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School is in and work is back in full flight, and of course, summer has finally arrived and along with it warm nights. At this time of the year in New Zealand falling asleep and getting a deep sleep may prove challenging. Being hotter and busier is not the best recipe for great sleep.
How does sleep happen?
As evening turns to night, blood levels of the hormone melatonin rise, while levels of the daytime energy hormone, cortisol decrease. The combination of these two hormones rising and dipping makes a person feel sleepy enough to nod off. Some sleep issues arise because there is not enough melatonin or cortisol is still elevated in the blood at night. Both have different symptom pictures.
Those who do not produce enough melatonin struggle to fall asleep. They may or may not actually want to sleep, but their defining characteristic is lying awake for an hour or more, or drifting in and out of an extremely light sleep, struggling to fall into a deep sleep.
Whereas those whose cortisol levels are still high at night time, fall asleep due to the normal levels of secreted melatonin, but wake up repeatedly throughout the night and thus are deprived of a replenishing night’s sleep.
The unlucky may even have both – low melatonin and higher than normal cortisol at night. This means it is a struggle to fall asleep and stay asleep.
Other factors to consider are tight muscles, restless legs and a busy mind. Muscles that do not fully relax at night can often create a low level, unnoticed tension that prevents the body from fully relaxing, and of course a busy mind overthinking the day may never switch off.
Solutions
Thank fully Mother Nature has provided us with natural solutions.
For those struggling to fall asleep who most likely have low levels of melatonin, 5 HTP (5 – hydroxytryptophan) is the natural supplement of choice. 5-HTP comes from the Griffonia simplicifolia bean and is converted to serotonin, the feel good hormone, which is in turn converted into melatonin. Taking 5 HTP an hour prior to sleep can help increase melatonin levels and in turn aid nodding off.
Enzyme Treated Asparagus Shoots (ETAS for short) are sourced from the woody stems of asparagus – the part that is unpalatable. They have been shown to reduce levels of excess cortisol. Ingesting this prior to sleep can help prevent nuisance waking throughout the night. One of the other benefits of ETAS is it protects the body from the damaging effects of stress. Chronic tiredness from multiple unsatisfactory sleeps places stress on the body’s cells, so ETAS has a double benefit.
Supplemental magnesium can help muscle fibres relax and thus remove any tension that may be preventing falling asleep or blocking a full night’s sleep. For those that have chronic sleep issues, taking magnesium at the start of the day and before sleep can help prevent ongoing magnesium depletion. The herb that compliments magnesium in aiding sleep is Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora). Skullcap calms nerve signals to the muscles down, settling any jaded nerves from the day. The combination of magnesium working inside the muscle, and Skullcap easing nerve activity, makes the two powerful at engendering a state of relaxation.
For over active minds that prevent sleep, the herbs, Passionflower (Passiflora incarnate) and Zizyphus (Zizyphus jujube) calm brain activity down to the point where sleep can be achieved, and smooth out nervous tension. They also help prolong sleeping time.
The advantage of the above nutrients and herbs is that they do not have day time sleepiness associated with them. They work with the body’s natural rhythm rather than forcing it into an unnatural sleep.
5HTP, ETAS, Magnesium, Skullcap, Passionflower and Zizyphus all offer different inroads into getting the best night’s sleep possible. The synergy between using all or some of them offers a timely natural solution to falling and staying asleep in the summer months.
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