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Insomnia
& Hibernation:
Sleep
Problems in Alaska
by
Al Collins
As
darkness takes hold, what we can do to improve our sleep?
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I
recently saw the 2002 film Insomnia
(with Al Pacino, Robin Williams, and Hillary Swank) for the first time.
Set in a mythical Alaska (an impossible mix of Skagway and
Kotzebue named “Nightmute”), the picture nevertheless does an
excellent job of showing what it is like to be unable to get good sleep
for days on end. Many of us
experienced this in our first year or two here, and some continue to
have difficulty falling asleep during the midnight sun (or,
midnight
twilight!). Even more have
trouble staying fully awake in the winter, and Seasonal Affective
Disorder—a disruption of the sleep-waking cycle—is something many or
most of us experience at least traces of every winter.
As the darkness takes hold, this is a good time to look at what
we can do to improve our sleep.
Sleep
researchers have found that it helps to get in the habit of going to bed
at the same time every night. It’s also useful not to skimp on sleep
during the week and try to make it up over the weekend (or, even worse,
skimping on sleep all summer and turning winter into one long nap).
Exercise during the day—not too close to bedtime—is another
good way to make sleep more reliable and refreshing.
Not eating much just before bed, and keeping away from proteins
in particular, can also help. Carbohydrates
stimulate relaxation, and a nice glass of warm milk, with or without a
chocolate cookie, can be just the ticket to a ride on the dreamland
express.
But
what if sleep just won’t come, even after you correct bad habits?
Before calling your physician for an Ambien prescription, there
are some natural supplements that you might consider.
Research shows that melatonin is mildly effective, and some claim
good results with tryptophan. As
a psychologist, I cannot prescribe medicines or recommend supplements,
but I do work with many people who simply need a regular practice of
relaxation or balancing of their autonomic nervous system.
Some of the simplest techniques involve learning to warm one’s
hands just by imagining them getting warmer or breathing at a particular
rate to maximize what is called “heart rate variability.”
I also teach people to practice “mindfulness,” which in
essence means to notice one’s feelings and label them (e.g.,
“frustrated that I cannot fall asleep”).
What mindfulness is not
is worrying about one’s frustrations, fears, anger, etc.
Worry tends to make these worse.
Mindfulness means noticing whatever one is feeling, then letting
it go. Paradoxically, not
caring too much about being unable to fall asleep may make sleep easier
to achieve.
Another
technique for regulating sleep is called neurofeedback or EEG
biofeedback. Used for
various disorders, almost all who practice neurofeedback have found it
to be extremely effective for sleep.
My mentor in neurofeedback, Barry Sterman of UCLA, made the
discovery in the early 1970s that increasing a kind of brain waves
called SMR (sensori-motor rhythm) improves sleep in cats as well as in
people. Research by others
has confirmed Sterman’s findings.
Increasing
SMR is still my own mainstay in training people to sleep better, but
there are other approaches that become evident when the brain is
surveyed using the technique of quantitative EEG (QEEG).
For example, insomnia could be due to anxiety, which often
manifests as excess fast brain waves.
Hypersomnia (over-sleeping) may reflect depression, with its
tendency to shut down the left front of the brain.
Knowing what is causing the sleep problem often shows us how to
fix it. (For more information on neurofeedback for sleep, look at the
following website: http://isnr.org/pubarea/indexpub.htm.)
Probably
nothing is more important to our mental health than restful,
rejuvenating sleep in regular doses.
In the stressful modern world—and especially in the north where
the light-dark cycle stresses our ability to sleep just right (not too
long and not too short)—it may be hard to get the sleep we need.
Some of the quick fixes I have suggested here, or professional
help if they are not enough, may be the answer.
Sweet dreams.
Al
Collins, Ph.D., is a Clinical Psychologist and Certified
Quantitative EEG Technologist. Contact him at the
Alaska
NeuroTherapy
Center
,
615 E. 82nd Ave., #102
, in
Anchorage
, or call 344-3338.
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Summer
Sleep Disorder: How to Sleep When the Sun's Still Shining
Some
Alaskans have trouble sleeping in the summer and waking up in the
winter. Alaskan kids especially often have a hard time going to sleep
in the summer when the sun is still out, just calling for them to
play!
Most
of the time, healthy bodies can adapt to changing conditions and
experience no problems in sleep or mood. Yet Alaskans have a unique
situation. Because of the
amount of continuous sunlight we are exposed to in the summer, sleep
can difficult or short. Why?
Brain
researchers discovered that prolonged exposure to light dampens the
brain’s ability to produce melatonin, a substance that triggers
sleep and is a precursor to serotonin, one of the main hormones
responsible for healthy brain and immune function. (Interestingly,
cancer research has linked some cancers to low melatonin levels in the
blood.)
Light
and dark are the signals that tell the brain when to produce what
hormone. Did you know that one hormone puts you to sleep and a
different one wakes you up? Most people sleep 6 to 8 hours a night,
depending on how long it takes to go through a complete sleep-hormone
cycle.
In
the deepest part of sleep, the body (through the immune system) does
its basic healing and repair work. (Conversely, it’s during the
brightest part of our day when we have the most energy and vitality
and movement is easiest.) Depression and sleep disorders are the
result of brain imbalances. However, most seasonal light imbalances
can be easy to fix.
Remedies
If
you live in
Alaska
and want to maintain a healthier body try this:
In winter, start your SAD lights the first week of September. This
will keep your body from starting the natural ‘decline into
hibernation’ that animals are experiencing due to rapidly
disappearing light and colder temperatures.
In summer, invest in black-out drapes or shades and close them at the
same time of day you close them in the winter. This is especially
important if you want to get your kids to bed without a fight. Dusk or
twilight is an important time for releasing the day’s stress from
the nervous system. Some “down time” before sleep is important for
a healthy nervous system.
Melatonin is available in supplement form and recommended for
short-term use to restart the body clock. It is also safe to use with
children. Check with you health care practitioner first, however, or
do some good research on your own to determine if melatonin
supplements are right for you or your children.
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Deep
Sleep
by Stella Lyn
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Gentle
herbal remedies are often a good first step to nudge the body in
the right direction. |
So
many of us find it difficult to get good sleep...to fall asleep, to
stay asleep, and to awaken feeling rested. Sleep is central to any
healing process, and we need for it to be sound in order to stay
healthy. Perhaps the pace of life in the modern world--fast cars,
caffeine, sugary foods, high-speed internet and all the other
technologies that surround us with frenetic energy--are a part of our
departure from easy sleep.
Herbal
remedies can play a beautiful role in helping us return to restorative
sleep patterns. Of course, it is also useful to consider our lifestyle
and identify ways of supporting the process of getting better rest.
This may include turning off electronics and computers earlier in the
evening to give our brains some time to unwind. Additionally, hot
baths before bed and a good, dark sleep environment can lead to an
improvement in sleep.
There
are many herbs that can be used in different ways to facilitate deep
and easy sleep. Some are best prepared as tea or infusion. (I
distinguish infusion from tea in that it is stronger than a tea, more
of a ‘brew.’ See below for instructions.) Other herbs are better
administered as a tincture (alcohol extract).
Here
are a few of my favorite herbal allies for better sleep. These gentle
remedies are a good first step, and are often enough to nudge the body
in the right direction. Keep in mind, however, that if your body
doesn’t respond to these herbs there are many more to choose from.
Oatstraw,
or Avena sativa, is the grass of the plant that oats come from.
It is one of my all-around favorite herbs, especially for those
struggling to sleep well while experiencing a lot of daily stress and
nervous tension. Oatstraw is a deeply nourishing herb which works
long-term, steadily changing tendencies over time. It is a calming
nervous-system tonic, rich in calcium and magnesium and therefore bone
strengthening. It is also a cardiovascular tonic, and over-all very
strengthening. People drinking Oatstraw regularly notice an increase
in vitality (and virility!) and experience a welcome change towards
more restorative sleep.
Oatstraw
doesn’t actually make you sleepy when you drink it, so you can wake
right up in the morning, enjoy a mug-full of infusion, and benefit
from its many gifts. I call Oatstraw a “shoulder rub in a cup,”
because of the way it untangles nerves and gently calms us. To make an
infusion, put a cup (or an ounce by weight) of dried herb in a quart
jar, pour boiling water over it, cap and allow it to steep at room
temperature for at least 4 hours, or overnight. Strain and reheat.
Milk and honey go very nicely in a warm cup of Oatstraw infusion. This
is a particularly good treat for kids who are bouncing off the walls!
When
it’s racing thoughts, or bodily discomfort that impedes sleep,
mildly sedating Skullcap, Scutillaria lateriflora, (a
mint) is another favorite for encouraging sleep. Unlike commonly
prescribed sleeping pills, Skullcap is non-addictive and doesn’t
leave you with a foggy feeling the next morning. We find positive
side-effects with this herb as well, especially in the easing of pain
and spasms, and help in managing acute stress. It can be very useful
for those who suffer from migraine headaches or restless legs.
Skullcap, like Oatstraw, is a nervine (nervous system tonic), which
can reduce the stress response the moment it is taken, as well as
working cumulatively to create healthier patterns long term.
Many
people respond beautifully to a very small dose of 3 to 8 drops of a
tincture made from fresh plant material. (A tincture made from dried
Skullcap generally requires a larger dose of a dropperful or two.) It
is good to start with a small amount at first, see how you respond,
and increase as needed. Try taking it 10 minutes before bed, again as
you lie down, and repeat if you are still awake in 10 minutes. Keeping
some handy at the bedside is also helpful if you tend to wake up in
the night and have trouble getting back to sleep. If stress is a major
obstacle in your life, you may wish to experiment with a small dose of
3 to 5 drops first thing in the morning for a few months. Be open to
change!
Lavender,
Lavendula angustifolia, is a classic herb for bringing calm and
peaceful sleep. Sew some dried lavender flowers into a small piece of
cloth to make a little pillow to sleep with. You may also try adding
it to a nice hot bath (brewing a strong tea of lavender and straining
it before adding it to the tub avoids the trouble that comes with
mixing herbs and plumbing!). If you don’t have a bathtub, try a
lavender foot bath in a large basin. Lavender tea is made by steeping
a couple of teaspoons of herb in a mug of hot water for 10 minutes or
so.
You
can easily combine all of these remedies for a very enjoyable
night-time ritual. Sip a mug of Oatstraw infusion, warm with milk and
honey, or Lavender tea, while soaking in a hot lavender bath. Follow
with a dose of skullcap tincture as you lie down. Ahhhhh! May you rest
easy!
When
considering advice, we are wise to consult our own inner guidance and
to look at a variety of informative sources. The thoughts shared here
are intended to nudge you towards your own intuition, and encourage a
deeper connection with the Earth. It is assumed that you will apply
good common sense with self-responsibility. Enjoy the bounty!
Stella
Lyn uses tried and true methods which have been working for people
throughout history. She offers classes, consultations, and high
quality herbs and herbal extracts. Contact: 746-9500 or artemis@mtaonline.net
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