If you are having trouble sleeping, you are not alone.

40% of people age 40- 59 reported they are getting less than the recommended amounts of sleep.

37% of people between the ages of 20 and 29 years old reported short sleep duration.

In 1942 Americans slept on average 7.9 hours per night compared with 6.8 hours in 2013, which is a 13% decrease.

9 million Americans take prescription drugs to help them fall asleep. This is cause for alarm as sleep medication is associated with a higher mortality rate.

Having suffered with insomnia for years, due to chronic illness and adrenal issues, I got hooked on sleeping meds years ago. To say it was next to impossible to get off those medications was an understatement. When withdrawing from lorazepam I felt like I was going to die. Panic attacks, night sweats were only the beginning, therefore my doctor gave me another sleeping mediation. I soon became addicted to it.

After trying off and on for years, I was able to ween off sleep medications, even though I still did suffer with insomnia.

This past year, my health has been challenging and I was struggling once again to fall asleep. This time I wanted to get to the root of why I was not sleeping and so tests were done and alternatives tried.

My doctor suggested I do a saliva cortisol test. What I learned from this test was that that my cortisol levels were low all day and then peaked at 11pm. No wonder I tired during the day and had a difficult time falling asleep. I would feel tired at 10pm, but when I got into bed it was like I just couldn’t fall asleep. I would lie awake for hours and sometimes the whole night.

Many things can contribute to cortisol peaking in the evening. Bright lights from computer screens, television and fluorescent lights.  Illness, hormonal issues, late day caffeine consumption and chronic stress can also cause the body to be in fight or flight and release cortisol at night.

I wanted to do as much as I could to help my body to relax in the evening.

If you are having trouble sleeping here is a list of what I tried that helped me to sleep.

1. I started to wear Barkley Eyewear. Blue blockers during the day and a red tinted glass before bed. This allowed my body to realize it was evening even if I was watching television or on my computer screen. The red tinted glass actually helped my brain to start to make melatonin and prepare for sleep. Click here and use coupon code DELICIOUSALTERNATIVES to save at checkout.
2. Increased my magnesium intake. Magnesium plays a role in sleep and many of us are low in magnesium. Because I didn’t want to take yet another supplement, I chose to use Ease Magnesium spray. I would spray Ease Magnesium on my body every morning and every night before bed. This allowed my body to absorb magnesium  quickly without  digestive upset. Click here and use SPDA15 at checkout to save.
3. I took compounded liquid tryptophan which helps the body to make melatonin. My doctor had to prescribe it as anything over 500 mg has to be prescribed. What I learned about tryptophan is that is has to be accompanied with glucose so that is can cross the blood brain barrier. I found the liquid tryptophan made me sleepy which was helpful in falling asleep.
4. Turned off our Wi-Fi. Years ago we opted to use ethernet in our home instead of Wi-Fi. I have found that my migraines have decreased and that my sleep has been better since turning off our Wi-Fi.
5. Put Aires Tech Area EMR protection in our bedroom. Electromagnetic fields from hydro wires outside our bedroom window and neighbours Wi-Fi was also affecting my sleep.  Lifetune room reduces the effects of EMF in a 500 square foot area. Click here to save.
6. Meditating before bed instead of watching television. There are many sleep meditations and Apps that you can listen to before bed. Brain Tap is one of the ones I downloaded onto my phone.  Try it here free for 15 days.

Always be sure to check with your doctor. before trying any of the above suggestions. If you click the links above you can use the discount codes I have supplied to save when ordering.

If you’d like to book a nutritional consult with me to discuss supplements and diet to help with sleep, click here