Not Getting Enough Good Sleep?

Dr. Mercola and myself have fairly similar ideas when it comes to sleeping, so I’ve borrowed a few of his ideas to share with you so we all can get a good night’s rest. I don't believe there is a set rule as to how long you must sleep; however, it is crucial to get enough sleep to feel well-rested—something that about 60 percent of the US population hasn’t been able to do. The average American gets less than seven hours of shut-eye during the week, and slightly more on weekends.  

First of all, let’s understand “Why and How Insomnia Occurs.”

As explained by sleep expert Dr. Rubin Naiman, insomnia is the most commonly reported sleep disorder. To understand why insomnia occurs, you need to understand that sleep is the outcome of an interaction between two variables: sleepiness, and what Dr. Naiman refers to as "noise."

Ideally and under normal conditions, your sleepiness should gradually increase throughout the day, peaking just before you go to bed at night. In order to get a good night's sleep, you want your sleepiness level to be high, and the noise level to be low. If “noise” is conceptually greater than your level of sleepiness, you will not fall asleep. “Noise” can be any kind of stimulation that inhibits or disrupts sleep, and is generally classified into three zones:

1. Mind—The most common type including unstoppable thoughts running through your mind at night.

2. Body—Such as physical pain, discomfort, indigestion, side effects from prescription drugs, or residual caffeine from drinking coffee too late in the day.

3. Environmental-- Noises in your room or house, a snoring partner, music, lights, or a bedroom that's too warm.

More often than not, the reason why people can't fall asleep is because of excessive noise. Typically, there are more than one form of noise disturbing your sleep and keeping you awake, so carefully evaluate your environment and inner/outer state to determine ALL the contributing factors, and make sure to address them all.

Two of the Most Common Problems that Contribute to Poor Sleep:

• Light

• Temperature

Ideally, you'll want to turn off your TV, computer, iPad and any other light emitting technologies at least an hour prior to bed time. Next, make sure your bedroom is shrouded in pitch darkness by covering your windows with blackout shades or heavy drapes. Also close your bedroom door, get rid of night-lights, and refrain from turning on any light during the night, even when getting up to go to the bathroom. If you have to use a light, install so-called "low blue" light bulbs in your bedroom and bathroom. These emit an amber light that will not suppress melatonin production.

The ideal temperature to promote sound sleep is actually quite cool—between 60 to 68 degrees F Keeping your room cooler or hotter can lead to restless sleep. This is because when you sleep, your body's internal temperature drops to its lowest level, generally about four to six hours after you fall asleep. Scientists believe a cooler bedroom may therefore be most conducive to sleep, since it mimics your body's natural temperature drop.

Electromagnetic Fields Can Also Disrupt Your Sleep

At bare minimum, move alarm clocks and other electrical devices away from your head. Also avoid keeping cell phones and portable phone bases on your night stand. Avoid running electrical cords underneath your bed. Last but not least, beware of what's on the other side of your bedroom wall, and under the floor. Avoid sleeping with your head against a wall that has electric meters, circuit breaker panels, televisions or stereos, for example, on the other side.

Avoid Sleeping Pills

In 2008, Americans filled more than 56 million prescriptions for sleeping pills and spent more than $600 million on over-the-counter sleep aids. However, according to a 2007 analysis of sleeping pill studies financed by the National Institutes of Health, sleeping pills like Ambien, Lunesta, and Sonata reduced the average time to go to sleep by less than 13 minutes compared to a placebo, which can hardly be considered a worthwhile improvement.

Aside from being ineffective, sleeping pills also come with some potentially dangerous side effects. For starters, they're notorious for being addictive, which means that once you want to stop taking them, you'll likely suffer withdrawal symptoms that could be worse than your initial insomnia. Other common side effects include weight gain, sleep walking, and eating in your sleep. You're also more apt to get into a traffic accident when using sleeping pills. 

Here are a couple of natural remedies (Velarian and Melatonin) that may offer some temporary help.

Valerian improves:

•Deep sleep

•Speed of falling asleep, and

•Overall quality of sleep

Bear in mind however, that herbs can affect people differently, and about 10 percent of people who take valerian tend to actually feel energized by it, which may keep them awake.

Melatonin

Melatonin is a hormone produced by a pea-sized gland in the middle of your brain called the pineal gland, which is affected by light and dark. At night, when it gets dark, your pineal gland switches "on" and begins producing melatonin to be released into your blood, which makes you feel sleepy. When functioning normally, your melatonin levels will stay elevated for about 12 hours (usually between 9 pm and 9 am). Then, as the sun rises, your pineal gland turns "off" and the melatonin levels in your blood decrease.

The pineal gland's sensitivity to light and dark explains why the use of light emitting electronic gadgets should be avoided before going bed, and why something as simple as turning on a light in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom can interfere with your sleep for the rest of the night. Interestingly enough, studies have shown that when you're taking melatonin as a supplement, lower doses are more effective, so do not make the mistake of thinking that more is better.

Try some of these ideas and see if you can finally get that good night's rest that you have been searching for. Best of luck and sweet dreams!