Sleep struggles? 7 tips to save your sleep

Do you struggle to nod off to sleep, regardless of how many sleep stories, guided meditations, or whale noises you listen to?

Or do you find yourself regularly waking in the early hours of the morning and unable to fall back to sleep, no matter how many sheep you count?

You’re not alone. Sleep problems are affecting nearly 1 in 2 Australians (48%), who have difficulty with either sleep onset (falling asleep) or sleep maintenance (staying asleep). And if you’re not getting at least 7-8 hours of sleep a night, you are at higher risk of developing chronic health issues such as high blood pressure, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, and mental health conditions.

So, how can we support your sleep? The important thing to remember is that setting yourself up for great sleep starts with your daytime behaviour. This has a lot to do with your nervous system, as well as optimising your sleep hormone production.

Sleep hormones

Two of the main hormones that are responsible for regulating our Circadian rhythm (internal body clock) are serotonin and melatonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that is responsible for regulating our appetite, mood, and sleep – and it’s also known as the happy hormone, as it fosters positivity and relaxation. We need serotonin levels to increase in the morning for us to wake up and feel energised. Melatonin is a hormone that increases naturally towards the evening when in dark environments and is responsible for helping to regulate sleeping patterns and the feeling of winding down. Light exposure depletes melatonin production, and without melatonin, restorative sleep is not possible. Let’s dive into seven ways that you can optimise your sleep hormones for restful sleep.

Daylight exposure

Are you someone who has to drag yourself out of bed after pressing snooze on your alarm five times? Morning sunshine is your friend. To optimise your serotonin production, which can help you wake up in the morning and start your day feeling energised, go outside and have a stretch first thing, or start your day with a walk in the early morning sunshine, or even just sleep with your blinds open to wake up with the sun. This can be trickier in the winter months if you are an early riser and the sun isn’t up yet, so prioritise going outside for a lap around the block or take a stroll to get your morning coffee once it’s light out. A lack of serotonin can not only lead to lethargy in the daytime, but it can also lead to low mood and mood dysregulation, so we want serotonin production to be a priority.

Screen time

By now most of us have heard that we should avoid being on our phones before bed, but to optimise our melatonin production at night, we really want to do more than this. Ideally, we want to avoid all backlit screens and bright lights for around 60-90 minutes before bedtime. So yes, this means avoiding scrolling on your phone in bed, but it also includes trying not to watch Netflix on a TV or laptop, or have all the brightest LED lights in your house on right up until bedtime. Try dimming your lights or using warm-toned lamps if possible and aim to put the screens away at least an hour before bed. Instead choose to read a book or listen to an audiobook or podcast, or even better a guided meditation. Melatonin deficiency can lead to insomnia and restless sleep, so this is really important for all those late-night scrollers.

Coffee habits

Are you one of those people who proclaims that you could drink an espresso for dessert with no impact on your sleep? Biologically, this is unlikely - even if you don’t think you feel it! Caffeine blocks adenosine, which is a substance our body makes to regulate our sleep-wake cycle and helps us to feel sleepy. Caffeine has a half-life of around six hours on average (this differs between individuals depending on our genes), which means caffeine will still be affecting your body for at least this long (and for many people, longer) after your last coffee. So, if you have a coffee as a pick-me-up at 3 pm, by 9 pm when you are trying to wind down for bed that caffeine may still be working behind the scenes to make sleep more challenging. Aim to have your morning coffee before 12 pm if possible and stick to non-caffeinated drinks in the afternoon such as herbal tea (chamomile is particularly great for winding down the nervous system).

Nervous system support

How we live day to day has an enormous impact on how well we sleep at night. If we are consistently living in a state of heightened adrenaline production (‘fight or flight’), our nervous system is sending the message out to our body to be on high alert, which does not encourage restful sleep. The key is regulating that stress response wherever you can during the day – think a meditation when you wake up or right before bed, breathwork (slow, long breaths periodically throughout the day), regular stretching, a yoga class, taking a walk by the beach or through the bush and being mindful wherever possible in your day.

Early morning wakes

If you are someone who regularly wakes in the early hours of the morning (typically between 1 am and 3 am) it can be an indication that your liver is working overtime. Our liver is busy detoxifying our bodies from the harmful substances in our environments (chemicals in our cleaning products, skincare, makeup, hair products, perfumes and aftershaves, pesticides, alcohol, plastics, and the list goes on!) and when it’s overloaded, it can lead to us feeling hot at night, and often waking in those early morning hours. If you find it very hard to get back to sleep, your liver may need some love! As well as avoiding exposure to the above substances where possible, try eating more liver-supportive green leafy and Brassica veggies such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, brussels sprouts, and broccolini.

Magnesium

Every cell and organ in our bodies needs magnesium to function, and it’s particularly important for our nervous systems and muscles – both of which we need to relax in order to sleep! A good quality magnesium supplement can help you to feel more calm and relaxed, relieve muscle cramps and restless legs, and regulate melatonin to optimise your sleep quality. Magnesium comes in a few different forms and is of varying quality in over-the-counter products, so chat with your natural health practitioner or a naturopath in your local health shop about a good-quality supplement that might be a good fit for you.

Herbal support

Finally, herbal medicine can be incredibly effective in helping to regulate the nervous system, relax your mind and body, aid in sleep onset and maintenance, and help you feel rested and revitalised when you wake up (a sure sign of restorative sleep!). Unlike many sleep aids such as prescription and over-the-counter sleep medications, herbal medicine won’t leave you waking up feeling groggy. Herbs such as lemon balm, passionflower, kava, Californian poppy, and valerian can be useful for relaxing the nervous system and supporting your body’s own sleep processes. Chat with your practitioner about what the right herbs are for your specific health picture.

Supporting your sleep is so important for both quality of life and improving longevity by reducing the risk of the development of chronic disease. If you’re not sure where to start, book in with a naturopath or another holistic health practitioner for help in fostering good-quality sleep.