Lack of Sleep and Rest
Insomnia
Sleep is precious. It’s one of those things you take for granted until you don’t have it. It’s the most therapeutic, best healer in the world. When you fail to get the sleep that you need it is very difficult for the body to keep up with the daily wear and tear that is part of life. “Feeling it” in the muscles and joints is probably the most common initial complaint. Lack of sleep also seems to be hard on the heart. At least the heart shows up often when a person hasn’t had the sleep that they need. It certainly takes it’s toll on the nervous system and brain. Ask someone a simple question when they are sorely lacking in sleep and it might take a little time to get an answer. People become more accident prone and just have a hard time functioning in general. If a person goes without sleep long enough they can even hallucinate. We need our sleep. It’s very important to our body.
There are different kinds of insomnia. Some people have a difficult time falling asleep. Some fall asleep fine, then wake up and can’t get back to sleep right away. Sometimes the people who have a difficult time falling asleep also have restless legs, extra sensitivity to sounds, smells and light. Some just can’t fall asleep because their “brain” won’t quit. Some are experiencing a depression, worrying or anxiety. There can be, or course, combinations of the above.
Often the people who have restless legs and magnified senses have a nervous system that is set too high. Their nerves are firing too easily. They have too much electrical energy. It is not a good energy, it is a restless, fidgety energy. Regulating this is generally a function of the internal brain but it can also be affected by the thyroid and adrenal glands, nervous input from the heart and factors that affect the nerves in general.
People whose mind just doesn’t want to stop may have a shortage of vitamins (especially B Vitamins ) or minerals in the brain. The brain is electrical in nature and uses electrically charged particles called ions. The ions come from minerals. Hormones may play a part in this because hormones are responsible to see that the minerals get into the brain properly. Minerals may be low simply because the person isn’t getting them in the diet, they may not be absorbing them properly from the bowel or they may be losing them through their sweat, bowels or kidneys. Those who are experiencing worry, anxiety or depression usually require help balancing the hormones, heart and nerves (in addition to help in handling life). In some cases the insomnia problem lies with the internal brain itself. There is a “wake center” in the brain stem area (called the reticular formation) whose job is to wake the body up. This and other areas of the brain can be affected by toxins or immune system challenges such as an unknown infection or auto immune condition. Certain intestinal parasites are notorious for making toxins that can affect the internal areas of the brain that cause insomnia. These parasites are most active at night, probably because there are less digestive enzymes produced at this time. There are also normal metabolic toxins that are usually excreted by the kidneys that can build up and affect the internal brain if the kidneys are functioning at sub-normal levels.
The most common cause for insomnia that occurs in the middle of the night is blood sugar imbalance. If your blood sugar goes low during the middle of the night you may wake up and not be able to get back to sleep. Low blood sugar is not always detected on your typical fasting blood glucose test. Detecting low blood sugar usually requires a special 6 hour test to do. Even this may miss it if you have good days and a bad days and happen to take the test on a good day.
There are some classical herbs and supplements that are often successful in helping people to fall asleep. What works for one may not work for another. The most commonly used include B vitamins, Inositol, Calcium, Melatonin, Valerian Root, Passionflower, Skullcap, Ashwaganda, Chamomile and St. John’s Wort. Sleeping pills can prove to be very addictive and according to the physician’s desk reference most are supposed to be used only for a very short time. However, even taking natural supplements and herbs to help one fall asleep is usually only a partial solution. Once again the best solution is to correct what is underneath the insomnia so that the person can resume a normal sleep pattern without the help of something to make you fall asleep. Removing chemicals and toxins that are affecting the nerves, boosting the immune system to handle immune challenges, fixing kidneys and glands and balancing hormones are all solutions that work. Exactly what you need to do to get your body back in balance is a job for Cause Point Correlative Testing.
Many many cases of insomnia have been helped using this technique. If you or your family members or friends are suffering from insomnia and are searching for a non-drug way to experience the pleasure of a good nights sleep contact our office at 260-459-6160 (Fort Wayne) (773) 929-3964 (Chicago).
