Insomnia

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Insomnia

Think you’re the only one who watches the late show, the later show, the latest show and the it’s-so-late-it’s-almost-early show?

Guess again, sleepyhead. An estimated 40 million Americans have chronic sleep disorders, and another 20 to 30 million have at least occasional problems catching some Zzzs. Women, especially those over age 40, seem to be more at risk for insomnia than men. The causes of insomnia are as numerous as the sheep you’ve probably tried to count, from caffeine to stress to working the graveyard shift. The natural remedies in this chapter—in conjunction with medical care and used with your doctor’s approval—may help prevent or relieve insomnia, according to some health professionals.

See Your Medical Doctor When... You are so tired during the day that you can’t function or concentrate normally. You rely on drugs to fall asleep. You’ve had trouble falling asleep almost every night for more than a few weeks.

Acupressure

Use the index and ring fingers of one hand to apply pressure to the indentation on the back of the head at the base of the skull for several minutes, suggests Jin Shin Jyutsu practitioner Priscilla Pitman, of Manchester, Massachusetts. (Jin Shin Jyutsu is a type of acupressure.) “Exhale first,” she says, “then inhale, receiving a new breath as you guide your fingers to the spot. This area is among the 26 ‘safety energy blocks’ used in the art of Jin Shin Jyutsu. It marks the bridge between the spiritual and physical realms and helps release fears that may be keeping you awake.” She adds that you can use this technique periodically throughout the day or when you can’t fall asleep.

Pitman says you can also apply pressure to the fleshy pad of skin at the base of either thumb, switching hands as you feel is needed. This point can quiet the mind, according to Pitman. She suggests using this technique periodically throughout the day or as you fall asleep at night.

Aromatherapy

For occasional sleeplessness, add six to eight drops of lavender, marjoram or ylang-ylang essential oil to your bathwater before going to bed, suggests Los Angeles aromatic consultant John Steele. Or put four drops of lavender, marjoram, rum or chamomile essential oil on your pillow right before sleep, he says.

For information on preparing and administering essential oils, including cautions about their use, see page 19. For information on purchasing essential oils, refer to the resource list on page 633.

Flower Remedy/Essence Therapy

“If you lie awake because of unwanted thoughts that go around and around in your head, the flower remedy White Chestnut can be effective,” says Leslie J. Kaslof, an herbalist and author of The Traditional Flower Remedies of Dr. Edward Bach.

Kaslof cautions against expecting a quick response. “Flower remedies don’t work in the same way that a chemical drug or a sleeping pill does. They work more gently and slowly and may not provide short-term relief,” he notes. “But people with insomnia may often see improvement within a few weeks.”

Flower remedies are available in some health food stores and through mail order (refer to the resource list on page 635). For information on preparing and administering flower remedies, see page 37.

Herbal Therapy

Herbal sleep formulas—in teas, tinctures and capsules—are available in most health food stores, says Varro E. Tyler, Ph.D., professor of pharmacognosy at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. For best results, he recommends choosing one that combines hops, valerian, chamomile, oats, passionflower and balm. He says to follow the directions on the product label for proper dosage.

Valerian, which reduces activity in the central nervous system, is the best-known herbal treatment for insomnia, and you could take that alone if the herbal formulas don’t work, according to Dr. Tyler. Most health food stores carry valerian products; follow the dosage recommendations on the label, he says.

Hops, a digestive tonic and sedative, may also help you relax, says Dr. Tyler. He recommends purchasing dried hops flowers (available in most health food stores), putting them in a small muslin bag and placing the bag under your pillow.

Homeopathy

For mild bouts of insomnia, try taking a 30C dose of one of the following remedies one hour before bedtime for ten consecutive nights, says Andrew Lockie, M.D., in The Family Guide to Homeopathy. He suggests repeating the dose if you wake and can’t get back to sleep.

If you can’t pop your mind out of gear because of some good or bad news, Dr. Lockie says to try Coffea. He recommends Pulsatilla if you feel restless when you first go to bed, alternate between being too hot and too cold and aren’t thirsty and if your insomnia seems worse after eating rich foods. Ignatia is a good remedy, he says, if you yawn a lot but aren’t able to drift off, you dread not being able to sleep or you have nightmares when you do fall asleep. If you’re anxious, worried or restless, have ominous dreams about fire or danger and are wide awake between midnight and 2:00 a.m., Dr. Lockie says to try Arsenicum. Lycopodium may help if you talk and laugh in your sleep, are aware that you dream a lot and often wake about 4:00 a.m. and if your mind is usually very active at bedtime, he says.

All of these remedies are available in many health food stores. To purchase the remedies by mail, refer to the resource list on page 637.

Hydrotherapy

Brief cold water “treading” before bed may help you drop off, according to Agatha Thrash, M.D., a medical pathologist and co-founder and co-director of Uchee Pines Institute, a natural healing center in Seale, Alabama. To tread, fill the bathtub with enough water to cover your ankles. Holding on to a stable railing, march in place in the water for anywhere from five seconds to five minutes.

Imagery

Imagine a time when you had to stay awake when you really didn’t want to, such as to study all night for a test. Picture yourself studying but struggling to stay awake. Finally, you just give in to the urge to sleep. It’s a paradoxical imagery that seems to help some people fall asleep, says Dennis Gersten, M.D., a San Diego psychiatrist and publisher of Atlantis, a bi-monthly imagery newsletter. He suggests practicing this imagery in bed, just before going to sleep.

Massage

Slow, gentle massage of the neck and shoulders, done just before bedtime, can help you relax and get to sleep, says Vincent Iuppo, N.D., massage therapist, naturopathic physician and director of the Morris Institute of Natural Therapeutics, a holistic health education center in Denville, New Jersey.

Dr. Iuppo’s instructions: Lubricate your hands with a small amount of vegetable oil or massage oil, then stroke your shoulders lightly. Rub your left shoulder with your right hand and your right shoulder with your left hand. Use gentle, gliding strokes. “You’ll be able to tell what feels good for you,” Dr. Iuppo says. Also rub the back of your neck, using the same gliding strokes. You can use your thumbs to make slow, small circles on the muscles in the back of your neck. Dr. Iuppo suggests taking about ten minutes for the entire massage.

Reflexology

Working the diaphragm, ovary/testicle, pancreas and pituitary, parathyroid, thyroid and adrenal gland reflexes in both of your feet may help you rest easier, says St. Petersburg, Florida, reflexologist Dwight Byers, author of Better Health with Foot Reflexology. To help you locate these points, consult the foot reflex chart on page 592. For instructions on how to work the points, see “Your Reflexology Session” on page 110.

Relaxation and Meditation

For a swift voyage into dreamland, try progressive relaxation about 15 minutes before bedtime, suggests Julie Johnson, R.N., Ph.D., director of the School of Nursing at the University of Nevada at Reno. In a study of 176 men and women older than age 65 who had difficulty sleeping, Dr. Johnson found that progressive relaxation helped people fall asleep more quickly, sleep more soundly with fewer nighttime arousals and feel more satisfied with their night’s rest.

“Progressive relaxation helps you relax, and as you relax, you tend to get drowsy,” Dr. Johnson says. “No matter what your age, I think this technique can work for you.” To try progressive relaxation, see page 122.

As an alternative, consider a quick ten-minute session of the thermal biofeedback technique described on page 121, says Steven Fahrion, Ph.D., director of research at the Life Sciences Institute of Mind-Body Health in Topeka, Kansas.

Sound Therapy

Listening to relaxing music shortly before going to bed can de-stress your body and help you get a good night’s sleep, says Steven Halpern, Ph.D., composer, researcher and author of Sound Health: The Music and Sounds That Make Us Whole. To get started, turn on the music, then sit or lie comfortably, close your eyes and take a deep breath. Dr. Halpern suggests that you wear headphones to focus your attention and avoid distraction. He recommends, however, that you keep the speakers playing, so your body absorbs the sound energy. While the music plays, let your breath slow down and become steady. Listen not just to the notes but to the silence between the notes. Dr. Halpern says this will keep you from analyzing the music, which will allow it to relax you.

For suggested pieces to relax by, see “Sailing Away to Key Largo” on page 129. Many of these recordings are available in music stores. For mail-order information, refer to the resource list on page 642.

Vitamin and Mineral Therapy

Calcium, vitamin D and the B vitamins each play a role in the regulation of the nervous system, and each can help you sleep more soundly, says Richard Gerson, Ph.D., author of The Right Vitamins. His recommendation: daily intakes of between 800 and 1,400 milligrams of calcium and 400 international units of vitamin D, along with a B-complex supplement that contains the Recommended Dietary Allowances of the six important B vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B₆, vitamin B₁₂ and pantothenic acid). For the Recommended Dietary Allowances, see “Getting What You Need” on page 142. He says to take this level of supplementation until insomnia is no longer a problem.

Yoga

A 30-minute meditation just before bedtime will encourage better sleep, says Alice Christensen, founder and executive director of the American Yoga Association. She suggests lying in bed to do the meditation, then rolling over and nodding off. You may even fall asleep during the meditation, she says. (Instructions for yoga meditation begin on page 153.)

If you should wake up during the night, Christensen suggests doing the yoga version of counting sheep: the complete breath (see page 152). As you breathe, she says, pay attention only to the sound of your breath. Don’t hold your breath at any time; just let it flow in and out, says Christensen.