How to Conquer the Sleep Problem
I was talking with my friend, Elaine, about our mutual problem of being awake until the early morning hours (2 or 3 am) and waking up late (between 10 am and noon). I was trying to stop myself in the evenings but I am most productive and creative at that time. Elaine asked, “why should we fight it?” I guess she feels that after years of trying to get this problem under control, she doesn’t fight it anymore as long as she can sleep without interruption. She told me that after years of researching how to conquer the sleep problem, she found that there is not just one solution. She said there are many things to do to improve sleep patterns and that she found that she has to do them all in order to get the benefit.
I asked Elaine if she could tell me what she does so that I could see if it would help others. I took notes on what she told me and I asked if she minded me sharing her tips with my readers. She went a step further. One day recently, I received an email from her with the subject “My pro-sleep regimen”. She wrote:
“Hi Angie,
“You can see why this took me so long, but…here it is….
“Cheers, Elaine”
So here’s Elaine’s daily sleep regimen (arrived at after years of reading, trial and error).
How to Conquer the Sleep Problem!
DAYTIME:
— One cup of coffee and maybe one cup of green tea. Finish by 4 hours after getting up at latest.
— I take Vitamin D in the morning, 5000 IU
— I take B vitamins early in the day. B12, in animal food sources, is famous for helping sleep. I also take 70 mg of Pantothenic acid/B5 by biting off part of a multi-B tablet (too little and too much are both bad for sleep). See video by Dr. Stasha Gominak HERE. I take most vitamin supplements early in the day.
— Green or red juice only in the morning.
— I take bee pollen only in the morning.
— About 6 hours after getting up, I take 100 mg. of 5-HTP, maybe 50 more mg. 2-3 hours later. Chia and pumpkin seeds have 5-HTP
— I take a probiotic supplement 3 times a day.
DAYTIME EXERCISE AND LIGHT EXPOSURE:
— I get as much natural light as possible, not through glass, early in the day. I spend 1-2 hours outdoors in the morning.
— Within the first four hours after getting up, I work out or use a rebounder for 20 minutes.
EVENING and NIGHT
— Later in the day or in the evening, I drink 4 cups of chamomile or red clover flower tea, usually made cold and sometimes sweetened with Calm (magnesium powder with stevia).
— I drink water or cool herb tea with 1 tsp. Calm magnesium powder (a powdered drink fizz, but it also loosens stools if this is a problem for you).
— I take calcium and zinc supplements at night. Pumpkin seeds have a lot of zinc. Milk and raw, soaked, blanched almonds (or almond butter) have a lot of calcium.
—I avoid red wine at night. Red wine has tannin, which keeps me awake. Beer on the other hand has hops, which helps me sleep. I have 1/2-1 beer with dinner. I also take hops extract at night. I don’t eat berries at night, because of their tannins.
— Starting 1 hr. before bed, I use:
- 6 sprays of Mercola Sleep Support with melatonin
- 4 drops reishi extract
- 4 drops CBD oil
- A progesterone capsule
- DoTerra Anchor oil (has Frankincense in it) mixed with olive oil on my soles, ankles & lower back
- Lavender essential oil in same places as Anchor oil plus around face and wrists
- A shot of Flor Essence herbal liquid – available in Canada in liquid or packet form that makes a drink
- Bach Flower Rescue Remedy
- Hops extract in water
- Warm organic milk with about 1/8 tsp. each of nutmeg, turmeric, ginger and 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
EVENING LIGHT EXPOSURE:
— No screen time after dark except when wearing amber-tinted glasses. When I use a computer at night, my screen has a blue-light filter and a program called Iris, plus I turn the brightness down almost to nothing and make text very large. I avoid cell phones, tablets and TVs after dark because their brightness is not adjustable.
— After dark, I keep lighting in the house very low and I use only low wattage incandescent bulbs, which are hard to find. Refrigerator and vanity lights are usually incandescent. I gave away all my LED, fluorescent and “energy saving” bulbs. One type of energy saving bulb I use are halogen incandescent.
— Often I do light yoga stretching at night.
How do I remember all this? I write it and post it on my wall.
Much thanks to Elaine for so generously sharing how to conquer the sleep problem with me and my readers!
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Angie
Really enjoyed this post! So many good tips here for tackling sleep issues—something a lot of us can relate to. I’ve found that creating a bedtime routine has really helped, especially when I add little things like dimming the lights and putting on my nightease glasses(https://gloojo.com/nightease-sleep-glasses/) to cut down on blue light. It’s amazing how a few small changes can make a big difference in winding down. Thanks for sharing these helpful ideas!
Yes, as mentioned in this post, computer glasses to cut down the blue light from devices helps reduce sleep problems.
These are such great tips, Angie! For me, caffeine late in day is a sure way to lose sleep at night!
Alcohol and coffee don’t affect me much. However, having some calming herbs at night helps me to sleep better!
These are such great tips! I have always struggled with sleep and it has only gotten worse with premenopause. I have to remember to never drink caffeine after noon or I am doomed for the night! Thanks for sharing and linking up with me.
Shelbee
http://www.shelbeeontheedge.com
Forgot to mention that stopping red wine or brandy with dinner really helped my sleep. A friend told me that red wine has tannins, which keep you awake. Instead I have 1/2 to 1 beer with dinner—the hops are relaxing! (But getting high isn’t good for sleep, which is why I don’t drink much.) For probiotics, I’m consuming small amounts of fermented foods throughout the day: apple cider vinegar in water, goat yogurt, natto and that half a beer. I believe frequent yogurt prevents colds—I’m talking a teaspoon 5-10 times a day swished around in my mouth.
Hi, Elaine – I just want to thank you again for so graciously sharing all of the information you’ve found on improving sleep. It’s really nice to know what worked! XOXO – Angie