Sleep Solutions

Sleep is such an important part of good health. Everybody knows you're supposed to get 8 hours of sleep a night, but do you know why? There are several things your body does while you're sleeping that contribute to good health, and they occur during different parts of the sleep cycle. If you're not getting the full 8 hours of sleep or your sleep is interrupted, then you're not getting all the benefits you should be getting from your sleep.

The REM state makes up about 25% of your sleep. It occurs about 90 minutes after falling asleep, and recurs about every 90 minutes, getting longer later in the night. During REM, energy is provided to your brain and body. If you wake up frequently throughout the night or sleep in short spurts, you're missing out on gaining this energy because you don't enter the REM state often or long enough.

NREM makes up the other 75% of sleep and is comprised of 4 stages. Stages 3 and 4 are the most restorative sleep where you are most relaxed, but you have to get through stages 1 and 2 first. Again, interrupted sleep causes a problem. Tissue growth and repair occurs during stages 3 and 4. For Lymies, missing out on this repair stage makes an already big problem in our bodies even bigger.

My doctor diagnosed lack of deep sleep as one of my issues a while ago based on blood test results. He initially put me on Ambien, but I didn't like that as a long-term solution so I've been using more natural solutions to help me sleep better. Here are some suggestions you can try:

• Try to go to sleep and get up at the same time every day. This helps set your body's internal clock.
• Make sure you sleep in a dark room and keep the lights low if you have to get up during the night.
• Use relaxation techniques like deep breathing or muscle relaxation. The old advice of counting sheep actually has merit. I sometimes use a variation of this exercise combined with breathing. I keep a mental picture of a bunch of balloons in my head. On every inhale, I imagine pulling a balloon from the bunch, and on every exhale I imagine the balloon floating away and I count it. If you lose track of what number you're up to, don't fret. Just start back with the first number that comes into your head. The idea is not to see how high you can count but to let your mind relax with the image and counting, blocking out all those other thoughts that keep you awake at night.
• Melatonin - Many people report being able to fall asleep better while taking melatonin. It helps regulate the sleep cycle and is a calming agent. According to WebMD, melatonin has many other uses as well. I have tried it in the past, but it was never enough to make a difference in my sleep, though perhaps I will add it again to see if I can get any of the other benefits.
• Valerian Root - Valerian root is calming and has been reported to reduce the amount of time it takes to fall asleep. I currently use valerian root and have found some benefit to it.
• Revitalizing Sleep Formula - This is a product I have used off and on for several years, and I do believe it helps me not only fall asleep faster, but also fall back to sleep if I wake up during the night. I also notice my dreams are more vivid when I take this, indicating I'm reaching stages 3 and 4 of NREM. It includes valerian root along with other natural ingredients, so check to make sure you are not taking too much of any one ingredient if you try multiple remedies.

As always, talk to your doctor about any changes you plan to make. My suggestions are only to provide a personal experience and your situation may vary.

Hopefully, with the right amount of rest and relaxation, your body can function as it was meant to. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that my recent changes in sleep aids will help me along on my journey to health.