What is Sleep Deprivation & Sleep Deficiency? - Natural Sleep Aids
Poor sleep is a major contributor to poor health and chronic illnesses.
Greetings friends. Today I am talking to you about sleep. Sleep is a very precious time for every living being as it is when we restore our vital energies as well as repair and clean out our whole body at every level. With current times being a little stressful for some, the dreaded insomnia or sleeplessness has reared it's ugly head quite a bit. People are reporting either not sleeping at all, finding hard to get to sleep or going to sleep only to wake up in the early hours of the morning to lay there with their mind's ticking away. This is not an uncommon occurrence as most of us will experience some type of sleeplessness for a range of reasons at some time in our lives. Generally it doesn't last too long and things go back to normal, but for some it becomes an ongoing problem that has serious health implications.
Most people require around 7-9 hours of sleep with there being variations due to age, but in a general sense, this is around about how much is required for optimum recovery and well being. If you fall below this for extended periods, it has some serious health implications as I said before. According to recent research done by the USA’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), between 7–19 percent of adults in the United States report regularly lacking sleep or not getting enough rest almost daily. And many more than this struggle with occasional sleep-related disorders or problems including sleep apnea, anxiety or night time pain that interferes with their overall quality of life. Australia has similar statistics.
If you’re someone who regularly gets less than the recommended amount of sleep, you’re at a higher risk for many different health problems. This includes health problems that are mentally and physically harmful. These can include: brain fog and fatigue; increased susceptibility to accidents or injuries; loss of productivity at work; irritability and moodiness; relationship problems; and even a greater risk of death due to problems affecting your heart and immune system. As you’ll discover below, some of the best sleep aids to help you get better-quality sleep include adjusting the type of light you’re exposed to daily, managing stressors in your life, making changes to your diet, and establishing a consistent night time routine.
What Happens During Sleep?
Sleep is vital for a healthy, properly functioning body and being. Without it, things begin to fall apart pretty quickly. Some of the vitally important functions of your body during sleep include:
fighting illnesses
strengthening the immune system
repairing damaged tissues
digestion
detoxification
hormonal balance
maintaining cognitive health
Sleep Deprivation Vs Sleep Deficiency
On the surface these two things sound much the same but they are actually considered to be two separate conditions. Sleep deprivation is simply not getting enough sleep and that may be a single occurrence such as staying out all night at a party. Sleep deficiency is a more serious problem because it is chronic in nature meaning it recurs. Sleep deficiency symptoms include:
You don’t get enough sleep (you experience regular sleep deprivation).
You sleep at the wrong time of day. This may mean not being able to sleep at night, but then taking naps during the day as a result of daytime fatigue. An abnormal sleep schedule is a sign that your body’s “natural clock” is not operating properly.
You don’t get the type of restorative sleep that your body needs. This includes deep REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. REM is the type you need to restore many bodily processes and keep your body in balance.
You have a sleep disorder. Various disorders can keep you from getting enough sleep, such as sleep apnea, insomnia, anxiety disorders or others. These can cause you to struggle to fall asleep, or to periodically wake up throughout the night.
So What Can Cause Sleep Deprivation?
There are many factors that contribute to poor sleep quality and sleep deprivation and deficiency. As you read through some of the most commonly attributed causes, you will notice many are lifestyle influenced or based.
A disorder that disrupts sleep, whether a thyroid disorder, dealing with pain, or something like acid reflux or sleep apnea. Snoring (related to sleep apnea) can also disturb sleep.
A demanding, busy schedule. This can include lots of time commuting and family obligations.
High amounts of stress.
Effects of certain medications or stimulants.
Alcohol consumption or using other stimulants.
Eating a poor diet that can lead to blood sugar fluctuations.
Eating too close to bedtime, or not eating enough with dinner/later in the day (such as if you’re fasting).
Pregnancy and experiencing other hormonal changes.
So What Happens To Your Body When You Have Sleep Deficiency?
Sleep deprivation and deficiency will have real world consequences for both your well being and also your way of life. Some ways sleep deficiency affects you include:
Higher risk for chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, depression, cancer and overall mortality.
Trouble concentrating at work or school. This can include finding it harder to learn, focus, be creative, meet deadlines, remember information or take tests.
Difficulty driving, and sometimes being more prone to getting into accidents. The CDC in the USA has found sleep insufficiency is “linked to motor vehicle crashes, industrial disasters, and medical and other occupational error.”
Less motivation to be social, which can spill over to feeling more isolated and sad.
Higher likelihood of being more sedentary (less physically active), which can contribute to weight gain.
Increased appetite and higher risk for overeating, due to craving foods to help battle fatigue (especially processed, sugary or comfort foods).
Poor moods, irritability, and even increased risk for depression. People who lack sleep report feeling more “cranky,” overwhelmed, angry, frustrated and worried.
What To Do About It? - Vagus Nerve Toning - 6 Natural Treatments for Sleep Deprivation
Below are some simple and effective ways to help retrain your body back into a healthy sleep pattern. This is not an exhaustive list, there are many other methods as well. Most of these methods involve Vagus Nerve toning. The vagus nerve plays a major role in a great deal of our physiology and systems involved with sleep and is the subject of many studies and ongoing studies at present for it's remarkable effect is aiding natural healing in numerous areas of the body simultaneously. The Vagus nerve is a cranial nerve, meaning it originates there, that traverses the entire length of the body and plugs into many systems including the endocrine system, nervous system, digestive system, circulatory system and more. Improving Vagus nerve tone helps with stabilizing and resetting the circadian rhythms which are involved with sleep and wake cycles in the body. The circadian rhythm is easily disturbed by environmental factors and poor lifestyle choices and so has a resulting effect on the vagus nerve. So how do we sort it out, read on.
1. Manage Stress
There are lots of ways to deal with stress in your life. But, only you can decide what’s realistic and actually effective. Some of the recommended approaches to decreasing stress that can keep you up include:
Practicing meditation or prayer daily
Reading calming books
Spending more time outdoors in nature
Exercising
Joining a social, supportive group with people you enjoy being around
Playing an instrument, making art or doing something else creative
Using essential oils
Doing yoga, deep breathing exercises or stretching
All of these methods are very positive ways to nurture and improve Vagus nerve tone.
2. Avoid Blue Light at Night
Rather than using your phone, computer, electronics or watching TV, do something calmer that doesn’t involve exposure to “blue light.” The bright screens on electronics can lead to alertness due to changes in your eyes and brain. It can also sometimes cause headaches. Try instead to read a fiction book or something that is inspiring or calming. Try to make use of display settings on devices that allow for the blue light filter to activate in darker hours of the day so that if you must use it, it is less disruptive. This is very beneficial to circadian rhythm cycles and de-tuning the brai for sleep by allowing melatonin, the sleep hormone, to activate more effectively.
3. Increase Exposure to Natural Light During the Day
Just about every living organism has an internal 24-hour clock, a “circadian rhythm.” This helps them regulate a balance between wakefulness hours versus those spent resting as I have explained earlier. In humans (and many other animals), exposure to natural light is a very important regulator of tens of thousands of brain cells that are responsible for forming the circadian rhythm. The retina in the eyes transmits information about dark versus light to the brain, helping in the process. Levels of the hormone melatonin rise and fall depending on light exposure. They peak during the night when it’s dark (between 3–4a.m.) in order to help with sleep. Then they decrease at dawn and during waking hours when it’s light to keep us awake.
Because so much of your body requires a pattern of light versus dark exposure to work properly, it helps to spend more time in natural light when the seasons allow. Some experts recommend sleeping with your curtains open in your bedroom to let light in when the sun rises. Also, try to get outside in the morning for at least 10–30 minutes (such as taking a walk). Any other time spent outdoors during the daytime can also help regulate your rhythm, plus it will increase your natural production of vitamin D. At night, try doing the opposite. Make your room very dark and reduce all artificial light exposure to sleep more soundly.
4. Exercise
Daily exercise for at least 30–60 minutes, especially if outdoors, is one of the best ways to promote better sleep. Being active daily in the morning or during the day can help to regulate your circadian rhythm and lead you to feel calmer and sleepier at night. For some people, exercising at night close to bedtime can lead to increased alertness and trouble sleeping. So try experimenting to find what works best for you. Rather than pushing yourself to adhere to a schedule that you dread (such as very early before work or school), choose an exercise time that is enjoyable and allows you stay consistent.
5. Adjust Your Diet
Foods that can aid in helping you to fall asleep include: veggies, grass-fed beef, flaxseeds, chia seeds, wild-caught salmon, raw dairy and whole grains. To help keep you from feeling “wired” close to bedtime, try not to eat foods high in simple carbohydrates or sugar after dinner. If you need a snack after dinner, make one with foods that will help stabilize your blood sugar rather than spike it. Examples include complex carbs like nuts, seeds, veggies or a source of protein like some frozen unsweetened yogurt. Also be sure to skip any caffeine after 2–3p.m., as sources like coffee can have lingering effects for hours. For extra help, you can additionally supplement with magnesium within 1 hour of going to bed and a omega-3 fish oil supplement daily to help with muscle relaxation, anxiety and reducing inflammation that can cause pain. Of course if you suspect that there is a greater dietary or GUT related aspect to your sleeplessness, then make an appointment to see your natural health professional for a properly designed program.
By improving your diet and correcting any nutritional imbalances, you also tap into further Vagus nerve toning and in turn this improved tone helps to improve ongoing digestive health and well being.
6. Create a “Bedtime Routine”
Your body craves a schedule and predictable routine. So ideally you will go to bed at roughly the same time every night and wake up close to the same time in the morning. Try to keep your bedroom very dark and also a bit colder than the rest of your house (a temperature between 60–67˚is thought to be ideal, according to the Sleep Foundation). A cooler room can decrease your core body temperature, in turn initiating sleepiness. Some people find that writing down their thoughts, worries or “grateful moments” of the day in a journal helps them feel calmer. Others like to sip some relaxing tea, use essential oils that are calming, read something inspirational, stretch or take a warm shower. The routine helps to train the brain into doing what you want it to do.
Further Steps
If your experience of sleeplessness is not improved by trying some of these simple approaches, then it is time to seek further advice from a professional. There are numerous approaches, both natural and conventional, that have great success in improving sleep. As I have stated, getting enough good quality sleep is essential for well being so do not allow it to drag on for weeks and weeks and weeks...take control and seek out some help. In my clinical practice I help people with sleep problems often and more often than not it is rooted in deeper well being issues that needed to be addressed. Often correcting these leads to much improved sleep and energy levels generally.
I hope this information has helped you gain a better night's sleep.
Until Next time, be well naturally.
Craig Hitchens - Naturopath - Functional Nutritionist
Sources
www.draxe.com/health/sleep-deprivation/
My own clinical knowledge.
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The information contained in this article is accurate at the time of posting but may change thereafter. The information provided on the various natural health subjects from this website of Natural Health Care Lifestyle is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as any form of medical advice. The information in the article this disclaimer is linked from is not meant to treat, diagnose, prescribe or cure any ailment. Always check with your health professional before taking any products or following any advice that you believe may conflict with other forms of health care. Always consult your health care professional before you start, stop or change anything that has been previously prescribed. Certain herbs and holistic remedies are unsuitable to take if you are pregnant or nursing and must always be cleared by your health professional before use.