Secrets to a Great Night’s Sleep
Secrets to a Great Night’s Sleep Many, many people can’t sleep through the night. Some people wake up at 3am and can’t fall back to sleep for hours, some people wake up super early like 5am and once they are up, that’s it! Still others need 1-2 hours just to fall asleep initially and some wake up feeling like they haven’t slept at all, even if it’s been 10 hours! Furthermore, so many think waking up for an hour in the middle of the night is normal? Some need the TV on all night other wise they can’t sleep at all. So, what’s got us so twisted up and restless during what should be the easiest and sweetest part of our lives? The rule of thumb from a Chinese medicine point of view is that adults need 8 hours of sleep. Obviously babies and teens need more and most seniors seem to get less, but as an average adult, we need 8 hours. Some people boast that they only need 4 or 5 hours and they feel great, we think it’s possible that they just forgot what ‘great ‘actually feels like. Sleep is a time where our body relaxes, our muscles recover, we heal, we are reborn every single night. For our health, it’s one of the most important things we do! What Are the Benefits of Getting a Good Night’s Sleep? The benefits of a good night sleep are endless, but here’s the top seven! Boosts your immune system Regulates metabolism Balances emotional wellness Decreases inflammation Reduces the risk of disease Memory and learning Increase of collagen for skin moisture and elasticity What Are Some Tips for a Better Sleep? Here’s 6 areas that could need a little tweaking so you can get that good night’s sleep, every night! Stick to the schedule I’m sure you’ve heard it before, but a bedtime routine is essential. Staying with the same bedtime; give or take 30 min, does wonders for your circadian rhythm. Your circadian rhythm is a pattern throughout the day and night and is measured by cortisol. Cortisol is naturally high in the morning and lowest at night. For people with crazy schedules, like working graveyard one week and then swing the next, then days- and yes, I know people with this schedule! Cortisol is usually all over the place, but luckily most of us have more predictability! With a predictable rhythm and pattern in place, the brain gets the signal and responds by releasing those lovely and very effective hormones to help us drift off easier. Tip: If you are curious what your circadian rhythm looks like, we can assess your cortisol through saliva testing, and out of those results, choose some herbal remedies and supplements that can help support the rise and fall of Cortisol at the desired time. Please note, Western MDs do measure Cortisol as well but with a blood test, unfortunately this does not give us enough info about the rhythm, since saliva testing is done at four intervals throughout the day, it’s the best choice. Not Too Hungry , Not Too Thirsty! We all know we shouldn’t drink too much water before bed since that only leads to getting up in the middle of the night to urinate. But we also don’t want to be too hungry or too full. If we are hungry, the brain has a hard time settling. Too full and the liver works overtime during the night, waking us up. And as for caffeine and alcohol, beware! Caffeine actually sticks around up to 10 hours after you’ve consumed it, so if you are having a 3pm pick-me-up that might be the culprit to keeping you up until 1am. (Read more about the bigger picture on caffeine Here) As for alcohol, the initial effects might make you sleepy, but afterwards many patients report waking up between 1am-3am. Makes total sense to us, that is the block of time when the liver organ is working its hardest processing toxins and the day’s stress (each organ in the body gets its own 2 hour window). In addition, women who are approaching menopause reported that alcohol always made sleep horrible and night sweats outrageous. So, beware! Tip: Eat a spoonful of a nut butter before bed, drink a glass of Natural Calm or eat a little bit of a raw potato! Yes, patients have said all these work, some better than others depending on the person. Go caffeine and alcohol free for a month and see what happens! Your Environment Matters! I think we know all the things; blackout shades, eye mask, ear plugs, a mattress that is less than 10 years old, the perfect pillows dependent on if you are a back or a side sleeper and lastly, turn off those screens! All of those are so true and we think the biggie are those screens, including TVs. Screens are noise, distraction and entertainment and it keeps the eyes full and the mind busy. But the biggest reason, blue light powerfully suppresses melatonin which is necessary for sleep. Here’s a short article from Harvard talking about the Dark Side Of Blue Light. They recommend getting off screens for 2-3 hours before bedtime, but let’s be honest, even I love to scroll through Instagram before bed, so I try to get off about an hour before. As for TV, not only does it emit blue light but if you’ve fallen asleep, chances are there is audio playing for hours and possibly all night. It’s just not conducive to sweet dreams or deep sleep. Tip: Not only turn off those screens an hour before bed, but put your phone on airplane mode as well. Most of us have our phones charging on the night table next to us or in the bed, did you know that your phone looks for a cell phone tower to connect to every 30 minutes? And if you’re on WIFI, the Electromagnetic Rays (EMR) are equivalent to standing
Got Insomnia? Acupuncture can help!
Got Insomnia? Acupuncture can help! Got Insomnia? Acupuncture can help! There is nothing worse than not being able to sleep at night. Tossing and turning, watching the clock tick closer and closer to when you need to get up and start your day….its a dreadful feeling. There are a lot of commercial remedies out there, but who wants to become dependent on a nightly sleeping pill? Why not try Acupuncture instead?! There are several ways in which Acupuncture can help. Acupuncture can help your body produce more melatonin: In an article published in the Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, Spence et al. explored the relationship between melatonin and acupuncture treatments. They observed a significant increase in endogenous melatonin secretion in all of the 18 patients suffering from severe insomnia who were given acupuncture treatments twice a week for 5 weeks. Records of electrical and muscular states during the entire sleeping time indicated that, after acupuncture treatments, the patients took less time to fall asleep, had fewer occasions of waking up during sleep, and experienced increased total sleep time and deep sleep time. Anxiety, depression and fatigue were also decreased. Interestingly, alertness in the morning was reduced as well. Acupuncture can improve blood flow to improve sleep quality: Hecht and his colleagues studied the relationship between the blood flow to the brain and insomnia. They noted that an insufficient blood flow to the brain could lead to low sugar levels and spontaneous waking from sleep. Acupuncture can decrease effects of aging: The weakening of parasympathetic function results in the familiar signs of aging, including increased and irregular heartbeats, constipation, insomnia, erectile dysfunction, fluid retention, and systemic inflammation. These consequences may in turn contribute to many of the common diseases associated with aging, including Type-II diabetes, Alzheimer’s, arteriosclerosis, and cancer. The maintenance and restoration of parasympathetic function may boost the functions of the internal organs and slow the aging process. Acupuncture generally enhances the parasympathetic nervous system. Acupuncture can reduce pain: Acupuncture has a very good analgesic effect and can thereby help people with pain improve their sleep quality. Acupuncture can reduce stress hormones to treat insomnia: When we are under chronic stress, such as over-thinking and overworking, our body produces more cortisol to keep us alert during the daytime. When we are under acute stress, such as a fight-or-flight condition, our body produces more epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine. These two stress hormones deeply affect our sleep quality. Much love, Amanda Self Amanda Self wears a variety of hats at Tao To Wellness. From Social Media to Medical Billing, she brings healing energy to all that she touches. Amanda is a Reiki Master, a jeweler and is currently studying Herbalism, both in the classroom and out in the fields.
The NYT says, “Sleep is the new status symbol.”
The NYT says, “Sleep is the new status symbol.” “Sleep today is a measure of success, a skill to be cultivated and nourished.” -says Tim Robinson in a new article in The New York Times. This is New York City, no more late nights? No more drinking until 5am? No more late night greasy burgers after a show? No, sleep is where it’s at, it’s the new status symbol and I LOVE IT! I’ve always been serious about my sleep– in Chinese medicine it is believed that sleep is the one of the main ways to regenerate the Qi of the body and 8 hours the correct amount. Think of it like your daily checking account, let’s say you start out with a 100 units, you spend 30 exercising, 50 at work, 20 at play, you’ll need to regenerate and put more units in for tomorrow– that’s where sleep comes in. ESPECIALLY like some of us who spend 30 exercising, 80 at work, 80 at play, you know who you are! Without sleep over a number of days you face potential damage to your adrenals, to brain chemistry, joint health, hormone regulation, aging inside and out, etc. Keep in mind, we aren’t just referring to those insomniacs who don’t sleep at all, damage also occurs for people that sleep only 4-6 hours a night, there is a deficit overtime which is a huge contributor to all the ailments above. A few things that can assist your sleep: A great mattress and the right pillows! I’ve been coined the pillow queen and I don’t mind it one bit. Positioning– back and side sleepers require different pillows heights, so be sure you have the right pillow! I’ve told my patients over the years, if you are a side sleeper, be sure your nose and the top of your shoulder is in a 90 degree angle. Stomach sleeping is pretty much a no-no, since it wreaks havoc on the neck… No screens, I know so many people that fall asleep with the TV on, first of all, you shouldn’t have a TV in your bedroom at all, but if you do the blue light spectrum can cause sleep disturbances or an inability to go deep. Cell phones on airplane mode! When you keep your cell phone on and since most of us use it as an alarm clock, we tend to have it close… consider that that phone is looking for a tower to connect to all night long (insert Lionel Ritchie hit, “All Night Long”). So please airplane mode it, we still don’t know the long term harm that cell phones can do. If you absolutely must have it on for emergencies, keep it 10 feet away from you. Having some real issues? Maybe a little melatonin can help? Melatonin is something your body already makes, so you are not adding a foreign substance to your flesh and bones. You can try 3mg or go up to as high as 10mg with time release. A simple upgrade to your ritual! Dark and quiet– get some black out shades or a cute little snooze kit, complete with blind fold and ear plugs. Take a hot bath before bed to relax your muscles and mind. Magnesium– especially if you have some restless legs! Magnesium is a necessary mineral for 300 systems in the body. Take some before bed, it can help you relax deeper during sleep, helps tight muscles and also constipation, just don’t take too much or your stools may be a little loose in the morning. If all else fails, acupuncture and a custom herbal formula (custom, made by an herbalist, not off the shelf) is guaranteed for improving the quality of your sleep. Let us know if we can help! Here’s the article from the New York Times including a few sleep programs and new Apps, even one called “Dreaming with Jeff”, yes, it’s Jeff Bridges! Here’s to California Dreaming… Christina Martin
