Cut the B.S Wednesday – Better sleep for the whole family

There is a time change coming up this Saturday/Sunday – Nov 1, 2015 at 2:00 AM to be exact. We gain an hour of sleep, and lose an hour of sunshine. This subtle time shift can begin to affect our sleeping patterns, and nobody wants that! So today we wanted to address one of the most common symptoms/complaints heard by a Holistic Nutritionist. I am so tired to the point of exhaustion. Why is everybody so tired? The answers often reveal that they have more responsibility than appears humanly possible to manage. Sleep deprivation has been indicated in some serious diseases, such as heart disease and obesity, not to mention a decline in productivity and mental focus. Maybe we are all taking the “super-woman” approach just a tad-bit too seriously!

Hormones and Sleep

When your hormones are in optimal balance, your body begins to reset itself to a healthy weight that you are meant to be at. Understand that your hormones play a huge role in your ability to sleep, metabolize and repair.

Your adrenal glands (roughly the size of a walnut) are responsible for a tremendous amount of duties. When they are functioning optimally, these glands can help you feel energized and relaxed. The adrenals produce cortisol, and DHEA, and contribute to the production of estrogen, testosterone, progesterone, and so much more. Chronic, persistent stress can throw this gland out of whack, sending your cortisol levels into hyper drive, making quality sleep difficult to achieve.

(Read more about Chronic Stress and the effects of Cortisol here)

Your Circadian Rhythm 

Your circadian rhythm, also known as your sleep/wake cycle, is an internal clock that regulates your feelings of sleepiness and wakefulness throughout a 24-period. This sleep-wake cycle plays a role in your energy levels, which tends to rise and dip throughout the day. Most often, people feel the urge to sleep between 1-3pm in the afternoon – the classic hour for a sweet treat and another coffee to keep you going. This can be connected to a dip in cortisol levels, as well as your natural sleep/wake cycle. If your body is not on a regulated sleep cycle, achieving a balanced body and healthy weight loss can become next to impossible.

So what can you do about it? Take action! Here is a quick excerpt from Jenn’s most recent article written for Savvy Mom.

PRODUCTS & SUPPLEMENTS THAT CAN WORK FOR YOUR FAMILY

Melatonin– Most people suffering from sleep issues will try melatonin; although it can work for some people (usually shift-workers or big travellers who are truly deficient in melatonin), I find the majority of people have little success or the effects are not long-lasting. If you’re wondering how to ensure that you’re getting enough melatonin, supplementation may be beneficial, but it is FAR more advantageous (and certainly less expensive) to have your body produce its own melatonin. If you are lacking in melatonin, small quantities can be found in foods like Goji berries, almonds, sunflower seeds (see my recipe for almond bites a healthy, child-friendly recipe) coriander and cherries, but, again, when you optimize your own production you will get the “perfect” dose of melatonin for you.

Magnesium – Another supplement that is highly touted for sleep. Magnesium acts as a muscle relaxant, and therefore may benefit people for whom body tension is the cause of their poor sleep. If muscle tension is not your problem, however, magnesium might not help you get the zzz’s you are looking for and could loosen your bowels, waking you up for a different reason!

Passionflower – For most moms, sleep difficulties do not come from their muscles, rather the issue comes from their ever active brains. We try to fall asleep or stay asleep, but our minds are just too busy to turn off or focus. This is where a key supplement called passionflower, comes in. Passionflower works in the brain to take away running thoughts. It is not a sedative, so it does not actually put you to sleep, but by calming the thoughts that are keeping us up at night, it allows the body to fall asleep naturally. It is easy to get back to natural sleep with passionflower: a single high-dose tablet such as Pascoflair works within 30 minutes. It can even be used by teens as young as 13 years old, if they too have too much on their minds at night.

Don’t be afraid of the dark – Dark is crucial to a good nights sleep; if there is any light coming into the room, your body sends signals to your brain to stay alert and “working” while you sleep. Even the slightest bit of light in your bedroom can disrupt your biological clock and your pineal gland’s melatonin production. Black-out curtains or a great sleep mask (I recently tired an Ultralight Sleep Mask from Bed Bath and Beyond that comfortably hugs my face so absolutely no light can get in) are a must for the best sleep-inducing environment. I have blackout curtains on all our bedroom windows and was able to snag them at a great price from Bouclair Home.

Pillow talk – If your physical space is uncomfortable, then it’s going to be even harder to hit the hay. Invest in a good quality pillow to rest your precious head down on at night; my new favorite pillow is one from designer Jo Alcorn. This pillow is so lush, 100% cruelty free, clean of chemicals and fully washable.

Make a few simple changes, one step at a time and you’ll be on your way to restful sleep in no time. Read Jenn’s full article, written for Savvy Mom here. Stay tuned and follow us on Facebook @ The Simplicity Project

Here are few extra tips for maintaining a restful sleep schedule.

1. Stick to a sleep schedule. Go to bed at roughly the same hour each night, and wake up at the same hour each morning. Our bodies prefer a well-regulated and predictable schedule, especially when it comes to sleep.
2. Get moving! Exercising each day, even for just 20 minutes a day, will help to burn energy and help to regulate your sleep/wake cycle. Walking, jogging, biking, squats, lunges etc are all FREE so there is no excuse – get out there!
3. Expose yourself to sunshine upon waking. According to the National Sleep Foundation, when you are exposed to light first thing in the AM, this triggers your body to slow down the production of Melatonin (the hormone that make you feel sleepy) This resets your body clock for the day.
4. Eliminate caffeine intake after 12pm. Excess caffeine (in excess of 2 cups/day) can inhibit melatonin production, making you feel wired when you should naturally feel tired.
5. Turn your lights down low. A few hours before bedtime, keep your lights dimmed, as this can trigger melatonin production.
6. Get yourself an infuser. An essential oil infuser is a simple and inexpensive addition to your bedroom that can be a very powerful natural sleep aid – when you use the right essential oil. Adding DOTerra lavender essential oil to your infuser each night can naturally sedate you with its heavenly scent! Try it, it really works.
7. Power down! Avoid watching action packed TV and turn off all electronics. We live in a society of constant stimulation, via TV, news, work, social media – and the fact that our phones have become our 24-hour round-the-clock assistant doesn’t help! Try to power down at least one hour before bed, to allow your system a chance to recognize how tired you really are.

Here is a quick recipe for a healthy kid-friendly snack:

Almond Bites (makes 18-24 depending on the size you roll)

• 2 ½ cups rolled oats
• ½ cup raw pumpkin seeds
• ½ cup raisins
• 2 tbsp. raw sunflower seeds
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• ½ cup almond butter (*you can replace with any nut or seed butter)
• 1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp. honey
• 2 tbsp. barley malt syrup
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Grind ½ cup oats and ¼ cup pumpkin seeds in food processor until powdery. Transfer to a medium bowl, set aside.

Combine remaining 2 cups oats, remaining ¼ cup pumpkin seeds, raisins, sunflower seeds, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Stir in almond butter, honey, barley malt syrup and vanilla until soft dough forms.

Moisten hands, and roll dough into 1-inch balls. Coat balls in oat-pumpkin seed powder. Place in freezer 20 minutes to set, then serve or store in the fridge.

*Tip: you can use a nut free butter in the case of allergies

Bonus: These can stay in the fridge for one month (not that they last that long) or the freezer for up to 3 months.

This week we are filming a whole new set of episodes of Simplicity TV, so stay tuned for new episodes over the coming weeks…

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Disclaimer: The information contained is intended to be used for general health care information purposes only, and should not be considered complete or used in place of a visit, call, consultation or advice from a physician and/or healthcare provider. Individuals are encouraged to contact their own private physician or healthcare provider regarding continuation or changes in their symptoms.

References:

Jenn Pike, The Simplicity Project, a simple no nonsense approach to losing weight and changing your body forever!, I C Publishing, 2015

Jenn Pike, Sleep – Necessary for All, but Elusive for Some, Savvy Mom, Oct 26 2015

National Sleep Foundation, How to keep your body clock on track, https://sleep.org/articles/keep-body-clock-on-track/, 05/24/15

Aviva Romm MD, Sleep well, naturally: 7 Steps to great Zzz’s, http://avivaromm.com/sleep-well-7-natural-tips-for-getting-great-zzzzz,