We often hear about the importance of eating right. Just exactly what that means is up to debate, but we can all agree that the “Eat Right” component of our overall health and wellness is extremely important. So too are the “Move Right” and the “Think Right” components, because exercise and stress management are also critical to our health and wellness paradigm.
But what about the often forgotten “Sleep Right” component? Not only is good quality sleep important, but so too is a sufficient amount of sleep.
Yes, restorative sleep is essential to good health. However, in our daily hustle and bustle, we often do not get the minimum duration of sleep, and the daily stressors of life often compromise the quality of our sleep.
I want to help you understand the mechanisms of proper, restful sleep and, equally important, how to enhance your sleeping hours.
Sleep is crucial to the regenerative processes that our bodies require in order to cleanse it of materials, to detoxify the brain and other key organs. It is also a fact that sleep is an essential element for virtually every bodily function. It supports proper neurologic and cognitive function as well as emotional stability and immune function. Sufficient sleep is also essential for proper growth hormone production and regulation, which is necessary for bodily repair activities.
Missing just a few nights of good sleep seems to go unnoticed oftentimes. However, those of you who do this periodically feel the effects through increased fatigue, irritability, mood dysregulation, and poor concentration as well as memory issues.
Long-term sleep insufficiency can be a cause of, or at least be considered a strong contributing factor for, an increased risk of more severe cognitive decline and more regular and severe illnesses due to concurrent poor immune function.
NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTATION
Patients who are concerned about the quality and duration of their nightly sleep commonly ask me about a supplement called melatonin. Melatonin calms and quiets the central nervous system. It suppresses sympathetic nervous system activity and stimulates parasympathetic activity. This in turn allows us to settle in for a good night’s sleep.
My recommendation, however, is to first try behavioral changes that promote proper sleep.
First, melatonin is generated by the body in response to the circadian rhythm cycle. A small gland in the brain, called the pineal gland, is directed by another gland in the brain, the hypothalamus, which in turn is stimulated by the dark of the night. As a result, the pineal gland produces melatonin in order to stimulate sleep.
In the morning, sunlight causes the adrenal glands to produce elevated cortisol blood levels, and this in turn assists in waking us up. (Other neurotransmitters like GABA help in the regulation of sleep as well.)
The dark initiates sleep; the light ends it. Referred to as the circadian rhythm, the cycle of the sun regulates our sleep cycle.
Second, stress obviously is a big factor not only in the quality of our sleep but also in the duration of sleep. A high-stress lifestyle will cause increased adrenal hormone production, specifically, the increased production of cortisol, which assists in waking us up. Unfortunately, when you are under a great deal of stress, your production of cortisol goes into overdrive and you produce high levels at times of the day or night. Cortisol should not be produced at such levels. This in turn causes difficulties in not only falling asleep when you should, but also in staying asleep.
When we combine the stress response and its increased cortisol production with the consumption of caffeine, which is used by many to stay awake after not sleeping well, we begin a cycle of sleeplessness. The reason is that the caffeine that is taken in during the day lingers in our body for hours thereby decreasing our ability to fall asleep at night.
Some folks use alcohol to deal with the “stress of the day.” However, the effect of alcohol on the sleep cycle is deceptive. You see, alcohol is actually a depressant, and as such it provides a false sense of being relaxed. It actually does not increase restfulness because it also stimulates the production of even more cortisol. So even if alcohol consumption appears to allow a person to sleep, it is deceptive, because that sleep will not be restful and restorative. This in turn will lead to cognitive decline and overall immune function degradation. Consistent use simply compounds the problem.
Finally, many things in our current lifestyle can interfere with the normal circadian rhythm. Things such as shift work or increased exposure to blue light and EMF’s from electronic devices can all contribute to the nervous system’s interpretation of the day/night cycle. This in turn disrupts the rhythm and the appropriate production of melatonin.
In the sleep right section of my book, Dr. Pfeiffer’s Guide to a Longer Healthier Life, I go into many different things that you can do to assure proper sleep. These recommendations include such things as turning off electronic devices two hours before bed and having an appropriately cool temperature in the bedroom. The colors and sounds in the bedroom are also contributing factors to proper sleep.
THE DECISION TO SUPPLEMENT
As far as natural supplementation, that subject is variable based on the individual and circumstances. It is essential to recognize the multiple causes and mechanisms involved with interrupted or delayed sleep.
It is also important to identify the underlying issue or issues that are driving sleep disturbances. One such problem may be low neurotransmitter levels. Deficiencies in neurotransmitters such as GABA can interrupt or significantly delay the sleep cycle for many individuals. Particular amino acids or the combination of amino acids such as glycine, GABA, L-theanine, and 5-HTP often have a synergistic affect on sleep.
Some herbs such as Valerian root, Magnolia, and Lemon Balm have a calming effect on the nervous system and can help you to fall asleep. Also, the combination of these herbs, which also have anti-inflammatory properties along with curcumin or turmeric help with decreasing the overall inflammatory load and thereby aid in prolonging the sleep cycle. Another herb which is typically used for improving prostate function called Stinging Nettle is a natural histamine blocker. Supporting healthy histamine levels also aids in supporting healthy sleep patterns.
CONCLUSION
As you can see sufficient sleep quantity and quality is an often-forgotten component for both short- and long-term health and wellness. When you evaluate the causes for poor sleep patterns, it is essential that you determine which lifestyle issues may be impacting your ability to both fall asleep and to stay asleep. First make appropriate adjustments to those specific impediments. Then, perhaps targeted supplementation may help you reset your sleep patterns and create a more relaxing and regenerative sleep cycle.