| Improving Sleep with Naturopathic Medicine |
 |
 |
 |
Dr. Brent Barlow, ND
Getting a good night's sleep is fundamental to feeling vibrant, alive, and healthy. Anyone who has trouble sleeping will attest to the importance of sleep. We spend about one third of our lives sleeping and if we are not sleeping properly we pay the price in the other aspects of life. Proper sleep is not only important for obtaining optimal health but vital to preventing and recovering from illness. Most cellular recovery occurs during sleep and lack of sleep or disrupted sleep patterns result in incomplete cellular repair leading to further health concerns.
The naturopathic approach to sleep management examines every aspect that influences ones ability to get a good night's sleep. These include environmental factors, routine, blood sugar, stimulants, sedatives, and psychological factors. By examining and addressing these factors many common sleep problems can be improved without more aggressive intervention. Naturopathic physicians may also use acupuncture, nutritional supplementation, physical therapies, homeopathy, and botanical medicine to improve sleep.
There are numerous environmental factors that can either promote or prevent proper sleep. The optimal sleep environment is dark, quiet, and comfortable. The body's internal clock is extremely sensitive to light/dark cycles and can easily be disrupted by sleeping in a room with ambient light from sources like clocks, street lights, night lights, and TVs. These factors may not only prevent one from falling asleep but also reduce the quality of sleep. Any source of noise, light, or smell pollution has the ability to sabotage sleep. Ensure that your sleep environment is free from mold, dust, dust mites and other sources of potential allergens by cleaning your bedroom and washing your linens weekly. Following a regular routine is one of the most important things you can do if you have trouble with your sleep. The body operates on a natural cycle called the Circadian rhythm. This rhythm controls when you sleep, wake, produce hormones, and perform cellular repair. For healthy sleep to occur it is vital for us to get in touch with our daily rhythm cycle. To recapture our natural rhythm get in the habit of going to bed at the same time each night and waking at the same time each morning. Also, incorporate a nightly bedtime ritual like bathing, deep breathing, or meditating as part of the bedtime routine.
Blood sugar irregularities around bedtime can interfere with your ability to have a proper sleep. If blood sugar is too low at bedtime the body may not be able to relax enough to fall asleep because it is preoccupied with balancing blood sugar. On the other side of the spectrum, many people eat too much too late in the evening and go to bed with relatively high blood sugar. This greatly interferes with deep sleep by delaying or preventing the release of hormones needed for proper cellular repair. If your diet is high in refined carbohydrates through the day and evening it is likely that unbalanced blood sugar is contributing to poor sleep.
The use of stimulants to boost energy through the day has become commonplace in our society. Unfortunately there are some unwanted side effects of stimulants like coffee, energy drinks, and other energy pills that inhibit proper sleep. First of all, if you are using a stimulant within about 8 hours of going to bed it is possible that the stimulant is still working. Secondly, if you are using stimulants as a boost to keep you going when your tank is empty, your adrenal glands will suffer. When the adrenal glands begin to burn out other glands and organs in the body suffer as well. Your ability to create energy will decrease and your ability to sleep properly may be inhibited. Thirdly, the use of stimulants in place of proper nutrition contributes to blood sugar irregularities, which inhibits proper sleep.
Many people with problems sleeping use sedatives in order to get to sleep. It is important to realize that sedatives, natural or synthetic, don't actually address the cause of the sleep imbalance. Sedatives merely induce a false state that may help you fall asleep but ultimately do not address the reasons for poor sleep or improve the quality of sleep. Dependence on sedatives creates a new problem.
Mental, emotional, and spiritual health are needed for one to be at peace. To fall asleep and get a good quality sleep one needs to be at peace especially around bedtime. If we are preoccupied with relationship problems, work, health, or financial concerns it is hard to find the inner peace necessary for good sleep. When stress weighs you down it is hard to sleep because the mind is racing, and when you do fall asleep you may wake often because the wheels are still turning. Our mind is the most powerful tool we possess and we have the ability to perceive things any way we choose. If stress or other mental, emotional, or spiritual concerns are causing or contributing to poor sleep address them and seek help.
Naturopathic doctors use many other techniques to help patients with sleeping problems. Acupuncture can be very effective at re-establishing balance in the body by improving energy movement through the meridians. Nutritional supplementation can correct underlying deficiencies and support the body's organ systems. Physical medicine techniques like spinal adjustments, massage, and other soft tissue techniques can help relieve pain and improve function of the body. Homeopathic and botanical medicine can be used to support daily rhythm cycles and the body's organ systems.
The naturopathic approach to sleep management addresses the factors that prevent proper sleep from occurring. Identifying and correcting issues like bedtime environment, routine, blood sugar, stimulants, sedatives, and mental-emotional health are the cornerstone to improving sleep and overall health. Other naturopathic treatments like acupuncture, nutritional supplements, physical medicine, homeopathy, and botanical medicine can help balance the body and improve sleep. Removing obstacles to proper sleep and improving overall health with naturopathic medicine allows the body to function better and promotes deep, peaceful sleep.
Dr. Brent J. Barlow, ND
 Dr. Barlow graduated from the Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine in New Westminster, BC in June 2009. He recently started his practice in the beautiful city of Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia. Dr. Barlow is in general practice but has special interests in pain management and functional medicine. To learn more about Dr. Brent J. Barlow visit his website at www.drbrentjbarlow.com
|
|
|
|
Sleep and Snoring