The Effortless Sleep Method: The Incredible New Cure for Insomnia and Chronic Sleep Problems
Sleep difficulties are more common in people who have diabetes than in people who don’t. That’s because having diabetes raises the risk for certain sleep problems such as sleep apnea and restless legs syndrome.
Insomnia is characterized in a number of ways: you could have problems going to sleep (sleep onset insomnia), problems waking up and going back to sleep (middle of the night insomnia), or waking up in the early dawn unable to return to sleep that night (terminal or late insomnia).
Like many other medical diseases and conditions, diabetes is sensitive to sleep disturbances.
For more great Health and Nutrition Tips refer to the website positivehealthwellness.com.
Studies have shown that diabetes worsens when adult sufferers sleep less than six hours per night or more than nine. The loss of normal sleep hours or addition of sleep hours seems to undo the body’s chemistry and completely throw off-balance the blood glucose levels.
Further studies have shown that chronic insomnia in healthy people can also instigate diabetes. Loss of sleep interrupts insulin balance,leads to insulin resistance which in turn can lead to more severe medical problems and Type 2 diabetes.
Insulin resistance is a condition in which the body’s cells do not respond normally to insulin.A lack of sleep has also been connected to obesity , a condition which has been linked to the development and increased severity of diabetes.
A lack of sleep can impair glucose metabolism and affect appetite regulation, making it more difficult for your body to control hunger or recognize satiation.In addition, the exhaustion someone feels when sleep deprived makes it difficult to exercise and control weight gain.
Getting more than 7 hours of sleep a night is a key factor in preventing obesity and therefore reducing the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.
There is an undeniable link between poor sleep and diabetes, as one tends to both aggravate and intensify the other. But managing to improve one also tends to make it easier to manage the other.
Eating correctly and properly maintaining blood sugar levels throughout the day makes it easier for the body to maintain the necessary levels throughout the night, often resulting in better sleep quality.
More and higher quality sleep has been shown to decrease glucose levels and make diabetes symptoms easier to manage.Deep sleep helps to boost immune function, support cardiac health, and control stress and anxiety.
Home Remedies To Overcome Insomnia
Sleeping pills and other sleep-promoting pharmaceuticals can offer a short-term solution to a temporary bout of insomnia. And plenty of people use them. But often, prescription sleep aids come with unpleasant side effects like headaches, sore muscles, constipation, dry mouth, daytime fatigue, trouble concentrating, dizziness, and more.
Most people quickly build up a tolerance to the sedative effects of sleeping meds. Which either means that you have to take higher and higher doses to get the same effect, or they stop working altogether.
if you want to achieve longer, more restful sleep for a lifetime, you’ve really got to build healthy, pro-sleep habits.
Below explore proven home remedies that can give you a relaxation boost when you really need it, minus the side effects that tend to come with prescription meds.
Exercise
Exercise boosts overall health. It can enhance your mood, give you more energy, aid in weight loss, and promote better sleep.
I was in the Lyra Hotel in Kilkenny yesterday with my twin sister Joan and my husband Brendan for our birthday!
It’s a lovely hotel with beautiful gardens!It is situated in a lovely area in County Kilkenny surrounded by trees and shrubs!
The Lyra Hotel is a very large hotel with a wonderful Entrance Hall which contains two pictures of the two golden retrievers seen above!
The entrance hall also contains lovely flowers and oil paintings that me and my sister admired!
The bathroom facilities were spotless with little hand towels for drying your hands and lovely soap dispensers and hand cream!
We had a lovely lunch,both me and my sister had the tiger prawn salad and it was delicious,we both cleared our plate!
I also had a look around their walled garden which was really lovely!I love roses and there was beautiful peach roses that smelled lovely!
I am very lucky to have a generous husband who paid for our meal!He also took us to see the Arboretum Garden Centre which is about fifeteen minutes drive from the Lyra Hotel.
It is a beautiful garden centre with a lovely seating area where we had a cup of tea each and a lovely slice of homemade sugar free fruitcake!
They also have a lovely display area with beautiful plants,shrubs and water features!
It is one of the nicest garden centres around!
Exercise triggers an increase in body temperature, and the post-exercise drop in temperature promotes falling asleep. Exercise also reduces insomnia by decreasing arousal, anxiety and depressive symptoms.
Being physically active requires you to expend energy, and helps you feel more tired and ready to rest at the end of the day.
Engage in moderate exercise for at least 30 minutes per day. You may add in some strength training or aerobic exercise a few times per week.
A bout of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise (e.g., walking) reduces the time it takes to fall asleep and increases the length of sleep of people with chronic insomnia compared to a night in which they did not exercise.
Find the time of day that best suits your needs and that has the most positive effect on your sleep.
Magnesium
Magnesium is a naturally occurring mineral,it helps muscles relax and relieve stress and encourages healthy sleep patterns.
This common mineral not only helps you fall asleep in the first place, but it helps you enjoy deeper, more restful sleep as well.
In our bodies, magnesium primarily exists in our serum and red blood cells. It’s one of the most common minerals in Earth, and you’ll see it as an ingredient in many foods.
Green vegetables, especially leafy ones like spinach ,kale and sea vegetables like kelp, are great sources of magnesium. That’s because the center of the chlorophyll molecule (which gives green vegetables their color) contains magnesium.
Other plant foods such as beans, peas, nuts, and seeds are good sources of magnesium. Grains such as wheat, rice, and quinoa are high in magnesium. But make sure you get them in their whole, natural, unrefined state.
In order to sleep, your brain needs to feel tired and relaxed, so it naturally starts winding things down toward the end of the day, preparing for sleep. Magnesium helps push this process along through its interactions with your melatonin levels and nervous system.
Some people are prone to magnesium deficiency, including those with diabetes, alcohol addiction, GI diseases, ADHD, and older adults. These individuals especially can benefit from supplemental magnesium.
Men may take up to 400 mg daily, and women can take up to 300 mg daily. You may choose to divide your doses between the morning and evening or take your dose before bed.
Side effects include stomach and intestinal issues. You may wish to start with a lower dose and gradually increase to see how your body reacts.
Check with your doctor if you take any medications to determine potential interactions.You shouldn’t take magnesium supplements constantly. Take a break for a few days every two weeks.
Don’t take more than the recommended dose .
Sunlight
Morning sunlight, how much and when you get it, actually has a significant impact on your sleep. It may sound counterintuitive, considering we sleep at night in the darkness, but it’s true.
The sun might force you awake in the morning, but it’s also essential for helping you achieve restful sleep at night. That’s because your body relies on natural light to figure out what time it is, and determine whether to pump out energizing hormones or ones that leave you feeling relaxed and sleepy, like melatonin.
When your hypothalamus—the gland responsible for regulating sleep and energy levels—senses a change in light, it tells your body to ramp up or ramp down its production of the sleep hormone melatonin.
During the day, you feel energized and alert because you don’t produce much melatonin. At night, you produce more, so you feel sleepy.
Unfortunately, in today’s modern world, we are constantly exposed to bright light. We live in artificial lighting with our smartphones, tablets, and laptops close to our faces. Because these tech devices emit bright blue light right into our eyes, our brain misinterprets the light as sunlight. If, like most people, you use these devices at night, they’re actually encouraging your brain to keep you awake.
Artificial lighting is very disruptive to sleep. Fortunately, you can counteract the effects of artificial lighting. At night, wear blue-light blocking glasses when you use your tech devices or better still stop using your tech devices at bedtime.
Manage Stress
Stress causes insomnia by making it difficult to fall asleep and to stay asleep and by affecting the quality of your sleep.
A sleep deficit can make you feel mentally slower and more emotional, which can exacerbate your experience of stress. Dealing with lasting insomnia can cause stress, too, which can lead to more stress-related insomnia.
Taking steps to manage your stress is very critical for achieving deeper, more restful sleep.
When losing sleep becomes a regular occurrence, bedtime itself can become stressful. If you’ve reached this point, there are a few things you can do to take the stress off of insomnia.
Start winding down two hours before bedtime. Stop all work and end phone calls to family and friends.Also, avoid caffeine during the afternoon and evening.
The bedroom should be visually pleasing and very comfortable.
One should use the bedroom only for sleep, sex, and changing clothes.
“Waking” activities such as working on the computer, talking with one’s partner, talking on the phone and watching TV should take place out of the bedroom.
If you’re losing sleep due to anxiety, you may be able to relax and get better sleep with a change of perspective. Viewing your situation as a challenge to be faced, rather than a threat, can help you get into an active, decision-making mode rather than remain in an anxious, passive state.
I find walking around my lovely garden a great way to reduce stress!
It is a beautiful sunny July day here in Mooncoin and as our electricity is off for a few hours today I decided to spend some time just relaxing in our garden with our three dogs Bruno,Hachi and Elvis.
I am sitting on a deckchair at the moment trying to work on this website but finding it rather difficult as our rescue dog Elvis keeps jumping on my lap looking for rubs and attention!
I find rubbing my foxhounds fur very relaxing and his need for attention and love from me builds up my self esteem ♥️
I am reading a great book at the moment which builds up self confidence it is called I am Enough!
These three words can change your life, when you say it, think it and believe it!
This book is designed to help you massively increase your own sense of self worth so that you like yourself, feel good about yourself and believe in yourself, I highly recommend it!
If you are not a big reader there are audible versions too so you could do some exercise such as go for a walk in the surrounding area while building up your self esteem!
Another way of increasing self worth is spending time in nature! As it was such a beautiful sunny day I took numerous photos of the shrubs, trees and roses we have growing in our garden. See a selection of these pictures below, I hope you enjoy looking at them😊
It would be great if you could all take some photos of plants,trees and flowers you have growing in your garden and share them in the comment section below,I would really love to view them😊
Herbal Remedies
Herbal teas are popular beverage choices when it comes time to relax and unwind.For centuries, they have been used around the world as natural sleep remedies.
Below are five herbal teas to drink before bedtime.
Lavender
Not only is the smell super soothing, lavender tea has medicinal properties that act as a great sleep aid.
Many people prefer to drink this tea in the evening, as a pre-bedtime beverage, because it has anxiolytic and relaxant properties. If you suffer from insomnia or regular sleep disturbances, a simple glass of lavender tea can grant an undisturbed night of sleep and a refreshed feeling in the morning!
There is evidence that certain smells can have an effect on your sleep by decreasing heart rate and blood pressure, putting you at a relaxed state. When choosing the “smell” route, you can put a few drops of lavender oil on your pillow or in an aromatherapy diffuser.
You can also try lavender essential oils or lotions to achieve a good night’s rest. Place two to three drops of lavender oil in your hands, and then sniff the oil. After smelling the oil, rub it on your wrist or temples. Or, use several drops of lavender oil in your bath before bedtime.
Chamomile
Chamomile might calm you down or even make you a bit drowsy. But it’s not, in any fashion, a depressant, like alcohol or a sleeping pill. It just doesn’t have that chemical structure. In fact, it can be a lower risk alternative to depressants.
Chamomile Tea is soothing enough to help you get to sleep, but also mild enough to calm you down while still keeping you alert (during a work or school day, for example). So keep drinking!
Chamomile is full of antioxidants and antimicrobial properties that benefit your overall health.
Chamomile is by far the most recommended natural sleep aid that there is. It’s caffeine-free, contains no cholesterol and it’s proven to reduce stress and anxiety, among other things.
It’s also great for those suffering from cholesterol and diabetes.
Valerian Root
Valerian root is often referred to as “nature’s Valium.” In fact, this herb has been used since ancient times to promote tranquility and improve sleep.Valerian has been shown to be remarkably safe for most people.
A lesser known herbal tea, but valerian acts as a mild sedative with phytochemicals sending a message to our brains to tell us to sleep .
Valerian tea is often recommended for those suffering from anxiety, mood swings and insomnia.
In addition to decreasing anxiety in response to acute stress, valerian root may also help with chronic conditions characterized by anxious behaviors, such as generalized anxiety disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
It appears to be safe and non-habit forming when taken at the recommended dosage. In some cases, it may be able to replace benzodiazepines and similar drugs.
Nevertheless, it’s important to speak with your doctor before taking valerian, especially if you’re taking other medications or have a serious health condition.
Peppermint
It’s a classic and for good reason. Peppermint tea is known for helping with our digestion, however, this, in turn, helps the body relax and prepare for sleep.
The mint flavour calms and relaxes the body and mind and can even help encourage pleasant dreams .
While the fact peppermint lowers blood sugar is often listed in the precautions sections , it can also be a good thing. In a pinch, someone who needs to get their sugar levels under control can down a cup of peppermint tea, or some other peppermint product.
Peppermint contains quite a bit more than just menthol. It is also loaded with calcium, vitamin B and potassium, all things which are great for giving your immune system a boost.
Drinking peppermint tea on a regular basis can help keep these compounds at higher levels in your body, possibly working to keep you from getting sick. A cup of tea a day keeps the doctor away!
Ginger and Turmeric
Ginger and turmeric make for the perfect combination when it comes to tea as it helps aid digestive problems, which again helps us sleep.
Packed with antibiotic and anti-viral agents, it works wonders for our overall health.
When you combine ginger with turmeric, you get the perfect herbal tea with anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.
The combination of these two ingredients also helps in creating an effective sleep aid. One of the best things about turmeric and ginger tea is that it is easy to make as you probably have the two ingredients readily available in your kitchen.
Herbal teas are fantastic as they not only help you relax and relieve stress and anxiety but also come with many other health benefits, such as fighting cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, etc.
If you are tired of sleepless nights, do not head to the chemist for OTC sleep aids. Try out different herbal teas instead and find out which one works best for you.
If you have any information,questions, or feedback you would like to include in this post.
Please email momo19@diabetessupportsite.com or leave your comments below.