Dr. Curtis McElroy

Category: Sleep Disorders

  • Fibromyalgia And Sleep Disorders

    Dealing With Sleep Issues For Those With Fibromyalgia

    One of the issues associated with fibromyalgia is difficulty with sleep. Whether it is due to chronic muscle pain or depressive symptoms, people with fibromyalgia often struggle with being able to get to sleep and having a restful night’s sleep. Fortunately, there are things that can be done to improve the quantity and quality of sleep in those who suffer from fibromyalgia.

    Here are some tips for better sleep when dealing with fibromyalgia:

    • Sleep with a heating pad. The heating pad should be set on a low setting to avoid burning the skin and can be placed anywhere on the body that hurts the most to loosen the muscles and relieve pain while you sleep.

    • Go to sleep at the same time every night. You should go to sleep at the same time every night, getting up at the same time every morning. This trains your brain to sleep at the proper time and helps you sleep better.

    • Use a noise machine. If sleeping in a quiet room is too distracting, you can sleep with a white noise machine to induce sleep and to keep you sleeping throughout the night. Some of these machines will go on all night, while others will shut off at a prescribed period of time. They also make machines that mimic the sounds of the ocean, rain, or a babbling brook.

    • Don’t eat a large meal before bedtime. This tends to make it more difficult to fall asleep. Instead, eat a small snack to bring up your blood sugar as low blood sugar can interfere with sleep. Large meals should be eaten about 3-4 hours before sleeping so that digestion doesn’t interfere with sleep.

    • Don’t drink alcohol before sleeping. Alcohol is a depressant but it also reduces your ability to get a good night’s sleep. You should have your last alcoholic beverage no sooner than four hours before attempting to go to bed.

    • Don’t drink caffeinated beverages before sleep. Caffeinated beverages act as stimulants that interfere with getting to sleep and staying asleep. Do not drink caffeinated beverages within four hours of trying to get to sleep.

    • Avoid heavy exercise before sleeping. Exercise is activating and can interfere with getting to sleep if you exercise too soon before trying to sleep. If you exercise with fibromyalgia, you should do so about 5-6 hours before falling asleep. Exercise creates energy in the body, and so it’s best to give your body a chance to settle down before getting to sleep. Calming exercises like yoga are okay as they can actually promote sleepiness.

    • A warm bath with calming essential oils like lavender right before bedtime, and especially as part of a nightly ritual can work as a trigger to train the brain to know it’s bedtime helping you find the rest you need so much.

    • Practice meditation. Meditation can be done before sleep to relax the muscles, ease pain, and reduce stress before going to sleep. Meditation also helps lessen the perception of pain in those who suffer from fibromyalgia and can be done at other times of the day besides bedtime for stress relief.

    • Use your bed for sleep and sex only. Do not read in bed or watch television while you are in bed. This only activates your mind and allows you to associate your bed with things other than sleeping.

    What To Do If You Still Cannot Sleep

    Nothing is worse than lying in bed, suffering from pain, and being unable to sleep. When you have fibromyalgia, however, this is what some nights are like, even with the best of sleep hygiene and stress reduction.

    If you can’t get to sleep after a half hour or so of trying, you should get out of bed, use the restroom, and perhaps read a little bit. This will take your mind off the stress of not being able to get to sleep and you can use this time to get a little bit more tired. Do not do this in bed but in another room in the house.

    When you feel tired again, try to go back to sleep, using meditation if necessary to put you in a frame of mind to sleep. Meditation can be used whenever you are having difficulty sleeping because, when done in a tired state, it can induce sleep and you will sleep more restfully.

  • Sleep Disorders And Alternative Medicine

    Alternative Medicine For Sleep Disorders

    As you have probably discovered if you suffer from a sleep disorder, you are not alone. In fact 40 million Americans have reported suffering from some type of sleep disorder. Furthermore, there are various types of sleep disorders – ranging from sleep apnea to insomnia – and each should be treated differently.

    Many who suffer from sleep disorders are turning to complementary health approaches to help them get a more restful night’s sleep using more natural therapies, especially, as opposed to addictive prescription sleeping pills.

    What’s the Bottom Line?

    What do we know about the usefulness of complementary approaches for sleep disorders?

    When talking about complementary health approaches to help patients get a more restful night’s sleep, the following methods are almost always brought up and their usefulness is brought into question:

    Relaxation techniques – Insomnia

    Melatonin Supplements – Shift Work/ Jet Lag

    These are the two most sought after techniques; however, the full measure of their effectiveness is still under review.

    What do we know about the safety of complementary approaches for sleep disorders?

    As with all therapies, techniques, medicines and supplements, safety is and should be a factor in determining whether or not the usefulness outweighs the hazards associated with the practice in question.

    As far as the methods discussed above, let’s take a look and see what kinds of safety health hazards they pose and whether or not these hazards are great enough to outweigh the benefits.

    Relaxation techniques are considered as generally safe practices for treating insomnia and other sleep disorders.
    Melatonin has not been found to create any negative affects short-term, but has yet to be studied for its long term effects.

    Kava and L-tryptophan supplements have both shown highly negative side-effects (severe liver damage and eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome respectively). Additionally, they have not been proven to improve sleep.

    As with all medications, supplements, and therapies; a consultation with your doctor is recommended.

    What the Science Says About Complementary Health Approaches and Insomnia

    Scientists say that most of the studied complementary health approaches appear to be safe. Relaxation techniques can be found among the top in safety and effectiveness.

    Studies have also been conducted on women, post menopause, suffering from insomnia, and one of the most effective techniques for decreasing this disorder was found to be yoga – a form of meditation and relaxation.

    Massage therapy was another highly effective technique – involved with relaxation, meditation and stress relief.

    Acupuncture And Hypnosis

    Other less-studied techniques, such as hypnotherapy and acupuncture have had less promising results. Hypnosis is said to enhance effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy and relaxation techniques and not enough studies have been done on the effects of acupuncture to determine any positive results when tested on insomniac patients.

    Dietary Supplements and Herbs

    As discussed earlier, Melatonin supplements are the most researched method for treatment of insomnia.

    Probably one of the most studied of the complementary health approaches, insomnia has been through 19 studies in 2013 alone, which concluded that insomnia patients who took melatonin supplements tended to fall asleep quicker, stay asleep longer and receive a better night’s rest.

    However, unfortunately, even though the data here is promising, Melatonin still performed significantly lower than other sleep aids.

    Herbs have also been tested – the most popular herbal sleep aids are found listed below:

    • Valerian Root
    • Chamomile
    • Kava
    • Hops
    • Lemon Balm
    • Passionflower
    • 5-HTP
    • Herbal studies on people, however are still few and far between.

    Other Complimentary Health Approaches:

    Aromatherapy

    Probably the most widely known approach, other than herbs, and medications is Aromatherapy. Even though it is widely used, not a lot of conclusive evidence has been found that shows Aromatherapy to be an effective sleep aid.
    Additionally, doctors and scientists alike warn that tiredness throughout the day and trouble sleeping does not always mean you have a sleep disorder. They counsel to go to bed early, rise with the sun, and get the prescribed hours of sleep for your age and health. If you don’t know the recommended amount of sleep – charts can be found online, or you can check with your doctor.

    Talk To Your Doctor

    More important than almost any of the studies or techniques is speaking with a physician before starting on any treatment on your own. You should discuss with your health care provider the method you are planning on trying, and remember – don’t be afraid to ask questions, talk about concerns and discuss your viable options.

    Most importantly, while the methods discussed are all-natural, all-natural does not always mean healthy.

    Another thing to keep in mind when trying these natural, complementary methods, is combining techniques.

    Combination of herbs, supplements and other over-the-counter medications should definitely be discussed with a physician for your health and safety.

  • Improving Insomnia With Meditation

    Can Meditation Help Your Insomnia?

    The inability to fall asleep, remain asleep, or sleep well affects approximately 60 million people annually. While insomnia affects all ages, over half of individuals 55 years old and older, experience some level of sleep disturbance. Given the projected growth in the aging population, this poses a major health concern. According to the Population Reference Bureau, one-fifth of the U.S. population will be 65 years old or older by 2050. Women who are pregnant or experiencing menopause that causes hot flashes and night sweats commonly experience insomnia.

    Insomnia causes major problems personally and socially. It affects health and relationships. Insomniacs experience increased levels of fatigue, mood disturbances, higher instances of depressive symptoms and poorer quality of life.

    Insomnia decreases work productivity, can be the precursor to on the job and automobile accidents and increases risk for heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. It also negatively affects a sleep-deprived person’s ability to think and make reasonable decisions.

    If you have ever experienced a bad night’s sleep or insomnia, you know that you are likely to be irritable, lack energy to accomplish daily tasks and feel added stress from the fatigue.

    Stress, Anxiety and Insomnia

    Stress is a significant contributing factor to the development of insomnia. People suffering from stress and anxiety related to work, relationships, health, finances or other pressing issues find themselves unable to stop mulling over their concerns enough to find a restful sleep.

    Their racing thoughts or negative ruminations keep them up or wake them when they would normally be sleeping and their sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the fight or flight response, is constantly active.

    Turning on the Relaxation Response

    People with insomnia desperately need to relax in order to sleep. They need to turn their fight or flight response off and turn on their relaxation response by stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system; it sends the signals, which place the body in a calm and relaxed state.

    A variety of non-prescription behaviors serve to help people relax enough to sleep:

    • Listening to calming music
    • Exercise
    • Establishing a bedtime routine
    • Taking a hot bath
    • Journaling to purge the mind of the day’s activities
    • Meditation
    • Dealing with stress and its sources

    Meditation To Help Your Sleep

    Studies have shown meditation provides an effective tool to alleviate insomnia. Mindful meditation seems to be particularly effective. It works by allowing meditators to focus on one thing to the exclusion of other thoughts or stimuli; they learn to let their sources of anxiety exist without actively engaging them.

    Apparently, this practice carries over into daily life as well. A 2012 study conducted by Massachusetts General Hospital and Boston University, showed the way meditators respond to negative stimuli is less reactive than the response of non-meditators. In other words, their first response to negative stimuli did not default to fight or flight.

    Mindful Meditation

    During mindful meditation, a person chooses a focal point for their attention. It can be simply observing or counting their breaths. They may choose to gaze upon an object, a statue, painting, or photograph, with their full attention. Some people choose to repeat a sound, a word, or a phrase either mentally or aloud.

    A period of mindful meditation may last from five to 10 minutes or more. According to studies and Transcendental Meditation literature, the optimum period of time to meditate is approximately 20 minutes. The effectiveness of meditation increases with frequency, so meditating twice a day, upon waking and prior to retiring for bed, is also recommended.

    Mindful meditation alleviates many of the causes of insomnia:

    • It eases stress, halts racing thoughts and negative ruminations
    • It calms anxiety
    • The practice builds strong connections within the brain by increasing gray matter density
    • Meditation calms the mind and allows for improved cognitive function and focus
    • It also alleviates some of the physical causes of insomnia, by lowering blood pressure and easing physical pain for people with chronic conditions like arthritis.

    Treating insomnia with mindful meditation serves as a sustainable and beneficial way to support good sleep hygiene. It is portable, without side effects and may be applied as complementary treatment in addition to traditional medications if they are needed.

    How To

    Mindful meditation may be learned in many ways: from a teacher, from books and audio recordings or from videos widely available on the internet.

    Aromatherapy: Scents That Heal Insomnia

    Traditional Chinese medicine makes use of aromatherapy to help people sleep better. What is aromatherapy? It is the practice of using the scent of essential oils derived from plants to heal various ailments, one of which is insomnia. Aromatherapy is used to induce calm, relaxation and has been proven to help ease anxiety and alleviate mild depression. People who practice aromatherapy can use healing scents to create different mental and emotional states, including sleepiness.

    Aromatherapy for Sleep

    Aromatherapy to induce calm, relaxation, and sleep has become so popular that some hospitals use premade nasal inhalers, which contain essential plant oils like lavender to help patients sleep better.

    While there are aromatherapy scent devices on the internet, you can make your own aromatherapy sachet to put on your nightstand or by your pillow to alleviate insomnia.
    Remember that each person can respond differently to the various scents of plants used in aromatherapy. Some types of aromatherapy use just one herb, while others combine herbs for maximal effect.

    Commonly Used Essential Oils For Sleep

    • Lavender – Lavender can be used as an essential oil made from the lavender flower or as a sachet made from fresh or dried Lavender flowers. Research in Europe has shown that inhaling the scent of lavender promotes relaxation and sleepiness. One study was done on 56 patients in an ICU ward. Those who inhaled Lavender slept better than those who did not.

    • Vetiver – This root plant can be ground or distilled to make an essential oil for sleep induction. It has an earthy smell and can be mixed with Chamomile and/or Lavender.
    • Ylang Ylang – Ylang Ylang has been used for centuries in Traditional Chinese Medicine to promote good sleep. It has a nice fruity and floral scent that will induce a good night’s sleep.

    • Roman Chamomile – This is a type of chamomile that when inhaled induces a calm and relaxed state of mind that is perfect for going to sleep. It can be used in its ground or “loose” form in a sachet or used as an essential oil. It smells like flowers.

    • Bergamot – Bergamot is a cold-pressed oil that is derived from the peel or rind of the bergamot citrus fruit. This is to be distinguished from other citrus fruits, such as oranges or grapefruits, which tend to stimulate the senses. Bergamot is soothing and calming; it helps balance emotions so you can sleep better. You can use it in dried form or simply breathe in the essential oil. It blends well with other sleep-inducing herbal formulations used in aromatherapy.

    • Marjoram – This is a spice used not only in cooking but has great uses in the world of aromatherapy. It is a known muscle relaxer when inhaled and helps induce a more comfortable sleep.

    • Sandalwood – This is used primarily as an essential oil created from the Sandalwood tree. Put a few drops on a handkerchief or soft towel and sleep with it next to or on your pillow.

    • Frankincense – Smoke from the burning oil of Frankincense contains incensole acetate that helps to alleviate anxiety and depression, both of which are key factors in many chronic insomnia conditions.

    • Valerian – Valerian essential oil is one of the oldest and most studied in terms of helping to improve insomnia and quality of sleep. It contains compounds that activate GABA receptors in the brain and balances the body’s cycles that facilitate undisturbed sleep. Valerian essential oil also helps anxiety, depression and can improve mood. Anxiety and depression are two of the main causes of anxiety and the scent of this oil reduces negative energy and chemicals in the body to bring peace, calm and the ability to rest.

    • Clary Sage – Clary Sage functions like Valerian by affecting GABA receptors in the brain. One study showed that clary sage essential oils offer significant anti-stress effects. This oil is also used for patients who suffer from depression.

    How to use Aromatherapy

    • Essential oil diffusers are devices you can place on your nightstand so that the aroma of the essential oil can be diffused into the air, creating a wonderful-smelling therapy for the induction of sleep.

    • You can take any herb listed above and use them in fresh or dried forms to create a sachet you keep with you next to or on your bed. The aromas fill the air around your sleep space so that you don’t have as much trouble getting to sleep.

    • You can also dilute essential oil with vegetable oil and rub it onto the skin. It is especially good when placed on the back of the neck or on the soles of the feet for a comfortable environment for sleeping.

    • Essential oil candles are also available, just be sure to look for high quality products that note essential oil as an ingredient.

    • Essential oils can also be dropped into a hot bath to relax the muscles and mind as part of a nightly sleep ritual.

Copyright @ 2017 DrCurtisMcElroy