So... why don't you sleep?

So.... why don't you sleep?

There can be many reasons why you can’t sleep, some of which are discussed below:

 

 

 

Your mind is working overtime

We sleep in cycles of an hour and a half, so if we wake up briefly and something pops into our mind, we wake up more and then can’t get back to sleep again since our mind is churning.  Stress causes hyper-arousal which can upset this balance between sleep and wakefulness.

This is part of modern life to an extent, but it is easy to feel stressed when our expectations are not matched by our available time, energy or money!

Try:

Make a list of everything on your mind an hour before you go to bed and make sure you stop all work (including tweeting, checking Facebook or reading emails) at least 2 hours before bed.

Check Elaine’s sleep hygiene blog for more advice on simple measures you can take to make your bed a place to sleep (check the section on Simple Sleep Tips on our newsletter).

Overeating or indigestion

Eating  large meal before bed can lead to not being able to sleep.  When you lay down the acid in your stomach can cause heartburn, indigestion, as well as just feeling like your food baby is about to kick!

Try:

Ok, the obvious thing is not to eat a big meal and then go to bed, but stay up a while (or eat less!), however if you do overindulge, check out our blog on remedies for insomnia in the ‘homeopathy and sleeplessness’ section since you can take remedies which will relieve this symptoms.

Also, you may not know that going to bed hungry can lead to sleeplessness – so don’t ignore your hunger pangs and think about the calories you are saving!  Low blood sugar levels release glucagon a hormone with similar effects to adrenaline (the fight or flight hormone); glucagon is designed to keep you awake and alert.

Try:

Eat a small snack before bed if you are hungry – try a turkey or tuna sandwich, a banana or a milky drink since these all contain tryptophan which is an amino acid which is used to make serotonin (a hormone which produces healthy sleep and a stable mood). Have a look at my other blog on diet and insomnia for more information.

Feeling uncomfortable

A number of health complaints can leave you finding it hard to sleep.  Hot sweats (a common symptom of menopause), restless legs, some medication (such as that for asthma or depression) or a low mood (such as in anxiety and depression) will chronically affect sleep.

Try:

See your professional homeopath (yes – that’s us!) to get a good remedy to address your symptoms.

If you think your medication may be leading to your sleeplessness, don’t just stop it.  Go and see you GP or the consultant who prescribed it for you to discuss your condition.

There is no one magic bullet to address health complaints, but keeping a healthy weight, eating a balanced diet, taking regular exercise and avoiding alcohol will improve your overall health.

 

References

Kavey, N (2001) Stress and Insomnia  Available at: http://www.sleepfoundation.org/article/ask-the-expert/stress-and-insomnia

Vovick, L. (2010) Tryptophan  Available at: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002332.htm