Hi Sandra, I've been waking up most nights at about 2am and struggling to drop back off to sleep. When it didn't pass after a couple of months I saw my GP and I now have sleeping tablets to help me get some rest in the short-term. Is there anything natural I can take to sort this problem for good? Thanks, Bob.
Hi Bob, thanks for your question. If you've slept well in the past and this is a new challenge for you, then you must do some detective work to find out what has changed, from either a physiological or emotional perspective, since both can contribute to sleep problems. Here are some common scenarios that cause night-time waking and the natural solutions that may help resolve them.
Blood glucose fluctuations: Our blood glucose levels are tightly regulated since every cell in the body needs glucose to function. Blood glucose drops as our glucose stores are used overnight, and the body will release a stored form of glucose called glycogen from the liver to keep our cells supplied with fuel. Hormones released as part of this process include adrenalin, cortisol and glucagon that can stimulate the nervous system. This process should happen without effort but if it becomes impeded due to poor organ health or more severe imbalances in blood glucose, our sleep can be disrupted.
Get tested to make sure your blood glucose levels are well managed. Ensure that your evening meal contains both protein and healthy fats, which help to slow the absorption of carbohydrate and keep blood glucose stable. A small snack before bed or even at 2am on waking can often allow the body to get back to sleep more quickly whilst you work on long-term solutions. Plant medicines that have been clinically proven to help stabilise blood glucose levels include Nettle (Urtica dioica), Cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) and Yerba Maté (Ilex paraguariensis). A combination of these consumed as a tea between meals throughout the day can help slow gastric emptying of food and prevent rapid spikes in glucose and insulin. Note that Yerba Maté contains a small amount of caffeine similar to regular tea, so avoid it too late in the evening.
Poor liver health: Eastern medical systems have long known that body rhythms exist and that our major organs and systems have their own internal clocks that influence everything from body temperature to hormone production. If specific organs are working under par they can interfere with the quality and duration of sleep. In traditional medicine, a specific sign of an under-functioning liver is waking between midnight and 3am. If you notice too that your sleep is worse on nights you consume alcohol, or that you regularly wake overheated, these are signs that your liver may need support.
