Greetings!
June 11, 2012
Thank you for your continued support of my newsletter. Each month I look forward to writing about a new topic that will help you achieve your wellness goals.
Please be aware that the office will be closed from June 28th and reopen on July 9th. Please plan accordingly to have enough of your nutritional supplements to last you through this time period.
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Holistic Solutions for A Better Night Sleep
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Who doesn't love a good night's sleep? Getting a good amount of sleep and waking up feeling rested and ready to start your day is a wonderful feeling. Unfortunately, many people have problems going to sleep or wake up many times throughout the night. They stare at the alarm clock, toss and turn, and watch as the minutes and hours pass.
 This leads to anxiety as they worry about not feeling rested, as the time approaches when the alarm clock will ring once again. There may be some easy simple solutions and solutions that require more investigating, to correct this imbalance that a person may be experiencing.
The average person requires between 6 to 8 hours of sleep. A sleep deficit can lead to a weakened immune system, psychological disorders, digestive issues, heart disease, endocrine imbalances, an interference with growth hormone production, and causes other numerous imbalances in the body. The entire reason for sleep remains a mystery, but we do know that it aids in healing the body and restores energy to enable our bodies to function properly.
All life forms have circadian rhythms, which are biological responses that occur in a 24-hour cycle and are affected by environmental factors. These environmental factors may include light, dark, heat and cold. For example, melatonin, a sleep hormone secreted by the pineal gland, generally starts around 9 pm and ends around 7:30 am. Our lowest body temperature is at 4:30 am, and our highest body temperature is around 7 p.m. Our modern life and environment can disrupt these normal circadian rhythms leading to sleep imbalances.
In the Chinese medicine system, the Chinese clock identifies each organ system's greatest activity and its relationship to a time of day. For example, the gall bladder is most active between 11pm-1am, the liver between 1-3 am, the lung between 3-5 am, and the large intestine between 5-7 am. If a person consistently wakes up at a specific time every night, there may be an imbalance in that particular meridian system.
Anyone who has sleep problems should begin by addressing their bedroom and bad habits that may be causing poor sleep. For example, the ideal temperature for sleep is between 60-68 degrees, so keep the temperature in your bedroom in this range. Electro-magnetic fields interfere with sleep, so try not to have anything plugged in near your head.
- An alarm clock should be 5 feet or more away from your head.
- Get the television out of the bedroom.
- Make sure your computer, iPad, cell phone etc. is out of your immediate sleeping vicinity.
- Don't charge your phone on your night stand.
- Sleep in complete darkness, as the pineal gland secretes melatonin in response to lack of light.
- Try to be consistent with your bedtime.
- Don't drink fluids before bed.
- Wear socks to bed, there has been some research that supports wearing socks reduces waking up in the middle of the night.
- Avoid caffeine and sugary sweets within four hours of going to sleep.
- Exercise between 5-7 pm, which may be difficult for most of us that work. This time frame works well with our circadian rhythms. If you can't exercise during this time period, exercising anytime is better for sleep than none at all.
Aromatherapy has been studied to help with sleep. You can purchase an essential oil diffuser, and diffuse relaxation promoting essential oils, such as lavender, chamomile, lemon balm, and other oil blends that have sleep promoting oils in one bottle.
Adrenal gland dysfunction is a major cause of sleep problems. When the adrenals are depleted, they are overproducing and under producing hormones that affect sleep. Most people that have adrenal disorders have a difficult time getting up in the morning and no matter how much sleep they get they feel tired. Nutritional supplementation helps the adrenals recover so that sleep improves and normalizes.
It is also important to go on an adrenal recovery diet to assist the adrenals in healing. This includes low glycemic foods, staying away from caffeine, sugar, alcohol, honey, corn syrup, molasses, maple syrup, etc. for a period of 1-2 months. An adrenal gland chiropractic treatment is a great tool to allow the adrenals to heal properly. This engages the brain to recognize that the adrenal glands need extra support.
Mineral deficiency is another major factor in sleep problems. Minerals are important in balancing the nervous system and when they are deficient in the body, the nervous system can't function properly causing sleep imbalances.
Through muscle testing, the correct supplements that a person requires to balance sleep are identified. Flower essences, herbs such as passion flower and California poppy, neurotransmitters such as tryptophan, gaba and many others are all possible natural solutions for sleep. They help you get the sleep you need to function at your most optimum level without side effects!!
If you or someone you know needs help with sleep and wants to avoid addictive sleep medications, please do not hesitate to call for an appointment.
Healthfully yours, Dr. Lou Granirer |
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