Insomnia and Sleep Deficiency.

Mar 1

What is Insomnia?

You’ve heard it hundreds of times; “get at least 6-8 hours of sleep each night”. We get it, a vital part of human health is sleep. Every second, our bodies work to maintain a sleep-wake cycle of promoting sleep, and maintaining wakefulness. It’s kind of like an hourglass clock, during the day, the waking system decreases and the sleeping system gets larger, then when we sleep, the clock is turned and the need for the sleeping system decreases while the waking increases. Normally, when it’s daytime the waking system is on and during night, the sleeping system is active. This is due to our brain’s hypothalamus taking in information throughout the day and using it to maintain a daily cycle called the circadian rhythm in the body. (Bauman 2017)Sleep, however, doesn’t come so easy for some of us. Many people have trouble maintaining their sleep-wake cycles and as a result can suffer from a condition called Insomnia.

Insomnia is defined as a chronic lack of sleep quality or quantity. This is the most common type of sleep disorder with up to 50% of the US population reporting symptoms of insomnia every year. Many people with insomnia don’t feel well rested and often spend late nights tossing and turning awake in bed, or early mornings lying awake watching the sun rise hours before it’s time to get up. This makes insomnia an incredibly frustrating and debilitating condition that can lead to more dangerous consequences. (Bauman 2017)

The Sleep-Wake Cycle

Sleep is the most important time for our brains. While we’re asleep, our brains are organizing, categorizing, and preparing for the next day. A good night's sleep allows the brain ample time to do this. It’s essential to our ability to retain information, learn new skills, and problem solve. Sleep deficiency caused by insomnia can alter activity in parts of our brains and cause us to have trouble making decisions, adjusting and coping with changes, and make it difficult for us to control our emotions (Potkin 2012).

The brain is not the only thing at work during our sleep. In our bodies, those hours are critical for organization, repair and growth. When we sleep, our bodies are healing and rebuilding blood vessels, tissue damage, and balancing vital hormones. Sleep deficiency will disrupt these processes, knocking the endocrine system out of balance, and weakening the immune system. The sleep system is run by Melatonin alongside the hormones adenosine, galanin, and GABA. When it’s dark, the pineal gland secretes melatonin, telling the body it’s time to sleep. (Bauman 2017) An unhealthy imbalance of hormones can affect things like what you eat, how much energy you have, and how you deal with stress. For example, the hormone that makes you feel hungry is called ghrelin and the hormone that makes us feel full is called Leptin. When we don't get enough sleep, our levels of ghrelin go up and our levels of leptin goes down, making us hungrier than if we were well rested. This can be dangerous in itself since it can affect important functions in the body such as blood glucose, weight management, blood pressure, vascular health.

Signs & Symptoms

Insomnia is different for everyone. Some cases can last for a day or two while others may last for weeks, months or even years. The most common and obvious sign of insomnia is an inability to fall or stay asleep. This is categorized in three ways:

Initial Insomnia: People with initial insomnia have trouble getting to sleep.
Middle insomnia: People with middle insomnia usually have trouble staying asleep, have bad quality sleep, or wake up multiple times during the night.
Late Insomnia: People with late insomnia often wake up later in the night between 2am to 5am and can’t fall back asleep. (Bauman 2017)

Other Common Symptoms:

Depression
Fatigue
Irritability
Poor concentration
Confusion
Lack of clarity
Changes in appetite
Difficulty making decisions
Decreased immune function
Delayed reactions times
Decreased productivity

Lifestyle Changes to Support Sleep Function

In our modern day, it’s very likely that our fast paced society has something to do with the high rates of reported insomnia. Stress is one of the highest risk factors for insomnia. Chronic stress can lead to a hormonal imbalance or cortisol which promotes alertness and wakefulness. (Bauman 2017).

Some other risk factors include hormonal imbalances, sleep apnea, mood disorders, and heart or lung conditions. However, Insomnia is a complicated topic because the underlying causes are often multifactorial and longstanding (Bauman 2017). These can be due to lifestyle, dietary habits, mental health issues, underlying medical conditions, stress, or environment. Because of this, in cases of chronic insomnia, a full evaluation by a medical professional should be done to rule out any undiagnosed conditions.

So what can be done to manage Insomnia and sleep deficient conditions?

The first and most important step is to set the environment up for normalizing the body's circadian rhythm, eating for health, looking for patterns and managing stress.The bedroom is the most important place for rest. Make sure that the sleep area is clean, comfortable, and free of stimulating lights and sounds. It’s best to keep the light low and warm before bedtime since blue light and fluorescent lights have been proven to negatively impact sleep quality. Adding aromatics like lavender or rose can relax your mind and body before bed as well. When it comes to a path towards healing, a history of understanding your personal sleep pattern is incredibly helpful. Identifying a pattern or just recording your issues in a sleep log can be very helpful in correcting the problem.
A simple sleep log records:
How long it took your to sleep
Wake and sleep times
Quality of rest after sleeping
Number of sleep interruptions
Types of sleep interruptions
Time of waking for the day.

Dietary Support for Sleep Function

Magnesium

Magnesium is essential in the body. Magnesium is known as the relaxer and it’s necessary for over 300 chemical interactions in the body. Insomnia is a common symptom of magnesium deficiency and people with low Magnesium often experience non-restorative sleep, and waking frequently during the night. Most importantly when it comes to sleep deficiency, magnesium is responsible for the support and increase of the neurotransmitter, GABA, which encourages relaxation and sleep. This is helpful because low GABA levels in the body make it difficult to relax. Magnesium also plays a key role in regulating the body’s stress-response system. Insomniacs with a magnesium deficiency usually deal with heightened stress and anxiety. Overall, maintaining healthy Magnesium levels often leads to more restorative sleep

RDA: 400 mg (FDA)
Therapeutic Dosage: 400mg-1000mg

If supplementation is needed, I would recommend a dietary supplement of 200mg magnesium capsules or by adding more servings of pumpkin seeds or spinach throughout the day. (Holmes 2007)

Tryptophan

Why is it important for sleep?Tryptophan is an essential amino acid found in proteins. This amino acid is highly versatile and essential since it can be converted into several important molecules, including serotonin and melatonin. Serotonin is associated with mood, cognition, and the wake cycle, while Melatonin is associated heavily with the sleep cycle. Increasing Tryptophan in turn increases and supports melatonin and serotonin production which influence many functions in the body, but most importantly; sleep, mood and behavior. (Bauman 2017)

RDA: 200 mg (FDA)
Therapeutic Dosage: 300mg+ The National Academy of Science has not set a tolerable upper limit (WHF)

If supplementation is needed, I would recommend a dietary supplement of 200mg magnesium capsules or by adding more servings of pumpkin seeds or spinach throughout the day. (Holmes 2007)

Folate

Folate is a part of the B-vitamin family, also known as B9, and is an often looked over nutrient that carries a lot of power. Folate is essential for energy (ATP) production, amino acid conversion, DNA synthesis, and contributes to the production of neurotransmitters serotonin, melatonin, and dopamine. Most importantly for sleep, it supports tryptophan. Folate is essential for the brain and the body, a deficiency can cause chaos to energy production, immune function, and brain health. However, folate is part of the B vitamin group, so they must all be present to work in the healthiest way possible.

RDA: 400 mg (FDA) Tolerable Upper Limit is 1000mcg
Therapeutic Dosage: 400mcg-1000mcg (Holmes 2007)

Any further supplementation I would recommend strictly through food, more specifically through adding another tablespoon of nutritional yeast to the day. Since it contains almost all the B vitamins, it will ensure that there is not an imbalance of just one.

Synergistic Foods, Herbs & Nutrients.

Tart Cherry JuiceCherry Juice is a tasty, safe, natural way to support sleep function. Amazingly, tart cherries are naturally rich in melatonin and also contain a substantial amount of tryptophan and anthocyanins, both of which are precursors to melatonin and support its effects (Bauman 2017). Research has shown tart cherry juice’s effects in increasing levels of melatonin and improving sleep quality (Pigeon 2010). In fact, tart cherry juice seems to be just as, if not more, effective at reducing insomnia than valerian and melatonin. Possibly due to it’s amazing synergistic sleep related constituents working together. (Howatson 2012)Therapeutic Dose: Two 8oz doses of juice throughout the day. (Holmes 2007)

ValerianValerian root has been used in traditional medicine for at least 2,000 years. Valerian has very powerful constituents like valerenic acid, isovaleric acid and a variety of antioxidants like hesperidin and linarin, all of which appear to have sedative, sleep-enhancing properties, and reduce anxiety (Fernandez 2004). Valerian also has an interesting interaction with the neurotransmitter, GABA. Valerenic acid in particular has been found to inhibit the breakdown of GABA in the brain, which can result in feelings of calmness and tranquility. (Meyerhoff 2014)Therapeutic Dose: 400–900 mg (Thomas 2016)Infusion 2-4tsp powder or choppedTincture: 0.5-5ml at 1:2 strength in 50% ethanol. (Holmes 2007)

Chamomile Chamomile flower is also a long time medicinal herb associated with sleep, relaxation, and stress management (Srivastava 2010). This beautiful yellow flower contains an antioxidant called apigenin which binds to certain receptors in your brain that may promote sleepiness and reduce insomnia, or the chronic inability to sleep (Janmejai 2010).Therapeutic Dose: Infusion 6-14gTincture: 2-4ml at 1:3 strength in 60% ethanol. (Holmes 2007)

MelatoninAs talked about earlier, Melatonin is the precursor to sleep. Melatonin works together with your body’s circadian rhythm and signals that it’s time to sleep. Melatonin also helps regulate your body temperature, blood pressure and hormone levels (\). It also binds to receptors in the brain to help reduce nerve activity.Therapeutic Dose: 3–5 mg (Moore 1998)

Omega-3Omega 3s play an important role in cell function. One of the most powerful benefits of omega 3s to the body is their ability to reduce inflammation and improve cognitive health. When it comes to sleep, Omega 3s have been shown to improve sleep quality and sleep quantity. Research suggests omega 3 fatty acids from regularly consuming fish may boost your sleep quality, help you fall asleep more quickly and improve your daytime performance. This can be due to the vitamin D content in a lot of foods containing Omega-3’s or due to Omega-3’s abilities to stimulate Melatonin. (Murray 2014)Therapeutic Dose: 3,000–5,000 mg (Holmes 2007)

Vitamin DVitamin D is known as the sunshine vitamin. It’s essential for homeostasis, and regulates the expression of hundreds of genes. Deficiencies of this vitamin can be linked to or disorders like seasonal affective disorder, mania, psychosis, depression, metabolic syndrome, irritable bowel disease, chronic back pain, increased severity of PMS symptoms, and sleep disorders (Placzek 2019). It’s not quite understood how exactly Vitamin D works in the body to promote sleep, but some studies show that it might have something to do with vitamin D’s regulation of tryptophans expression. Vitamin D may have the ability to stimulate the appropriate production of serotonin in the brain, which in turn, will support melatonin levels. (Patrick 2014)Therapeutic Dose: 10–20 micrograms or 10 minutes of direct sunlight.(Holmes 2007)

Disclaimer and References:

Disclaimer: The information provided by Cherry & Pepper and Sasha Abiaad is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. None of my services shall be used to diagnose or treat any health problem or disease. I cannot and do not provide medical advice. You should seek prompt medical care for any specific health issues and consult your physician before altering your diet. The information and recipes provided on this site and in my session plans should not be used in place of a consultation with your physician or other health care provider. I do not recommend the self-management of health problems. Should you have any healthcare-related questions, please consult your physician or other health care provider promptly. You should never disregard medical advice or delay in seeking it because of the information provided in this plan.

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Thomas, Kelan, et al. “Effects of Valerian on Subjective Sedation, Field Sobriety Testing and Driving Simulator Performance.” Accident; Analysis and Prevention, U.S. National Library of Medicine, July 2016, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27110643.

Sasha Abiaad