It can hit unexpectedly—usually following a stressful occurrence or a heavy meal. You lie in bed, exhausted, needing to sleep, knowing you have a full day tomorrow. But your mind keeps racing, mulling over details, thinking through the events of today, evaluating what you need to do later, worrying about issues that lie ahead. As time ticks on, you begin to worry that you will not be alert to meet the demands of the next day; beginning to panic as you continue glancing at the clock, you worry that you will not sleep at all. The pressure becomes even more intense, and your nervous, tight muscles will not allow you the restful lapse into sleep.

A colleague of mine had me treat his wife, who was plagued with a challenge that is common today: insomnia. As his wife became older, she noticed that it was increasingly difficult to let her mind and body relax into sleep. The difficulty worsened as she began to panic about not being rested sufficiently to function the following day. I was grateful that I was able to help her get better. Until she was treated, she had joined the ranks of countless thousands, even millions, who suffer with this problem. Is there an answer? Or are there many answers? Let’s explore some information.

Although the complete studies of why we need sleep and the implications of poor sleep are not thoroughly understood, there are a few clear relationships between lack of sleep and lack of health. We know that:

1. Adults who sleep about eight hours per night live longer than those that sleep longer (9-10 hours) or considerably less (4 hours or less) per night. So too much sleep, as well as too little sleep, can have a detrimental effect.
2. Sleep deprivation affects the immune system, resulting in a greater number of infections.
3. Tissue repair, including protein synthesis and fat breakdown for energy, takes place during deep sleep because growth hormone release occurs at that time.
4. Although sleep does not create better moods, vitality or mental sharpness, sleep can erase the poor mood, lack of vigor or mental dullness induced by sleep deprivation.²

There are three principles that we must understood in order to appreciate sleep, drowsiness and wakened states: Sleep Debt, Our Biological Clock, and Environmental Stimulation.

Sleep Debt

Sleep debt is the number of hours a person is missing from his/her sleep need. Let’s say I need eight hours of sleep to perform optimally. If I get 6 1/2 hours of sleep per night during the weeknights, I am 7 1/2 hours’ sleep deprived by the end of the workweek. By sleeping 10 hours per night on the weekend, I gain 4 hours on the sleep debt, which means I start the next week 3 1/2 hours sleep deprived. After maintaining the schedule for one month, I am now 14 hours sleep deprived.

Perhaps the most important reason to understand sleep debt and drowsiness is with regard to our driving. Statistics show that the day after the institution of daylight savings time (with the loss of one hour of sleep), there is a 7-8% increase in automobile accidents. Once a person falls asleep at the wheel, there is no guarantee it will only be for a short time, as the sleep state is no longer under conscious control. Many of us have noticed ourselves becoming drowsy at the wheel, then “come to” a short time later, not realizing the distance we have traveled.

About a year ago, two college boys were driving a long distance, when both fell asleep. The accident that took place broke the driver’s neck and slightly injured the passenger. After months of therapy, the driver is doing well, and amazingly was not paralyzed. But they would be the first to tell you how close a call it was for them, and how easily things could have gone differently. Drive when you are wide awake! It isn’t worth it to take a risk and drive while drowsy.

When daughter was a junior in massage therapy school, her course of study included extremely rigorous training in anatomy and physiology. She was at the top of her class. One morning after a full week of chronic sleep deprivation, she was scheduled for an exam. I had grilled her extensively on the subjects for the test and she knew the material backwards and forwards. But when the exam was placed in front of her eyes, she couldn’t focus on the questions. She knew she knew the answers, but they eluded her because of her lack of sleep the previous week. She scored the lowest percent that she had received in her entire course. And you can bet she now places a high priority on getting adequate rest!

Biological Clock

Our biological clock synchronizes a vast array of biochemical events that determine our cycles of sleep and wakefulness. Even under the burden of sleep deprivation, this internal clock triggers wakefulness at preset times, typically in the morning with decelerating wakefulness in the mid afternoon and full wakefulness in the evening. Although the biological clock appears to only influence wakefulness, the lack of wakefulness coupled with darkness that triggers release of melatonin from the pineal glands permits us to get to sleep.

Environmental Stimulation

The symphonic interplay of sleep debt and our biological clock, intertwined with the amount of environmental stimulants, determines if we can stay awake in the middle of the night or we can sleep in the middle of the morning. If we are driving home in the middle of the night, relying heavily on environmental stimulation (music, air blowing, singing, eating, slapping the face) to stay awake, we must not relax the stimulation three blocks from home, or we risk falling asleep.

I read of an office worker who was dealing with sleep debt as she tried to hammer away at the computer. So tired she could hardly keep her eyes open, she decided to “just lay her head down on her desk for a second.” Several minutes later, she awoke and glanced at her keyboard. Her hand had landed on one key that was displayed repeatedly on the monitor screen: “zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.”

You Have Options

Here are some options for a lifestyle that permits you plenty of restorative sleep:

1. Establish a regular bedtime (early if you don’t want to be weary!) and wake time (early if you want your mind to be invigorated!)
2. Avoid stimulation such as television, caffeine, or exercise immediately prior to bedtime
3. Consume your evening meal more than three hours before retiring
4. Find relaxing rituals before bedtime that work for you, such as a hot bath, reading, praying
5. Clear the air with your spouse
6. Create a bedroom environment conducive to sleep: quiet, dark, comfortable temperature and comfortable mattress (not too soft) and bedding
7. Put a high priority on sleep
8. Mr. Wattles (in his book The Science of Being Well, written in 1909) recommended sleeping with plenty of fresh, pure air, especially from the outdoors. He would have you open your windows in all seasons of the year. He agreed with those that maintain that we all sleep better if the body is warm and the head is cool or cold.
9. Gratitude is an important part of life, and you should express your gratitude frequently, including before and after the sleeping process.

Aids in Sleep

There are a number of different preparations that have been successful in helping people with their sleeping challenges:

1. Melatonin is the hormone secreted by the pineal gland that induces sleep or permits us to enter into the sleep state. When given for sleep, it only seems to be effective when melatonin levels are low in that individual.³
2. Seratonin appears to have an effect on sleep. Seratonin precursors 5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) and Tryptophan both have been shown to help sleep. All of my experience is with 5 HTP, which increases REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, the most important part of sleep. It also increases the deep stages of sleep without increasing sleeping time.⁴
3. Calcium and magnesium are minerals that cause relaxation. (Magnesium is also a cofactor for serotonin synthesis). Epsom salt baths can be a very effective soporific (sleep inducer).
4. There are a number of calming herbs that help induce sleep. Two have been well studied: Valeriana oficinalis (Valerian) at 450-900 mg doses⁵ and Passiflora incarnata (passion flower).⁶
5. Many individuals who have suffered from insomnia have found that the problem disappears when they sleep on a magnetic mattress. Some companies or salespeople will allow customers to try one before buying to see if it will help their sleep.
6. “White noise” can be played in the background, and is helpful to some. Some white noise machines can adapt the sounds, so that they can sound like a peaceful ocean or other sleep-friendly noise.
7. Hard, physical labor or exercise during the day has helped many people with getting into deep, reparative sleep.
8. Personal energy work can be helpful. An easy and effective relaxation and energy stimulating technique of Jin Shin Jyutsu involves holding each (of the 10) finger for 1 to 2 minutes while focusing on exhaling all the way out. When breathing all the way out, you should think about releasing tension and other garbage from your life, and while breathing in, think about all the things you want and need in your life that is good.
9. Wallace D. Wattles addressed the issue of insomnia: meditate with thankfulness, breathe properly, feel confident you will sleep, and form the clear conception of total health during the wakeful state.

Last but not least is the place of relaxation in the sleep process. There are various breathing techniques, relaxation of specific muscle groups, massage or self-help energy work that have been helpful for various people. And let your thoughts be relaxing, gentle, peaceful thoughts, while you breathe more and more deeply, and feel yourself getting very, very sleepy….

References

1 A fine treatise on all this information is presented in the 450 page book, The Promise of Sleep by William C. Dement, M.D. by Dell Publishing.
2 Nave R, Peled R, Lave P. Melatonin improves evening napping. Eur J Pharmacol 1995; 275; 213-216.
3 Soulairac A, Lambinet H. Effect of 5-Hydroxytryptophan, a serotonin precursor, on sleep disorders. Am Med Psychol 1977; 1: 792-798.
4 Balderer G, Borbely AA. Effect of valerian on human sleep. Psychopharmacol 1985; 87:406-409.
5 Embodden W. Narcotic plants. New York, NY: Collier Books. 1980