Sleep Disturbance: 7 Energy Science Solutions
There is nothing like a good night's rest and when that doesn't happen it's a source of deteriorating health Chronic disease ) is often associated with sleep problems More than 25% of the US population have sleep disturbances and 10% have chronic insomnia Although not specifically studied with the IC syndrome, sleep disturbances occur in people with diabetes, depression, obesity, and those with cardiovascular disease
It's not too difficult to understand why sleep disturbances would occur with chronic disease Getting up at night in order to pacify a bladder that wants to urinate is understandable but other situations such as rectal spasm or bowel symptoms may also play a role in altering the sleep pattern And of course the ramifications of chronic fatigue from sleep deprivation begin to show when continued problems of interrupted sleep occur
So what can be done to help with sleep disturbance that can support pharmaceuticals that are prescribed?
Sleep Aids
There are many effective sleep pharmaceuticals to use but they have the potential of sleep hangover so there are some natural sleep aids that can help Try several of these suggestions as their effects will mount up
Eating cherries or drinking cherry juice This fruit is a natural source of melatonin and tryptophan so drinking cherry juice around bedtime makes complete sense Researchers at LSU used tart cherry juice and found an increase of 90minutes of sleep a night
Moderate exercise This helps tax the body so that it wants rest at night Nothing like making the body tired Pranayama can be a very effective way to exercise if you have difficulty with walking, running, or accessing equipment
Prepare for sleep If a sleep disturbance occurs one of the first things is to look at what time you're going to bed and what time you're waking up In general bedtime should be around 10pm and wakeup around 7am So if your planned bedtime is 10p begin getting ready for bed around 930p taking a warm calming tub bath and massaging the head and feet with bhringaraj oil that relaxes the nervous system Listening to calming music, pleasant reading and NOT watching TV are good things to do for sleep preparation
So Hum There may be times when you want to fall asleep but the mind is just too agitated for one reason or another to let the body relax Instead of counting sheep or listening to the mind's endless chatter you can use So Hum breathing So Hum is a mantra that mimics the sound of the breath So on inhalation and Hum on exhalation When you use this mantra you can calm the nervous system and bring on sleep much more easily
Interrupted sleep Some recommend that if you're having trouble waking up in the middle of the night and cannot get back to sleep that you stay up if you have given yourself an adequate chance to go back to sleep When you stay up and begin the day at 3am and do that for three days in a row, it will be impossible for you not to have a good night's sleep This is especially if you avoid naps during the day The body requires sleep and deprivation for 17 days leads to death so forcing sleep deprivation can become a solution
Nutmeg and milk The herb nutmeg is an excellent sleep aid and coupled with a soothing cup of warm milk will help take the edge off and allow you to go into slumberlands Other herbal therapies There are a number of herbs that can act synergistically with one another in order to cumulatively give you better rest along with dealing with other physiologic problems Rasayans as well as tagar, valerian, brahmi, shankapushpi, jatamamsi, and vidari are excellent at calming the nervous system and promoting better sleep
Chamomile tea This herb also has a sedating effect to the nervous system and can be effective as a sleep aid
