What do you do when you can’t sleep? It seems that doing anything other than taking a sleeping pill is a good idea.
It’s important to address sleep issues as a priority since sleeping well is an indispensable element for overall healing and well-being.
At the recent Heart Failure Congress in Athens, Greece (somebody needs to read The Power of Positive Thinking) researchers reported on the damaging effect sleeping pills have on patients diagnosed with heart failure. The study essentially showed that these patients are much more likely to suffer accelerated damage to their hearts.
Previous studies focusing on the harmful effects of sleeping pills showed increases in cancer rates and other degenerative illnesses.
So what are some helpful and … non-life threatening options for getting a better night’s sleep?
- Don’t take a sleeping pill.
- Try magnesium and soothing herbs.
- Reduce stimulating nighttime activities that interfere with sleep.
- Employ a Self-Regulation technique to inhibit the stress response.
Here’s one simple strategy for quieting your mind and for reducing tension in your body via your autonomic nervous system (ANS).
Your breathing pattern has a profound influence on the balance of your ANS. If you breathe consciously and S-L-O-W-L-Y (ideally a six second exhale and inhale) you will quiet the fight or flight side of the ANS and wake up the calming and quieting side.
Now if you decide to breathe S-L-O-W-L-Y and make your exhale longer than you inhale … you’ll promote the activation of the calming and quieting side even more profoundly.
Aside from the acute sleep remedies just mentioned, a more comprehensive approach to better sleep would involve diet and a regular self-regulation practice.
That practice would assist you in resolving the conscious and unconscious triggers of the stress response … that ultimately underlie most sleep disturbances.
One more reason to be regular in the daily practices that work best for you.
Steven Templin, D.O.M., Dipl. Ac., is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine and nationally certified acupuncturist, specializing in Self-Regulation Training (to resolve the omnipresent stress-induced component of illness), Energy Medicine, Mind-Body Medicine, and Diet and Nutrition to repair the Gut-Immune-Brain Axis.
In his Self-Regulation training program he shares the science and most importantly the effective practices for transforming physical health and emotional well-being. Self-Regulation practices will greatly enhance the effectiveness of other therapeutic interventions, like diet and lifestyle modifications.
He teaches and consults online, and sees patients at the Natural Medicine Center in Lakeland, Florida. You can learn more about Dr. Templin and his healing program by visiting www.newmedicalmodel.com.
Steve is a retired Doctor of Oriental Medicine, Acupuncture Physician, and HeartMath Trauma-Sensitive Certified Practitioner with over 35 years of clinical experience in the fields of Energy Medicine, Energy Psychology, and Biofeedback. 