My Best Tips For Staying Asleep

If you are consistently waking up in the middle of the night or unable to fall into a deep sleep, you are not alone.  Many of my patients complain of not being able to get a good night’s sleep.  In some cases, there are actual reasons for having your sleep disrupted.  Children and animals needing attention are often culprits for this, but what is to blame when this is not the case? 

Here are some of the more common reasons that deep sleep and uninterrupted sleep may be eluding you right now:

Digestion - Food / Alcohol / Caffeine

There is a reason why most health practitioners recommend that you do not consume any food or beverage two to three hours before bed.  Your body requires energy to digest and process what you have just eaten and this is the opposite of what you need if you want to fall into a deep sleep.  

The same is true for alcohol.  It is best to consume any alcohol with dinner or earlier in the evening as your liver will require energy to process what you consume and this energy increases your heart rate and prevents your body from going into a deep sleep (especially if the process is still not complete at bedtime).

Caffeine consumption requires a little more calculation to determine the best time to enjoy your last cup of coffee.   It is safe for most people to have their last cup at 2:00 pm.  This is because caffeine has a half-life of six hours meaning that half of the caffeine will be used up six hours after consumption. Using 2:00 pm as your cut-off will ensure that any caffeine remaining in your system at bedtime will not impact the quality of your sleep.

Hormone Imbalances

The most common reason for waking through the night can be attributed to some type of imbalance in your hormones.  For women who are menopausal, I would highly recommend connecting with a Naturopath to have a hormone panel conducted as you may need specialized individual recommendations to achieve a good night’s sleep.  We have many great Naturopaths in the local area that we can recommend to you and if you are not in the HRM, using Google or getting a reference from a friend is a great way to connect with the right professional for your needs.

Another hormone that can disrupt sleep and one that I can help you regulate is cortisol - a stress hormone.  Our autonomic nervous system consists of 2 parts: the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.  The sympathetic system is the one that we use during times of emergencies - it is our fight or flight system.  

Our parasympathetic system is used to rest and digest.  When we are experiencing consistent or overwhelming stress, our sympathetic system goes into overdrive and our body produces too much cortisol.  This overproduction disrupts the natural cortisol rhythm in our bodies and it sometimes causes us to wake between 2:00 am and 4:00 am.  Reducing cortisol levels will help with this rhythm disruption and prevent you from experiencing this unwelcome awakening.  

Ways to calm your body and reduce cortisol levels…

As outlined in my earlier blog, sleep hygiene is not only helpful for falling asleep, but also for staying asleep.  Practicing meditation and breathwork are two techniques that are proven to help you have a great sleep.  

Sound machines, essential oils, supplements, and herbs can also help. One supplement that has been proven effective is GABA.  GABA is a naturally occurring neurotransmitter that is inhibitory in nature and has a calming effect on the body.  When people are experiencing a particularly stressful time, it can cause a depletion in GABA so taking this as a supplement can help correct the levels and help you achieve better sleep.  

Another natural sleep aid you may want to consider is CBD.  I have read a lot about using this as a sleep aid and have heard from many that it works well for them.  You can now get this in health food stores like Parks Health Shop.  Ask for a recommendation and experiment with doses until you find something that works for you.

Something that I started doing last year is mouth taping. It is as simple as taking skin tape (the kind you would use with gauze) and placing one end under your nose and the other end under your bottom lip.  This allows your mouth to be 80 to 90% sealed and ensures that the majority of air that you are inhaling and exhaling is done through your nose. When you breathe through your nose you use your diaphragm, you clean and filter the air that you are inhaling and you activate the parasympathetic nervous system.   My Oura ring tracks my sleep and when my mouth is taped I always have a better sleep score. 

I know that there is a lot of information out there on how to get a good night’s sleep, but the underlying message is that in order to have a great sleep, you need to work on reducing your cortisol levels and engaging your parasympathetic nervous system

I am passionate about helping my patients reach their health goals and feel their best!  My system is all about:

👉 reducing overwhelm

👉 mapping out clear, small steps that make the most impact

👉 turning these steps into habits so they are sustainable

If you would like more information on this topic or would like to make a “good night’s sleep” the focus of your wellness journey, please reach out to us at [email protected]