If you spend any time on social media at all, you’ve seen the plethora of memes that poke fun at how active our brains can be at ill opportune times. While these relatable jokes surely make us giggle, those of you who struggle from insomnia know that it’s anything but funny, especially if you tend towards chronic cases of it. And unfortunately, 33 percent of the adult population suffers from chronic insomnia. 

Our bodies need sleep to function and be our optimal selves, so insomnia is one of the biggest hindrances many face in reaching their full potential. Sleep benefits our memories, abilities to heal, focus, energy, and brain repair, so you can see how not getting this regularly puts you at a mental and physical disadvantage. In this blog post, we’ve taken an opportunity to discuss the sleep hormones that affect insomnia, good sleep hygiene practices that you should implement nightly, and what you should avoid doing when getting ready for bed. Feel free to pull up a pillow and have someone read this to you at night! 

What are the different kinds of insomnia?

No matter what kind of insomnia you tend to experience, things you do during the day affect your sleep/wake cycle. 

Ideally, sleep will look like this:

• Light sleep

• Deep sleep

• REM (rapid eye movement) sleep 

These sleep stages will typically be disrupted by shifting in your sleep, certain things waking you up, and having to go to the bathroom, but ideally, you’ll go right back to sleep when these things occur. While everyone’s sleep patterns are different, insomnia tends to happen in three distinct ways.

The three general kinds of insomnia are:

1. Trouble falling asleep

2. Trouble staying asleep, and this includes waking earlier than wanting to

3. A combination of both of these 

What Medical Problems You Need to Rule Out When Experiencing Insomnia

Periodic insomnia happens to just about everyone, as our lives take on cyclical stressors that can disrupt our sleep. But if your insomnia persists for more than a few weeks, you need to seek medical attention before it becomes chronic.

Physical ailments you need to rule out when experiencing persistent insomnia are:

• Sleep apnea

• Metabolic issues, such as diabetes

• Thyroid issues

• Sex hormones that are too low—this can happen to women during perimenopause and to men when they have low testosterone

• Anxiety

• Depression

The Two Hormones Responsible For Our Sleep/Wake Cycles

You might not realize that the success or failure of your sleep all boils down to the responsibility of two hormones your body produces naturally. These hormones are cortisol and melatonin.

Cortisol

Cortisol is a naturally occurring steroid that is often responsible for blood pressure spikes. It’s what wakes people up, so you need to have an adequate amount in the morning to wake up and feel energized. It should gradually reduce during the day and be at its lowest point at night before bed. Then, when you sleep, it should begin to spike again towards the end of your sleep. 

Melatonin

Melatonin should start increasing towards the evening, as it’s one of the hormones responsible for making us sleepy. It will also help you to have a more restful sleep. 

Things That Can Disrupt the Sleep/Wake Cycles

Melatonin is produced in darkness. The optic nerve signals to the pineal gland to make melatonin from the neurotransmitter serotonin. So you need an adequate amount of serotonin to make this well. Unfortunately, we interrupt this process with some behaviors that negatively affect our sleep.

Some of the things that disrupt the sleep/wake cycles are:

• Excess stress

• Ruminating/intrusive thoughts

• Artificial light from TVs and cell phones

• Drinking alcohol - alcohol is converted to acetaldehyde in the body which causes discomfort and irritability, making you wake 4-5 hours after you’ve had your last drink

• Intaking stimulants such as caffeine or nicotine, which will drive the sympathetic nervous system to drive up our stress level and stimulate us

• Eating large meals or inflammatory foods such as trans fats, deep-fried foods, fatty foods, and processed foods, which is hard on our digestion and liver.

And although it may not be caused by us, per se, as some of these other behaviors are, pain is another thing that can wake us out of a sound sleep. This is another indication to see your doctor. And it’s essential to keep in mind that exercise and eating are two things that signal to us that we are awake, and they aid in the process of melatonin getting made in the evening. 

Many people will reach for medications for insomnia, which is entirely understandable. Still, some of these can be addictive or habit-forming, cause unwanted side-effects, and we can build up a tolerance to them, rendering them ineffective.

How to Improve Your Sleep Hygiene to Improve Your Sleep

It can be easy to feel helpless when you experience bouts of insomnia. Thankfully, all is not lost! You can implement habits and things you can avoid to improve your sleep hygiene to enhance your night’s sleep if you are faithful about them. 

Behavioral habits that will support the cortisol/melatonin sleep-wake cycles are: 

• Avoiding stimulants four hours before bed

• Avoid alcohol four to five hours before going to bed

• Stop social media and news an hour before bed - blue light suppresses melatonin and pineal gland, and the news can be upsetting

• Do something relaxing, such as taking an Epsom salt bath, drinking a cup of relaxing herbal tea (avoid caffeine), or stretching

• Deep-breathing exercises

• Night-time rituals of brushing teeth, showering, etc.

• End emotional talks before bedtime

• Avoid rumination - dwelling on things you didn’t do or what you have to do tomorrow, as that will spike your cortisol - write those on a list before you start your winding down behaviors

• Food is also a daytime activity, so try to eat three to four hours before bed, so your body isn’t digesting and confused - you don’t need to go hungry, per se—you can grab a handful of walnuts or the like

• Fasting too much can be problematic when you have insomnia because stress hormones can go up

• Showers or baths just before bed are beneficial as they trigger melatonin

Research has shown that 30 minutes a day of moderate exercise is helpful for sleep. Don’t do anything too rigorous just before you go to sleep, but moderate exercise is okay up to an hour before bed.

Things you can do to improve your sleep environment are as follows:

• Your bed should only be associated with sleep and sexual activity - no TVs or screens

• Blackout curtains can be highly beneficial

• A room temperature in the sixties is ideal - if too hot, the body thinks it’s daytime and can have trouble staying asleep

As a doctor in Naturopathic & Integrative Medicine in Wellness, I’d love to help you find non-habit-forming ways to improve your sleep and stop insomnia in its tracks. The benefits of getting good sleep cannot be overstated, so contact me, and we can get started on a plan that works best for you.