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Better Sleep - The Stress of Getting To Sleep

By Charlotte Watts Dip.ION BANT – Nutritional Therapist – www.totalbeing.com

It is estimated that we should sleep for one third of our lives, given that 8 out of the full 24 hours in a day should be reserved for the precious rest and recovery that our bodies and minds rely on. It is during this time that our liver does its major detoxification work, new cells and tissues are created and we should also dream to process the sensory, emotional and psychological information that we have received during the day. We shall start at how your stress levels can affect your quality of sleep and expand into looking at how diet and lifestyle can affect this and be tweaked to achieve a more refreshed you.

Rest, sleep and recovery are not necessarily associated with our more and more fast-paced and competitive lifestyles. For some, sleep is sometimes seen as something you do "when you die" and many pride themselves on their ability to thrive on very little (remember Margaret Thatcher's claims?). For many holidays revolve around action activities to avoid the "come-down" of lowering stress hormones, and recreation often involves an activity that raises adrenaline like action films, pushing themselves too hard at the gym or filling all their time up with things to do. People can oscillate between extreme action and near exhaustion, ironically leading to insomnia and sleep deprivation; denial of the very thing they may need most.

There is a movement that is now recognising the importance of balancing the "up" mode of "fight-or-flight", or sympathetic tone, with the necessary bringing back down to resting state, parasympathetic tone. Many more enlightened personal trainers and gyms encourage a balance of aerobic and anabolic activities with the similar amount of calming and recuperative action such as yoga, meditation and walking in the fresh air. Many people who have led very stressed lives can be resistant and fearful of this though and this inability to "switch off" can be part of the pattern leading to insomnia, broken, restless or unrefreshing sleep. Without recuperation we are unable to heal, repair and recharge and will use up nutrients more quickly. We also exhaust our endocrine systems, which produce the hormones in response to any external or internal stimulus. This can exacerbate sleep problems, leading to a vicious cycle.

Long-term stress can produce unnaturally high levels of the steroid hormone cortisol, which can have a direct effect on quality of sleep and also hinder the body's ability to heal and recover. Unlike adrenaline, we should always have a presence of cortisol in the body and it is only when it becomes out of balance that it can cause problems. Cortisol is actually responsible, alongside its opposite DHEA, the so-called "anti-stress hormone", in regulating the sleep cycle, the immune system and our physical repair; it is the "primary hormone involved in the functioning of the immune system and dictates when we should be active and when we should rest"¹. Cortisol levels follow a 24 hour cycle, which follow the sun - at their highest on sunrise and falling off when it sets. This is why our immune system can only function optimally if we are in bed by 10pm and also applies to the restoration of our adrenal glands, which have to worker harder the more stressed we are. The sleep between 10pm and midnight is also the time that is most beneficial to their recovery from the bashing they receive during the day. DHEA improves energy and vitality and sleep and recovery from acute stress symptoms, such as not enough sleep itself.

Add eight hours to this time and you have 10pm until 6am as the ideal sleep pattern. The body has very definite schedule for the night too; physical repair of tissues is planned for 10pm until 2pm, liver detoxification between 1am and 3am and the immune system works in two stages. Firstly it eliminates all harmful agents from the body, doing a full sweep to search and destroy cancer cells, bacteria, viruses and anything else suspect. Then from about 2am until 6am, chemicals are released into the brain that prime the immune system and put us into REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, where we may dream and help to prevent the build-up of unresolved psychological issues. Serious illness can occur if the body is not given the chance to regulate, rest and heal.

To illustrate, consider how you sometimes (or often) wake up feeling more "bunged up" or full of mucous. The clearance of all the unwanted, potentially harmful agents from your body results in a higher production of mucous, which contains properties that kill these and serve to transport them out of the body. A higher level is often a sign of an overworked immune system and it is no surprise that smokers experience this more than most, especially with the direct assault on the mucosal membranes.

Symptoms of infections or viruses can get worse at night as your cortisol levels drop and your immune system becomes more active. When people have very high cortisol levels, the immune system can become markedly suppressed, leading to the syndrome called leisure sickness, which is seen in many teachers. When stress levels finally come down during holidays, the immune system has a chance to work again and clear up the body, which can result in illness itself. Many people subconsciously avoid this by refusing to fully relax. People who boast that "they never get colds" can be fooling themselves, as their immune system is likely to be suppressed by stress². Of course, anxiety about sleep can also raise cortisol levels and add to the problem.

Ironically high cortisol levels in those with long-term stress also often produces the tendency to sleep too much, the natural waking up process may not happen at sunrise and the REM sleep is prolonged. This has also seen to be detrimental and associated with depression, apathy and demotivation³. Waking from REM sleep is a natural process that should leave one feeling refreshed and ready for the day. If this is not happening or becoming increasingly more alien to you, consider the underlying cause. When the body's natural cortisol rhythm is skewed and the efficiency of the adrenal glands begins to suffer, as a protective mechanism, the body may start to 'ignore' the thyroid, which can lead to subclinical if not more pronounced hypothyroidism. A person with sub-optimal thyroid function may describe life as passing them by and experience tiredness upon waking. If tired all the time, this may be the liver and if tired in the afternoon, suspect adrenal stress. These states should be investigated by your health professional and nutritionist, but of course part of the equation is removing one of the underlying causes of stress.

Remember that stress can also include nutritional deficiencies, pollutants, excessive exercise, psychological and emotional issues and poor diet - we shall soon explore how to improve quality of sleep by looking at these factors, but it is important to recognise the stressful effect of stimulants on our sleep quality. According to Dr Christiane Northrup, "Sleep disorders often disappear when people stop using caffeine – and so does urinary frequency" and "Two drinks of alcohol per night effectively wipe out REM sleep, the type associated with dreaming (your inner guidance system)" ⁴. Camomile tea is often cited as useful by insomniacs, even during the day as it is a nerve tonic and maintains alertness and addressing insomnia always starts with calming down adrenal stress and an over-excitory nervous system. Looking at related stress patterns with other factors such as thyroid function and nutrient deficiencies requires a holistic approach with a full investigation, but as a starting point, supporting the adrenals and balancing blood sugar is the best way to lower cortisol and raise DHEA5.

The balancing blood sugar brings us neatly around to the sleep and mood neurotransmitter serotonin, an important brain chemical involved with sleep, mood, vasoconstriction, inhibition, and many other vital functions in both the brain and the gut. It is often an imbalance of serotonin that is associated with depression and this is the basis for most anti-depressive medications on the market. It is no coincidence then, that depression is often seen alongside insomnia and that stress depletes the body's ability to produce and utilise serotonin efficiently. The sleep cycle usually begins with the release of serotonin which signals the production of the hormone melatonin, both of these can be greatly affected by changes in sleep patterns, flying across time zones being a pronounced example. Shortly after melatonin is produced, deep sleep should occur for about 4-5 hours, if serotonin levels are low then the lack of this deep sleep can limit the quality of proper recovery time available to the body.

Melatonin is stored in the pineal gland in the brain; in Hindu philosophy it is referred to as the "Third Eye", said to see more truly and deeply than the other two. One of its jobs is to respond to dark and light which is one of the reasons that full spectrum light therapy can have such a beneficial effect on those who suffer from insomnia, depression and mood disorders, especially if it is linked to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Low serotonin can also lead to sugar and carbohydrate cravings, hence comfort eating in the winter, as these cause the production of the hormone insulin, needed to carry the amino acid trytophan into the brain to make serotonin.

The pineal gland only releases melatonin when light levels are low. Melatonin is therefore only secreted at night, and this mechanism has evolved to enable us to sleep when we are unable to hunt or work during daylight hours. Our ancestors are believed to have slept in caves or dwellings to hide from predators, which without windows would have been naturally devoid of light. In the morning, when you open your eyes, the presence of light is a sign to your brain to shut down the melatonin production. Research by Professor Russel Reiter of the University of Texas was recently reported in The Metro; this was discussed at the First International Scientific Conference on childhood Leukaemia last week and announced that children who slept with the light on could be at a greater risk of leukaemia. Upsetting the production of melatonin in this way disturbs our circadian rhythm, the body's natural clock for the 24 hour cycle. There is evidence that melatonin helps to prevent cancer and higher risk of breast cancer has been shown in past research, in people with jobs that expose them to light at night, such as shiftworkers. The article, by Georgina Littlejohn stated that "Blind people, whose body rhythms are not affected by light and dark, have a lower incidence of cancer".

Staying true to the seasons and light patterns of the day are therefore paramount to health. The body can deal with these gradual, cyclical changes, but not sudden and erratic swings of snatched sleep after a day of stress. This will usually lead to disturbed sleep patterns of some kind and eventually full-blown insomnia. Insomnia can be categorised in two ways; the inability to fall asleep when first going to bed (Type I) or waking in the night and being unable to go back to sleep (Type II), or of course a heady mixture of the two. When addressing insomnia the nature and pattern of these can provide valuable clues into the best solutions for each individual, especially if one is able to notice patterns according to lifestyle, stress patterns, hormonal cycles and for some, even moon cycles - not quite the lunacy (pun intended) as you may think.

Whilst one or two sleepless nights can cause irritability and bouts of daytime sleepiness, chronic insomnia may reduce the ability to perform creative and repetitive tasks and even promote premature ageing. At the risk of repeating ourselves; sleep is very important as the body's recovery time. Reasons may be diet related such as excessive alcohol or caffeine intake, a lack of calcium and/or magnesium, depression, stress or be a secondary cause of another condition such as arthritis for example. Drugs such as decongestants or antidepressants may also cause insomnia. Sleeping pills themselves while effective in the short term, may lead to significant problems such as addiction and abnormal sleep patterns in the long term.

Before we launch into the full nutritional suggestions for sleep health, it is most important to consider; "Due to the circadian regulation of sleep, consistent bedtimes and sleep duration are of most benefit in order to optimise sleep patterns. Delayed bedtimes or early awakenings that result in partial sleep deprivation can affect mental and physical performance on the following day"⁵. You know it makes sense, your body remembers.

Total Being Opinion

It is important to remember that sleep is something to be revered and prepared for nightly. It is not a waste of time to spend one third of our lives unconscious; it improves the quality of live we can have for the other two-thirds. Cats spend two-thirds asleep and they fully appreciate this. It is alien to most and even derided by some to be in bed by 10pm, but this is just our culture talking. We tend to bunch everything up into the evening, including eating too much too late and keeping adrenaline levels up when we should be winding down towards sleep. As people calm down in older life, they often subconsciously make the instinctive decision towards the ideal 10pm until 6am sleep pattern, with an early dinner and these that achieve this have a good recipe for anti-ageing.

There is also the chance to dream more vividly and remember what was on your mind with a healthy sleep cycle. This can be a valuable part of taking you into the next day with a new, fresh approach. It has been noted that our brains are more active asleep than when watching TV, so imagine how your body feels after 4 hours on the sofa, then switching the light on and getting ready for bed - it must be like waking up and hardly conducive to a full and healthy night's sleep. So try reading, chatting, preparing for slumber and leaving the stress behind as you walk up the wooden stairs to Bedfordshire.

See www.totalbeing.com for a Nutritional Assessment to choose the right diet and supplements to help you get in control of your health!

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References
1. www.biohealthinfo.com/html/resources/4pillars/sleep.html
2. Kinsman T. Sleep, Health and Fitness. Australian Institute for Sport (healthfitness.com.au/articles/sleep) 2002
3. Northrup C. Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom. Bantam 1994.
4. The Thyroid Biocare Seminar with Marion Kirkham 20.01.03
5. Stress & Chronic Infective States Biocare Seminar with Marion Kirkham 17.2.03