Understanding the Benefits of Adaptogenic Herbs for Your Adrenal Health

By Dr. Justin Marchegiani

Stress is at the root of many modern illnesses. Though some stress is necessary for keeping your immune system agile and for helping you stay alive in dangerous situations, prolonged and persistent stress can contribute to anxiety, insomnia, heart disease, leaky gut, adrenal fatigue and many autoimmune conditions.

Unfortunately, most of us are exposed to chronic and persistent stressors, such as long hours at work, traffic, and worrying about finances. While some stress is normal, its impact on your health can be minimized by managing and relieving stress in a healthy manner. More and more people are turning to adaptogens for stress relief and adrenal balance!

What Are Adaptogens?    

Adaptogens are herbs and plants which have been used for centuries in Chinese and Ayurvedic healing traditions for helping the body react healthily to stress. Non-toxic in nature, adaptogens manage all kinds of stressors whether they are chemical, biological or physical. They help to balance the body and support the adrenals.

While some adaptogens are used for stimulating the body and enhancing mental performance, others are used for their calming effects. Adaptogens can boost strength and vitality, combat adrenal fatigue, and treat various issues- from asthma to infertility! These special plants and herbs can also support the natural circadian rhythm of the body and help promote more restful sleep.

Click here to work with a functional medicine doctor to get to the root problem of your health concerns!

How do adaptogens work?

To understand the working of adaptogens, you need to look at the “HPA axis”. Your hypothalamus is the part of your brain which recognizes stress. When you are feeling stressed, your hypothalamus sends signals to your pituitary glands, which signals to your adrenals to produce and release stress hormones. This is known as your Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal or HPA axis.

Chronic stress keeps your HPA axis engaged on a constant basis. This can affect your sleep, mood, immune system, blood sugar, thyroid, appetite and much more, which has a bad effect on your overall health. Being in a constant state of biological stress is also quite taxing to your adrenal glands and micronutrient reserves.

Your adrenal glands have to work extremely hard to keep up with the demand of being constantly engaged. Chronic stress can fatigue your adrenals, leading to adrenal dysfunction and burnout.  

Adaptogenic herbs promote a more balanced response to persistent stress. They also help regulate the production of stress hormones and cortisones, which protects against adrenal fatigue and HPA axis dysfunction. By modulating cellular sensitivity to stress hormones, adaptogens encourage a healthier response to stress overall.   

The following are some of the best adaptogens which have been studied for their positive effects on stress relief and adrenal balance.

Ashwagandha is a powerful adaptogen which has been shown to reduce inflammation, calm the mind, and lower blood pressure. It also enhances the activity of immune cells which help to fight off infections and cancer.  Its anti-inflammatory effects help to relieve pain associated with arthritis.

Ashwagandha boosts adrenal function, and is a favorite for balancing stress hormones, enabling anxiety relief, and increasing energy in those who are suffering from adrenal fatigue.

How can adaptogenic herbs help you? Click here to ask a functional medicine doctor!

Maca is both an adaptogen and superfood which makes it unique. It is grown in the Andes Mountains. Maca is a root vegetable which is rich in protein, calcium, fiber, magnesium and amino acids like arginine and glycine. It has been used medicinally for centuries for improving mood and symptoms of adrenal fatigue.

Maca regulates hormones by increases hormone production when your body is under-producing, and brings down hormone production when your body is over-producing hormones. With continual use, maca nourishes and enhances the function of the pituitary gland and hypothalamus, which helps to restore the adrenals.

Maca is very tasty and can be taken both as a food or in supplement form. It has a nutty, butterscotch-like flavor which can be mixed easily into smoothies or even baked goods for a strong energy boost!

Ginseng Chronic stress can contribute to inflammation and trigger many illnesses on account of an imbalanced immune response and hormone dysfunction. Ginseng has the ability to greatly reduce chronic stress by regulating the HPA axis, and decreasing depression, anxiety and other HPA axis related disorders.  It can also help to prevent autoimmune disease by suppressing proinflammatory cytokines which are generated by chronic stress.

Rhodiola Excessive cortisol (primary stress hormone) can cause depletion of your nutrient reserves, impair your memory, and can have damaging effects on your blood sugar, blood pressure and metabolism. Rhodiola is an adaptogen which has been proven to lower the secretion of cortisol during stressful situations. It can increase energy and concentration in people who have been suffering from adrenal fatigue. It also has anti-depressive and cardioprotective effects.

We hope that this article has helped you better understand the benefits of adaptogenic herbs for your adrenal health. Do you use any adaptogenics? Let us know your favorites in the comments section!

Resources

1. https://healthfully.com/417693-maca-root-adrenal-fatigue.html
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3341916/
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4540814/
4. https://hormonesbalance.com/articles/the-10-hormone-balancing-wonders-of-maca

Natural Solutions To A Good Night Sleep

By Dr. Justin Marchegiani

Roughly half of all Americans suffer from insomnia, and according to the National Center for Sleep Disorders,  around 15% of the population deals with chronic insomnia on a daily basis. What’s more, the WHO (World Health Organization) considers shift-work or sleep deprivation the only non-substance carcinogen known to man. That puts a lack of sleep in the same class as cigarettes, asbestos, and other known carcinogenic chemicals!

Sleep is vitally important to help repair the body physiologically as well as psychologically. Physiological repair, such as building muscles, bones, tendons, joints and ligaments etc., occurs between the hours of 10 PM and 2 AM. During this timeframe, HGH (human growth hormone) peaks. You can think of HGH as your anti-aging hormone, consider getting maximal sleep as gaining $2000-$3000 of anti-aging treatment per month for free!

After your body’s HGH peak comes the mental repair. Between the hours of 2 and 6 AM the body psychologically regenerates, and neurotransmitters and other neurochemicals that help with mental health are recycled and repaired.

Cortisol and it’s Circadian Rhythm

The accelerated health risks for poor sleep

Studies have associated numerous health risks with a lack of good sleep. These include:

Increased risk of diabetes

Accelerated aging

An increased risk of cancer

Decreased immune function

Obesity and excessive weight gain

Poor physical performance

Slow mental acuity

It’s estimated that over $100 billion is lost each year due to the loss of productivity that a lack of sleep causes. Lack of sleep is also the leading cause of 100,000 vehicle accidents per year and the associated 1,500 deaths.

The major underlying causes of sleep deprivation:

17% of all US employees are shift workers who stay up working during the night instead of sleeping. If I can urge you to make one decision as an investment in your health, the first thing would be finding a job that allows flexibility to sleep during normal sleep hours. The research is very clear, the increased risk of chronic degenerative diseases and lack of performance will cost you more in the long run financially and physically.

Chronic stressors can be a huge underlying cause of sleep problems. This includes relationship stress, caffeine, chronic illness, infections, blood sugar imbalances, family stress, and hormonal imbalances. One thing that all stress has in common- whether it’s internal stress or external stress- is the increase of cortisol and adrenaline.

Knocking your cortisol and adrenaline out of balance puts a great deal of stress on your adrenal glands. Your cortisol rhythm at night is intimately linked to your melatonin rhythm (melatonin is your night time/sleep hormone). The more you push your cortisol and adrenaline out of balance, the more your melatonin will also be negatively impacted – and so will your sleep.

Stimulants such as caffeine can prevent you from getting to sleep on time. Caffeine has a half-life of up to eight hours, so be sure to consume your coffee or caffeinated tea before 2 PM in order to give your body enough time to metabolize the caffeine before your bedtime.

Certain medications can also interfere with sleep: antidepressants, corticosteroids, allergy medication, and blood pressure medication to name a few. If you are currently taking medication and also have a sleep problem, please look up the possible side effects of the medication you are taking to see if sleep disturbances are a potential side effect.

Click here if you are having sleep difficulties.

Dr. Justin’s Top 7 Sleep Enhancing Tips

1. Exercise daily. Burst training and resistance training can make a significant impact on your sleep. The right kinds of exercise can increase human growth hormone, which has the ability to blunt potential cortisol spikes and to increase your body’s repair.
2. Pick relaxing teas, such as chamomile or sleepy tea, before bed. These types of teas contain particular amino acids, such as L-theanine, which help to increase certain neurotransmitters like GABA to help promote relaxation.
3. For certain individuals melatonin can be a great choice.  I recommend using a sublingual variety, which helps increase absorption as well as increasing activation time. However, melatonin may not be right for every single person. For some individuals, taking melatonin actually makes sleep issues worse! When this occurs there’s usually an underlying hormonal imbalance present.
4. Many of my menopausal female patients have hormonal imbalances that need to be addressed. Low progesterone is a common cause of sleep deprivation and insomnia. Progesterone has a relaxation effect that occurs by opening the GABA chloride channels in the brain, and can have an effect similar to taking a Xanax– without the side effects. Running a female hormone test can help evaluate this imbalance as well as provide the specific dosing information.
5. Buy a white noise machine or even download a white noise app- there are plenty available for free! White noise can be very helpful at blocking out ambient noise that could potentially wake you up throughout the night. If you opt for an app, please be sure to keep your phone in airplane mode while you’re sleeping (you should be doing this at night regardless). The EMF from your phone can disrupt your sleep and can even prevent you from getting into deeper phases of sleep!
6. Eating a little bit of protein and fat within two hours of your bedtime can help stabilize your blood sugar and prevent cortisol spikes during the night. The suggestion may go against conventional wisdom in regards to eating right before bed, but low blood sugar throughout the night will cause your cortisol to go up, and that cortisol spike can disrupt your sleep and cause you to wake up. A little bit of protein and fat before bed can make a big difference.
7. Give yourself at least one hour before bed to wind down. Turn off the TV, tablets, computers, phones, etc. and pick up a non-stimulating book instead. Engaging in meditation and prayer before bed can be very helpful as well. It doesn’t have to be complicated- a simple meditation is simply counting backwards from 10 to 0 with all of your attention focused on your breath, not the problems and stressors of yesterday or tomorrow. Engaging in prayer- especially focused on gratitude and all that you have to be thankful for in your life- can provide a natural neurotransmitter and hormonal boost that can set you up for a great night sleep!

To receive my full handout entitled “33 secrets to a good night sleep,” click here!

To help get your sleep and energy back on track click here!

Causes of Insomnia and Sleep Solutions

By Dr. Justin Marchegiani

Around half of the population reports difficulty falling asleep. 1 in 3 adults will suffer from insomnia at some point in their life, and only 31% of high school students report getting a full 8 hours of sleep on an average school night. We are living in a time of more sleep disorders and accidents caused by tiredness than any other point in history, today we are going to explore some of the reasons why our nation has trouble sleeping, and what we can do to reverse this growing epidemic.

THE “WHYs” BEHIND OUR SLEEPLESSNESS

There are many factors responsible for the sleep issues many of us face. Certain medications come with side effects that make it hard to sleep, as can regularly drinking caffeine later in the day. Interestingly, both eating too late and not eating enough at night can both cause trouble sleeping. Exercise, video games, and even reading lively books raise your heart rate and can make it hard to wind down at night. However, stress is one of the largest causes of sleep trouble. Worrying about commitments, scheduling, places to be and things to do all have a serious effect on sleep.

CONSEQUENCES OF SLEEP DEPRIVATION

Chronic sleep deprivation is so common in our modern day and age that they symptoms often go unnoticed, or have been normalized. However, there are several adverse effects that go much further that just ‘feeling tired.’

Click here if you are having trouble sleeping for help from a functional medicine doctor!

Sleep loss has been shown to affect a variety of neurocognitive, psychological, and physical functions, including:

• Memory loss and difficulty with memory recall
• Increased inflammation
• Lowers the immune system
• Impairs driving
• Impairment of glucose control
• Activating the sympathetic nervous system (which decreases the movement of the large intestine, causes sweating, weakens digestive ability, raises blood pressure, and activates the fight-or-flight response!)
• Lapses in cognition
• Impacts mood negatively
• Decreased motor function

SLEEP STRATEGIES

Have you heard of “sleep hygiene”? Sleep hygiene is comprised of several strategies that, when implemented into your bedtime routine, set the stage for a great night’s sleep:

• Avoid consuming alcohol, coffee, caffeinated tea, and other stimulants at least 4-6 hours before bedtime. Ideally, limit these beverages to a 12 pm cutoff time, as caffeine can stay in your body for up to 12 hours!
• Use blackout curtains and cover up any sources of light. This means no light-up clocks and taping over any lights that might blink during the night.
• Keep the bedroom cool: your temperature drops a few degrees during the night. Having a cool bedroom, the mid 60s is an ideal temperature range, will help you wind down.
• Avoid working out before bed: while exercising during the day will help you get great sleep that night, working out in the evenings will cause an endorphin boost that makes it hard to fall asleep.
• Avoid blue light at night: Blue light emitted from most light bulbs, tablets, phones, TVs, computers, and other electronics signals to your brain that it’s time to be alert. Think about it: the sun gives off light in the cool spectrum during the day, and the sunset is warm. So are fires, which is the only source of light our ancestors would have seen after sunset! If you have to look at a screen at night, there are applications that limit the blue spectrum your device emits, and there are also blue-blocking glasses you can wear for even more protection!

SUPPLEMENTS FOR SLEEP

• GABA: This amino acid calms your brain activity, which leads to full body and mind calmness. It reduces anxiety and helps relax your body for sleep.
• Tryptophan: Another amino acid, tryptophan is useful in treating anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders.
• Melatonin: Melatonin is a hormone that your body produces when it’s time for bed, so it shouldn’t be used on a nightly basis. However, if you’re trying to retrain your sleep cycle (whether it be because of a move to a different time zone, or starting a new job that requires you to go to bed earlier), melatonin can be very useful.
• Magnesium: Magnesium is actually responsible for regulating GABA and melatonin levels. Taking magnesium can help your body regulate its sleep-wake cycle. It’s also a muscle relaxer, meaning it helps both your mind and your body to relax.
• Holy basil: This adaptogen, also known as tulsi, reduces stress and helps you wind down.
• Lavender: Used in a tea or as an essential oil diffused into your bedroom, lavender is a calming herb that sets the stage for sleep.

TAKEAWAY

Sleep hygiene is just as important as other forms of hygiene, such as brushing your teeth and taking showers. Getting enough sleep ensures you are ready to tackle everything the next day has in store and makes you healthier! If you are still having trouble falling asleep, there are a variety of natural supplements to help you wind down.

Click here for a functional medicine consult and start feeling better today!

References

https://www.cdc.gov/features/dssleep/index.html

http://www.sleepmedsite.com/page/sb/sleep_disorders/sleep_statistics

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15133379

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15798944

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26005400

Insomnia

By Dr. Justin Marchegiani

Did you know that over 40% of Americans suffer from insomnia on a daily basis? According to the National Center for Sleep Disorders, over 10-15% of people deal with chronic insomnia on a daily basis. Another staggering statistic, the WHO considers shift-work or sleep deprivation the only non-substance carcinogen known to man. Essentially in the same class as cigarettes, asbestos and other known carcinogenic chemicals. That’s real scary!

Sleep is vitally important to help repair the body physiologically as well as psychologically. Physiological repair such as building muscles, bones, tendons, joints and ligaments etc. occurs between the hours of 10 PM and 2 AM. During this timeframe, HGH (human growth hormone) predominates. You can think of HGH is your ant-aging hormone and by maximizing sleep we can make about $2000-$3000 worth per month for free. Between the hours of 2 and 6 AM, the body psychologically regenerates. It essentially means neurotransmitters and other hormones neurochemicals that help with mental health become recycled and repaired.

The accelerated health risks for poor sleep:

• An increased risk of diabetes
• Accelerated aging
• An increased risk of cancer
• Decreased immune function
• Obesity and overweight
• Poor physical performance
• Slow mental acuity

It’s estimated that over $100 billion is lost each year due to the loss productivity. That lack of sleep causes and is also the main cause of 100,000 vehicle accidents per year as well as 1500 related deaths from those accidents.

The major underlying causes of sleep deprivation.

17% of all US employees are shift workers that have to stay up working during the night instead of sleeping. If I can urge anyone to make an investment in their health, the first thing would be finding a job that allows flexibility to sleep during normal sleep hours. The research is very clear. The increased risk of chronic degenerative diseases and lack of performance will cost you more in the long run financially and physically.

Factors Affecting Sleep

Stress

Chronic stressors can be huge underlying cause of sleep problems. This could include: relationship stress, caffeine, chronic illness, infections, blood sugar imbalances, family stress and hormonal imbalances. One thing that all stress has in common, whether it’s internal stress or external stress, is the increase of cortisol and adrenaline. Knocking your cortisol and adrenaline out of balance puts a great deal of stress on your adrenal glands. Your cortisol rhythm at night is intimately tied in with your melatonin rhythm. Melatonin is your night time hormone the keeps you sleep. The more you push your cortisol and adrenaline out of balance, the more your melatonin will also be negatively impacted, and so will your sleep. More research is coming out daily on the anticancer effects of melatonin. So optimizing your sleep will help lower your risk of cancer.

Click here If you need to help getting your sleep back on track.

Coffee

Stimulants such as caffeine can affect you from getting to sleep on time. Caffeine have a half-life of up to eight hours, so consuming your 1 to 2 cups of coffee or tea before 2 PM in the afternoon can help your body metabolize the caffeine before your bedtime.

Medications

Certain medications can also interfere with sleep like antidepressants corticosteroids allergy medication and blood pressure medication. If you are currently taking a medication and also have a sleep problem please look up the possible side effects of the medication you are taking and see if sleep disturbances are potential side effect.

Dr. Justin’s top 7 sleep enhancing tip:

1. Exercise

Every single day, especially using the peak eight program. Using peak eight (burst training) program as well as a combination of resistance training can make a significant difference. The right kinds of exercise can increase human growth hormone which has an excellent effect at blunting cortisol and increasing the repair of your body.

2. Relaxing teas

Picking teas such as chamomile or sleepy tea before bed. These types of teas contain certain amino acids such as L-theonine which help to increase certain neurotransmitters like GABA which help promote relaxation.

3. Melatonin

When used I recommend using a sublingual version, this helps with absorption as well as increasing activation time. Again melatonin may not be right for every single person. Some individuals taking melatonin actually makes sleep issues worse. When this occurs there’s usually an underlying hormonal imbalance present.

4. Address hormonal imbalances

Many women have hormonal imbalances that need to be addressed. Low progesterone can be a common cause of sleep deprivation and insomnia. Progesterone has a relaxation effect by opening the GABA chloride channels in the brain and can have similar effect as taking a Xanax with out the side effects. Running a female hormone test can help evaluate this imbalance as well as provide the specific information in regards to dosing and timing of when the natural female hormone support should be administered.

5. Download a free app for your phone entitled “white noise.”

White noise can be very helpful at blocking other ambient noise that could potentially wake you up throughout the night. Again if you keeping your phone plugged-in in your bedroom, please make sure it is across the room and if it’s a smart phone also make sure it is in airplane mode. The EMF from the phone can disrupt your sleep and even can prevent you from getting into deeper phases of sleep.

6. Eating a little bit of protein and fat within two hours before bed

This can help stabilize your blood sugar and prevent cortisol spikes during the night. The suggestion may be against conventional wisdom in regards to eating right before bed but low blood sugar throughout the night will cause your cortisol to go up and increasing cortisol Lhasa wake you up along with it. A little bit of protein and fat before bed can make a big difference.

7. Give yourself at least one hour before bed to wind down.

Turn off the TV, tablets, computers and phones and pick up a non-stimulating book instead. Engaging in meditation and prayer before bed can be very helpful. A simple meditation can include just counting backwards from 10 to 0 with all of your attention focused on your breath and not the problems and stressors of yesterday or tomorrow. Engaging in prayer especially focused on gratitude and all that. You have to be thankful for in your life. That can provide a natural neurotransmitter and hormonal boost that can set you up for a great night sleep.

Click here to receive a complimentary copy of my “33 secrets to a good night sleep” handout.

Natural Solutions To A Good Night Sleep

By Dr. Justin Marchegiani

Did you know that over 40% of Americans suffer from insomnia on a daily basis? According to the national Center for sleep disorders over 10-15% of people deal with chronic insomnia on a daily basis. Another staggering statistic, the WHO considers shift-work or sleep deprivation the only non-substance carcinogen known to man. Essentially in the same class as cigarettes, asbestos and other known carcinogenic chemicals… That’s real scary!

Sleep is vitally important to help repair the body physiologically as well as psychologically. Physiological repair such as building muscles, bones, tendons, joints and ligaments etc. occurs between the hours of 10 PM and 2 AM. During this timeframe, HGH (human growth hormone) predominates. You can think of HGH is your ant-aging hormone and by maximizing sleep we can make about $2000-$3000 worth per month for free. Between the hours of 2 and 6 AM the body psychologically regenerates, essentially meaning neurotransmitters and other hormones neurochemicals that help with mental health become recycled and repaired.

Cortisol and it’s Circadian Rhythm 

The accelerated health risks for poor sleep

An increased risk of diabetes
Accelerated aging
An increased risk of cancer
Decreased immune function
Obesity and overweight
Poor physical performance
Slow mental acuity

It’s estimated that over $100 billion is lost each year due to the loss productivity that lack of sleep causes and is also the main cause of 100,000 vehicle accidents per year as well as 1500 related deaths from those accidents.

The major underlying causes of sleep deprivation:

17% of all US employees are shift workers that have to stay up working during the night instead of sleeping. If I can urge anyone to make an investment in their health, the first thing would be finding a job that allows flexibility to sleep during normal sleep hours. The research is very clear, the increased risk of chronic degenerative diseases and lack of performance will cost you more in the long run financially and physically.

Chronic stressors can be huge underlying cause of sleep problems this could include (relationship stress, caffeine, chronic illness, infections, blood sugar imbalances, family stress and hormonal imbalances). One thing that all stress has in common whether it’s internal stress or external stress is the increase of cortisol and adrenaline. Knocking your cortisol and adrenaline out of balance puts a great deal of stress on your adrenal glands. Your cortisol rhythm at night is intimately tied in with your melatonin rhythm (melatonin is your night time hormone the keeps you sleep) and the more you push your cortisol and adrenaline out of balance your melatonin will also be negatively impacted and so will your sleep. More research is coming out daily on the anticancer effects of melatonin so optimizing your sleep will help lower your risk of cancer.

Stimulants such as caffeine can affect you from getting to sleep on time. Caffeine has a half-life of  up to eight hours, so consuming your 1 to 2 cups of coffee or tea before 2 PM in the afternoon gives your body enough time to metabolize the caffeine before your bedtime.

Certain medications can also interfere with sleep like antidepressants corticosteroids, allergy medication and blood pressure medication. If you are currently taking a medication and also have a sleep problem please look up the possible side effects of the medication you are taking and see if sleep disturbances are potential side effect.

Click here if you are having sleep difficulties.

Dr. Justin’s top 7 sleep enhancing tip

1. Exercise every single day, especially using the peak eight program. Using peak eight (burst training) program as well as a combination of resistance training can make a significant difference. The right kinds of exercise can increase human growth hormone which has an excellent effect at blunting cortisol and increasing the repair of your body.

2. Picking relaxing teas such as chamomile or sleepy tea before bed. These types of teas contain certain amino acids such as L-theonine, which help to increase certain neurotransmitters like GABA which help promote relaxation.

3. For certain individual’s melatonin can be a great choice.  I recommend using a sub-lingual version, this helps increase absorption as well as increasing activation time. Again, melatonin may not be right for every single person. Some individuals taking melatonin actually makes sleep issues worse. When this occurs there’s usually an underlying hormonal imbalance present.

4. Many of my menopausal female patients have hormonal imbalances that need to be addressed. Low progesterone can be a common cause of sleep deprivation and insomnia. Progesterone has a relaxation effect by opening the GABA chloride channels in the brain and can have similar effect as taking a Xanax with out the side effects. Running a female hormone test can help evaluate this imbalance as well as provide the specific information in regards to dosing and timing of when the natural female hormone support should be administered.

5. Download a free app for your phone entitled “white noise.” White noise can be very helpful at blocking other ambient noise that could potentially wake you up throughout the night. Again if you keeping your phone plugged-in in your bedroom, please make sure it is across the room and if it’s a smart phone also make sure it is in airplane mode. The EMF from the phone can disrupt your sleep and even can prevent you from getting into deeper phases of sleep.

6. Eating a little bit of protein and fat within two hours before bed can help stabilize your blood sugar and prevent cortisol spikes during the night. The suggestion may be against conventional wisdom in regards to eating right before bed but low blood sugar throughout the night will cause your cortisol to go up and increasing cortisol can disrupt your sleep and cause you to wake. A little bit of protein and fat before bed can make a big difference.

7. Give yourself at least one hour before bed to wind down. Turn off the TV, tablets, computers and phones and pick up a non-stimulating book instead. Engaging in meditation and prayer before bed can be very helpful. A simple meditation can include just counting backwards from 10 to 0 with all of your attention focused on your breath and not the problems and stressors of yesterday or tomorrow. Engaging in prayer especially focused on gratitude and all that you have to be thankful for in your life can provide a natural neurotransmitter and hormonal boost that can set you up for a great night sleep.

To receive my full handout entitled “33 secrets to a good night sleep,” click here!

To help get your sleep and energy back on track click here!