Sleep Disorders Treatment Ayurvedic Medicine: According to Ayurvedic physicians, sleep disorders arise from imbalances in what is known as vata, the aspect of a person's constitution that is responsible for regulating the body's circulation and the breath. Vata imbalances are said to create feelings of heightened anxiety, irritability, and fear, making relaxation and rest more difficult, and thus interfering with one's ability to sleep. To correct vata imbalances, Ayurvedic physicians apply coconut, mustard, or sesame oil to their patients' heads and feet, as well as employing restful meditation and visualization techniques. The use of aromatic fragrances from chamomile, jasmine, rose, and/or sandalwood are also used to promote deep relaxation and restful sleep. Bedtime Rituals: Often the reason people have difficulties sleeping is because they approach sleep in a habitual, unconscious manner, simply going to bed without any conscious attention to what they are doing. By creating bedtime rituals, you can become more conscious about your approach to sleep and help yourself to induce feelings of relaxation that will make falling asleep easier. Here are some easy to implement self-care approaches you can use for this purpose.
A more advanced form of Biofeedback Training, known as Neurofeedback Therapy, employs the use of pulsing sound frequencies that are listened to through headphones. Neurofeedback Therapy has been shown to be very effective for actually improving a person's brain wave activity, making it easier to enter into a relaxed "alpha" state that is not only more conducive for producing healthy sleep, but can also heighten creativity and dramatically reduce stress. Neurofeedback Therapy is especially useful for people who have a difficult time producing alpha brain waves and who are habitually "stuck" in a "beta" state that is characterized by a need to be doing and achieving things without being able to relax. Dealing with Electromagnetic Pollution and Geopathic Stress: To help protect yourself from the harmful effects of electromagnetic pollution and geopathic stress, sleep in a bed that has a frame made of wood and does not contain long metal parts. Also make sure that your mattress and box spring are free of metal coils, as metal is a conductor of electromagnetic currents. In addition, be sure that your bed is positioned at least six feet away from any and all electrical devices, including your bedroom clock. For added benefit, unplug all other devices in your bedroom, such as a computer, radio, or television. Also avoid the use of electric blankets and electric heating pads, as well as waterbeds. To further minimize your risk of being exposed to geopathic stress, avoid sleeping in rooms positioned over fuel tanks, garages, or steel girders, and consider the use of a geomagnetometer to help you determine whether your bedroom is located near or above land affected by geopathic stress points. Diet: Your diet is one of the most important self-care approaches you can take for preventing and reversing sleep disorders. To begin, you should determine whether or not you are allergic or sensitive to any of the foods you eat. This can be accomplished using a food allergy blood test, or through an elimination diet in which you avoid eating suspected foods for a minimum of four days. As you do so, notice any improvements in your health. Then reintroduce the suspected food, eating it by itself. If you experience a return of symptoms within 24 to 96 hours after you do so, you should avoid eating that food. Another simple way of detecting food allergies is to take your resting pulse before you eat. Then eat the suspected food by itself. Retake your pulse ten minutes later. If your pulse has risen by ten points or more during that time, most likely the food you ate is something you are allergic or sensitive to. To further improve your diet, avoid alcohol, caffeine in all forms (including chocolate, non-herbal teas, and soda), sugars and refined carbohydrates, unhealthy fats, and refined salt. Emphasize a diet that contains plenty of fresh, organic fruits and vegetables (especially raw vegetables and salad greens). Also include whole-grain, complex carbohydrates and protein foods such as legumes, nuts, free-range meats and poultry, and wild caught fish. Also use only healthy oils, such as coconut, flaxseed, olive, and walnut oils to ensure an adequate supply of healthy fats to the brain, improving brain function and mood. A light bedtime snack of free-range turkey can also be helpful because turkey supplies L-tryptophan, an important amino acid for increasing serotonin production. (Be sure that you don't eat a full meal near bedtime, however, as doing so can keep you awake at night.) Feng Shui: Feng shui is an aspect of traditional Chinese medicine theory concerned with maximizing the ability of homes and other environments to receive the full benefits of the Earth's positive, natural energies, especially the flow of vital energy known as Qi. According to feng shui theory, the following guidelines are important for ensuring a restful night's sleep:
An herbal bath before retiring can ease tense muscles and promote relaxation. An easy way to do this is to place loose chamomile, lavender, and/or linden flowers in a muslin bag; then place it in your bathtub as it fills with hot water. Homeopathy: The following homeopathic remedies can also be helpful, especially for acute sleeping problems (chronic sleep problems may require the assistance of a trained, classical Homeopath). Aconite: for sleep problems that are accompanied by restlessness and/or nightmares, or which are made worse after times of emotional shock or panic. Arsenicum album: for problems that cause you to wake up between midnight and 2 a.m., feeling restless and apprehensive and/or accompanied by dreams of danger or disaster. Belladonna: for people who have trouble sleeping due to being overly sensitive to external stimuli and/or who are angry, overly excited, or unable to easily fall asleep. Chamomilla: for when you are unable to sleep because you feel wide awake and irritable. Coculus: for when you feel too giddy or tired to fall asleep. Coffea: for sleep problems caused by a racing mind. Ignatia: for insomnia accompanied by frequent yawns and/or caused by emotional upset, and for sleep accompanied by nightmares. Lycopodium: for people with overactive minds who are unable to let go of the day's affairs and/or people who are heavy dreamers who awaken each time their dreams end. Muriaticum acidum: for insomnia by grief, extreme emotional sensitivity, and/or intolerance to sunlight. Natrum muriaticum: for sleep problems caused by anxiety, upsetting dreams, and/or illness caused by emotional upset, and for people who are bothered by heat and sudden noise. Nux vomica: for sleep problems to due to mental strain, overeating, alcohol consumption, withdrawal from alcohol or sleeping pills, and for people who awaken in the middle of the night and then are unable to fall back asleep until around the time that they need to get up to start their day; this remedy is also useful for people who suffer from nightmares that leave them feeling irritable during the day. Opium: for sleep problems caused by sensations that your bed is too hot or due to overly sharp senses that make you unable to sleep due to external stimuli. Pulsatilla: for sleep problems that are characterized by first feeling too hot and then too cold, leaving you feeling restless; also useful for sleep problems caused by nightmares following a meal of rich food. Rhus. Toxicodendron: for sleep problems accompanied by feelings of discomfort or pain, restlessness, and irritability, as well as a need to pace about. For best results, take the above remedies in a dose of 30C approximately one hour before you go to bed. Hydrotherapy: Hydrotherapy is the application of water, ice, steam and hot and cold temperatures to maintain and restore health. Treatments include full body immersion, steam baths, saunas, sitz baths, colonic irrigation and the application of hot and/or cold compresses. Hydrotherapy is effective for treating a wide range of conditions and can easily be used in the home as part of a self-care program. Many Naturopathic Physicians, Physical Therapists and Day Spas use Hydrotherapy as part of treatment. We suggest several at-home hydrotherapy treatments. Please seek the advice of your alternative health care practitioner before undergoing these procedures to make sure they are appropriate for you. Juice Therapy: Combine the juice of carrots, celery, romaine lettuce, and spinach and drink before going to bed. Lifestyle Changes: The following simple lifestyle changes can help you to more easily fall and remain asleep and are especially useful for treating insomnia. Once you get in bed, avoid looking at your clock: Doing this will minimize the risk of worrying about how long it is taking you to fall asleep. Worry exacerbates insomnia and other sleep problems. If you can't fall asleep, get out of bed: Insomnia is actually improved if, instead of remaining awake in bed, you get up and out of the bedroom to sit somewhere else until you start to feel sleepy. Listening to relaxing music or reading a book can help you relax. Once you start to feel drowsy, return to your bed. Repeat this process as often as is necessary. Don't read or watch television in bed: Engaging in such activities in bed breaks the association your mind needs to have between being in bed and sleeping. Exercise regularly: Regular exercise throughout the week makes restful sleep more possible. Ideally, you should exercise for 30 minutes at least three times each week. Avoid doing so too close to your bedtime, however, as this can actually make sleep more difficult. Get in the habit of going to bed each night at the same time: Going to bed at the same time each night helps to program your mind that the hour you retire is meant for sleep. If you can do this for at least 21 nights in a row, a strong association between sleep and the time you retire will be formed in your mind, making restful sleep easier and more habitual. Avoid spending time in bed when you do not want to sleep: Your bed should be for sleeping only. For other activities, such as reading and watching television, sit in a chair or couch, ideally in another room besides your bedroom. Light Therapy: Full-spectrum and bright-light therapies that mimic natural sunlight can help improve sleep disorders. Ideally, you should ensure that you receive three to four hours of full-spectrum or bright-light exposure each day. Also be sure to spend at least 15 to 30 minutes each day outside in natural sunlight, especially during the morning (7 to 9 a.m.). Research has shown that exposure to sunlight during this time helps to maintain proper function of your body's circadian rhythms and biological clock. Natural Hormone Therapy: Natural hormone therapy, also know as bio-identical hormone therapy, can be especially valuable for treating sleep disorders caused by hormonal imbalances, especially during or after menopause for women, and for middle age and beyond for men. Practitioners of natural hormone therapy screen their patients' hormone levels and then create natural hormone replacement formulas that are biologically identical to the hormones naturally created by your body. These formulas, which can be applied topically and are absorbed through the skin, include estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. Adrenal hormones may also be used. Another useful hormone for sleep disorders is melatonin, which is available as an oral supplement. Melatonin has been extensively researched as a natural sleep aid, and has been found to be extremely safe for short-term use. It has been found to be capable of improving not only insomnia, but also other sleep disorders such as advanced and delayed sleep phase disorders and REM behavior disorder. It has also been shown to improve restful, deep sleep and to promote sleep within half an hour after it is ingested. Note: Melatonin should not be used for long periods of time without the supervision of a health practitioner trained in its use. In addition, initial dosages should be small, typically between one-half to two milligrams taken before bedtime. If you find you need to increase your dose, do so in small increments (no more than an additional one milligram). Once you start to experience the benefits of melatonin, it is also advisable that you stop using it for at least two weeks, so that your body doesn't stop producing its own amounts of melatonin. Nutritional Supplements: The following nutritional supplements can all be helpful for treating sleep disorders: B-complex vitamins, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin E, calcium, chromium, copper (taken away from zinc), iron (if you also suffer from anemia; otherwise you should receive all of your body's iron needs from foods such as eggs, meat, nuts, seeds, and dark green, leafy vegetables); magnesium, and the amino acids phosphatidyl-serine and L-tryptophan. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM): According to TCM theory, most sleep disorders are due to problems or weakness in the kidneys. TCM practitioners focus on improving kidney function and energy levels using acupuncture in combination with Chinese herbs, such as the herbal combination liu wei di huang wan, which can be purchased from any Chinese herbal apothecary. Qigong exercises and meditation are also encouraged to both increase energy levels and promote relaxation. Another traditional Chinese remedy for treating insomnia is to soak your feet in hot water before you go to bed. Then, after you dry your feet, cover them with cotton socks that are loose fitting, followed by larger wool socks. This helps to increase circulation to your extremities, inducing feelings of relaxation and drowsiness. An alternative to the above technique is to place a hot water bottle at the foot of your bed, near your feet. For best results, place the bottle on a pillow so that the heat it gives off will strikes the mid-soles of your feet. Treating Sleep Apnea: The following guidelines can help to reduce, and even completely reverse, symptoms of sleep apnea:
Action Plan for
Sleep Disorders
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