As a society, we generally don’t get enough “zzz”s. Sleep doesn’t rank highly up there with career, money and TV, but it should. Today’s baby boomers get less sleep than the previous generation. According to several surveys, teenagers get an average of seven hours a night, although most may need eight or nine.

Are you getting enough? Do you feel refreshed in the morning, or do you guzzle back coffee until noon? You should feel awake when you get up and more than ready to greet the day. If not, you could be among the one-third of Canadians who suffer with bouts of insomnia or other sleep problems. (Go to the cnn.com “health” section to use the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, a test used by professionals to determine whether someone is getting enough sleep.)

Nelda O., a busy executive assistant in Vancouver, is one of the lucky ones with ideal sleep patterns. She practises what experts call good “sleep hygiene” by going to bed and waking at roughly the same times–although, she admits, she treats herself a bit by sleeping in on weekends.

As a result, her body knows when to get up. An early morning meeting? No problem. She programs her body to wake up on time. “I can’t remember the last time I used an alarm clock,” she says. She’s fresh when she wakes, and she has never had any sleeping problems. “It’s restorative. I love to sleep.”

Sleep doesn’t rank highly up there with career, money and TV, but it should.

Better Sleeping Tips

• Go to bed at the same time every night and wake up at the same time every morning. This helps train your body.
• Establish a bedtime routine, say, taking a bath, reading a book or drinking herbal tea such as valerian or chamomile. Eventually, your body uses these triggers to get into sleep mode.
• Use your bed only for sleeping; don’t talk on the phone, read or eat in bed.
• Increase exercise, which promotes deep sleep and relaxes muscles, but not within a few hours of going to bed.
• Reduce or eliminate alcohol, which can cause you to wake in the night.
• Avoid wide-awake stimulants such as coffee, tea and colas.
• Don’t smoke several hours before bed. Smoking is also a stimulant.
• Avoid bright light around the house before bed; use a dimmer bulb if you read.
• Black out your room; get rid of artificial light sources.
• If you do wake up, avoid watching the clock, which can create anxiety

From the Herbal Cabinet

Here are but a few herbal remedies for a restful sleep. When in doubt, use as listed on product labels or as directed by a qualified health professional.

Valerian: a mild sedative for the central nervous system; works by interacting with brain receptors. Standard recommended dose: 300 to 500 milligram tablets or five millilitres of extract one hour before bed. Non-addictive; no known side-effects; don’t combine with alcohol.

Lemon balm: a mild sedative; its aromatic chemical constituents influence brain activity and help regulate thyroid functions. Dose: as capsules, 500 milligrams two to three times daily; as an extract, two to three ml two or three times daily; or as a tea when desired. Non-addictive; no known side-effects.

Hops: contain volatile oils with sedative properties. Dose: as a tincture, one to two ml, two or three times daily; as capsules, 500 to 1,000 mg two or three times daily, or as a tea. Non-addictive; no known side-effects.

Passionflower: flavonoid content induces relaxing and anti-anxiety effect. Dose: as capsules, four to seven grams two or three times daily; as a tincture, two to four ml daily, or as a tea. Non-addictive; no known side-effects.

Skullcap: scutellarian chemical constituent has sedative properties. Dose: as capsules, one to two grams three times daily; as a tincture, two to four ml two or three times daily, or as a tea. Non-addictive; no known side-effects.

Natural Sleep Aids

Daily multivitamin/mineral
Calcium: 1,000 mg at bedtime
Magnesium: 500 mg
Vitamin B-complex: 100 mg
Vitamin B3: 100 mg at bedtime
Inositol: 100 mg
L-theanine: 50 to 200 mg
5-HTP (5-hydroxy-tryptophan): 100 to 300 mg at bedtime
Herbal teas: chamomile, passionflower, hops, kava kava, St. John’s wort, valerian
Homeopathic remedies: Coffea, Nux vomica, Arnica, Cocculus, Ignatia (as directed).

Source: alive’s Encyclopedia of Natural Healing

Source: alive #248, June 2003