By Schuyler Corrigan

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March 1, 2022

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Sleep troubles can be a tricky area to address, as so often it’s hard to know what the root cause of poor sleep may be. It’s very normal to have an occasional night of disrupted sleep, and it’s also normal to wake up a couple of times throughout the night providing you can easily get back to sleep. If you find that you have difficulty achieving good quality sleep regularly and you’re unsure why, before we pathologize the issue, take a look at some sleep hygiene best practices that may help to improve your sleep:

 

• Trouble falling asleep: This could be due to many things including high blood sugar levels, high stress or anxiety from the day, noisy or uncomfortable sleep environment, or prolonged light exposure. 
  • Consume your last meal roughly 3 hours prior to sleeping, and avoid alcohol as often as possible. This will support blood sugar levels while sleeping. Read More: Nutrition Tips for Optimal Sleep
  • Before falling asleep, do a 5-10 minute mindfulness meditation to calm your mind and body from the day. The Calm app or Insight Timer app are helpful meditation tools with brief breathwork practices to unwind your mind before falling asleep. 
  • Invest in a noise machine, black-out curtains, comfortable pillows and mattress, and anything else you may need to make your sleeping space as conducive to deep sleep as possible. 
  • Dim your lights at least 1 hour before you want to fall asleep and avoid computer, TV, and phone screens as well. Read More: The Impact of Blue Light on Sleep

 

• Trouble staying asleep: Again, this can be due to several factors including a noisy or uncomfortable sleep environment, blood sugar dysregulation, hormone fluctuations, or anxiety. 
  • If something in your sleep environment is causing you to wake, try to remedy this or move to another sleeping space. 
  • Consume your last meal roughly 3 hours prior to sleeping, and avoid alcohol as often as possible. This will support blood sugar levels while sleeping. 
  • If hormonal fluctuations such as night sweats are keeping you awake, talk with your naturopathic doctor about creating some personalized support for this. 
  • If you wake in the night with a racing mind or anxiety about the upcoming day, try keeping a small tincture of passionflower on your nightstand and take 30 drops in a little water to calm your mind 

 

• Limit your fluid intake 2 hours before bedtime. If you find that you wake frequently in the night to use the bathroom, this may be helpful to decrease those wakings. 

 

• Magic of Magnesium. Deficient magnesium can lead to poor sleep and insomnia. It relaxes and calms the body and mind for improved sleep. Consuming leafy greens, pumpkin seeds, dark chocolate, cashews, almonds, and quinoa are all great sources of natural magnesium. Having these foods in the evening with dinner may be especially helpful for improved sleep. 
  • Adding magnesium flakes to your evening bath is another great way to reap the benefits of magnesium to support sleep and relax your muscles from a tense day. 

 

• Exercise and regulate your blood sugar.  Daily exercise is so important to healthy sleep. Getting our body active and moving each day helps to regulate our blood sugar levels, cortisol levels, supports our cardiovascular system, decreases stress, and improves our mental health. Even 30 minutes per day of briskly walking is a great place to start. 

 

• Pay attention to your body. Are you going to bed because the clock is telling you it’s time, or your body is feeling ready to sleep? We do have the ability to shift our sleep patterns by maintaining the same routine each night, so if you find that you have a hard time getting to sleep before midnight, try implementing your bedtime routine around 11 pm for 2 weeks, then continually push it back by 15 minutes to reach your desired bedtime. Consistency helps your body create and maintain a strong circadian rhythm. 

 

Quite often, your intuition can point you in the right direction of where to start. Listen to your body and if you have an inkling that you’re having trouble sleeping based on one of the above issues, start there first. 

As Naturopath’s we aim to treat the cause. Knowing the underlying cause of sleep disturbance guides the recommended supportive therapies, which are always individualized. If you have tried everything or have been struggling with sleep concerns for far too long, consider making an appointment with one of our Naturopathic Doctors. You can contact our office at (804) 977-2634 for more information.