As is the day, so goes the night. That, in simple words, is the problem with sleep disorders.

The days of individuals with stress, anger and chronic disease are often difficult; not surprisingly, so are their nights.

Although it’s common to have the occasional sleepless night, a chronic lack of restorative sleep can seriously affect daytime functioning. If you don’t get enough sleep on a regular basis, you’re also at increased risk of diseases such as high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes. Insomnia can be your body’s way of telling you something isn’t right with it, so see a doctor if you really are having trouble sleeping.

However, for most of us insomnia is the result of tension, stress and anxiety, and often once the underlying problem that’s causing it is taken care of, it goes away. Many people find that simple lifestyle changes help them sleep better. Here are some remedies, techniques and things to avoid.

NATURAL ALTERNATIVES FOR SLEEP DISTURBANCES

  1. OXYGEN. Oxygen governs all aspects of the sleep rhythm, orchestrating the many facets of the neurochemistry of sleep and hormonal influences on the sleep-wake cycle. Beyond that, oxygen drives the metabolic machinery of the muscle and fat tissues. However, metabolic aspects are seldom if ever included in discussions of sleep disorders by so-called experts. That’s remarkable, considering how often we observe that physical exercise improves the quality of sleep.

Together with exercise, I frequently prescribe hydrogen peroxide foot soaks. My patients often make unsolicited comments about how these soaks, done in the evening, improve their sleep. Use a foot soak or foot massage unit for best results – there are several good brands available.

HYDROGEN PEROXIDE FOOT SOAKS AND BATHS

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) soaks can be used with various concentrations of H2O2 and salt. The following is the standard protocol I prescribe:

  • Warm water, 20 parts
  • H2O2 3%, 1 part
  • Salt, 1 teaspoon
  • Time, 20 minutes.

The recommended salts are Epsom salt, sea salt and common table salt. Stronger solutions of H2O2 such as 1 part of H2O2 to 10 or 15 parts of water, may be tried if necessary.

  1. WHEN ANXIETY IS A PROBLEM

Here are some suggestions for when anxiety states interfere with good sleep. I recommend starting with limbic breathing  (slow breathing with gentle, prolonged expiration) together with self- regulation (which includes practice of grace and gratitude and recognising and discarding fear and resentment addiction). Proceed to hydrogen peroxide foot soaks. If necessary, you can combine these with others on the list below.

  • Drink a cup of water.
  • A pinch of salt under the tongue
  • Take passionflower drops, 10 drops every 10 minutes (up to 30 drops).
  • To prevent further anxiety attacks, take protein powder (with lecithin or flax seed, if possible) as follows: 230 to 300 ml in the morning, 115 to 150 ml in the mid-morning, 115 to 150 ml in the mid-afternoon.

I advise my patients with disturbed sleep to conduct personal trials with remedies selected from the sleep inducers and sleep enhancers listed below, until they find two or more effective combinations. These combinations can then be used in suitable rotation during the week, depending on the intensity of the metabolic and lifestyle stressors that are interfering with good sleep at any given time. I recommend starting with GABA plus inositol, and one or two of the following: melatonin, valerian root, passionflower, kava kava, St John’s wort and SAM-e.

10 Ways to Slumberland

  1. SLEEP INDUCERS

  • Melatonin 1 to 10 mg (the optimal dosage varies widely from individual to individual).
  • Valerian root 150 to 300 mg.
  • Passion flower tincture, half to one dropper full at bedtime.
  • Kava kava 75 to 300 mg.

  1. SLEEP ENHANCERS

  • GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) 600 mg
  • Inositol 600 mg
  • 5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan) 50 to 200 mg
  • St John’s wort 100 to 300 mg
  • Tryptophan 500 to 2 000 mg.
  • SAMe (S-adenosylmethionine) 400 to 1 200 mg

First and foremost, however, I urge all my patients with sleep difficulties to consider trying any or all the sleep facilitators listed under point 2. These don’t work as rapidly as the natural remedies under points 3 and 4 – or as rapidly as orthodox medications! However, persistence with these measures really does pay off in the long run.

Serentiy +

The following two points are very important:

  1. TOTAL ELIMINATION OF SUGAR

You’ll have guessed that eating dessert shortly before bedtime is exactly the wrong thing to do if you have sleep problems!

  1. TOTAL ELIMINATION OF COFFEE & CAFFEINATED BEVERAGES

  1. SLEEP HYPOGLYCAEMIA

Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep because of low blood sugar is very common among people with chronic stress, anger, insulin toxicity and metabolic disorders. I commonly see a relationship between sugar/insulin/adrenaline roller coasters during the day and sleep interruptions during the night. Initially I became aware of this relationship when patients with low blood sugar told me about their episodes of anxiety, heart palpitations and sweating during their hours of sleep. I reasoned that individuals who suffer from hypoglycaemic symptoms during the day must also have episodes while they are asleep. I validated my hypothesis by studies in which I prevented these sleep-related symptoms with measures that I found useful for preventing hypoglycaemia during the day. For controlling sleep (nocturnal) hypoglycaemia, I recommend:

  • A protein powder snack comprising two heaped tablespoons each of a suitable protein powder (80 to 90% calories in amino acids), flax seed and lecithin, mixed with 470 ml of organic vegetable juice.
  • Taking the day’s essential oil and vitamin D supplements at bedtime.
  1. LIMBIC EXERCISE. For beginners, I recommend starting limbic exercise with an exercise bike.  This should be an inexpensive one without any electronic   gimmicks. Flashing, ticking, beeping video screens on exercise equipment are devices that serve only to distract and discourage. Do not set goals!

As you cycle, pick an object that you find pleasing, rest your eyes on it, and stay with it. This may be a branch of a tree or a twig outside the window, or a simple picture on your wall. As you maintain this ‘loose’ concentration, your eyes may begin to close. Allow them to do so if it feels right. Once you are in the desired state of loose concentration your legs take over, and when you can do no more your legs (not your mind) will tell you it’s time to stop.

Finally, here are two very important things to avoid.

  1. NEVER WORK IN YOUR BEDROOM

  1. DON’T HAVE A TELEVISION IN YOUR ROOM.

Instead, read and play soothing music before going to bed.

If there has been no improvement after you have tried the above for 3 months, please don’t continue managing your sleep disorder yourself. Insomnia can be a symptom of serious physical disorders, so I strongly urge you to obtain advice from an experienced clinician.

Editor's note: Read about the Sleep-Promoting Potential of Ashwagandha and how Music can Improve Sleep Quality

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