Insomnia: Better Sleep Can Be Yours

Unmatched Sleep Quality
From 1985 through 1988, I spent a significant amount of time living without electricity during the building of my present home. My partner and I initially lived in a tent from April through October of 1985, then moved the tent into the framed and roofed structure for the winter. I was the contractor and chief carpenter. The framing of the house was built from rough hemlock lumber cut with a chainsaw! Eventually, we got a gas-powered generator so we could use a power saw and other electric tools. But for a number of years into the process, we were not hooked up to the grid.

At dinnertime, our light was supplied by kerosene lamps. After dinner, we would relax and do some reading by the light of the lamps, but that usually didn't last too long. It's a fair effort to read a book in such dim and limited light. (Abe Lincoln must have been quite a determined fellow)! The rhythm of our days was determined by the rhythm of nature.

A most interesting phenomenon of living closer to nature was the quality of my sleep and dreams. Not only did I sleep deeply and wake up more refreshed than I could remember, but my dreams were different, as well. They often had an exalted, exhilarating, vivid and vibrant quality. Colorful, full of light, and often gifted with insight that informed my waking hours, the dreams I had when living a more 'primitive' life were remarkable.

Sleepless in New Jersey
To earn money to live on and build the house, my man and I commuted to New Jersey for half the week. The contrast between waking and sleeping in a natural setting with no artificial light, and living in a world set apart from that simplicity was stark and disturbing. Not disturbing just in a conceptual sense, but on an energetic level. Artificial light blurred the distinction between night and day, leading to late nights and disturbed sleep.

Any amount of light seeping into the bedroom at night was too much. The noise of traffic, and the moving lights outside, activated my nervous system in an annoying way.

This experience brought home the fact that truly deep and refreshing sleep is easiest to obtain if we arrange our living conditions to be as close as possible to the natural order. Since most of us don't live in ideal circumstances, this requires some creativity, yet it can be done.

Better Sleep for You
Very often, it is easy to forget the basics. Even for healthy people, optimal sleep habits often get sacrificed in favor of late-night TV or other distractions.

Below, you will find a wealth of sleep-optimizing tips, including the recipe for my special supplement nightcap, diet tips for better sleep, and details on a number of other natural ways to get better sleep.

Sleep is about as basic a necessity as you can find. Here's how to optimize its benefits. (I have to admit, I'm writing some of this for me. The habit I need to modify is staying up too late).

1 - Great sleep starts in the morning! Getting outdoors in the morning, bright light shining into the eyes reaches the pineal gland, which responds by switching off the production of melatonin. Sunlight in the morning especially, helps to normalize the timing of melatonin production.

Especially if you live in a suburban or semi-rural area, you will find that getting outdoors for a walk or some other activity gives you a special lift you cannot get any other way. Over the years, I have always perceived that the morning time has a uniquely refreshing feel that no other time of day can match.

Getting out just before sunrise is a wonderful way to begin your day's activity. Even if you live in a city, perhaps there is a safe, nearby park that will give you contact with nature in early morning that will sustain you through the day.

2 - When darkness falls, the pineal gland naturally produces melatonin. However, if you're sitting in front of a computer monitor (like I'm doing right now), or a TV, in a brightly lit room, your melatonin production may be delayed, even if it's 11 o'clock at night. To enhance the ability to fall asleep, it is helpful for to minimize indoor light exposure for at least an hour before going to bed.

As an example, when you go into the bathroom to brush your teeth, etc., use a night light for illumination instead of the bright bathroom light. Or turn down the lights and have a nice talk with a family member, instead of sitting in front of the TV. Forget about watching the late night news.

3 - While you're outdoors in the morning (or, second best, at lunchtime at work) get some exercise. Take a walk, hike, bike ride, etc. People who exercise tend to sleep better.

4 - Try to have your dinner 3 - 4 hours (ideally) before you go to bed. The significant energy output required for digesting a sizeable meal can interfere with the restfulness of your sleep. Between 10:00 pm and 1:00 am, the body is especially focused on healing, cleansing, and repair.

5 - Reading a good book in a quiet, comfortable place can be relaxing and conducive to sleep.

Be sure NOT to read murder mysteries, horror stories, or anything that would agitate your mind and stimulate your nervous system to go into 'survival mode! Contemplative and inspirational reading on spiritual ideas, a good novel, a (not too violent) adventure story, and reading about an absorbing hobby of yours are all good choices for bedtime reading.

6 - Here are some nutritional supplements that help sleep that you might consider trying a half hour before retiring:

Nutritional Supplement Nightcap:
In a few ounces of water or juice, mix:
1 or 2 level teaspoonfuls of inositol powder(many supplements come in powdered form and are more economical that way). Inositol has a pleasantly sweet taste.
1/2 level teaspoon of Buffered Vitamin C powder (look for a Buffered Vitamin C product which contains calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, and potassium carbonate as buffering agents).
1/4 level teaspoon of Tyrosine powder (tyrosine is an amino acid)

You can add:
150 - 300 milligrams of magnesium
Multimineral supplement.
B-complex supplement with around 50 milligrams of each of the B vitamins: B1 (Thiamine), B2 (Riboflavin), B3 (Niacin or Niacinamide), B5 (Pantothenic acid - great adrenal support supplement), Vitamin B6.
Additional B6 250 milligrams (Look for the natural form of B6, Pyridoxal 5'Phosphate).

7 - Some foods that help sleep include: a cup of warm broth or herb tea, small amount of yogurt or aged cheese (contains calcium in easy-to-absorb form) a few ounces of turkey meat (contains Tryptophan in its natural form. Tryptophan enhances serotonin production.

IMPORTANT: If eating within 30 minutes before bedtime, only eat a small amount of the above foods! More than that requires too much digestive output and can interfere with the better quality sleep you want to enjoy.

8 - Hints on what NOT to eat within a few hours of bedtime:
*Any full meal.
*Odd combinations of food that require a lot of digestive work or can cause gastric distress. Example: Big steak dinner, whole potato and sour cream, salad, wine, and ice cream sundae for dessert. Ouch! Can't be more obvious than that!
*Alcohol - while seen as a relaxant, it can interfere with quality sleep, as it has a deleterious effect on the nervous system (among many other things).
*Sugary foods - sugar in any form (including alcohol, which is a 'super-carb), increases the permeability of the protective blood-brain barrier, allowing toxins to invade the brain. The health of our brain is important to healthy sleep.

9 - Some relaxing stretches to gently mobilize your spine can be a wonderful way of enhancing your sleep quality. In a safe, carpeted area away from furniture with hard corners and edges, drape yourself over a large exercise ball.

If you feel agile enough, turn on your side on the ball to stretch your sides as well as front and back. Breathe deeply and fully without forcing the breath. Let your jaw hang open a little, and notice other places in your body that you can let go of.

NOTE: If you try to watch TV or occupy your attention in other ways while doing your pre-bedtime stretches, you will not be getting the full benefit. This is your time. However, even with TV, it is better to stretch than not to.

10 - The more complete the darkness of your bedroom, the better for sleep quality. Light stimulates the sympathetic nervous system, which among other things, is conducive to activity. When in sympathetic mode, thinking processes are more active, too - just what you don't want when sleep is desired. It is harder to relax and let go of our cares and concerns.

An absence of light allows the parasympathetic nervous system to dominate. Parasympathetic dominance allows us to let go of thinking and worrying, and feel relaxed, which is conducive to sleep.

When I was a child, a cousin of mine had a pet parakeet. At night, this very sociable bird would still be chirping, squawking and squeaking while us humans were relaxing after a full dinner. The solution? A cloth cover draped over his cage. Why did it work? Because in darkness, the bird had no choice but to surrender to the relaxing effect of parasympathetic dominance.

If you have trouble obtaining complete darkness in your bedroom, you can try folding a soft cloth and placing it over your eyes. This works best if you are lying on your back (ideal position for spinal health). I have found this technique quite helpful.

Please don't feel pressured to try all of these suggestions at once - putting pressure on yourself is not good for sleep either! Read through these suggestions at your leisure and try the ones to which you feel most attracted. You can always refine your sleep optimization program as you go along.

Goodnight!
In light of all this discussion, I'm shutting down the computer as soon as I post this. Have a good night's sleep!