Tired of tossing and turning all night? Or maybe you can fall asleep just fine but you wake up every hour, never getting a full night's rest? Adequate rest is super important for your overall health and wellness. I know that seems ridiculous to even need to say that, it's obvious right? But many people don't understand the rules of a good night's rest.
I will go over the 7 tips for a good night's sleep, but first, understanding your sleep cycles or phases is really important. They consist of two recurring phases: REM (rapid eye movement) and NREM (non-REM or non-rapid eye movement). Both phases are important for different functions in our bodies.
NREM sleep typically occupies 75–80% of total sleep each night. Many of the health benefits of sleep take place during NREM sleep – tissue growth and repair occurs, energy is restored and hormones that are essential for growth and development are released.
REM sleep typically occupies 20–25% of total sleep each night. REM sleep, when dreaming occurs, is essential to our minds for processing and consolidating emotions, memories and stress. It is also thought to be vital for learning, stimulating the brain regions used in learning and developing new skills.
If the REM and NREM cycles are interrupted multiple times throughout the night — either due to snoring, difficulties breathing or waking up frequently throughout the night — then we miss out on vital body processes, which can affect our health and well-being the next day and long term.
So how do you get a good night's sleep? Especially when you've tried everything?
Here are seven tips that should help you achieve a good night's sleep:
1. Use the Sleep Time supplement to help you fall asleep and stay asleep.
Sleep Time is an all natural herbal supplement that helps support the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin, which have a role with sleep cycles and anxiety. Another amazing ingredient found in Sleep Time is 4-amino-3phenylbutyric acid (or Phenibut). Research has shown that Phenibut crosses the blood/brain barrier and can be absorbed more efficiently than GABA (gamma aminobutyric acid). Phenibut is anxiety reducing and cognition enhancing. It has been studied for its ability to prevent the negative effects of sleep deprivation, namely protecting the adrenal glands. Phenibut is commonly used in Russia to improve anxiety, sleep disorders, depression, PTSD, and more. Sleep Time also contains Melatonin which most people are familiar with, it's a hormone that naturally is produced by the Pineal gland, but natural secretion may be diminished by aging, hormonal changes, and exposure to light during bedtime. Melatonin supplements are well known for their ability to combat insomnia. If you have tried Melatonin and it didn't work for you, you were probably taking too much. You only need around 3 to 6 mg per dose. Many supplements contain 10 mg which is way too much and can have the reverse effect, where it makes you wired instead of relaxed.
2. Be asleep by 10:00 pm every night. If you are one that stays up really late every night because that's when you have the most energy, then this tip is especially important for you. That is a sign that you probably have Adrenal Fatigue and you need to slowly begin moving your bedtime back by 30 minutes every night and more importantly, get up 30 minutes earlier every morning. Eventually you will be tired at 10pm and ready to get in bed at your new earlier bedtime. The most ideal time to sleep for optimal Adrenal health as well as optimal sleep is from 10pm to 6am.
3. Do not have more than two cups of coffee per day and no caffeine past 3 pm. Even if you think caffeine doesn't effect your sleep, it does. Caffeine takes approximately 5 to 7 hours to wear off, depending on your age, body weight and how sensitive you are to caffeine. Caffeine is also hard on your Adrenal glands which can affect your sleep as well. One of the best ways to heal Adrenal Fatigue is to sleep from 10pm to 6am every night, and to stay off of all caffeine until your Adrenal Fatigue symptoms subside.
4. Do not sleep with a phone near your bed. If you use your phone as an alarm then put it on airplane mode so the electro-magnetic frequencies don't disrupt your sleep. Do not sleep with a Fitbit or Apple Watch on your arm to test your sleep patterns. They are disruptive to your sleep patterns and cycles. Getting a good nights rest is much more important than seeing how you slept from your fitbit report.
5. Practice deep breathing or meditation approximately 30 minutes before bed. This will take you out of fight or flight mode and put you into rest and digest mode. This is absolutely essential to being able to get a good night's sleep if you are someone that deals with mind racing as soon as your head hits the pillow. You can easily do this by slowly breathing in through your nose for a count of 5 and then out through your mouth for a count of 5 and repeat that several times until you feel your body relax.
6. Make your room as dark as possible. The Pineal gland is located inside your brain and secretes the hormone Melatonin which is stimulated by darkness and inhibited by light. When there is any kind of light, especially blue light which is produced by flatscreen tv's, laptops, iPads, phones, LED lights and fluorescent lights, it can inhibit the production of Melatonin, which is a hormone that aids in getting a good night's sleep. For more information about the harmful effects of blue light, go to www.bluelightexposed.com it could save your eyesight and your sleep. If you are one who spends a lot of time in front of screens, you can purchase blue light blocking glasses, especially for your teens who spend a lot of time gaming or for yourself if you're having a lot of headaches. The glasses will block the damaging blue light and allow your Pineal gland to adequately produce Melatonin. If you don't want to wear the glasses, you should stop all screen time about 1 hour before bed, and obviously not have any screen time in your bed. Some people are effected a lot more than others, so if you are one who doesn't sleep well, making this one change may help you a lot.
7. Use the Relaxation & Sleep Tincture- This herbal formula was designed to reduce anxiety and restlessness and to combat insomnia. The herbs in this tincture are highly effective and include things like Chamomile, Valerian Root, Melissa, Scutellaria lateriflora (aka American Skullcap) and Tilia europa (aka Linden Flower). Use two droppersful one hour before bedtime in 8 oz of water. This formula is meant for therapeutic use only, to help get your circadian rhythm back on track and get in the habit of going to bed earlier. Use the Sleep Time formula for more long term use. These are highly potent herbal formulas that are sold exclusively through Health Care Practioners only.
I am fully confident that if you incorporate these sleep support suggestions into your daily life, you will notice a difference within just a few short weeks, maybe less. Many people notice a difference immediately with the Sleep Time supplement and Relaxation & Sleep Tincture. If you are interested in purchasing those supplements, we carry them in our office, as well as in the Supplement Shop on our website. If you have any other questions or need further guidance regarding your sleep or any other health concerns, contact us at 813-241-7098.
*Results may vary. Information and statements made are for education purposes and are not intended to replace the advice of your Physician. Richeson Wellness, LLC does not dispense medical advice, prescribe, or diagnose illness. The views and nutritional advice expressed by Richeson Wellness, LLC are not intended to be a substitute for conventional medical service. If you have a severe medical condition or health concern, see your Physician.
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