hypoglycemia at night!

3.  Magnesium/Calcium: We often have this deficiency because there are not enough green or organic vegetables in your diet.  The best way to check is not only magnesium in your blood but also in your cells.  The solution can be as easy as more green organic vegetables, or magnesium supplements.  Caveat: supplements are not equal and you may not get enough hydrochloric acid to absorb magnesium.  Solution: use magnesium salts solution, use magnesium citrate, avoid magnesium oxide, check for your hydrochloric acid, and correct the deficiency if necessary.

4.  B vitamins, especially B12.  The best way to find out if you are deficient is to check levels. B12 pills may not work because of poor absorption.  A common reason for B12 deficiency is a vegetarian diet.  This should be corrected in order to function normally.

5.  Taurine: very good.  Provides GABA support, probably the best you can take if you are GABA deficient.

6.  Inositol 1 tsp PO once daily.  Helps to restore membranes brain cells

7.  Fish oil – also restores brain cells membranes.  The best is unprocessed fish oil.

8.  5 HTP about 50 mg daily, but need to contact your doctor before taking. This cannot be used with certain drugs because it converts to serotonin that is important for sleep initiation.  Minimally affected by stress. If you use tryptophan instead, the effect may be adversely affected by stress.

You have so many options when it comes to correcting insomnia. The key is to finding the right approach for you, as well as the combination of methods that will be right for you.

Inflammation, like infection or allergies, and neurotransmitter imbalances can also be what’s causing your insomnia. This isn’t something that can go unchecked any longer. It’s time to find out what’s going on, get to the root cause, and make you better.