Sleeping Better...The Natural Way

Having trouble sleeping??? If so, you are definitely not alone. An estimated 3.3 million Canadians aged 15 or older (about 1 in 7 people) suffer from some form of insomnia. Insomnia can refer to difficulty falling asleep or waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to get back to sleep. Whether you suffer from insomnia or you are not feeling like you are getting sufficient quality sleep, the following suggestions can help you achieve more restful and restorative zzzzzzz’s!

In general, the following lifestyle factors have been found to either promote sleep or inhibit sleep…

SLEEP PROMOTERS

o Lots of brightly colored raw or lightly steamed vegetables
o Enjoy quality lean protein and healthy fats at every meal to support blood sugar balance
o Switch to B vitamin and magnesium rich whole grains.
o If an evening snack is needed enjoy bananas, milk, figs and or whole grain crackers which are high in tryptophan and promote restful sleep.
o Maintain a sleep schedule. Go to sleep at the same time everyday and wake up at the same time in the
morning.
o Sleep in a dark room
o Manage your stress
o Exercise…..preferably earlier in the day.
o Meditate, take a hot bath and/or put a drop of essential oils on your pillow such as chamomile or lavender
before bed.
o Herbal teas that contain herbs such as Valerian, passionflower, hops, lemon balm, and chamomile.
o Sleep in a dark room.
o Make your bedroom a peaceful place. Remove anything that can promote stressful thoughts.

SLEEP INHIBITORS

o Reduce or eliminate sugar, caffeine and alcohol from your diet
o Refined grains. Ex. White bread, white rice, etc. Like sugar to the body.
o MSG….a food additive found in some Chinese food and chips has been shown to disrupt sleep in many people
o Eating too much
o Avoid nighttime eating….eat your dinner at least three hours before bed.
o Avoid food sensitivities, allergies
o Poor digestion
o Excess weight
o Nutritional deficiency in any of the essential vitamins and minerals, especially calcium and magnesium.
o Change your thoughts, Change your sleep!!! Negative thoughts about sleeping can keep you up at night. Recognize when you are thinking negative thoughts about sleeping and make a conscious choice to replace them to a positive ones.
o Television, work related items, food, etc. Everything that is not related to sleep should be removed from the bedroom.