If you would like to learn more about the integrative therapies that Dr. While the reasons for your insomnia may vary, experts say small and integrative changes to your nighttime routine can make a big difference. “Don’t go on your computer, don’t watch television, don’t have your cell phones near you, and don’t put on a lot of lights.” These appliances emit blue light, which suppresses melatonin. Auld advises her patients to keep cell phones and computers out of the bedroom. Auld explains.įor a better night’s sleep, Dr. “By focusing on tapping your feet together, you get your mind off your thoughts, and your body relaxes,” Dr. Patients can also utilize breathing techniques to relax the mind and body, as well as tapping techniques to distract the mind from a constant stream of thoughts. To help calm the mind and restore the body’s balance, patients press on the seeds throughout the day. An ear seed is a small seed attached to a bandage that’s placed in specific acupressure points of the ear. Sleep experts may also recommend ear seeds. One widely used herbal supplement for insomnia is passionflower, which works by boosting certain neurotransmitters that can help us sleep. If tests confirm your cortisol levels are high or your melatonin levels low, experts may recommend natural remedies, like herbal supplements and teas, to help you regain balance.

For instance, health experts can measure your melatonin and cortisol levels to determine the root cause of your insomnia. In addition to cortisol levels, anxiety, stress, and low melatonin levels can also lead to insomnia.įortunately, there are a number of natural remedies that integrative health experts can recommend to treat your insomnia and help you get the restorative sleep your mind and body needs. But high levels can cause you to wake up in the middle of the night. Often, if they do fall asleep, they wake up with their heart racing, thoughts whirring, and their cortisol levels “through the roof.” Our levels of cortisol – known as the stress hormone because of the important role it plays in helping the body regulate stress – are supposed to decrease at nighttime. Many of her patients who struggle with insomnia complain about being unable to shut off their thoughts at night. Even having to urinate in the middle of the night can cause it.” Defined as difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, insomnia is linked to myriad causes. Heather Auld, MD, an integrative medicine specialist and a Diplomate of the American Board of Integrative Medicine (ABOIM), says about 90% of the people she sees in her Fort Myers practice, SWFL Integrative Medicine, experience some form of the condition, whether acute or chronic.

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