Ask a naturopath: Too early to rise
Home » Blog » Eric Bakker » Ask a naturopath: Too early to riseEric tells us how to prevent broken sleep before morning has broken
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"I have just read the Slumber Party article (Good #18) on sleep - but I'm still wondering, how can I stop waking up too early? I go to sleep just fine, but wake at 4-5 am." –Jennifer
I often get asked this question. As you will be aware, there are two basic types of insomnia – sleep onset and sleep maintenance insomnia. Sleep onset insomnia often involves stress and the inability to switch the mind off. Thoughts go running through your head and even counting sheep doesn’t work for some. Sleep maintenance insomnia will generally occur in the very early hours around 1-2am.
Insomnia generally tells me that something is not right in your life right now. Stand back and ask yourself these questions: "Am I going to bed on time?" "Am I enjoying my coffee, tea or chocolate and not willing to relinquish my one cup a day to see if is causing any sleeping issues?" "Is all well with my relationship, my kids, my job, my sex life, etc?" "Am I spending too much time on my computer, rather than going for a daily walk?" "Are there any habits I have which cause me to be stressed or tense with other people in my life right now?"
I've always believed that a relaxed mind (and body) will make the body want to sleep deeply, and all night long. Go and work in the garden for a few hours, or go for a one hour walk up the beach and back. You will probably have the best sleep you had in years. Why? You were outside, your mind was more relaxed, and your body was working. Try it, you might be surprised. Once you've made the connection you will understand exactly what I mean.
One of the first nutritional things I recommend is to get up and have a (small) high protein snack, this could be piece of cooked meat, chicken or even a small piece of cheese. This will aid your blood sugar a lot, as low blood sugar is a common reason for waking too early. Avoid all forms of caffeine for a few weeks (yes, even one cup of coffee, tea or a few squares of chocolate a day) to see if caffeine is at the root cause of this sleep disturbance. Go for a walk after tea and make sure you don’t suffer from adrenal fatigue because apart from caffeine, I have found that fatigue and burn-out are the most common reasons for sleep disturbances. Take a really good B-complex vitamin (especially high in B5) twice a day with foods. Avoid "sleep medicines", whether they be natural or prescribed – they are band-aids and don't help in the long term.
Discover the root cause, and it is almost always possible to discover why you can't sleep. Once you have found out why, you can go about correcting this lifestyle or dietary imbalance and enjoy a peaceful and deep sleep. And what a blessing it is to sleep well, it is truly one of life's greatest joys to wake refreshed and ready to enjoy your day. –Eric Bakker ND
Eric Bakker is clinical director of The Naturopaths (www.naturopath.co.nz)
Tue November 01, 2011 @ 01:15 PM
