Are you getting your eight hours of sleep every night? Do you wake up feeling rested and nourished? In my Oakville holistic nutrition practice, I find that most people are sleep deprived and even if they get their eight hours of night sleep they wake up feeling unrested and more exhausted than when their heads hit the pillow.

Insomnia or poor sleep is one of the least aspects of health to get attention yet it can hugely compromise your health, vitality and quality of life.Lack of sleep or poor sleep patterns can leave you feeling stressed and tense throughout the day. It adds extra stress to your life and as you already know stress is one of the most important root causes of disease.

Sleeping pills don’t come without a price to pay. It was found that patients taking prescription sleep aids on a regular basis were nearly five times as likely as non-users to die over a period of two and a half years.

Sleep is important for the body to detoxify, regenerate its cells and heal. Staying up late can cause toxins to back up into the liver, whereas the hours before midnight are most beneficial for healing. According to Chinese medicine each organ has a specific time to detoxify and renew its cells.So if you find yourself waking up at a specific time during the night, this might indicate a problem with your detox organs, that can be helped with a detoxification.

Good quality sleep is also crucial for hormonal balance and a healthy nervous system. Moreover, it has been proven that women whose work involves night shifts, are at increased risk of developing breast cancer. This is linked to the production of melatonin hormone in the body that is secreted only at night. Melatonin is not only essential as a sleep regulator but it is also a potent antioxidant that prevents replication of cancer cells.

As an Oakville nutritionist, I advocate many ways that you can improve your quality of sleep through a holistic approach that involves diet, lifestyle changes and natural supplements.

Here are my top holistic nutrition tips for a goodnight’s sleep

1. Make sure to sleep in a completely dark room. This is important for normal melatonin secretion at night.
2. Avoid drinking caffeinated beverages such as coffee, tea and dark soda after 4 pm in the afternoon. Try some relaxing herbal teas before bed such as chamomile, lemon balm or passionflower with a little raw honey.
3. Try de-stressing before sleep by taking a few deep breaths or doing a meditation or prayer
4. Try taking a warm bath with Epsom salts and adding a few drops of lavender oil.
5. You can use your smart phone to download relaxation apps that can help you relax deeply.
6. Write down whatever you have on your mind for next day’s to do list, then visualize what you will do and then let it go.
7. Eat a light meal for dinner, avoiding fried foods, too much protein and any foods that you might be allergic or sensitive to and avoid late night snacking.

Finally, if you still have problems with your sleep, you can ask for help of a qualified holistic nutritionist who can analyze your diet and pinpoint nutrient deficiencies or other underlying factors that might be causing your problem.

Food and natural supplements as well as a good detox can effectively help you unwind and relax more easily. You might be surprised to find out how effectively a natural holistic nutrition approach, can help you overcome your sleep problems and enjoy a deep good night’s sleep.

We offer tele-health coaching via Zoom, so we can help you if you are out of area. If you need help with your health and nutrition, sign up for a 15 Min Discovery Call where we discuss your current goals and concerns and how we can help you.

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