I've never really been a good
sleeper (everything wakes me
mornings), but it's like it is getting worse.
like anxiety in the middle of the night, and
sometimes when I am going to bed. I don't
feel upset about anything specific, except
now I worry more about being able to get
any sleep. Is this just the way I am, if I've
always had this? As I get older will it just
get worse or is there anything that I can
do? I've taken sleeping pills in the past but
I feel really groggy during the day.
Thank you,
TR, Williams Lake
Thank you so much for writing
in, and I hope I can be of help.
thing in life is when you can't sleep, and
having had my fair share of insomniac com-
plaints I can definitely commiserate.
There are three primary areas that I will fo-
cus on with clients who are experiencing
what you're going through, and while it's
always best to work directly with a practitio-
ner to get individualized recommendations,
here are some possible places for you to
start:
1. Support melatonin production
Melatonin is the chemical messenger re-
leased by our pineal gland in response to
declining light. This chemical is what makes
us drowsy at around 9 p.m. (hopefully) and
helps the body repair during sleep. It also
protects us from cancer, radiation, oxidative
damage, and neurological decline long term.
In order for melatonin to be released, certain
conditions must be met. 1) the body has to
have the necessary minerals, amino acids,
and vitamins available for production, 2) it
must be completely dark, as the pineal gland
is a light-sensitive component of the brain,
3) there had to have been daylight exposure
in the previous 24 hour cycle, and 4) the
gland must be relatively free of calcification.
If you don't feel like you ever get into a state
of really deep sleep or are waking up during
the night, this can be related to melatonin
production. In response to the conditions
necessary for proper production, here are my
specific recommendations:
Magnesium: 400-700 mg per day, divided
into two or three doses (preferably a formula
with malic acid to help decalcify the pineal
gland)
Vitamin B6: 50mg per day
5-HTP: 50-100 mg about an hour before
going to bed
As well, you need to support and balance
your body's natural rhythms to get it back
you can do by:
daylight, preferably in the morning.
keeping electronics away from your bed.
You may have heard of taking melatonin as
a supplement to support sleep, and while this
can be useful for people with jetlag or work-
ing night shifts, long-term use of melatonin
may actually impair our pineal gland from
producing it naturally. I would recommend
trying these methods first, resorting to a sup-
plemental form only if absolutely necessary.
2. ourish the adrenal glands
As you mentioned, the more stressed and
exhausted you seem to get, the more difficult
it is to fall and stay asleep, paradoxically.
This can often be attributed directly to the
functioning of the adrenal glands, leading to
what's commonly called the "tired-and-
wired" existence.
An important component of the response
axis between the body and the brain, the
adrenal glands allow us to respond to stress
while also regulating many other bodily
processes. Short-term stress can result in too
much stimulation while we're attempting to
sleep, resulting in a hyper-vigilant sleep state
where we feel like anything and everything
could wake us up. When we are stressed for
extended periods of time, however, the natu-
ral 24-hour pattern of the adrenals can be-
come disrupted, leading to excessively low
amounts of stimulatory chemicals during the
day (so that you feel exhausted all afternoon)
and then too much stimulation at about 10
p.m. each evening (so that you find it in-
creasingly difficult to fall asleep).
Stress reduction is a necessary part of this
healing process, as you can imagine. This
means not just that we reduce or remove the
things in our lives that are causing stress, but
that we engage with practices (yoga, medita-
tion, journaling, spending time in nature,
etc.) that allow us to modulate our stress
response effectively.
But in combination with empowered per-
sonal action to reduce stress, adrenal support
in the form of vitamins and minerals can also
help to heal and balance so that your hormo-
nal and neurological rhythms are regulated.
These take many forms, but for you I might
recommend:
Vitamin C:
Ashwaghanda: An Ayurvedic herb also
known as Indian ginseng that nourishes and
balances the adrenals while also increasing
the possibility of deep sleep. Take 500 mg
twice per day.
Vitamin B5: Take up to 5 mg per day while
under stress.
3. Balance the blood sugar
The last key thing to address for great, solid,
restful sleep is your blood sugar. This is
immediately think of, but imbalances here
are a considerable source of sleep challenges
for many. As incidences of diabetes and pre-
diabetic conditions increases globally, so
does our lack of sleep, and while it's hard to
say which comes first (as, unfortunately,
long-term sleep loss has been found to cause
blood sugar imbalances) it's apparent that
they go hand in hand.
When we sleep, our adrenal glands give a
signal to the liver to release stored glycogen
so that our blood sugar doesn't drop too low.
When this doesn't happen properly and blood
sugar does get low, the adrenals send out
more stimulation to wake us up. This is yet
another reason why supporting the adrenal
glands is important, but it also brings liver
function and blood sugar into the picture.
For blood sugar regulation, your cells require
particular nutrients in order to respond appro-
priately to insulin. Just for starters, these
essential nutrients include:
Chromium: Take a GTF (glucose tolerance
factor) form, 600 mg per day
Fish Oil: Take up to 3000 mg of a high qual-
ity, heavy metal- and PCB-free form
Vitamin D: I generally recommend 3000-
4000IU for most people, but dosage may
depend on blood test analysis.
Supporting your liver function by taking
turmeric and milk thistle can also help with
sleep, as only an uncongested liver is capable
of storing and releasing necessary sugars
during the night. In traditional Chinese medi-
cine it is said that people with congested or
"deficient" liver processes will wake up be-
tween 1 and 3 a.m., so if this seems like your
pattern you might want to look further into
two herbs might work wonders.
In closing, if you want some immediate
sleep relief while you're working on the
more long-term balancing and healing of
this experience, try taking some Valerian
root, GABA chewable capsules (an inhibi-
tory neurotransmitter that makes you feel
just so. damn. calm.), or Holy basil, all of
which will reduce stress levels and help you
drop into deep sleep more easily. Valerian is
especially good for people who have always
struggled with light sleep, but just to fore-
warn you: it smells a lot like chicken poop,
and is thus best taken in pill form. It gener-
ally only works for a week or so for most
people before the sedative effects diminish.
I hope that was of help, TR, but please let
me know if you'd like any more informa-
tion. If you do decide to try some of these
recommendations please let me know how
they went. All the best, and I really hope
you get some sleep.
Next month I'll be focusing on pain relief
here, so if you or someone you know has
been struggling with an on-going inflamma-
tory condition and would love some integra-
tive
Ciel Patenaude is an integrative and sha-
manic practitioner, now based in Horsefly
after an extended stay in California. She
holds a Masters degree in Integrative Heal-
ing, and is a certified coach, yoga teacher,
and crisis counselor.