Dear Liz
Can’t sleep?!!! Try this… Sleeplessness is very common, whether in menopause/PMS, or in healthy women and men. It can be SOOOO irritating! The solutions vary with the cause. Here’s a brief rundown of causes and their solutions, plus some general remedies. 1. Symptoms of menopause or PMS (eg. hot flushes, bloating, night sweats, pain and discomfort, etc): In most cases this is caused by a hormone imbalance (eg too little or too much estrogen); rebalance it, and the problem is solved. To answer how (and to get my plug out of the way) simply get the free report on the RHS of my website: click www.drmauramcgill.com.
2. Internal dialogue: Know the story when your brain just won’t shut up!? It’s like it doesn’t know you’re trying to sleep – you do it every night, how can it not know?!! Switching off your brain is not the answer. Even when you sleep (at least in REM sleep) your brain is active. What it isn’t doing is being a chatterbox. The best way to transition to sleep is to meditate – VISUALLY. That’s important. You can’t switch your brain off, but you can switch it to visual mode. You may not be able to sleep when your brain is in chatty, or AUDIO mode, but you can sleep when you are in visual mode. How? Focus on what you see. Totally. Play with the imagery in your mind, see the patterns. You never really see nothing, even when your eyes are closed in the darkness. When you develop the skill (and it is a skill) to focussed fully on the visual imagery in your mind, you CAN sleep. But you must combine it with proper breathing.
2. Internal dialogue: Know the story when your brain just won’t shut up!? It’s like it doesn’t know you’re trying to sleep – you do it every night, how can it not know?!! Switching off your brain is not the answer. Even when you sleep (at least in REM sleep) your brain is active. What it isn’t doing is being a chatterbox. The best way to transition to sleep is to meditate – VISUALLY. That’s important. You can’t switch your brain off, but you can switch it to visual mode. You may not be able to sleep when your brain is in chatty, or AUDIO mode, but you can sleep when you are in visual mode. How? Focus on what you see. Totally. Play with the imagery in your mind, see the patterns. You never really see nothing, even when your eyes are closed in the darkness. When you develop the skill (and it is a skill) to focussed fully on the visual imagery in your mind, you CAN sleep. But you must combine it with proper breathing.
3. Improper breathing: The frustration of not being able to sleep often gets you huffing and puffing. That’s not conducive to sleep. In fact as far as your body is concerned, it’s better for jogging! You know your brain can control your body, that’s obvious. But your body can also control your brain. It’s more subtle, but it can. And that can help you sleep. If you breathe like you do when you are asleep, eventually you will sleep. It’s biology. Let me explain. You know that slow rhythmic breathing when you hear someone sleeping? Their body get flooded with natural “melatonin”, which is basically the opposite of adrenalin. It puts your body into shut-down mode. Try this: breathe slowly, and steadily. Be very relaxed. Count the seconds. In for 6 seconds. Out for 6 seconds. Breathe just like you have heard others do when they are sleeping deeply. Your natural melatonin should put you to sleep in minutes. Be sure to combine it with the visual exercise above if you have internal dialogue problems.
4. Diet: Food and drink near bedtime can definitely affect your sleep. Coffee and cola is obvious. Tea has caffeine too, which many don’t know – INCLUDING green tea and many herbals. Alcohol is a mistake many make. It seems to make you sleepy – if you drink enough! – but really it’s closer to passing out. It actually is a stimulant. Drinking before bedtime is a no-no if you really want to sleep.
5. Herbal remedies: These can really help. They are available over the counter at chemists, in pill and liquid form. The main one I recommend is valerian. The strengths vary. You don’t want to get dependant on them, but they are better for you than prescription sleeping pills. There are other homeopathic remedies available other the chemists, often as compounds (ie a mix of ingredients). Ask your chemist about these. The liquids under the tongue work well, and you may want to combine them with valerian , depending on what is in the compound. Ask the chemist. If you are really stuck, a good homeopath will deal with insomnia clients on a daily basis. As your chemist to recommend you a good one in your area.
So there you go. Sleep is available, you can do it! Please feel free to share this with any friends, family or co-workers who complain of insomnia – we all deserve a decent night’s sleep!
Love and light,
Maura.