What can help us achieve perfect sleep? let’s see what the science suggests

1. Aromatherapy: try a bedside diffuser with relaxing scents or blends or a hand, foot, head and neck self massage before bed.

Benefits of aromatherapy for insomnia.  My favorite sleep oil available for you on Fullscript.

This study suggests single aroma inhalation, lavender, offers the greatest sleep benefit.

Had a long day? Try a reflexology massage bonus if you add aromatherapy.

2. Acupuncture – Get on my schedule book today

A review of studies shows acupuncture, acupressure and herbs enhance sleep quality. Acupuncture also supports your pharma choice for a best night’s sleep.

3. Postmenopausal? Try reflexology, yoga or walking 

Commit to a regular yoga class that works with your schedule. Find a local class, schedule private sessions or discover a you tube instructor.  I invite my friends to walk and talk in the park, downtown or along the river instead of meeting up for happy hour or coffee. 

4. Classical music trumps audiobooks.

In a comparative study between  music and audiobooks, sleep and depressive symptoms improved with relaxing classical music 45 minutes before bedtime.

5. Earthing is amazing.

It’s impossible to count all the ways, on two hands, in which walking barefoot on the earth benefits humans. Yup, sleep improvement is in the count. A recent study entitled Grounding (earthing) as related to electromagnetic hygiene: An integrative review discusses inspiring research and anecdotal evidence from patient treatments involving direct contact with the ground. Give it a read by clicking on the title above.

6. Try a caffeine free trial

While age and genotype contribute to caffeine tolerance, it’s a safe bet that caffeine is not helping your sleep.  Many of my patients report, after reducing or eliminating caffeine, that they had no idea how much it impacted their ability to fall asleep, stay asleep, sleep quality, feeling rested or their energy level throughout the day.  Remember, black tea, green tea, caff and decaf coffee, energy drinks, chocolate all contain caffeine.  I typically suggest a step down then complete elimination for a 4-8 week trial because dose matters. Patients report enjoying adaptogenic mushroom blends as a substitute. Some patients that tolerate caffeine better or wish to enjoy it on special occasions benefit from waiting several hours after waking to allow natural cortisol levels to rise. Discover a herbal tea that strengthens your constitution or try hot ginger or lemon water upon waking.  Additionally, take that first hit of caffeine with a little food to minimize gastric discomfort.

Try some of my favorite Mushroom Coffees or sign up & search the Fullscript catalog for a full listing.

7. Give up Alcohol

Not only does it destroy sleep quality, but even moderate use encourages snoring by relaxing the muscle tone of throat and neck.  You may be disturbing your bed mate, and who wants that? No one. You may fall asleep faster, but alcohol disrupts REM sleep and reduces overall sleep quality.

Humans and all other organisms are consistently modifying and adjusting to survive, become more fit, and thrive.  Physical and behavioral traits evolve in response to stressors or rewards. In a world of increasing technology, transhumanism, augmented reality and artificial intelligence, we have grown increasingly disconnected from nature.  

I invite you to return to the dynamic and seasonal rhythm. In the slowing, you will find your true connection.  In stopping, you will find your way. Winter is the season to rest, restore and reconnect.  We may be uncomfortable in the stillness of this season, unable to settle.  We will have to remember our innate connection. Sometimes that means support.  Our adrenals have often been taxed in our efforts to adapt to a rapidly changing world. We may feel the burnout of caregiving, parenting, adulting, working.  Winter is the perfect season for adaptogenic herbs and mushrooms.  Read on to see the particular gift of each of these highly regarded supports.

The Element Wisdom card decks are perfect to inspire healthy habits that are in harmony with the greater natural seasons. 73 unique messages provide guidance during each season as well as the transitional days around the solstices & equinoxes. 365 days of wisdom in 5 seasonal decks ~ water, wood, fire, earth, metal.

At times we need supplemental support for our organs, seasonal or situational. Adaptogens support your body and mind back to homeostasis (dynamic balance). Their actions increase or decrease chemical reactions within your body related to stress. They act on the nervous system and the adrenals. Some of my favorite adaptogens are:

Ashwaganda to Soothe

Ashwagandha has over 4,000 years of traditional use in Ayurvedic medicine for improving energy and sleep, balancing hormones, supporting memory and learning, promoting libido, and anti-aging. Ashwagandha promotes calm. It has anti-inflammatory properties.  It boosts the immune system and can be helpful with arthritis and fertility challenges.

Rhodiola to Calm Spirit

Rhodiola extract helps promote a calm emotional state and supports strong mental performance, optimal immune function, and hormonal balance. It is a key adaptogen for reducing anxiety. It improves mental and physical stamina, improves sleep, and reduces stress, “burn out,” and irritability. It boosts the immune system, decreases the frequency of colds and infections, and reduces inflammation. It is used in the treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome as well as fibromyalgia.  It can be beneficial for poor appetite and as part of a treatment plan for chronic stress headaches.

Tulsi to Vitalize

Holy basil has been revered in India for over 5,000 years as an herb that calms the mind and spirit, and promotes longevity. In Ayurvedic medicine it is called Tulsi, which means “incomparable one.” It is used to improve energy and relieve fatigue, for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant actions, and to lower blood glucose, triglycerides, and cholesterol. Holy basil may also protect the liver, helps with nicotine withdrawal, and elevates the mood, especially providing relief from mild depression. While this herb is related to common basil, it is a different species and common basil is not a substitute.

Siberian Ginseng to enhance Performance

Eleutherococcus is one of the most well-researched adaptogens. It is used to increase mental alertness and performance, enhance concentration and increase energy and stamina, reduce stress and fatigue, reduce dream-disrupted sleep and insomnia, and enhance immunity and improve detoxification. It is anabolic, which means it helps build muscle and prevents the breakdown of muscle as we age.

Reishi mushroom to Nourish

Reishi mushrooms are highly regarded in Chinese medicine to nourish andsupport adrenal function. While Reishi is best known for promoting health immunity, resistance to colds and infections, and reducing inflammation, Reishi also helps support the body’s natural abilities to detoxify from environmental exposures, and also calms the nervous system, promoting deeper, more relaxing and restorative sleep.

I recommend professional grade products.  Otherwise, we may end up with re-labeled, expired, counterfeit or adulterated supplements. Create or Log into your Fullscript account to access my on-line pharmacracy. 

You can click here to view my winter adrenal stress protocol. 

I help patients individualize this protocol and typically prescribe one of the following:

Book a telemedicine visit for a supplement review, seasonal wellness plan or naturopathic consult. 

The critical first step in healing is accepting things as they actual are.

We live in a world where there is plenty that requires our resistance.

However, healing requires courageous honesty about ourself, our perceptions, our motivations, our circumstances and their cause.

I have doubled down on my commitment to live a life in alignment with my core values and the elemental.

My winter healing so far has looked like:

Living without liquid stress.
I had habituated a high quality jasmine green tea morning ritual. I would make one small pot of green tea then refresh the same leaves until noon. Occasionally, I would have one cup of coffee on special or social times. Even this small amount of caffeine masked my ability to feel my natural response of stress (cortisol surge) or ease (endorphin release).

Now I can actually feel my body’s feedback system and dig deeper into the root causes. From this understanding, I make better choices.

Living for today.
The last few years turned many of our lives upside down. I made plans from a place of fear. These plans are falling apart. I accepted a graduate teaching position with unethically low wages and promises of great job to come. I also spent a huge amount of time, energy and resources developing online classes that would bring in a consistent stream of income and continuity of care for patients and the opportunity to meet new ones -that project never gained traction. I have released these plans.

I have come back round to the real. I am offering real Wellness gatherings & Nature connects in real time during 2023.

Plans made in reaction to scary and unsettling situations are suspect. Maybe we just don’t know what is coming and can learn how to be okay with that.

I am living in winter. Studying how water moves, how it changes forms.

#water #winter #fear #healing #5elements

Don’t worry, be happy.

How to soothe your nervous system:

• Take a cold shower or plunge
• Splash cold water on face & neck
• Sing, laugh, chant, hum, & hug
• Restore the microbe of the gut
• Relax jaw tension
• Meditate on loving kindness
• Positive Social Connect
  

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Stimulation of the vagus nerve plays an important role in the management of anxiety and mental health issues. The vagus nerve is the longest running cranial nerve in your body. It is one of ten paired cranial nerves and runs from the stem of your brain all the way down to your gut. The word “vagus” translates to “wandering” in Latin, and the vagus nerve certainly does that. As the longest and most complex of all the cranial nerves, it starts at the stem of the brain, behind the ears before it meanders down the sides of the neck, through the chest, and eventually ends in the abdomen linking the brain to the heart, lungs, throat, and gut.

When we are in parasympathetic dominance we are able to rest and digest, rest and heal.

Vagus Nerve Connects the Brain and Gut

The vegas nerve is the sensory network that informs the brain of what’s going on in our organs, most specially the digestive tract (stomach and intestines), lungs and heart, spleen, liver, and kidneys.

People with good vagal tone can relax faster after a stress and are more capable of regulating blood glucose levels, reducing chances of diabetes, stroke and cardiovascular disease. Poor vagal tone, however, is associated with chronic inflammation and basket load of subsequent health issues. Recent research presented by the European League Against Rheumatism indicate that vagus nerve stimulation significantly reduces symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.

Significant and important research has been making the news about a microbiota-gut-brain axis. Read up on this fascinating subject here. Also this article discusses the science behind gut microbiota, brain function and stress related disorders.

Relevant to Earth element health, I’ve collected these research links for you:

• Vagal mechanisms as neuromodulatory targets for the treatment of metabolic disease.
• Impact of blood glucose control on sympathetic and vagus nerve functional status in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
• Vagal afferents contribute to sympathoexcitation–driven metabolic dysfunctions.
• Role of the vagus nerve in the development and treatment of diet-induced diabetes.