“Forty winks”, slumber, snooze – whatever you choose to call it -- we take sleep for granted. Remember the days when you could sleep all night and not even to get up to urinate? Many of the patients in our clinic have sleep problems and think it’s a sign of aging. You don’t have to accept not being able to sleep as “normal”. There is always a reason for it. These reasons can be addressed and eliminated. The main cause is STRESS:

What is normal sleep? You should be asleep within 15 minutes of your head touching the pillow. Over the next 8 hours, cycles should include various stages including REM sleep or regenerative sleep. Chronic lack of REM (rapid eye movement) can cause mental fatigue, memory loss, anxiety and depression. Waking up in the middle of the night due to hunger, low blood sugar, night sweats or to frequent urination disrupts restorative sleep. Alarm clocks shouldn’t be needed; you should wake up without one and feel rested. Fatigue and sluggishness upon awakening are your body’s way of telling you that your sleep was not “successful” or regenerative.  

Help for the Sleepless

We’ve found two types of important testing that reveal the causes of sleep problems. The first one, most of you already know about and that is salivary hormone testing. This assesses the adrenal hormone levels involved with energy, sleep and pain.

The second test is urinary neurotransmitter testing. This is fascinating because it looks at the brain chemicals, serotonin, GABA, dopamine that are involved with falling asleep and staying asleep. AND -- it is also covered by all PPO or private insurance policies (not HMO’s). This information is like gold. It is so valuable for creating successful, individualized programs.   

Keep in mind that these brain chemicals are simply made of nutrients, such as amino acids and minerals. But the medical and psychiatric specialists don’t know this, or don’t use this logic. They haven’t been educated about how to nutritionally feed the brain. So they recommend Tylenol PM or prescription sleep medications. These act as band-aids, not really getting to the root of the problem. The real solutions consist of dietary changes, specific nutritional supplements and nutrient/hormone hormone creams. So get your levels tested and join the ranks of the rested!

Tips for a Good Night's Sleep:

• Set a schedule. Go to bed at a set time each night and get up at the same time each morning. Try not to disrupt this schedule. "Sleeping in" on weekends also makes it harder to wake up early on Monday morning because it re-sets your sleep cycles for a later wake time.
• 
  Exercise at least 20 to 30 minutes a day. This daily activity can help promote sleep, although a workout too close to bedtime may interfere. Try to exercise at least 5 to 6 hours before going to bed.
• 
  Avoid caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol. Caffeine in coffee, chocolate, soft drinks, non-herbal teas, diet drugs, and some pain relievers acts as a stimulant and keeps people awake. Smokers tend to sleep very lightly and often wake up in the early morning due to nicotine withdrawal. Alcohol robs people of deep sleep and REM sleep and keeps them in the lighter stages of sleep.
• 
  Relax before bed: A warm bath, reading, or another relaxing routine can make it easier to fall sleep. Train yourself to make these activities part of your bedtime ritual.
• 
  Maintain a comfortable temperature in the bedroom. Extreme temperatures can disrupt sleep or prevent you from falling asleep.
• 
  Don't lie in bed awake: If you can't get to sleep, do something else, like reading or listening to music. The anxiety of being unable to fall asleep can actually contribute to insomnia.
• 
  Keep the light out of your bedroom during the night. This can have a major impact on your sleep quality. Install blackout drapes. Cover the clock radio. Avoid night lights.
• 
  Sleep until sunlight. If possible, wake up with the sun, or use very bright lights in the morning. Sunlight helps the body's internal biological clock reset itself each day. Sleep experts recommend exposure to an hour of morning sunlight for people having problems falling asleep.
• 
  Use your Coral Legend minerals before sleep.
• 
  Enhance falling asleep and staying asleep with the supplements Seratran, Travacor or Relaxtone.

As a long-time insomniac, I can tell you these solutions work. Sleep problems are individual and so should their solutions be.

A final important point is that once your adrenal glands and your neurotransmitters are balanced, you can reduce or eliminate the products that initially helped you. This is real healing – real regeneration. If you address the causes, you shouldn’t always have to deal with the deficiencies. Your body is seeking balance and once achieved, you’ll feel a tremendous sense of accomplishment. It feels right.