Can’t sleep? 10 Expert Tips to Beat Insomnia Naturally

Why we need sleep:

Scientists understand that sleep is necessary for a number of reasons. What they still don’t fully understand is the biological need for sleep. However what we do know, is that sleep is needed for physical and mental repair and recovery of the brain, and to allow for learning and memory to be absorbed and retained.

All day long our brains are creating connections with other parts of the brain, each time we have a new experience. Whilst we sleep, the important connections are considerably strengthened, while the unimportant ones are dismissed. While we sleep, waste chemicals are expelled from the brain. Sleep is so important in ensuring we are rested and have clarity and focus, in preparation for the day ahead.

What happens when we don’t get enough sleep:

When we are sleep-deprived, or worse, find we a suffering from insomnia, parts of our brain becomes inactive. Sleep deprivation makes us far more vulnerable to obesity, depression, loss of focus, lower life expectance, diabetes and cardiovascular disease and more. So it is important that we follow certain protocols at night, to ensure we help ourselves be prepared to enter sleep when our body is ready, and in particular, if you are someone who considers themselves to be a ‘light’ or ‘poor’ sleeper.

Understanding our sleep patterns- Circadian rhythms, REM sleep and sleep drive:

It is our Circadian Rhythms which regulate our wake/sleep cycle over approximately a 24 hour period, allowing us to respond to light and dark, as cues for waking and sleeping. These control our body temperature and metabolism, and influence the timing of digestion and hunger. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/circadian-rhythm  Hormones such as cortisol (stress) and melatonin (rest and relax) are released at appropriate times during that cycle, to allow us to function appropriately.

4 to 5 times a night we go through a process of REM sleep and non-REM sleep. REM sleep being the rapid eye movement stage, characterised by dreaming and increased brain activity, and non-REM, being the lighter stage of sleeping with diminished eye movement, known to be the restful stage. Sleep deprivation and insomnia, alter those rhythms and can leave us feeling unrested, unfocussed, unable to make decisions, and constantly tired.

You may have heard of the expression, ‘Sleep drive.’ This refers to that feeling when we are exhausted at the end of a busy day. The tiredness builds through the day until, if not allowed to rest, we may well fall asleep unintentionally. Power napping can help overcome this, but be aware that too much napping is detrimental to those night-time rhythms and may disrupt them. The best time for a ‘power nap’ is after lunch, around 2pm, when we have a natural drop in energy, and that nap should be no longer than 20 minutes, to ensure it does not interfere with the night-time processes.

When we do not have enough sleep, we become more likely to reach for sweet, salty or fatty foods in the mistaken belief that these will provide us with energy. Tiredness can also cause a lack of willingness to undertake physical exercise. Exercising is one of the most valuable processes to burn adrenalin out of our bodies, enabling us to feel both alert and positive, and helping to keep depression and anxiety at bay.

Why do teenagers sleep for so many hours?

Teenagers need a lot of sleep because they are growing very fast, both physically, intellectually and emotionally. They are learning how to become adults, developing relationships, becoming independent and responsible. Limiting alcohol and caffeine for them, and limiting screen time at night, along with providing, if at all possible, a consistent routine, is the simplest and best way to assist them.

How much sleep do we need?

As a rule of thumb, adults need approximately 7 hours sleep, according to latest research. Teenagers, 8-12 hours is not unusual, and for children 6-12 years of age, 9-12 hours is needed.

So here are my ten tips for a sound and restful, night’s sleep:

1. Turn off electrical devices at least one hour before going to bed. That includes, mobile phones, computers, laptops, I pads and game machines. The blue light from these machines, supresses melatonin production in the body, and melatonin is your sleep inducing hormone.
2. Limit caffeine and have your last coffee by mid-afternoon, and stop drinking alcohol at least an hour before bed. Better still don’t have any!
3. Have you room at a temperature of 65-68F
4. Ensure you have a really supportive bed-base and mattress, the best you can afford. After all, we spend approximately 1/3 of our lives (or approximately 26 years) in bed, so our bodies deserve to be fully supported and rested.
5. Attempt to exercise at least 20 minutes a day. Do something that raises your heartbeat gently, but firmly. If you have physical issues to contend with, walking is now known to be the very best exercise the human body can undertake. Try walking where there are some inclines, and keep a reasonable speed as you walk, varying from normal pace to faster pace and back again when you need to. Keep your head and shoulders, up, and forward and look straight ahead, NOT down at the ground. (Stooped shoulders and looking down, is known to affect the brain and cause depression or a lack of purpose.)
6. Daytime naps – limit these to one 20 minute nap after lunch, to revive and refresh you for the second part of your day, in this way you are not interfering with those natural, circadian rhythms.
7. Take a very good quality Vitamin D supplement which incorporates Vitamin K.
8. If watching TV, keep to ‘fluffy’ films or lightweight watching. No psychological thrillers or horror films!
9. Make a warm drink. Chamomile tea is a great one for night-time, as is warm milk, Valerian or Glycene.
10. Above all, tell yourself, now it is time for sleep.’ What you tell your brain, we know scientifically, your brain gives straight back to you. So, if you tell yourself, ‘I’m never going to sleep tonight,’ you brain will interpret that exactly as you said it’ and you will struggle. So you give your brain positive instruction and keep repeating in your mind – ‘I am ready for sleep.’

Another point to consider, is to think about sleeping on your left side. Side sleeping is generally understood to be better for your health than sleeping on your back and because your stomach is situated on the left side of your body, if you choose to sleep on the left, you are putting less pressure on the stomach and avoiding potential heartburn issues.  Also, sleeping on the left side, ensures your stomach and pancreas, are ideally situated to produce the enzymes that assist digestion, added to which, throughout the night, waste matter will travel more easily into your colon, ready to be expelled in the morning.

Practice routinely, all the tips above, and in a while, as your brain hears the same message and receives the same routine programme, over and over, it will become accustomed to following your instruction. All this time, with this new learning routine, you will be creating new, positive neural pathways, in your brain, telling you that you are a great sleeper, a sound sleeper, who chooses not to be disturbed until the appropriate time in the morning…  and that is what you will become!