Sleep

One topic everyone seems to talk about is sleep, and how they aren’t getting enough, or some other problem with it.  They are awake at night when they feel they should be sleeping.  They wake up tired, or they get sleepy during the day.  They use the weekend to catch up on sleep.  And there’s really nothing like a good restful night’s sleep, is there?

There are different types of insomnia.  One is not being able to get sleep at all.  Another (my former specialty) is waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to go back to sleep.  Slightly different is waking up too early in the morning (1-2 hours before it’s time to get up) and not being able to go back to sleep.  I’ve had this problem for about the last year, waking up at 4am or 5am and not able to go back to sleep.  Then by 10am I’m tired.

If you’re having trouble sleeping, you’re not alone.  48% of people report some trouble with insomnia at least some of the time.

First, let´s list the things that keep you from sleeping:

1)            Stress (an overused word that can have several meanings):  Maybe you’re uptight about work, or personal relationships, or something else.  Hopefully what I outline below will work for you.

2)            Worrying (anxiety) gets its own category.  This is a particular type of stress.  You may want to talk to your doctor or find a therapist if this is a persistent problem.  I can also recommend a website if you just need to get your worrying off your chest: healingwell.com.  There is an anxiety and phobia message board there that i have found very helpful

3)            Caffeine:  this includes coffee, tea (hot or iced), energy drinks, colas (including diet) and chocolate.

4)         Nicotine

5)         Having a heavy meal right before bed

6)            For some people, watching a horror or violent movie before bed.

I’ve learned some valuable techniques to mitigate insomnia.  This is not meant to be all-inclusive, just some thoughts that might help you.

Whatever the time of night or morning, if you can’t sleep after 30 minutes of trying, get up and do something soothing, like having warm milk or herbal tea, taking a warm bath, reading a “non-upsetting” book or magazine, or watching an “earthy” video (pics of nature) on YouTube.

Here are the two techniques I use to help myself sleep:

a.    Deep Breathing – this is really simple.  Lie down and find your breath.  It may be shallow or raggedy.  Just accept it as it is.  Then, pay attention to it and slowly elongate it until you can count to 8 on the in-breath and the out-breath.  You should, after a few minutes, start to drift off to sleep.

b.    Progessive Relaxation – starting at your scalp, relax your muscles:  forehead, area around the eyes, mouth, neck, chest, arms, stomach, pelvis, thighs, calves, feet.  If there are other areas of the body that feel tense, try to relax those too. Take as long as you need for the individual body parts to feel relaxed.  Focus on your body relaxing into your bed.

And finally, here are sleep medications/herbs that friends and family have used successfully:

a.    Ambien.  Its effects are controversial.  Neither of the people I know using it have bad side-effects, but drugs.com (a reliable website) says that “Some people using Ambien have engaged in activity such as driving, eating, walking, making phone calls, or having sex and later having no memory of the activity.”  Plus, it makes some people groggy the next morning.  It is recommended to be taken only for short periods of time.

b.    Valerian Root.  My interest in this goes back to my “herb period” in the 1980’s, when I was researching all kinds of methods and substances to help treat AIDS.  Valerian root has been shown to increase sleepiness by calming.  It needs to be taken regularly for a few weeks to get its full effect.  Recommended dosage is 300 – 900 mg per day.  It has been added to the FDA’s list of Generally Recognized As Safe substances.

c.     Melatonin.  Melatonin is a naturally occurring substance in our bodies.  It is the natural hormone your body secretes that helps to maintain your wake-sleep cycle.  Recommended dosages are 0.3 to 5 mg.  I have one friend who swears by it.

Good luck with sleep!  Zzzzzzzzz.

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