Sleep Issues

 Sleep Issues

August 3, 2013

Not that I have a one-size-fits-all answer, but I’ve collected some information on sleep issues over the years.  If you are having difficulty getting the sleep you need, consider the following:

 
·         Your circadian rhythm could be skewed, meaning that your cortisol may peak at night instead of in the morning hours when it’s time to get up.  This can be tested with a salivary panel wherein you collect four separate saliva samples at specified times during a 24 hour period and send the four samples to a lab.  This is an excellent starting point for solving the mysteries of many health issues.
 
·         Your cortisol may drop so low at night that your adrenal glands produce adrenaline to keep your blood sugar high enough to meet the needs of your brain.  Unfortunately, it is unlikely that you can continue to sleep with adrenaline spiking.  (Adrenaline, AKA “epinephrine” comes from a different part of the adrenal gland.  It typically wears out later and recovers faster than the adrenal cortex where the cortisol is produced.)
 
·         You may have something in your bedroom that you are allergic to, causing production of adrenaline during the night while you are trying to sleep.  Because a person can be sensitive to anything, so you need to use your imagination, and perhaps bring someone else in to help you make a list of everything in your room.  Don’t forget personal care products, especially if you or your bed partner bathe just before going to bed.  All of these things can be tested with muscle response testing to help you find what may be keeping you awake via a sensitivity reaction.  Not to worry though, because most such reactions can be neutralized with techniques such as NAET.  I’ll write more on the allergy connection later.
 
·         A busy mind that won’t turn off at bedtime is another common sleep thief.  Once again, there is no one remedy that works for everyone, but two of my favorites for this issue are the Bach flower essence, “White Chestnut”; and Heel’s “Neurexan”.
 
·         There can, of course, be more serious issues affecting your sleep, so you should have your primary care doctor check that out early in the process.
 
·         Don’t forget that emotional stress also causes cortisol and adrenaline surges that can keep you awake.  There may be recent emotional trauma, or there may be post-traumatic stress that gets triggered by a current life event, even if that event seems insignificant.  

You may have to turn over many stones to find the solution for your sleep issues, but good sleep is worth it!  I will surely be writing again on this topic!  Sleep well, my friends.

P.S.  This post is a continuation of a series that started out as “weight loss & insulin resistance” on my facebook page.  Next, I started blogging on my website, but wasn't satisfied with the features, so here I am trying something new!  Find the earlier posts at http://barta4health.com/ and facebook.com/weightlossinsulinresistance