Sleep is essential for good health. While we sleep, our body repairs itself, detoxifies, stores memories, and even makes hormones. Children and teenagers need between ten to twelve hours of sleep for proper growth and development while adults need an average of seven hours of sleep each night. Wearing a fancy electronic device to track how much sleep you are getting is nice but the devices can’t tell you why you are not getting enough sleep and could even be disrupting your sleep. Getting good sleep depends on many factors. Here are four reasons why your sleep may not be as good as it could be:
Blue Light Exposure
Tablets, computers, flat-screen televisions and cell phones all emit blue light. Blue light inhibits the formation of melatonin. With lower levels of melatonin, your circadian rhythm gets disrupted. As a result, you have trouble falling and staying asleep. And don’t forget about LED lights. While you may be saving money by using these tiny light bulbs, they too emit blue light. Some newer screens offer an option to turn off blue light. Another way to limit your exposure to blue light is by wearing blue light blocking sunglasses. These often have orange lenses. The darker the orange lens, the more blue light is blocked. If you watch television or use your computer, wear these types of sunglasses 2-3 hours before bedtime.
Eating Before Bed
Eating closer to bedtime can not only cause an upset stomach and heartburn, but it can also have you waking up in the middle of the night to use the restroom. Aim for having your last meal of the day four hours before bedtime. This allows time for the food to digest and clear the stomach before you lie down. Avoid spicy meals or foods you know cause you digestive problems like gluten, sugar or dairy.
Hormonal Changes
Hormones change all the time and can disrupt our sleep. Symptoms of hormonal imbalances can be hot flashes, night sweats, restlessness, hair loss, or being tired and wired. Hot flashes and night sweats are commons symptoms of sex hormone imbalances. Perimenopause can start as early as in your 30s. During this time, women can experience menopausal-like symptoms. For these types of hormone imbalances, you may consider adding red clover to your supplement regime. Experiencing exhaustion with the inability to sleep is usually an adrenal issue. The building blocks of good adrenal health include relaxation (try some meditation) and setting better personal boundaries to stop over exerting yourself. Nourish your adrenal glands with Vitamin C, Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B-5) and skip the caffeine…it puts more stress on those adrenals!
Racing Mind
An anxious, overactive mind can prevent you from falling asleep. Whether you are thinking about tomorrow’s to-do list, the person who cut you off in traffic, or what you need to make for dinner, your mind is racing from thought to thought without allowing you to focus on relaxation. If racing thoughts are keeping you awake, you may want to write down everything that is bothering you. Journaling can help an anxious mind relax. Making a list of things you need to do tomorrow before you go to bed can help alleviate some of those random thoughts. If you still need help, you might want to reach for a calming herb called Skullcap. Skullcap can quiet a restless mind, ease nervous tension and allow you to just count sheep.
Parasites
Parasitic infections are common. One symptom of having a parasitic overgrowth is trouble staying asleep. And while this type of insomnia can happen at anytime, you may find the symptom even worse during a full moon. This is because parasites tend to be more active during a full moon, and if they are active this can cause your central nervous system to become irritated which causes you to wake up or have disrupted sleep.
I remember treating a farmer for parasites. In our discussion about his symptoms and my findings with his Qest4 scan, he told me that as a child, every year his mom would take him to the doctor. The doctor would tell him to eat this little treat, and he would see him again next year. That doctor was treating him for parasites! The doctor knew the boy was growing up on a farm, and his helping out with chores, playing on the farm, etc. put him at a greater risk for a parasitic overload. As the boy grew into the man he forgot all about the parasite treatments. I treated him with many rounds of Wormwood Complex by Mediherb.
Parasites can also make a person more irritated, depressed or more anxious. They can cause your skin to itch, your belly to ache and your teeth to grind…sound familiar? (For more parasitic overgrowth symptoms, check out my Parasite Cleanse Class.