April 29, 2024
About 50 to 70 million Americans have sleep disorders.
1 in 3 adults (about 84 million people) do not regularly get the recommended amount of uninterrupted sleep they need to protect their health.
Women are more likely to have sleep problems than men.
Everyone leads such busy lives these days. You go to work, pick up the kids, take them to practice, help them with homework, make dinner, and get everyone ready for the next day. Then morning comes, and you’ve been tossing and turning all night. You don’ feel refreshed or like you even slept at all. How are you going to make it through another day?
Can’t Sleep? Do you have insomnia? Remember when you were young and you fell asleep as soon as your head hit your pillow? You never had to think twice about getting a good night’s sleep. When was the last time you enjoyed a night of restful sleep? Sleep is absolutely essential for good health. Wouldn’t it be nice to know how to sleep better again?
Stages of Sleep
First, lets address the different stages of sleep. Normal sleep involves both REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, when the most vivid dreaming occurs, and non-REM sleep. Non-REM sleep consists of the first three stages, and stage 4 is REM sleep.
Stage 1: This is the “dozing off” period, which typically lasts one to five minutes. The body hasn’t fully relaxed yet, and it’s easy to wake up during this time.
Stage 2: This is when the body enters a more relaxed state; temperature drops and breathing and heart rate slow. Brain activity generally slows as well, although there are short bursts of activity, called sleep spindles. These are believed to help stabilize memory.
Stage 3: This is deep sleep, during which the body relaxes even more. Some experts believe this stage is critical for restorative sleep. Deep sleep typically occurs in the first half of the night, and lasts for 20-40 minutes in each sleep stage cycle.
Stage 4: REM sleep is thought to be essential for cognitive functions such as memory, learning and creativity. Vivid dreams may occur during REM sleep. Generally, a person enters a REM sleep stage after they’ve been asleep for about 90 minutes. REM stages make up about 25% of sleep in adults, with each stage getting longer and longer; the first stage may last a few minutes, while later stages may last for up to an hour.
Circadian Rhythm
Circadian rhythms are the physical, mental and behavioral changes in the body that follow a 24-hour cycle. They respond mainly to light and dark. Sleeping at night and waking during the day is an example of a light-related circadian rhythm, often referred to as the “sleep/wake cycle.” The sleep/wake cycle can affect eating habits, digestion, body temperature, release of hormones, and other vital functions.
Getting a good night’s sleep is a big problem in America today, as you can tell by the number of sleep aids on the market and sleep medication commercials on TV. Medicated sleep, at best, gives us poor quality sleep often accompanied by a host of side effects. Some of the many side effects of medications like Ambien and Lunesta are drowsiness, impaired reactions, hallucinations, anxiety, decreased libido, nausea, headache, dizziness, and depression. Ambien has even been known to cause bizarre behavior while sleep walking. Even worse, these drugs are addictive, and they don’t solve the underlying cause of your inability to sleep.
So what happened that makes is so difficult to fall asleep, or stay asleep, now that you are older? Why is it such an arduous task to try and get sound sleep? It shouldn’t have to be this hard.
Hormonal Balance
1. Thyroid – Hypothyroidism is a common cause of poor sleep and insomnia. Thyroid hormones improve the quality of sleep, allowing you to spend more time in deep phases of sleep. It is also helpful for sleep apnea. It’s important to make sure you have optimal thyroid function.
2. Progesterone – Progesterone has a sleep effect that generates calmness when taken before bedtime. Low progesterone is often a cause of insomnia and anxiety.
3. Testosterone – In men, testosterone is important for quality sleep. It also helps with sleep apnea.
4. Estrogen – Estrogen deficiency can cause sleep disturbances, particularly due to night sweats and hot flashes.
Natural Supplements
5. Melatonin – Melatonin is a sleep regulating hormone and is essential for a good night’s sleep.
6. Magnesium – Magnesium helps you to relax and aids with sleep. Melatonin production is disturbed without sufficient magnesium. Magnesium also helps with anxiety.
7. 5-HTP – 5-HTP is the precursor to serotonin, which has a role in sleep.
8. Inositol – Inositol aids in a restful night’s sleep and has a calming effect. It reduces feelings of stress and anxiety.
9. Sleep Formula – Sleep Formula is a comprehensive formula including: Melatonin, L-Tryptophan, Chamomile, Valerian Extract and Inositol to help you fall and stay asleep.
Lifestyle Tips
10. Keep your bedroom as close to complete darkness as possible and keep the temperature below 70 degrees.
11. Go to bed at the same time every night, including weekends.
12. Get plenty of exercise during the day. Physically active people sleep better.
13. Avoid large meals late and reduce intake of caffeine and alcohol in the evening.
14. Keep electronic devices out of your bedroom. They interfere with sleep, can stimulate your mind and throw off your circadium rhythm.
As we age, the hormonal balance which kept us sleeping soundly in our younger years declines. Whether your trouble sleeping involves insomnia, difficulty falling asleep, waking up frequently, or waking up not feeling refreshed despite a full night’s sleep, correcting hormonal imbalance could be the key to getting back into a regular pattern of refreshing sleep. Vitamins and lifestyle changes are also very beneficial.
Take our symptom checker to find out if you have symptoms of hormone decline. We believe that you deserve to have a doctor and a team of professionals to coach you onto a path of health and wellness, naturally, without the use of pharmaceutical drugs, so that you can enjoy a life-changing health transformation. Give us a call today for a complimentary wellness consultation at 281-698-8698. It would be our privilege to serve you!
Source: SleepHealth.org
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First of all, in my humble opinion, if you want to sleep better, take care to your mattress, pay attention how long time have you bought it, and pay attention in a possible back pain when you wake up in the morning, change your mattress as soon as possible if you felt that pain