Are you having problems sleeping?
Do you have trouble getting to sleep? Or staying asleep?
Are you struggling to get through the day, tempted to have a nap at your desk and longing to get home to sleep? Insomnia is not a disorder, it is a symptom, and is an extremely common complaint.
Insomnia Causes
Insomnia may have many causes including:
- Work/life stressors
- Poor diet
- Nutrient deficiency
- Lack of exercise
- Neurotransmitter imbalance
- Hormone imbalances
- Medication side-effects
- Drug or alcohol consumption
- Allergy or food intolerance
- Metal toxicity
- Excess noise or light
- Infection
- Hypoglycemia/hyperglycemia
- Nightmares
Other causes of sleep disturbance
- Restless Leg Syndrome and Nocturnal Myoclonus (twitching muscles) in the night are significant causes of insomnia and can be a result of specific vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
- Blood sugar dysregulation can cause wakefulness in the night. If you haven’t eaten for a few hours, you may be hungry. Dietary modifications such as increasing protein in the evenings can help with this.
- Hormonal imbalances have been shown to affect sleep. A common symptom of menopausal women is decreased quality of and disturbance of sleep. Hormone regulation with herbal and nutritional support can help.
- Sleep apnea can affect sleep quality and increase night waking. Those with sleep apnea are typically prescribed a CPAP machine (continuous positive airway pressure), designed to keep the airway open during sleep.
- Alcohol can induce sleep, but it reduces REM sleep and causes fitful sleep in the early hours of the morning. It also reduces learning recall the following day.
Symptoms associated with insomnia can affect daily functioning resulting in difficulty concentrating, fatigue, reduced motor responses, irritability and other mood issues.
How Can I Help?
- Help to determine the cause of the insomnia and any underlying imbalances
- Assess and regulate any contributing hormonal factors
- Support the nervous system and help reduce stress, anxiety and tension with the support of diet, herbs and nutrition
- Regulate blood glucose levels if necessary
- Focus on correcting underlying issues with neurotransmitter balance
- Provide individual diet and lifestyle advice
- Help to develop sleep hygiene techniques to improve sleep patterns
- Provide herbal and nutritional supplement if required to support treatment, and provide natural sleep support.
What Else Can Help?
- Try to set a regular sleep schedule
- Exercise regularly – not less than 3 hours before bed
- Avoid all tea, coffee, alcohol and chocolate before bed (and possibly evenings)
- Use your bed for sleep and sex. Do not read, eat, watch TV or work in bed
- Ensure your bedroom is dark with limited light sources to optimize melatonin production
- Do not go to sleep hungry, but avoid large meals before bed
- Review medication. Thyroid preparations, oral contraceptives, beta-blockers and marijuana among others, interfere with sleep
- Check for food sensitivities – especially in children
- Avoid drinking fluid in excess at night
- Reduce stress and anxiety
- Try yoga, meditation or mindfulness practices