Focus on Sleep

Welcome back to our blog. Just a quick note first...we want to welcome Sara Phillips, the newest member of our team. You will meet Sara as you come into the clinic, and will be welcomed by an incredible smile and warm personality, in addition to her pure talent. Welcome Sara!

So, many of our patients deal with sleep issues, and often it is difficult to find some decent answers without resorting to medications that have side effects. As with all health issues, the major key is the right diet, exercise, and making sure your hormones are balanced and working for you instead of against you. But here are some other thoughts, based on some recent research:

Sleep Strategies:

1. Keep lighting low
Don’t turn on any bright overhead lights, advises Health.com. Light interferes with the production of the sleep hormone melatonin. Instead, keep a small night light or book light nearby.

A bedroom that will invite sleep should be dark, quiet, and cool, the National Sleep Foundation recommends. Eye shades, ear plugs, blackout curtains, and “white noise” fans and other devices all can help induce sleep.

2. Write it down
If you wake up with worry over work-related issues or other stressors, write down your concerns in a notebook that you keep at your bedside, suggests Caring.com. After your write it down, mentally cross it off the list in your mind and in the morning, write the item on a list of things to do. With repetition of this task you’ll convince yourself that putting your concerns on paper is the same as getting things done, the website says.

Trying to distract your brain from what’s worrying you by focusing on your breathing also can help, says RealSimple.com.

3. Stop restroom calls
Cut out liquids by 7 p.m. to avoid middle-of-the-night awakenings for the bathroom. Also, refraining from caffeine for six to eight hours before bedtime will help prevent the stimulant from interfering with sleep.

You might also want to skip the evening martini or glass of wine. While alcohol is a depressant that calms you and makes you feel sleepy, it also increases the number of times you awaken during the night and adds to the urge to go, according to experts.

4. Avoid electronics
Using the sleep environment for only sleep and sex will strengthen your association between your bed and sleep. Watching TV or working on your computer in the bedroom will only stimulate you, making it harder to fall asleep.

On the other hand, reading a book, as long as it’s not an exciting page turner or something that disturbs you, can help you get back to sleep if you wake up. Books of poetry, quotations, or meditations that you read in short installments are good choices, suggests Caring.com.

5. Can the clock
The last thing you want to stare at if you have woken up early is the glare of the digital clock. Turn the clock about face or stick it under the bed, advises Health.com. Repeatedly checking on the time will make you anxious and interfere with efforts to drift back to sleep.

Experts advise not stressing too much over occasional awakenings, which are normal for many people. "You need to accept that you will arouse some, so reassure yourself in the middle of the night that nothing catastrophic will happen if you are awake for a while," Dr. Susie Esthera, a specialist in sleep disorder medicine, tells RealSimple.com

6. Treat seasonal allergies
Seasonal allergy sufferers know the nasal congestion, runny nose, and watery eyes that can plague them this time of year are a sleep disrupter. Cut down on allergens like dust mites, mold, pollen, and pet dander by washing sheets, blankets, and washable pillows once a week in hot water, the National Sleep Foundation advises. Also, take a hot shower before bed to open congested nasal passages and wash away any allergens on your skin and hair. This also is a relaxing way to wind down for sleep.

Adapted from NewsMax, Dr Russell Blaylock

Supplements to try: There is some very exciting research published last month by the Life Extension Foundation on the effectiveness of milk peptides to help with sleep.

What You Need to Know:
*Over 30% of Americans suffer from chronic insomnia, while approximately 60 million experience problems falling asleep in a given year.
*The dire health consequences of sleep debt range from chronically elevated levels of cortisol (the stress hormone), insulin resistance, and increased fat storage to greater risk of mortality from all causes, including cancer and cardiovascular disease.
*A proprietary set of bioactive milk-derived peptides used widely in Europe has been identified that operate along the same neurological pathways as anti-anxiety drugs—without side effects.
*Published studies show they effectively combat the stress response, blunt elevations of cortisol, and relieve anxiety.
*Milk peptides decrease the amount of time it takes to fall asleep, improve sleep efficiency, and increase daytime wakefulness.
*By improving several aspects of healthy sleep, milk peptides may offer protection against the many health disorders associated with sleep deprivation.

One Possible solution: Enhanced Natural Sleep from Life Extension. It contains milk peptides, a dual action melatonin, and Sendara™, a proprietary nutrient complex consisting of ashwagandha and Indian gooseberry extracts. See lef.org.