Parsley Health's Simple Guide to Healthy Sleep

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Parsley Health's Simple Guide to Healthy Sleep"

Primrose Ford
6 years ago
Views:

1 Parsley Health's Simple Guide to Healthy Sleep OUR DOCTORS AT PARSLEY HEALTH TREAT SLEEP DISORDERS NATURALLY ON A DAILY BASIS. MOST PRIMARY CARE DOCTORS DON T HAVE THE TIME WE HAVE TO SIT WITH OUR PATIENTS AND GET TO THE ROOT CAUSE OF WHY THEY AREN T SLEEPING. It s About Sleep Quality, Not Sleep Quantity The quality of your sleep has profound health implications. Sleep deprivation has been studied to increase our risk of developing chronic diseases like obesity, heart disease, cancer, arthritis, overactive thyroid,

2 stroke, and Alzheimer s disease. Treating insomnia is not as simple as taking a prescription pill. While you may sleep 8 hours, the quality of your sleep suffers which has a negative impact on your long-term health. Wake Up Without an Alarm Clock What time you go to sleep matters. Whether you consider yourself a night owl or an early lark, the biochemistry doesn t lie. Studies show that our bodies repair the most between 10 pm and 2 am. Even if you get 8 hours of sleep, it is not as restorative if you sleep midnight to 8 am versus 10 pm to 6 am. Does this mean you can never party or stay up late with family or friends? No. Consistency is the king (size bed) of it all. Count backwards from the time you need to get up in the morning by 7.5 hrs. This amounts to five 90-minute sleep cycles - the ideal amount for a good night's sleep. Now add 1 hour to that. It should be around 8 or 9 PM. This is your ideal time to start your new bedtime ritual. Example: If you need to wake up at 6:00 AM, set your bedtime alarm for 9:30 pm to make sure you are asleep by 10:30 PM. Make a Caffeine Curfew Let me start by telling you that caffeine is good for you. This is not about trying to convince you to get rid of caffeine (unless you are truly an insomniac). If you have adrenal fatigue or issues with the stress hormone cortisol, it might be best to give yourself a caffeine break.

3 The problem with caffeine occurs when we consume it too late in the day and it continues to stimulate us when we should be going to sleep. Coffee has a half-life of about 5-7 hours depending on your metabolism. If you have your last cup before noon then it should be out of your system by the time you are ready to hit the sheets. For example, one to two cups of coffee contains about 200 mg of caffeine. If you drink a cup of coffee at noon, you still have 100 mg in your body at 6 pm. Add another 5 hrs and it s 11 pm - way past the time you should be winding down. Turn Your Brain Off We ve all been there. You are trying to go to sleep because you know you have to get up in the morning. You have to catch an early flight or you have an important meeting to attend but you just can t turn your brain off. And the more you think about it, the more awake you are. Welcome to your crazy monkey mind. It usually happens at the most inconvenient times. You can t just shut off the thoughts that are bouncing around in your head. Or can you? Yes you can. First, you must address your stress and increased cortisol levels. When you have been under chronic stress, your adrenal glands are constantly pumping out cortisol to maintain some sense of sanity. Eventually it gets tired and looks forward to a good night s rest so that it can replenish itself. The problem comes in when you don t have any reserve left in your adrenal glands. Normally when we are asleep our body release small amounts of cortisol to keep our brain happy. If you don t have any, then it relies on

4 adrenaline (epinephrine and norepinephrine). Then we wake up with our mind racing and sweaty clothes and can t fall back asleep. Calming your monkey mind starts with some of the other foundational sleep habits that include eating a well balanced diet of complex carbs and healthy fats. However, sometimes even those don t work if you ve been dealing with this issue for years. Try these tips for when you can t turn your brain off. Watch a 20 minute episode of your favorite comedy show. This will make you laugh and take your mind off of not being able to fall asleep. Take a warm bath with lavender essential oil and Epsom salts. Read 10 pages of the most boring book you can find in your house. If this isn t enough then you may need long term adrenal and neurotransmitter support to teach your body how to chill out. At Parsley Health we address these type of complicated cases every day. Melatonin Isn't the Answer For Everyone Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland - a pea-sized gland in the middle of our brain. It s purpose is to regulate our circadian rhythm to fall in line with the natural dark/light cycles of the sun. When the sun goes down, our pineal gland gets turned on by the suprachiasmatic nucleus which is located in the hypothalamus. Then melatonin levels rise quickly to make you sleepy. However, if you are not in a dimly lit environment, this tricks the brain into thinking it is still daytime.that s why you don t get sleepy when you re on your tablet or watching TV. The blue light emitted from electronic devices suppresses our natural production of melatonin. So even if we know we are tired and need to go to sleep, our brain is getting

5 the opposite message. Some people may be wary of trying melatonin due to side effects. This usually occurs because the dosage is too high. Melatonin side effects Morning drowsiness Vivid dreams Small changes in blood pressure The Best Dose of Melatonin Most people overdo it and then claim it doesn t work. You only need tiny doses to support your natural sleep cycle. As little as 1-3 mg about an hour before you go to bed can boost your melatonin by 20 times. If melatonin still doesn t work for you, it s likely your sleep problems have other causes and need further workup by one of our Parsley doctors. Your Mattress Matters The mattress you sleep on is one of the most important factors in getting a good night's sleep. With all the different types and advice, it can be hard to choose. Here are some tips to find the right mattress for you. Brand doesn't matter. All mattresses essentially come from the same manufacturer. What differs is the price for a certain label. In terms of how it affects your sleep, the brand name is negligent. Firmness matters. Especially if you have a partner. Try to look for a mattress that allows you to adjust the firmness of the mattress depending on you or your partner's needs. Fit matters. Look for a mattress that fits the natural curve of your spine. Chiropractors recommend finding a mattress that allows your body to evenly distribute pressure across the body. Everybody

is different so bring a friend along when you mattress test. Lay on the mattress and ask them if your spine looks aligned. Comfort matters.

flame retardants). They are all wreaking havoc on your sleep and health (and your hormones).

6 is different so bring a friend along when you mattress test. Lay on the mattress and ask them if your spine looks aligned. Comfort matters. Some like it firm, some like it soft, some like it in-between. There is no best way - it's the one that is most comfortable for you that wins the sleep game! Beware of toxic mattresses. All mattresses are not created equal. Many brands are full of toxic chemicals like polyurethane foam, formaldehyde, boric acid, antimony (a heavy metal similar to arsenic) and worst of all, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (also known as flame retardants). They are all wreaking havoc on your sleep and health (and your hormones). You may already be eating all organic food and have replaced all your beauty products with natural versions. However, we spend a third of our lives sleeping. The chemicals mentioned above emit strong gasses that can severely affect your health. If you or anyone in your family suffers from allergies, asthma, neurologic disorders, thyroid imbalances, or cancer, we highly recommend checking out where your mattress comes from. WANT TO LEARN MORE? Schedule a free conversation with a Parsley Health membership consultant to learn how our unique approach to healthcare.

Sleep hygiene. Turnberg Building Department of Respiratory Medicine University Teaching Trust

Sleep hygiene. Turnberg Building Department of Respiratory Medicine University Teaching Trust University Teaching Trust Sleep hygiene Turnberg Building Department of Respiratory Medicine 0161 206 3158 All Rights Reserved 2016. Document for issue as handout. Nothing is more frustrating than not