Natural Sleep Store Blog

While we all pushed our clocks ahead one hour this past Saturday, not all of us have caught up to the time change, especially when it comes to our own circadian rhythm, or body clock.

 
The transition to Daylight Savings Time (DST) usually occurs on the first Sunday in April, not the second Sunday in March, and several sleep experts recognize the difficulty that some may be experiencing.  “The change in time is only an hour, but it’s the change in light that makes a difference in how people feel,” explained Ralph Downey III, the medical director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Loma Linda University Medical Center, Calif., and a spokesman for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.  “An hour shift doesn’t seem like a whole lot, but it’s as if you’re behind the curve an hour a day until you get adjusted.  It can influence your mood, your ability to get things done, your ability to concentrate,” he said.  People are more prone to driving accidents, he added.

 
Most people can easily adapt to a one hour change, said Dr. Jose Loredo, the director of the Sleep Medicine Center at the University of California, San Diego Medical Center. “However, there are people who are sensitive to the time change, especially people who have insomnia and children who have an established routine. This can really throw them off and cause significant problems with their sleep,” he said.

 
The key to adjusting to DST is exposure to sunlight, Loredo said. “We can actually change our internal clock backward or forward depending on the exposure to light,” he said. “The change isn’t immediate, it takes some time.”

 
Loredo agreed that gradually adjusting your sleep schedule will help adjust your internal clock, but “the best way to advance your clock is being exposed to sunlight in the morning. Bright sunlight, not inside but outdoors without sunglasses, for an hour to two hours a day will advance your internal clock by an hour,” he said.

 
Loredo also says that a small dose of melatonin can help: “To advance your internal clock faster or further, you can take melatonin (the lowest dose possible, whatever you get in the store — cut it in half) at five or six o’clock p.m.  It’s not a sleeping pill, it helps advance the clock.”

 
To help cope with the time change, The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends the following:
- Re-adjust your mealtime schedule by eating dinner an hour earlier.
- Be careful when operating machinery or driving on the day of the time change.
- Avoid naps, especially close to bedtime.
- Avoid turning to caffeine to wake you up in the morning and alcohol at night to help you sleep.
- Eat properly, drink lots of water and remain physically active.

I came across this the other day and thought I’d share this list of foods that facilitate relaxation and sleep.

The following food items relax tense muscles, quiet buzzing minds, and/or get calming, serotonin and melatonin (sleep-inducing hormones) flowing. Now, I know that eating close to bed time is not always advisable, but the following may serve you well if eaten 2-3 hourse before bedtime. Enjoy!

Warm Milk - Nope, it’s not just an old wive’s tale. Milk has some tryptophan, an amino acid that has a sedative effect. Milk also contains calcium, which helps the brain use tryptophan. And the warm part? You probably don’t remember this, but during infancy, a warm bottle was psychologically and physically relaxing. And speaking of tryptophan…

Turkey - Turkey is the most famous source of tryptophan, which does NOT put you to sleep after your Thanksgivign feast; that’s a myth. Put a lean slice or two on some whole-wheat bread mid-evening, and enjoy your sleep.

Honey - Honey works nicely in your herb tea and in your warm milk. Honey contains a little bit of sugar, just enough glucose to let your brain know it shoudl to turn off orexin, a recently discovered neurotransmitter linked to alertness.

Whole-wheat bread - A slice of toast with your tea and honey will release insulin, which helps tryptophan get to your brain, where it’s converted to serotonin.

Bananas - This fruit contains melatonin, serotonin, and magnesium, a muscle relaxant.

Chamomile tea - Chamomile blends is its mild sedating effect and is the perfect natural antidote for restless minds and bodies.

Potatoes - A small baked potato clears away acids that can interfere with sleep-inducing tryptophan. Mash up the potato with some warm milk, and sleep tight.

Oatmeal - Oats are a rich source of melatonin and are pretty filling.

Almonds - These heart-healthy nuts contain both tryptophan and a nice dose of muscle-relaxing magnesium.

Flaxseeds - My wife loves flaxseeds, which are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, a natural mood lifter. You can even sprinkle 2 tablespoons of these healthy little seeds on your bedtime oatmeal.

Sure, you can get to bed late, sleep for “a couple of hours,” get to work on time, and put in a full day, but, according to The National Sleep Foundation, people who remain awake for 18 hours straight function similar to drinkers with a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.08%, the level states use to determine whether someone is legally impaired to operate a car.

 
In addition, when you don’t get enough sleep, your brain starts thinking it needs to store food; leptin, a hormone that helps regulate hunger and body fat, drops from lack of sleep, triggering hunger.

 
Sleep researchers agree that the following may help you get through your sleep-deprived day:
- Use a bright light to help keep you awake - Fluorescent light without ultraviolet rays administered  in the morning works well.
- Take a nap -  You might have to book a windowless conference room to rescue your lagging performance.
- Coffee - Caffeine can clear your body of the chemical adenosine, which makes us want to sleep.
- Coffee, then nap - Researchers at the Sleep Research Center at Loughborough University in England found that the best way to regain alertness if you feel like you’re falling asleep is to chug a cup of coffee and then immediately take a 15-minute nap.

When you’re awake, your throat muscles hold the throat open, allowing for the smooth passage of air as we breathe. When you’re asleep, these muscles relax and the throat sags inward, causing air turbulence, particularly as you breathe in. 

Snoring occurs when the walls of the throat, roof of the mouth (soft palate and uvula) and sometimes the base of the tongue start to vibrate intermittently because of excessive turbulence. 

 Sometimes the reason for snoring is anatomical: a long uvula or soft palate, large adenoids, large tonsils, along tongue, a small lower jaw, or an obstructed nasal passage.  More often than not, however, snoring is a result of being overweight.

 
Reducing/Eliminating Snoring:

 
If you’re overweight, watch your diet, make an effort (that means sweat!) to drop some pounds. Otherwise, with weight gain comes a larger neck, and the fat around your neck and lover jaw encroaches upon your throat, thus increasing its tendency to collapse during sleep.

 
Alcohol relaxes your throat muscles, so avoid alcoholic beverages within 2 hours of going to bed.
Consult your doctor about the effects of sleeping pills and other muscle relaxants.

 
Sleep on your side.  When we sleep on our backs, gravity forces the tongue into the back of the throat, blocking the airway. Sleeping on your side allows the tongue to fall off to the side of your mouth.

 
Avoid eating before going to bed.  A full stomach pushes up on your diaphragm and restricts your airway.

 
Use a humidifier, which reduces congestion and moisturizes the throat.

 
Nasal strips may help open your nostrils and increase air flow.

 
Stop smoking or refrain from smoking before going to bed.  Smoking causes inflammation and swelling of the throat.

(Sources:National Institutes of Health; U.S. National Library of Medicine; American Academy of Sleep Medicine; Health Press Limited; Mayo Clinic; National Sleep Foundation)