Posted on April 09, 2019

By: Susan Garrard

Missing out on a good night's sleep can make you tired and grumpy, but it also has more serious effects on your health.

Why is sleep important?

Long-term health depends on the regeneration that occurs during deep sleep. Growth hormone, or the "anti-ageing" hormone, is secreted during sleep, which stimulates tissue regeneration, liver cleansing, muscle building, break down of fat stores and normalisation of blood sugar. During sleep free radicals are scavenged in the brain, minimising its ageing. Many health problems are aggravated by inadequate sleep. Sleep gives us renewed vitality, a more positive outlook on life and energy with which we can become our full potential.

Signs that you're not getting enough sleep

You could experience drowsiness, low energy, poor concentration, impaired memory, reduced stress tolerance, mood changes, irritability, muscle tension, or increased health problems such as infections and poor immunity.

How can I improve the quality of my sleep?

1. Maintain consistent sleep and wake times. In other words, try to go to bed at the same time and get up at the same time each day. Don't push yourself to stay up past the first signs of sleepiness. This can cause the release of adrenalin- making it more difficult to get to sleep later. It's good to have a "getting ready for bed" routine to relax and prepare your body for sleep. Avoid taking naps during the day if you have trouble sleeping at night. 
2. Reserve the bed for sleep and sex only. Don't read, watch TV, eat or worry in bed. Solve daily dilemmas outside of the bedroom. If you find that you've been lying awake in bed for 15-20 minutes, get out of bed. Do something mundane like watch TV or read a book until you feel sleepy, and then go back to bed. Repeat this as often as needed. 
3. Your sleeping environment should be quiet, cool and comfortable. The room should be clutter-free. Reduce the amount of light as much as possible. Electronic devices such as clocks, stereos, TVs and computers generate electromagnetic fields that can disturb sleep for some people. Experiment with moving these things into another room or switch them off at the wall when going to sleep. Feng Shui, the Chinese art of placement, can help in creating an optimal sleeping environment. 
4. Exercise regularly. Exercising during the day or early evening decreases the time it takes to get to sleep and increases the amount of deep sleep obtained. Most people do better avoiding exercise late in the evening. 
5. Exposure to sunlight early in the morning and late in the afternoon or evening encourages strong circadian rhythm. The hormone melatonin, which helps create a sleep state in the body, is suppressed in light and secreted in darkness.
6. If you have problems with waking during the early hours of the morning, have a small protein snack just before bed to ensure consistent blood sugar levels throughout the night. Consistently get exposure to sunlight as late in the day as possible. 
7. Improving overall health will improve the quality of your sleep. Work towards improving or eliminating health problems. Treatments such as massage, acupuncture or cranial sacral will help relax the body. Getting stress under control is essential. 

Things that relax your body and get you ready for sleep 

• Warm baths, possibly adding Epsom salts or lavender oil 
  
• Meditating for 5-30 minutes. 
• Breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation ( various recordings are available ) or any other means of inducing the "relaxation response". Daily practice brings greater results. 
• Special acoustic recordings that increase specific brain wave patterns for relaxation and sleep 
• Botanicals treatments and aromatherapy using herbs and their essential oils (examples include chamomile, valerian, vervain (verbena ), hops, lavender, passionflower, avena(oat straw), lemon balm, kava and scutellaria(skull cap). Ask me for dosages and recommendations. 
• Calcium and magnesium supplementation. Ask me for dosages and recommendations. 

Things that interfere with sleep 

• Although alcohol may make you fall asleep, the sleep obtained after drinking is fragmented and light and not good quality. 
  
• The stimulating effects of caffeine may last up to 10 hours in some people. Avoid it in the afternoon if getting to sleep is a problem. Caffeine is present in coffee, green tea, black tea, chocolate and some medications ( pain relievers, decongestants, weight loss products, energy supplements etc ) 
• The stimulating effects of nicotine (first or second-hand smoke) can last several hours. 
• Sleeping pills, aside from being highly addictive and full of side effects, decrease the amount of time spent in deep sleep and only increase light-sleep. 
• B-vitamin supplements can increase energy that keeps some people awake, if taken before bed. Take B-vitamins earlier in the day. Do not go to bed with a very full stomach. Large quantities of protein are stimulating to the body as digestion occurs. It's best to finish eating at least three hours before going to bed. 

I hope this helps you get that elusive good night's sleep. Sweet Dreams! 

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Article from: Susan Garrard, Director at Women's Health, Naturally

Susan is a practicing Naturopath and Nutritionist and Director of the very successful Women's Health, Naturally Clinic in Byron Bay, Australia. Susan has presented to a wide range of clients including corporate, government and community sectors and has more than 10 years of experience and expertise in the area of Health and Wellness. 

www.womenshealthnaturally.com...