Did you have a silent night?
Should we blame it on the invention of the lightbulb? Since the advent of electricity, we have lost touch with the normal light cycle of the day. Now we can do the same things day and night including working, watching TV, shopping and eating food. No wonder our body clocks don’t know when they are supposed to be telling us to sleep.
There are numerous health issues linked to insuffi cient sleep including increased risk of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, not to mention impaired vigilance and cognition. A good night’s sleep is believed to restore immune function, rebalance brain glucose levels, reduce oxidative stress in the body, repair cells and give our brains a chance to organise and consolidate learning. So sleeping is important: it allows a period of rest before the next day begins.
Sleep issues are a common presentation in my herbal clinic, whether it is a problem getting to sleep, staying asleep or feeling refreshed after sleeping. There are a number of reasons why this may be occurring: Environment - a noisy, bright bedroom/ neighbourhood or uncomfortable bed all can disturb sleep. However think how much harder it was for our ancestors who slept in the same buildings as their cattle. We have relatively much cleaner, safer and warmer environments to bed down in. Infl ammation - chronic infl ammation especially if associated with pain may keep us awake. Fluctuating hormones - this can result in changes in temperature which disturbs sleep, all too familiar to peri-menopausal women. Blood sugar levels also fl uctuate overnight so don’t go to bed hungry but equally don’t go to bed too soon after a heavy meal. Tryptophan rich foods work best as this amino acid is a precursor to melatonin and is found in milk, poultry, fi sh, oats, almonds and spirulina. Stress - cortisol levels should rise and fall over the course of the day but chronic stress raises cortisol which disturbs the circadian rhythm, knocking sleep patterns out. An overactive mind is often cited as a reason for not sleeping. We are either regretting things said or done in the past, worrying about the future or dwelling on the present problem of not sleeping and getting further stressed about that.
So what can we do to improve sleep? Reassure yourself- we often need less sleep than we think and we often sleep more than we realise, so try not to stress about how many hours you are
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sleeping- Fitbits can give us usual information but don’t obsess over them. Switch-off - we know that the blue light emitted from screens reduces melatonin but we often struggle to switch off the television or tablet and to resist checking our phones one more time before we go sleep. Get rid of all screens from the bedroom and go back to an old-fashioned alarm clock. Avoid physical stimulation from caff eine, tobacco and alcohol in the evening. Rest before you rest - we need to allow a wind- down period before going to bed. Having a hot bath, writing a to-do list or putting the day to rest in your mind can all help prepare your mind and body for some restful, restorative sleep. Have a cup of herbal tea - a natural non-addictive herbal tea or tincture might also help. I would use a combination of sedative herbs to help induce sleep, nervine herbs to help relax the body and mind, and adaptogen herbs to help the body adapt to stress and re-establish its normal rhythm. Herbs in my prescriptions might include valerian, chamomile, hops, oats, wild lettuce, Californian poppy and ashwaganda.
One fi nal note of reassurance: studies show that when deprived of electric light at night, a pattern of sleep akin to pre-industrial times emerges. This is typically made up of two periods of sleep interspersed with a period of wakefulness of up to 2 hours. So perhaps our sleep patterns are more natural than we think and we need to embrace this quiet awake time in the night rather than dread it. I knew the electric light was to blame…..
Nikki Biddiss BSc (Hons), MNIMH, is a Medical Herbalist, Aromatherapy Massage Therapist and Cognitive Coach. She runs the herbal clinic in Napier’s, Glasgow and has her own practice in Bridge of Allan.
www.botanicalhealing.co.uk or contact Nikki on 07528 341 206.
Please consult with your herbalist or health practitioner before using any herbs if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, on medication or have underlying health issues.
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