As the clinical director and senior naturopath of The Health Lodge I find myself wearing many hats.
In my clinical practice I treat women like myself all the time – busy with lots of expectations – I call this capable woman’s syndrome.
When I have lots on my mind attempting to rest my busy brain after another 12 hour day can bring fear into an already exhausted body – as an inability to sleep is often a challenge I am faced with.
Other factors such as the shift of my hormones combining with the effects of the moon can make some nights feel more like a nightmare……here are
7 sure things that guarantee me a blissful deep sleep and are wonderful practices that everyone can easily adopt
1. No blue light after 7pm – with apps like flux and nightshift on all my devices I am very careful not to expose my pineal gland to the stimulation of blue light of screens after dark. The evidence around this is stunning and taking this first step is simple.
2. No caffeine after 2pm – need I say more.
3. Regular exercise – the Byron Bay lighthouse walk is my church. Moving the blood flow around my body clears my head and leaves me inspired. I always sleep better after exercise.
4. Regular osteopath and acupuncture sessions – supporting my nervous system and my hormone levels.
5. Herbal and nutritional support – I love passionflower, magnolia, zizyphus and phellodendron. Melatonin is also a sure thing if I am struggling with a full mind/moon/PMT.
6. Clean diet – avoiding chemicals in my food – too much salt, sugar and preservatives will always leave me sleepless. Excessive alcohol inhibits our capacity to enter deep sleep and I often find it will cause me to wake feeling terrible. So I choose to limit my alcohol intake to nights where I know I can sleep in the next day.
7. Marry a psychologist – understanding the things that trap my busy mind in a loop is deeply helpful for a restful night’s sleep. My husband happens to be an amazing psychologist (and a total dreamboat) but you don’t have to be married to a psychologist to see one. Engaging quality professional support and learning tools for managing my mind have been perhaps the best investments I have ever made.
Dealing with insomnia is an essential step in treating chronic health conditions. Many of our patients that we work with coordinating a team approach find that once we solve the underlying causes of their sleep issues many of their other complex health conditions resolve themselves.
If you are interested in learning more, or wish to engage with some of the services mentioned, please leave a comment below or call me directly at The Health Lodge.
