Top 5 Solutions To Improve Your Sleep!

By Melanie DesChatelets, BSc(h), ND • January 29th, 2011 • 11343 Views

Sleep is something everybody needs but not everybody gets it!  Sleeplessness affects 30-50% of the population and can lead to debilitating daytime drowsiness, poor concentration and difficulty with memory.  The inability to fall asleep, frequent awakening from sleep, inability to maintain sleep and early morning awakening are all considered types of insomnia. 

Sleep hygiene can play a monumental role in your effectiveness to sleep. 

Solution #1: The environment

Bedroom environment

A proper assessment for a bed and pillow that allow you to sleep ergonomically may help in ensuring you are sleeping comfortably.  It is also important to assess the room for temperature and humidity.  The hot and humid of tropical weather is not desirable in your room.  Adjust if necessary.

Black out shades

Our sleep-wake cycle is regulated by our pineal gland.  The pineal gland secretes melatonin in response to darkness.  It is our body’s way of telling us “time for bed”.  With the advent of lighting on demand, our circadian sleep-wake cycle can be disrupted.  Avoiding light after sunset is not very practical or realistic.  Ensuring you use black out shades and ensuring your room is as dark as possible during the night can improve sleep. 

Ear plugs

Many cringe at the thought of buying earplugs.  Please give them a chance.  They come in various sizes and materials and thus the bad memory of “hear plugs” is most likely a biased one.  Check online, you can purchase a variety pack of earplugs for approximately $10.  These will allow you to explore and decide what you like before investing in more expensive ones.  This is certainly worth the investment if you are a light sleeper.  Word of caution, make sure you can still hear the alarm clock and the fire/carbon monoxide alarm.  Some noises are worth waking up for!  This should however alleviate the snoring partner, the tap dancer upstairs and the soothing sound of the garbage truck outside.

Solution #2: The diet

Some individuals are more sensitive to certain substances than others.  Substances such as nicotine, caffeine and alcohol can negatively affect sleep.  Avoidance of caffeine and alcohol for at least a period of time is necessary to assess the degree to which it is contributing to your insomnia.  Eliminate it for 1 week.  The next time you consume these products make a sleep diary in order to analyze the impact it has on your sleep.  If you...

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Location:  Vancouver, CA

Mélanie DesChâtelets, BSc(h), ND, is a licensed Naturopathic Physician committed to recognizing and attending to the fundamental antecedents of illness. Using the synergistic power of groundbreaking scientificevidence and long standing historical evidence in natural medicine, Mélanie strives to empower individuals to...