How to Get a Good Night’s Sleep With Fibromyalgia
By Amanda Elise Love
For those of us suffering with fibromyalgia, how can we spring into this new year with a renewed sense of hope and energy? One of the best ways to do this is to get deep, restorative sleep on a consistent basis. As a registered holistic nutritionist, I would like to suggest the following ideas that will help you on your journey to wholeness and wellness.
Eight or nine hours of deep sleep each night is optimal. So how do we best enter into sleep? The pineal gland which is located at the base of our brain regulates our sleep by releasing melatonin. Higher levels of melatonin help us to sleep. If you have normal melatonin levels in your body then the level begins to rise in the mid to late evening and remains high for most of the night and then begins to decrease in the early morning hours. So, the question is how can we optimize these higher levels of melatonin in order to fall asleep and stay asleep.
First off, I would suggest getting blackout curtains for your bedroom. Any light that hits your skin gives a message to your red blood cells that it’s daylight. In response, the red blood cells reduce the production of melatonin. So, if you’re sleeping in a room that is not completely dark you may not be getting deep restorative sleep. This includes blue light which is the light that comes from your computer or cellphone. Start by putting up your blackout curtains and see what other light might still be in your room. Put black tape over any of this light.
Another great idea is to get amber glasses. These are similar to sunglasses, and you can put them on when the sun goes down and they will effectively block blue light without darkening your vision. It’s important to block blue light two hours before bedtime. These glasses absorb the blue light as well as other stimulating light, but still allow you to see clearly for normal activities such as working on the computer, reading or watching tv.
Besides having a dark room, it is also important to have a cold room for a good night’s sleep. For those of you who run hot at night you may consider buying a Chillipad for your bed. This is a game changer. By maintaining cool body temperature during the night, you will be less prone to wake up over and over again with hot spells.
Also, the foods we eat and what we drink before bed also play an important role in the quality of our sleep.
Foods that should be avoided before bedtime are bacon, cheese, chocolate, eggplant, ham, potatoes, sauerkraut, sugar, spinach, tomatoes, and wine. These foods contain tyramine, which increases the release of norepinephrine, a brain stimulant.
Foods that might help you with sleep are bananas, nut butters, tuna, turkey, whole grain crackers. These foods are high in tryptophan which promotes sleep.
Check out my free sleep guide today. To find out about the number one supplement that I recommend as a Holistic Nutritionist that you haven’t heard of. To get that deep restful sleep that you are missing at www.amandaeliselove.com.