Improving Sleep
Improving sleep is sometimes overlooked in prescriptions for health. The next decade will see more research on how critical sleep is. For example. If you don’t get enough sleep your risk for obesity, diabetes, stroke, cancer, depression, autoimmune disease, and cardiovascular disease increases.
The average adult should be getting 8 (or more) hours of sleep a night. On a regular basis this commitment to sleep will pay off in better health. It is natural that occasionally we will fall short; this is true of all the building blocks of health. We have to prioritize both quantity and quality sleep. Over the last 50 years society has moved from an average of 8 hours of sleep per night to today’s average of 6.9 hours of sleep.
The steady increase in sleep deprivation is a contributor to the concurrent rise in lifestyle diseases. When we think of diabetes we think of diet and exercise as being the primary mechanisms of causation. A recent study showed that a single night of lost sleep was worse than 6 months of a crappy diet. A focus in improving sleep should be included with other lifestyle changes we make for better health.
Sleepytime.
Hygiene.
- Make sure your sleeping area is cool. 60-75 degrees. As great as it is to cuddle under blankets part of sleep is in response to our body temperature falling slightly at night.
- Routine. It isn’t so much important what you make your routine as it is that you set one up. Over time following the routine will be a signal – oh we’re going to sleep.
- Avoid stimulants in the 4 hours before bedtime.
- Physical activity during the day improves sleep quality. Exercise too close to bedtime can hinder sleep. Try to finish any stimulating exercise at least 4 hours before bedtime.
- 20-minute rule. Lying in bed thinking “I have to get to sleep” serves no one. If you have not fallen asleep in 20 minutes, get up and go do a quiet activity for 20-30 minutes. Go back to bed. If you again lie in bed trying unsuccessfully to sleep –repeat.
- Avoid stressful activities before bed. Maybe watching the news is unhelpful. Perhaps instead what you need to do is read quietly for half an hour. What is stressful is very individual – you are best suited to know what hypes you up and what doesn’t.
- Limit screens before bed (ideally at least an hour) or install a blue light filter. Imo it is not just the light that is a problem. It is also your engagement with the device. Personally, I would set a time to just put the phone away and to turn off the television.
Herbs for Sleep.
I recommend using herbs in tincture form for sleep issues. The last thing you need at bedtime is big ole cup of tea that will have you waking in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. Herbs that are sedating are more likely to interact with pharmaceuticals and with alcohol. This is an area where the phrase start low and go slow is apt.
Take a single dropper of tincture about 40 minutes before bed. Take another dose at bedtime. You can keep the tincture bottle on the bedside table to take another dose if you wake up during the night.
California Poppy (Eschsholozia californica)
Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata)
Valerian (Valeriana officinalis)
Hops (Humulus lupus)
Of these four my personal favourite is the California poppy.
California poppies.
Different folks will react differently to individual herbs. I have a client who loves valerian; most folks use valerian despite itself. Begin at a single dropper per dose. try this dosage for several days. If a single dropper of tincture isn’t getting the results you want increase the dosage to 2 droppers per dose. The dose can be safely increased to 4 droppers per dose. If 4 droppers per dose are not improving sleep a rethink is in order. I don’t ordinarily suggest commercially available products but I do like both Clef des Champs Calmix blend and St. Francis Herb Farm Valericalm.
Herbs are a support. They do not exist to allow you to carry on with choices that do not support your health. They exist to support you and empower you to make better choices.