Insomnia and Stress? Perhaps it’s time to listen to your body

Debbie Smrz, BSc, ND

Have you notice your sleep quality starting to decrease since you’ve hit middle age? Studies suggest that starting in your 30’s and 40’s, the average person loses 27 minutes of sleep per night for each subsequent decade. The time it takes to fall asleep may vary, as do waking episodes. What’s more, your ‘internal body clock’ or circadian rhythm often becomes less efficient, often due to stress levels.

When one is in balance, your circadian rhythm will follow the sun, with hormones such as melatonin producedd to help us sleep, and other hormones such as cortisol waking us up in the morning. Throughout one’s life, your circadian rhythm will naturally shift. It peaks in adolescence – why teenagers want to stay up, and get up late, but then gradually shifts back to the light/ dark rhythm. Then, middle age hits, and as we age not only do we lose that 30 minutes of sleep, change our circadian pattern such that we wake up earlier, but, we become more sensitive to our timing, such, that if we don’t go to sleep when our clock tells us too, we find it even harder to fall and stay asleep, resulting in light sleep. Stress can exacerbate these issues, making it even harder to support restful sleep.

According to the sleep foundation, by approximately age 65 – 70, your optimal sleep cycle should start at 7 p.m. or 8 p.m. and wake up at 3 a.m. or 4 a.m. As this is not societies time to sleep and start the day, most people fight their natural inclination to sleep and keep their usual 10pm or later bedtime. So, you were able to fight your melatonin production and get your ‘second wind’, but unfortunately, your body clock still kicks in and sends a wake-up call around 3 a.m., resulting in disturbed sleep from that point onward.

Clock genes are everywhere in our body, and we are still learning why they become less efficient as we age and our circadian cycle become earlier, but there are some tricks you can do to support your sleep.

Support your hormones

Melatonin is your sleep hormone and cortisol your wake hormone. Melatonin is produced in the pineal gland, right between your eyes and is very sensitive to light. If you are trying to push your melatonin production to a later time, try getting more direct, bright sunlight in the early afternoon – a light book can work too. If you are trying to go to sleep earlier each night, an early morning walk with lots of sunlight will tell that clock to send melatonin earlier in the day.

Your adrenal glands produce your cortisol, and stress can lead to your hormones being off. Dealing with your stress and anxiety is one of the most important things you can do to support your adrenal glands. There are also a number of apoptogenic herbs that support your adrenal glands and can help regulate your sleep. Reducing stress through relaxation techniques such as meditation, deep breathing exercises, and yoga can also help in maintaining hormonal balance

Basic Sleep hygiene

Ensure that your room is dark and cool, with minimum outside noises to wake you up. Turn off all electronics 1 hour before bed (remember, light plays with your hormones and body clock), and limit stimulants like coffee and chocolate, possibly removing them completely as these do affect both your adrenal glands and nervous system. Exercise is very helpful in regulating sleep and supporting hormones, but too close to bedtime can have the opposite affect, pushing melatonin production back and increasing cortisol, so exercise early in the day if possible, and preferably outside. Address any underlying conditions like sleep apnea or restless leg, and keep in mind that your medication can also be causing disturbances, so looking at all underlying factors is important for support. Managing stress through proper sleep hygiene practices can significantly may help support your sleep quality and overall well-being. At Naturopathicliving medical solutions we work with our clients to provide holistics care.