Taking A Second Look At Sleep Deprivation
What’s usually overlooked when individuals say they’re “sleep deprived” is exactly HOW your sleep deprivation presents itself.
The answer to how your sleep deprivation occurs can be the most valuable lead to your tailored sleep solution.
For instance, trouble falling asleep generally has a completely different underlying problem to waking up too early in the morning. Waking up in the middle of the evening anxious and worried, is a different underlying problem to getting up in the middle of the night with twitching legs. It is pretty obvious, but not usually investigated.
Here are a few sleep deprivation issues and possible solutions:
Waking too early in the morning. Evidence has shown that this can have a direct relationship to depression and grief. It could even be linked to food additives and colorings that have been related to depression (e.g. calcium propionate 282, that occurs in some manufactured breads and frozen foods). And there are even common drugs that have the side effect of depression and/or waking too early in the morning. Solutions here include daily exercise, omega-3 supplementation, finding out the side effects of your prescription medications, and making decisions to change your life to conquer the issue.
Waking in the night anxious and worried. One of the issues here could be anxiety. Not so obvious may be an intolerance to a particular food additive or coloring that increases restlessness and anxiety - and at times the reaction does NOT show up the night immediately after having eaten that particular food item - it could take days. Evidence shows that several people do not think that a food item was a problem unless the adverse reaction takes place in the next hour, which makes the diagnosis rather tough. Few food additives, even natural food substances have been related to increased feelings of anxiety, frequent night waking, even nightmares, night terrors and weird dreams.
Remember that if you have a restless, crying baby (sometimes even screaming!) - it may be behaving in this way as the chemicals you are eating are passing to them through your breast milk. (To clarify - we aren't saying breast feeding is the problem, but that the mother’s diet can be the problem).
There are numerous chemical free diets and organizations to help you if you wish to investigate this option. Food chemicals are even addictive, so there may be some withdrawal symptoms which need managing during this process. It is a great idea to join groups that could aid with this.
These are just a few examples (nowhere near a conclusive list), but they would give you an idea of some of the underlying sleep deprivation issues. Do not just think of insomnia in broad terms any longer, your mission is to get down to detail, and self-diagnose your problem(s) in order to find your unique solution.
The answer to how your sleep deprivation occurs can be the most valuable lead to your tailored sleep solution.
For instance, trouble falling asleep generally has a completely different underlying problem to waking up too early in the morning. Waking up in the middle of the evening anxious and worried, is a different underlying problem to getting up in the middle of the night with twitching legs. It is pretty obvious, but not usually investigated.
Here are a few sleep deprivation issues and possible solutions:
Waking too early in the morning. Evidence has shown that this can have a direct relationship to depression and grief. It could even be linked to food additives and colorings that have been related to depression (e.g. calcium propionate 282, that occurs in some manufactured breads and frozen foods). And there are even common drugs that have the side effect of depression and/or waking too early in the morning. Solutions here include daily exercise, omega-3 supplementation, finding out the side effects of your prescription medications, and making decisions to change your life to conquer the issue.
Waking in the night anxious and worried. One of the issues here could be anxiety. Not so obvious may be an intolerance to a particular food additive or coloring that increases restlessness and anxiety - and at times the reaction does NOT show up the night immediately after having eaten that particular food item - it could take days. Evidence shows that several people do not think that a food item was a problem unless the adverse reaction takes place in the next hour, which makes the diagnosis rather tough. Few food additives, even natural food substances have been related to increased feelings of anxiety, frequent night waking, even nightmares, night terrors and weird dreams.
Remember that if you have a restless, crying baby (sometimes even screaming!) - it may be behaving in this way as the chemicals you are eating are passing to them through your breast milk. (To clarify - we aren't saying breast feeding is the problem, but that the mother’s diet can be the problem).
There are numerous chemical free diets and organizations to help you if you wish to investigate this option. Food chemicals are even addictive, so there may be some withdrawal symptoms which need managing during this process. It is a great idea to join groups that could aid with this.
These are just a few examples (nowhere near a conclusive list), but they would give you an idea of some of the underlying sleep deprivation issues. Do not just think of insomnia in broad terms any longer, your mission is to get down to detail, and self-diagnose your problem(s) in order to find your unique solution.
Getting Better Sleep By Encouraging The Production Of Melatonin
Melatonin is a hormone produced from the neurotransmitter serotonin and secreted by the photosensitive pineal gland in the brain. It is a time keeper in the body, has a daily rhythm which peaks at night (regulating the circadian rhythm) and is also involved with the longer seasonal rhythms.
The retina (in the eye) and the gut both play a role in its production - the messages passing through the body via the autonomic and enteric nervous systems (both systems affected by stress).
It's functions go beyond inducing sleep. It helps regulate other hormones, strengthens the immune system, has temperature lowering effects and is an anti inflammatory and potent antioxidant.
Based on this information here are some practical things to do as of now to assist you sleep better:
1. Melatonin likes the dark. In our life-styles now we don’t frankly go to bed when it gets dark and rise up with the morning light - but its a good idea to try to observe more of that rhythm in your life if you’re having trouble sleeping. Turn the lights down low in your home at night creating a quiet ambience.
2. Blue light is worse than red light for producing melatonin. Blue light is what is emitted by our computers and laptops, so if you are working long hours on your computer, and particularly late into the night, you are disrupting your natural sleep patterns. Turn the computer off earlier than you generally would and/or move away from the computer screen (if you leave your computer on overnight). Experiment and document precisely how the reduced hours on your computer affect your sleep.
3. Download the f.lux software on to your computer to reduce the bright lights it emits at night (Mac and PC compatible).
4. Use incandescent light instead of fluorescent light.
5. Walk for 40 minutes or more at least 4 times per week, preferably in the morning - to reset your rhythm and wake you up properly (particularly if you didn’t sleep well the night before). It is preferred to not wear sun-block (to let the vitamin D in), and without sunglasses. The morning light will reset your rhythm for the day, allowing your body to feel tired at the end of the day, based on this rhythm. Other benefits of walking are that it is proven to relieve stress and anxiety, is a natural anti depressant, and gives you a little physical exercise and exertion which will improve your health and attitude usually. (Good exercise would assist you regulate your weight which affects other sleep disorders including snoring and sleep apnea.)
6. Melatonin has temperature lowering effects. It has been shown that a normal good night’s sleep is spread 6 hours before the point of your lowest body temperature, and two hours afterwards. Sleep cool, rather than being too hot in bed. When your core body temperature is reduced by 0.3°C you would be able to fall asleep. Work with cool temperatures for your best night’s sleep. Do not sleep under heavy doonas/duvets which cause overheating. Sleep temperatures over 32°C start decreasing your beneficial rapid eye movement sleep - which is 5°C cooler than normal body temperature!
7. Your body's neurological messaging systems could be improved by decreasing stress activities. Have a look at your relaxation times, giving yourself some creative, fun time each day. Ensure that your life is meaningful, contributory and personally rewarding.
There are several other ways, besides the methods suggested here, to sleep better without using supplements and drugs - and we suggest you try them first. E.g. it can be that you are intolerant to a food additive or coloring, your insomnia might be a side effect of a medication you are taking, etc. Get informed from a dependable source.
We suggest trying the above solutions before supplementation as it may not be required.
Melatonin is used as a chronobiotic (time shifting medicine), and has been shown to assist with jet lag, shift work, blind subjects, delayed sleep phase (particularly relevant to teenagers) and the elderly (who produce less as they get older). If you are going to trial this supplement, timing is crucial - look at 7 pm or dusk as starting times. And needless to say, if you’re a shift worker or have jet lag, those times might not be appropriate.
According to the respected medical research publication Elsevier, no long-term data exists on it's use.
The retina (in the eye) and the gut both play a role in its production - the messages passing through the body via the autonomic and enteric nervous systems (both systems affected by stress).
It's functions go beyond inducing sleep. It helps regulate other hormones, strengthens the immune system, has temperature lowering effects and is an anti inflammatory and potent antioxidant.
Based on this information here are some practical things to do as of now to assist you sleep better:
1. Melatonin likes the dark. In our life-styles now we don’t frankly go to bed when it gets dark and rise up with the morning light - but its a good idea to try to observe more of that rhythm in your life if you’re having trouble sleeping. Turn the lights down low in your home at night creating a quiet ambience.
2. Blue light is worse than red light for producing melatonin. Blue light is what is emitted by our computers and laptops, so if you are working long hours on your computer, and particularly late into the night, you are disrupting your natural sleep patterns. Turn the computer off earlier than you generally would and/or move away from the computer screen (if you leave your computer on overnight). Experiment and document precisely how the reduced hours on your computer affect your sleep.
3. Download the f.lux software on to your computer to reduce the bright lights it emits at night (Mac and PC compatible).
4. Use incandescent light instead of fluorescent light.
5. Walk for 40 minutes or more at least 4 times per week, preferably in the morning - to reset your rhythm and wake you up properly (particularly if you didn’t sleep well the night before). It is preferred to not wear sun-block (to let the vitamin D in), and without sunglasses. The morning light will reset your rhythm for the day, allowing your body to feel tired at the end of the day, based on this rhythm. Other benefits of walking are that it is proven to relieve stress and anxiety, is a natural anti depressant, and gives you a little physical exercise and exertion which will improve your health and attitude usually. (Good exercise would assist you regulate your weight which affects other sleep disorders including snoring and sleep apnea.)
6. Melatonin has temperature lowering effects. It has been shown that a normal good night’s sleep is spread 6 hours before the point of your lowest body temperature, and two hours afterwards. Sleep cool, rather than being too hot in bed. When your core body temperature is reduced by 0.3°C you would be able to fall asleep. Work with cool temperatures for your best night’s sleep. Do not sleep under heavy doonas/duvets which cause overheating. Sleep temperatures over 32°C start decreasing your beneficial rapid eye movement sleep - which is 5°C cooler than normal body temperature!
7. Your body's neurological messaging systems could be improved by decreasing stress activities. Have a look at your relaxation times, giving yourself some creative, fun time each day. Ensure that your life is meaningful, contributory and personally rewarding.
There are several other ways, besides the methods suggested here, to sleep better without using supplements and drugs - and we suggest you try them first. E.g. it can be that you are intolerant to a food additive or coloring, your insomnia might be a side effect of a medication you are taking, etc. Get informed from a dependable source.
We suggest trying the above solutions before supplementation as it may not be required.
Melatonin is used as a chronobiotic (time shifting medicine), and has been shown to assist with jet lag, shift work, blind subjects, delayed sleep phase (particularly relevant to teenagers) and the elderly (who produce less as they get older). If you are going to trial this supplement, timing is crucial - look at 7 pm or dusk as starting times. And needless to say, if you’re a shift worker or have jet lag, those times might not be appropriate.
According to the respected medical research publication Elsevier, no long-term data exists on it's use.
