Tips for healthier teeth, gums and well being
Health Inspired Dentistry Blog
Suggestions on How to Restore Your Natural Sleep Rhythm
Wednesday, 04 March 2015
According to Dr. Mark Hyman, here’s how to restore your natural sleep rhythm. It may take weeks or months, but using these tools in a coordinated way will eventually reset your biological rhythms:
Practice the regular rhythms of sleep – go to bed and wake up at the same time each day
Use your bed for sleep and romance only – not reading or television
Create an aesthetic environment that encourages sleep – use serene and restful colors and eliminate clutter and distraction
Create total darkness and quiet – consider using eyeshades and earplugs
Avoid caffeine – it may seem to help you stay awake but actually makes your sleep worse
Avoid alcohol – it helps you get to sleep but causes interruptions in sleep and poor-quality sleep
Get regular exposure to daylight for at least 20 minutes daily – the light from the sun enters your eyes and triggers your brain to release specific chemicals and hormones like melatonin that are vital to healthy sleep, mood, and aging
Eat no later than three hours before bed – eating a heavy meal prior to bed will lead to a bad night’s sleep
Don’t exercise vigorously after dinner – it excites the body and makes it more difficult to get to sleep
Write your worries down – one hour before bed, write down the things that are causing you anxiety and make plans for what you might have to do the next day to reduce your worry. It will free up your mind and energy to move into deep and restful sleep
Take a hot salt/soda aromatherapy bath – raising your body temperature before bed helps to induce sleep. A hot bath also relaxes your muscles and reduces tension physically and psychically. By adding one-and-a-half to one cup of Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) and one-and-a-half to one cup of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) to your bath, you will gain the benefits of magnesium absorbed through your skin and the alkaline-balancing effects of the baking soda, both of which help with sleep
Get a massage or stretch before bed – this helps relax the body making it easier to fall asleep
Warm your middle – this raises your core temperature and helps trigger the proper chemistry for sleep. A hot water bottle, heating pad, or warm body can do the trick
Avoid medications that interfere with sleep – these include sedatives (these are used to treat insomnia, but ultimately lead to dependence and disruption of normal sleep rhythms and architecture), antihistamines, stimulants, cold medication, steroids, and headache medication that contain caffeine.
Use herbal therapies – try passionflower, or 320 mg to 480 mg of valerian (valeriana officinalis) root extract standardized to 0.2 percent valerenic acid one hour before bed
Take 200 to 400 mg of magnesium citrate or glycinate before bed – this relaxes the nervous system and muscles.
Try one to three mg of melatonin at night – melatonin helps stabilize your sleep rhythms.
Get a relaxation, meditation or guided imagery CD – any of these may help you get to sleep.
If you are still having trouble sleeping, you should be evaluated by your doctor for other problems that can interfere with sleep, including food sensitivities, thyroid problems, menopause, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, heavy metal toxicity, and, of course, stress and depression. Also, consider getting tested for a sleep disorder.
This material is provided for educational purposes only and is not intended for medical advice.
Best wishes,
Health Coach, Ann Kowalski
Recent Posts
- Healthy Mom, Health Baby!!!!
- For the Health Professional, Part 2: Gum Disease: A Serious Infection of the Body
- FDA identifies “high risk” people of dental amalgam mercury fillings
- The truth about the toxicity of amalgam (silver) fillings
- Apparently, we all need to wear night guards now
- 5 Weird Things You Didn’t know About Your Mouth!
Archives
-
2020
- For the Health Professional, Part 2: Gum Disease: A Serious Infection of the Body
- FDA identifies “high risk” people of dental amalgam mercury fillings
- The truth about the toxicity of amalgam (silver) fillings
- Apparently, we all need to wear night guards now
- 5 Weird Things You Didn’t know About Your Mouth!
- Effects of crooked teeth – and the solution!
- Healthcare professionals urging people to resume checkups
- Creating the Non-Dental Office Experience for Northeast Ohio
- Good dental health is saving Cleveland lives!
- How to whiten your teeth safely
- Healthy nasal passages create nitric oxide that is toxic to viruses
-
2018
- 12 Steps for great December digestion
- Say Yes to Non-Surgical Gum Therapy
- What kind of toothpaste should I be using?
- Why Choose a Female Dentist?
- Claudia Minadeo-Fox DDS celebrates 30 years!
- 10 tips for a flatter stomach from Cleveland Health Coach
- Why choose a woman dentist in Cleveland?
- ATTENTION ALL COLLEGE STUDENTS
- See how you can Save $1000 today!
- Is Sparkling Water Bad for My Teeth?
- Common Dental Barriers; What’s Keeping You From the Dentist
- Choosing Your Local Dentist for Botox and Dermal Fillers
- Cleveland Health Coach Thinking About Your Heart
- Breaking Habits the Right Way
- Integrative Nutrition and Health Coaching
-
2015
- GERD Effects the Health of Your Teeth
- Massage and Cold Weather
- 21 Day Meditation – Become What You Believe
- Ways to Relieve Stress and Relax Your Mind
- Interesting Facts About Vitamin D
- Interesting Facts About Massage Therapy
- The Eight Causes of Cravings
- B12 – the Vitamin for All Ages
- Sugar – the Only Cause of Tooth Decay
- Transform Your Diet Without Radically Altering Your LIfe
- Just One More Reason To Smile! Newsletter – April 2015
- Bone Loss Score May Tip Off Doctors to Gum Disease in Postmenopausal Women
- Know The Risks of Oral Cancer
- Suggestions on How to Restore Your Natural Sleep Rhythm
- Take Control of Your Heart to Take Care of Your Heart
- WHAT’S IN A KISS
- Most & Least Contaminated Produce
- Begin the New Year with a wellness routine! Be sure to include Massage!
-
2014
- 3 Ways to Enjoy Holiday Parties
- Quick and Easy Dental Hygiene
- Acid Reflux – Your Dentist May Notice Before You Do
- Happy Thanksgiving
- Skipping Dental Visits May Impact Sense of Smell
- Thank You For Attending Our “Say Ahh” Event
- 3 Health Benefits of Eating Chocolate
- Mouth Guards Prevent Dental Injuries
- What to pack in your child’s school lunch for the nutritional punch
- Health Benefits of Himalayan Salt Lamps – Holistic Health!
- SAY AHH
- Five Reasons to Scrape Your Tongue Every Day:
- Highland Heights Green Task Force
- Four Spring Cleaning Tips for a Healthy Mouth
- Dental Health Month
- Happy New Year from Everyone on Our Team!