7 Effective Ways to Get Back Your Deep Healthy Sleep

It's a crazy world out there - and getting crazier. Stress and sleep deprivation are both so common, they are routinely treated with tranquilizing medication. Prozac, an SSRI (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor), is sold to millions with insomnia, and given to calm both children (although an off-label use) and adults. Its maker sells millions of dollars more of the exact same drug specifically to sleep-deprived menopausal women under the name, Sarafem.

Other classes of people using tranquilizers just to sleep are soldiers returning from the war, injured survivors of severe accidents, and many others with depression and emotional problems. Six of every ten Americans have sleep problems, especially those who are stressed out and those over 50 with hormone depletion. But the inability to sleep deeply can affect anyone for a variety of reasons. Here are a few things to do that might bring back natural sleep without medication.

Natural Supplements Shown to Induce Sleep

An effective natural supplement for inducing sleep and relaxation is l-tryptophan, an amino acid present in red meat and turkey. Anyone who has finished their second helping of Thanksgiving dinner and felt that snooze coming on understands this. Just like Prozac, tryptophan, a calming neurotransmitter, and melatonin, a sleep-inducing hormone released by the pineal gland in response to darkness, have the ability to increase brain levels of serotonin. But just because doctors know they work, don't expect them to suggest these options.

L-tryptophan (also referred to just as tryptophan) was well-known and in such common use about 30 years ago, many vitamin stores had trouble keeping it on their shelves. That is, until an underhanded political scheme was cooked up to get it banned in late 1989 with the full cooperation of the FDA, coincidentally, exactly when Prozac was released on the market. The FDA blamed it for causing Eosinophilia-Myalgia Syndrome.

Tryptophan is a natural supplement that does what Prozac can do, only better, safer, and cheaper, and unlike prescription sleep medications, it has no side effects, The CDC traced down the alleged problems with the supplement to contaminants found in isolated batches of tryptophan made by Japanese company Showa Denko, yet the FDA continued to refuse to lift the ban. An article entitled The FDA Ban of L-Tryptophan: Politics, Profits and Prozac was published on the Life Extension Foundation web site on April 6 1998. It details that on February 9, 1993, a United States government patent (#5185157) was issued for the use of l-tryptophan to treat and cure EMS, the very same deadly flu-like condition which prompted the FDA to take L-Tryptophan off the market in 1989. It made no sense, but the secret workings of the FDA have made no sense to the general public for a long time, except to those aware of their political and financial chicanery.

Melatonin and Light Sources

Back to the hormone melatonin, this substance is another that has been used successfully to calm and induce sleep, as well as to treat jet lag for travelers. Because melatonin is made in the pineal gland in response to the onset of darkness, until the late 1990's it was thought that light entering the eyes was what motivated its production. Sleep researchers placed study subjects in settings of complete darkness using sleep masks, room-darkening shades, and curtains lined with light-blocking materials. This induced easier sleep, but didn't provide all the pertinent information.

A Science Magazine article [98:279(5349):333-4,396-9] reported on a Cornell University study showing that just shining a light on the skin behind the knee in an otherwise dark room altered both the body temperature and melatonin levels of the subjects. When this discovery was pursued further, it was found that using this same light exposure technique just before dawn would actually advance the subject's circadian rhythm in the same way as if the subject's eyes were exposed to daylight. This proved that nighttime skin exposure to even a small amount of light during the sleep cycle resulted in an earlier release of melatonin and a consequent drop in body temperature the following day, triggering the subject's need for sleep proportionately earlier.

In real life, such a disruption in light exposure (possibly to skin on any/many locations of the body) even by a light or TV in the next room, can alter the release time and amount, or completely shut down production of, melatonin. This can set off an unwanted cycle of insomnia and resultant fatigue. A light left on while someone is sleeping that shuts off their melatonin production can have many effects over time; not only does it disrupt prostaglandin production, but it suppresses the immune system, lowering intracellular calcium levels which should increase during sleep, and can raise the risk of depression and disease in later life.

When getting up to walk to the bathroom at night, if safety allows, do not turn on the light. Just a few seconds of room light shuts down melatonin production making it difficult or impossible to return to deep sleep. Also keep this in mind before deciding to raid the refrigerator at night. While there is little research confirming this, evidence would suggest that having only dim nightlights in halls and the bathroom to minimize skin exposure to light could be less sleep disruptive when returning to bed.

Magnetic Fields Can Impede Natural Sleep

Another thing that affects melatonin production is magnetic fields, which are constantly increasing in our modern civilization. Use of a relatively inexpensive Tri-field Gauss meter can be used to check a sleeping area to assure there are no such fields that the body can sense that may affect sound sleep. Previous studies have shown that electro- magnetic fields (EMF) not only suppress melatonin production, but they may stimulate the growth of breast tumors in animals. Scott Davis, PhD., of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, located evidence regarding humans in a normal living environment, that would suggest that relatively small changes in magnetic fields do have an observable impact on lowering melatonin levels.

At the American Cancer Society Science Writers Seminar in the late 1990's, Dr. Davis explained how his research linked increased EMFs in bedrooms to this hormone imbalance resulting in similar phenomenon in women. He found that doubling the nighttime EMF exposure resulted in approximately an eight percent decrease in normal melatonin production. Tripling the exposure dropped production by 15 percent.

What To Do When You Need to Sleep

Additional options include using wrist acupressure and taking other stronger natural substances, some of which may interact with some prescription drugs; for this reason they are not mentioned. No one should arbitrarily use any supplements for sleep, even natural ones, along with prescription medications. Nor is it wise to take anything, especially prescription medications, without looking up their side effects in the Physicians Desk Reference (PDR), a copy of which can be found in most libraries and drug stores, hospitals, and doctor's offices.

More people than have any idea, are taking prescription medications whose actual side effects include insomnia. Check this - and if you find out that some drug you are taking is actually the reason for your sleeplessness, ask your doctor to change it. Doctors are trained to use prescription medications, and know little about natural substances so they don't even like to talk about them. But if you have a good relationship with your doctor, you may get his cooperation. These natural substances have no side effects other than natural sleepiness.

While some people swear by them, others say they do little for them. Since tests would be more expensive than simple experimentation, most doctors would not perform tests to find out who would be helped by what. If you are having problems sleeping, there are some simple steps that can be taken to protect yourself against light exposure and magnetic intrusions that can ruin your sleep and your health. Tryptophan (now back on the market) or melatonin are available at many drugstores and most health food stores.

1. Supplements of tryptophan, or even 5-HTP, another supplement which is the next step in tryptophan metabolism, about an hour before bedtime when having problems getting to sleep or when traveling across time zones, can often provide natural safe sleep. Also found to be helpful, were eating primarily protein foods such as beef and turkey, and avoiding high carbohydrate foods like sugary desserts, mashed potatoes, cereals, and grains for 4-6 hours before bedtime.

2. A melatonin supplement of 2-3 mgs about an hour before bedtime may help. Initially, over 20 years ago, this supplement was sold only in 1 or 3 mg tablets, but it is now available in 5 and 10 mgs after studies showed that this amount works for some when lower levels did not.

3. Take a hot shower or bath before going to bed. Normal body temperature tends to drop about 1 degree about an hour before sleepiness occurs. This signals the body and the brain to slow down and prepare to sleep. Your body will attempt to lower your body temperature when you get into a tub of hot water, making you naturally sleepy.

4. A Tri-field Gauss meter can be purchased in hobby stores or over the Internet to perform basic tests in your sleeping area. The EMF levels by your bed should be 1mG or less. If the EMF level is still high near the bed, move all electrical and electronic appliances such as TVs, clocks, phones, VCRs, DVD players, radios, answering machines, and cell phones more than six feet away from the bed. If the EMF level still exceeds 1mG, the current may be being generated by the house wiring. An electrician can usually check the wiring for code compliance and fix any problems.

5. Don't use a waterbed heater or an electric blanket. (Electric blanket EMFs have been shown to penetrate through up to six inches of body tissue.) and remove electrical appliances or extension cords that run in the vicinity of or under the bed.

6. Beginning a consistent aerobic exercise program can make normal sleep return. Something as simple as walking daily, Pilates exercises, or using a rebounder (small trampoline), or a treadmill can increase chances of falling off to sleep naturally.

7. On awakening, open the blinds or curtains to imprint daylight on your brain and reset your body clock. This will keep your melatonin levels on "awake" until evening when you should be naturally sleepy.

Finally, how is your thyroid? The thyroid gland is a major player in natural sleep. Doctors know this and may prescribe thyroid pills (Synthroid - synthetic, Armour Thyroid - natural non-prescription) to their older patients who complain of constant insomnia. It also contributes to weight loss but needs constant monitoring, and medical professionals don't have that kind of time, nor is it covered by insurance, so they avoid prescribing it in all but the most clear cut instances of thyroid disease to avoid its misuse as a weight loss aid.

But prescriptions aren't always necessary. Americans are getting less and less elemental Iodine in their diets due to salt-free diets, no access to ocean fish, kelp, and other iodine-rich sources. One slice of bread once provided the RDA of iodine, but approximately 30 years ago, changes were made in the bread making process that not only removed iodine as an ingredient, but substituted bromine, an element that counteracts iodine in the body and may inhibit the proper action of the thyroid gland. This double whammy might be partially responsible for the avalanche of weight gain U.S. citizens have witnessed in the population during that time period. Knowledgeable individuals have resorted to OTC pill supplements of iodine and potassium iodide (SSKI) such as Iodoral to make certain they are not deficient, and their thyroid continues to get enough iodine to remain healthy. This can assure many people over 50 that they will not be subject to age-related insomnia, and may keep their weight normal as well.

Getting enough sleep is often overlooked or put on a back burner, but it should be a priority. With proper sleep everything works better. Without proper sleep, neither the brain nor the immune system can do their job. Increasing your protein intake for naturally higher tryptophan levels, taking daily supplements of iodine if necessary, and using melatonin supplements at night time, can stave off depression and fatigue, protect against cancer, slow the aging process, and can increase life span by slightly lowering the body's core temperature. Even if you work the night shift, adhering to as many of these tips as you can, can give you a longer healthier life.

Like this article? Read my other articles.