If you struggle to get a good night’s sleep, you’re not alone. According to the Cleveland Clinic, over 50 million Americans have some type of sleep disorder, and more than 100 million people in the U.S. say they don’t get enough sleep. Poor quality sleep can compromise both physical and mental health and vice versa. Fortunately, there are several things you can do to improve sleep quality and make bedtime a dream.
Start by taking your sleep issues seriously
When it comes to sleep and your health, it’s a two-way street. Sleep disorders can contribute to and also result from a wide variety of health conditions. If you believe you have a sleep disorder, it’s critical to find out why. In fact, the medical experts we work often tell us, “If a patient is having trouble sleeping along with other health issues, treat the sleep disorder first.”
That’s because quality sleep plays a key role in overall health. When we sleep, the body is getting the rest it needs, while repairing and restoring systems in the body, all the way down to the cellular level. If sleep is disrupted, whatever the cause, a host of health problems can occur.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people who regularly get less than seven hours of sleep per day (the minimum amount recommended by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society) are at higher risk for chronic conditions, such as:
- Mental distress, such as anxiety and depression
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Heart disease
- Stroke and more
There are over 80 different types of sleep disorders!
If you frequently have trouble sleeping, feel tired during the day even after getting that minimum seven hours of sleep or find it difficult to perform day-to-day tasks, you may have a sleep disorder. Some of the most prevalent of the 80+ different types of sleep disorders, include:
- The MOST common sleep disorder, insomnia affects nearly one-third of the population and includes difficulty initiating sleep and maintaining sleep, as well as waking up early.
- Obstructive sleep apnea affects about 39 million U.S. adults, who snore and stop breathing for periods of time while they sleep. Left untreated, it can lead to heart, kidney and metabolic disorders.
- As many as 1 in 10 Americans suffer from restless leg syndrome, where discomfort and the desire to stretch one’s legs to get comfortable wakes or keeps sufferers awake at night.
- Narcolepsy, which affects about 1 in 2,000 people, is marked by excessive bouts of daytime drowsiness, lasting from a few seconds to several minutes.
- Delayed sleep phase disorder, which is more prevalent in young men and middle-aged women, is a sleep disorder where the sleep-wake cycle is shifted two or more hours later.
- With REM sleep behavior disorder, people experience vivid, frightening dreams which they act out physically and vocally.
How to find out what’s causing your sleep disorder
The best place to start is to speak with a healthcare practitioner. At EVEXIAS, our Certified EvexiPEL® Medical Providers take a functional, integrated approach to patient care. That means they look for the root cause of health concerns and prescribe treatment based on what caused those issues in the first place.
Your practitioner can run a variety of tests, talk with you about what your day-to-day life looks like and discuss the symptoms you’re experiencing. Stress is one of the most common causes of sleep disorders, so your practitioner will want to know about any challenges you are facing at the present time. Depression and anxiety also go hand-in-hand with insomnia, so it’s important to be upfront about any mental health struggles you are experiencing.
Sleep disorders also occur in tandem with various health conditions, hormone imbalances, nutrient deficiencies and disease states, so your practitioner will review lab results to determine what’s preventing you from getting a good night’s sleep. Health issues commonly associated with sleep disorders include:
- Hormone imbalances (estrogen, testosterone, progesterone, thyroid, cortisol and melatonin among others)
- Chronic pain
- Fibromyalgia
- Cancer and cancer treatments
- Lung disease and disorders, like asthma
- GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disorder)
- Chronic renal disease
- Infectious diseases and acute viral illnesses (HIV-related disease, Lyme disease)
- Gut dysbiosis (imbalance in the gut microbiome)
In addition, sleep disorders are frequently associated with unhealthy lifestyle habits, like poor diet, lack of exercise and abusing alcohol and drugs. Those who have trouble sleeping can also set themselves up for a restless night simply because their pre-bedtime rituals and bedrooms aren’t ideal for sleeping.
So, how do you treat sleep disorders, so you can look forward to bedtime? There are a variety of approaches you can take to conquer sleep disorders, without resorting to sleeping pills. Based on the type of sleep issues you are experiencing and input from your practitioner, you may want to consider the following options.
Nutraceuticals for a Good Night’s Sleep
Nutrient deficiencies can be associated with some sleep problems, so taking nutritional supplements to compensate for those deficiencies may prove helpful. In addition, other medical grade nutraceuticals have been shown to promote calm and relaxation, which may help promote sleep. Here are a few to check out:
Melatonin. A hormone the body produces naturally, melatonin signals the brain that it’s time to fall asleep. We tend to produce less melatonin as we age, which can hamper sleep. However, people of all ages take melatonin supplements to jumpstart the sleep cycle when melatonin production has been disrupted due to shift work, jet lag, pre-bedtime exposure to blue light or other reasons.
Magnesium. Magnesium is a vital mineral that supports numerous systems in the body, including the brain and heart. Along with providing the dual benefit of calming the mind and relaxing muscles, magnesium also helps promote melatonin production in the body.
GABA. Have you ever laid in bed wishing you could turn your brain off? Then you might benefit from taking gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). GABA is a special type of amino acid that targets specific receptors in order to gently reduce brain cell activity. Patients who take GABA regularly may find that their brains feel less and less overwhelmed over time.
Glycine: Glycine is a non-essential amino acid that has been shown to have a calming effect on the brain and lower core body temperature, which helps promote restful sleep. Research revealed that human study participants who took glycine before bed experienced better quality sleep, reduced daytime sleepiness and improved cognitive abilities.
5-HTP. You may have heard that tryptophan, an amino acid in foods like turkey, can make you sleepy. What tryptophan does is trigger the production of the chemical 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), which ultimately turns into serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that carries messages from the nerve cells in the brain throughout the body. It is believed that serotonin acts as a mood stabilizer that helps regulate emotions and promote sleep, among other benefits. FYI: Tryptophan is also available in supplement form and can be taken to promote melatonin production in the body.
EVEXIAS Sleep. Our proprietary formula for EVEXIAS Sleep includes 5-HTP, GABA, melatonin, valerian root (see next section) and honokiol, a polyphenolic compound found in the magnolia plant and its seeds, which has been recognized for reducing fear and anxiety. This powerful blend was designed to promote healthy sleep by supporting the body’s natural sleep response.
You can get full details on EVEXIAS Sleep and how it works, here.
Herbal Remedies for Sleep
There are a number of medicinal herbs available on the market that may help promote sleep. Lavender has long been touted for its calming and relaxing properties and can be found in everything from essential oils and candles to bath salts and sleep masks. Valerian root is another herb purported to promote sleep and reduce anxiety, and various studies support these claims. Chamomile tea is another herbal remedy that people say promotes sleep by helping you relax and reducing feelings of anxiety.
Hormone Therapy to Promote Sleep
As noted earlier in this post, hormone imbalance frequently causes sleep issues. Since estrogen, testosterone, progesterone, thyroid, cortisol and other hormone imbalances can all contribute to sleep disorders, it’s important to have your hormone levels tested if you’re having trouble sleeping. We covered this topic extensively in a past blog, A Guide to Hormones and Sleep. Check it out to learn more.
Healthy Lifestyle Habits to Sleep Better
Following a healthy diet (cutting out sugar, bad fats and processed foods) and getting regular exercise can both help promote better sleep. As an example, GERD, one of the leading causes of sleep disorders noted above, can be caused by being overweight, overeating in general, as well as over-consumption of caffeine, alcohol, chocolate and spicy foods.
Eating right before bed can also disrupt sleep as the body is active trying to digest food. Regular exercise and mindfulness practices like meditation and yoga have long been known to promote good health, but they also help the body relax, making it easier to fall asleep—just don’t go for a run right before bedtime.
Proper “Sleep Hygiene” to Support the Circadian Rhythm
A good night’s sleep can often be achieved by making a few personal and lifestyle changes, and that starts at home and in the bedroom. We haven’t discussed the circadian rhythm much in this article but it plays an integral role in sleep that can be compromised by poor sleep hygiene.
The circadian rhythm refers to the physical, mental and behavioral changes our bodies go through over a 24-hour period. According to the NIH, “Light and dark have the biggest influence on circadian rhythms, but food intake, stress, physical activity, social environment, and temperature also affect them.” Melatonin also helps support the circadian rhythm.
What steps can you take to improve sleep hygiene and keep your circadian rhythm on track?
- Keep the temperature in your bedroom cool (65 degrees if possible).
- Ban electronic devices from the bedroom, the blue light can trick your body into thinking it’s time to be awake. Work emails and social media can raise your stress level and affect circadian rhythm.
- Adhere to a consistent go-to-sleep and wake-up schedule.
- Try to avoid napping during the day.
- Stop drinking caffeinated drinks by mid-afternoon.
- Avoid alcohol, especially right before bed. A glass of wine may relax you at first but alcohol is a stimulant and can prevent you from getting restful sleep.
- Don’t eat a large meal right before bed because that active digestion will keep you awake or prevent you from getting into deep sleep.
Really serious about taking your sleep hygiene to the next level? The Sleep Foundation provides more excellent sleep hygiene tips, here.
You deserve a good night’s sleep. We can help.
If you’d like to speak with a healthcare practitioner who takes sleep disorders seriously, our Certified EvexiPEL Medical Providers are here to listen. We can help uncover the root cause of your sleep issues and come up with a treatment plan to get you on the path to a good night’s sleep, every night. Find an EvexiPEL provider near you today!
