The Mystery of Sleep & Natural Solutions

Sleep is a funny old business. 

I have spent many years trying to get my son to sleep. His approach to sleep is much like his current approach to brushing his teeth - sporadic and sometimes nonexistent I have spent many hours working out what stops him. 

I know what it’s like to have months and months of broken sleep where your brain stops working properly during the day from total sleep exhaustion. 

4 years of chronic sleep deprivation with my son and then 2 years later a similar situation with my old, ill dog I know how debilitating lack of sleep can be to functioning optimally. 

As a highly sensitive person there are certain factors that I know do affect me and I’d like to mention those before I get to talk about the nutritional aspects of sleep.

>> ➡️Here’s a list of a few things that affect my sleep:

- What lights are on in a room, outside or nearby. 
- Computer lights too close to bed time have a stimulating effect.
- Reading or watching anything angry or scary before bed
- Noisy neighbours outside or a snoring partner 
- The full or new moon (oh yes!)
- How much work I’ve got on my mind
- How much exercise I’ve done that day
- How cozy my bed is
- Alcohol
- Drinking too much liquid before bed
- Needing a wee in the night

These are all things that affect our sleep and should find ways of managing them if possible. They are equally important because in some ways they can make us feel powerless eg: our neighbours making too much noise. When we’re tired we can also feel a bit helpless to the situation.

➡️ Many of us who are highly sensitive also strive for perfection and will do everything we feel we *need* to do every day before we give ourselves the chance to play and unwind. This is so true for me! 

Playing and unwinding are seriously underestimated at how important they are for good quality sleep. 


➡️Here are some questions I want you to ponder:

- When was the last time you played? 
- Do you know what playing looks like for you? 

Also we spend a lot of time overthinking so meditation and breathing is such a powerful tool to quieten the mind and bring you back into your body rather than your head. 

>> ➡️ Lack of sleep can cause:

- weight gain
- increased stress levels 
- brain fog
- poor food choices (ie: reaching for crisps. Chocolate, sweets. Caffeine etc). 

If there are reasons outside of your own control why you’re not able to sleep then in my experience getting really good nutrition is fundamental to making sure you’re adrenal glands don’t get overworked and then stop working Properly. 

>> Prime Sleep Time:

Between 10pm - 2 am your body does most of its healing so it’s super critical that you’re able to sleep during that period even if its disrupted sleep. 

>> ➡️ So now onto the health side:

When you go to sleep for the night, your liver shuts down operation and runs on autopilot. By around three or four in the morning (it’s different for everyone), your liver starts to wake up again and once more begins to process poisons, viruses, and debris (such as dead cells, including dead red blood cells.). Some of these toxins can keep us awake or wake us up sporadically during the night. 

These toxins can also affect the brain and cling to the ends of our nervous system and cause heightened anxiety and depression. 

Also being highly sensitive you may also feel food going round your gut and / or you may have gut issues from overload of toxic heavy metals which cause irritations (IBS etc) that create discomfort too. 

So many of us have issues with too much adrenaline going round our bodies. High stress lifestyles can keep you up much later than your body needs and then in the morning you’re exhausted. 

➡️ Here some guidelines of what you can try:

- Bananas: high in tryptophan
- Mangoes: high in magnesium
- Cherries: a source of melatonin
- Asparagus: soothe inflammation and free radicals
- Spinach: High in calcium and reducing acid in the body.
- Celery: High in mineral salts that carry electrical impulses to the brain
- Liquorice Root: Supports adrenals
- Sweet Potatoes: provides glucose that supports brain function and melatonin
- Lemon Balm: a great calming tea / herb



These are the essential oils I love to use:
- Serenity by Doterra
- Lavender (for some it can be a stimulant)
- Pettigrain
- Frankincense
- Wild Orange

There are lots of other sleep tools out there, but these are the ones I have used with my family and with my clients which I know work well. 
​
Much love

Dawn