At different times in our lives, we may all be affected by sleeplessness.  As a child, I can remember being excited by a special event like Christmas or a birthday and the excitement was so overwhelming I tossed and turned all night in anticipation. As I grew up, this occurred occasionally if I felt stressed about a job interview or another exciting occasion.  These are all natural occurrences and are nothing to worry about.

Insomnia is when sleepless nights are repeated over and over and you experience trouble falling asleep or staying asleep in the wee hours of the morning.  Usually this can be solved easily as there are simple changes that you can make to your daytime and nighttime routine that can help you get into a better cycle of sleep. 

What are the most common causes of sleeping problems?

Sleeping issues are most often caused from simple factors which include:

• A lack of exercise of regular exercise
• Eating too late at night (the digestive system wakes you up)
• Taking stimulants like caffeine or coffee too late in the day
• Constantly worrying about the future, financial problems and other stresses causing an overactive mind 
• Drinking too much alcohol wakes the liver up around 2 or 3 am or liver problems can contribute to this
• Food allergies or sensitivities
• Nutrient deficiencies like magnesium, zinc, tryptophan, B6 and others
• Thyroid imbalances – an underactive thyroid can cause temperature problems, muscle and joint pain and anxiety all contributing to sleep issues 
• Certain medications 
• Hormone imbalances like peri-menopause or menopause can drive sleeping problems as hormones are linked to neurotransmitter production 
• Blood sugar issues and imbalances
• Poor production or release of neurotransmitters like GABA and Serotonin 
• And many others…

Special Lifestyle Tips to Aid a Peaceful Sleep

1. Set a daily SLEEP SCHEDULE

Try to set up a predicted and structured bedtime schedule – work out the best sleep schedule timing for you and work towards this with a routine.  For example, aim for going to bed at 10 pm every night – set up your bed, put your music on, get ready for sleep, create the perfect sleep environment

• EXERCISE DAILY 

Being more physically active during the day can tire out the body and mind later in the day. Exercise helps to relieve stress, anxiety and depression – all factors contributing towards poor sleeping patterns

• NATURAL SUNSHINE in the DAY

Natural sunshine is great for the body’s pineal gland setting up a natural circadian rhythm to help with sleep cycling.  Exposure to the beautiful sun’s rays increases the production of the neurotransmitter serotonin.  Serotonin helps the body to fall asleep. 

• SWITCH OFF SOCIAL MEDIA, SCREENS and PHONES

Screens and phones emit blue light that disrupts your circadian rhythm making it difficult for you to fall asleep.  Too much of this light emitted from screens affects the body’s melatonin levels making the brain think it isn’t ready for sleep. 

Light stretching, journalling, a warm shower, sitting in bed reading or listening to calming music can relax the mind and get it ready for sleep. 

I use a blushield in my room – this is an EMF protection device that sends out scalar waves over-riding dangerous EMF frequencies

• CREATE a SLEEP FRIENDLY ROOM

Use blackout blinds to darken the room – melatonin is produced more in dark rooms

Wear an eyemask while sleeping

Keep your phone outside of the room so it doesn’t alert you all night

• EAT FOODS that AID SLEEP

If you wake up consider eating a banana – this is rich in potassium and magnesium to calm restless legs and helps to prevent night cramps. 

Other foods rich in magnesium include almonds, spinach, pumpkin seeds etc – this is the most important co-factor to making GABA - a chemical that can slow an overactive brain 

• MEDITATION for SLEEP and ANXIETY

If you are suffering from anxiety or worry - meditation, yoga or journalling is a great way to help ease this. There are some incredible guided sleep meditations on youtube – why not try one of these. 

Food to the RESCUE

It is important to eat a whole foods diet free from stimulants, preservatives, artificial additives, junk foods and artificial colourings.  All of these foods can stimulate the brain and the body’s detoxification organs affecting sleep patterns. 

Increase in the Diet:

• Tryptophan rich foods like soy beans, bananas, cottage cheese, fish, figs, dates, yoghurt, lentils, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, milk, pecans, miso, rice bran syrup – these foods help to produce serotonin (a chemical mediator of emotion that helps to uplift moods and encourages the brain to fall to sleep).
• The old wives tale to drink a glass of warm milk with honey before bed to encourage sleep was spot on.  Milk is a double banger – it contains tryptophan to make serotonin for sleep and calcium to act as a sedative. 
• Magnesium rich foods are very important as magnesium is the cofactor to making GABA (relaxing, shuts the brain off) and serotonin (helps the body to fall to sleep).  Foods rich in this include spinach, green leafy vegetables, nuts and seeds and others. 
• Eat foods rich in tryptophan – this is the amino acid that helps to make serotonin. The best sources of this are turkey, nuts and seeds, banana, honey and eggs. 
• Tart Cherry Juice is rich in melatonin – a neurotransmitter that aids your circadian rhythm, stops waking periods and 

Decrease or Avoid in the Diet

• Avoid caffeine, coffee, white sugar, alcohol, nicotine – all of these substances can affect sleeping patterns.
• Check for food allergies as this can affect sleeping patterns.
• Avoid foods which contain tyramine as these foods act as stimulants – bacon, cheese, chocolate, eggplant, potatoes, tomatoes, sausage and wine.  
• Avoid MSG found in take-away and Chinese foods – this is known to cause hyperactivity.  
• Avoid drinking alcohol – this is a stimulant that processes through the liver at around 2 to 3 am causing waking periods. 

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Important Advice

Try relaxation techniques before bed.  Tense each muscle beginning from your toes to the top of your head for five seconds each time.  Relax for 15 seconds in between each contraction.  You will feel sleepy in no time at all.

Avoid drinking water two hours before going to bed otherwise you may need to wake up constantly during the night to relieve yourself.

Do not drink coffee or caffeine drinks after lunch and don’t have any more than 2 cups of coffee a day.

Fix any nutrient deficiencies with the most common being iron, Vitamin C, zinc, magnesium, calcium and tryptophan.

Avoid using cold medications and nasal sprays at night 

Make sure that your room is dark and only go to bed when you are tired.

Don’t have a cat nap during the day as this can affect your night time sleep.

Have a hot passionflower or chamomile tea before bed – these herbs are natural sedatives to calm the mind and body.

Have a warm bath with a few drops of lavender or chamomile before bed to encourage peace and rest.  Try adding Epsom salts to your bath to increase relaxation. 

Don’t watch television in your bedroom. 

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Secret Sleep Recipe

Mix ground anise seed or anise seed powder, honey and warm milk and drink before bed.  This will send you into slumber land in no time at all.

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Supplement Advice

Supplement	Dosage	Use
5 Hydroxy Tryptophan (5 HTP)	Take 100 to 300 mg in capsule form 45 minutes to one hour before bed.	Helps to encourage good serotonin production helping you to fall asleep
Activated B Complex	Take 1 capsule in the morning	Calms and relaxes the nervous system.
Calcium and Magnesium before bed	Calcium – 1500 mgMagnesium – 750 mg(in a balanced form)	Relaxes the nervous system, calcium is a natural tranquilizer, encourages a peaceful sleep
Melatonin	Begin at a very low dose of 3 mg taken 1 hour before bed – you can always increase as this is non toxic substance	Melatonin is a natural hormone made in the body that is essential for healthy sleeping patterns and for keeping the body asleep.
L-Theanine	As directed by a naturopath	L-theanine is a calming agent
GABA powder or capsules	Take 100 to 400 mg nightly before bed	GABA is an amazing neurotransmitter that shuts the brain off at night time
CBD oil	As directed	CBD is amazing for helping to switch off an overactive mind and to encourage a peaceful sleep.

Herbs to the Rescue

The best natural herbal sleeping aids include Hops, Lemon Balm, Zizyphus, Jamaican Dogwood, Catnip, Passionflower and Valerian.  

Hops is the main ingredient found in beer and it is in fact this herb that creates that mellow sleepiness that many men get from drinking it.  It is a sedative that works very well for insomnia.  Try a hops herbal tea with a dash of honey before bed.

Zizyphus is a Chinese herb that works well for insomnia and has a calming effect with restlessness and disturbed sleep.  Take 1000 mg daily 1 to 2 hours before bed.

Valerian’s main function is in the treatment of nervous disorders, nervous tics or twitches, phobias, sleeplessness and tremors.  It is also reputed to be extremely useful in the treatment of epilepsy and anxiety.  It is widely used for insomnia, decreasing the actual time that it takes to fall to sleep and improving the quality of sleep.

Catnip – This is a cat’s favourite delicacy – chewing the leaves of this plant sends them into a dreamy eurphoric land. And in fact, we can also use catnip as a euphoric sleeping aid.  It works wonderfully in herbal tea form.  

Chamomile – The all round natural tranquilizer and relaxant, chamomile can be drunk 1 hour before going to bed to induce a calm, restful sleep.  Breathing in chamomile essential oil and taking a relaxing Epsom salts bath with a few drops of chamomile oil is another great way to send yourself off into slumber land.

My Favourite Wholistic House Picks: 

Sleep Sprinkles

Mag Power

Liposomal Magnesium 

Pyrrole Perfect

Silent Night - Coming soon...

In love, happiness, health and sleepy dreams,