#108 Conk Out

When I was in college, I slept two to four hours a day. I worked third shift in a factory, taught martial arts classes, went to the gym with my workmates (to get in shape for the police physical exam), studied for the police entrance exam with other possible applicants, and tried to maintain a house and home. Sometimes I couldn’t fall asleep, and I would have to wait until the next day to catch my two hour nap. When asked to write papers for my classes, I would routinely choose to write on sleep deprivation.

While in college, I once stayed awake 65 hours straight, took a 4-hour nap, then finished the week before getting an 8-hour sleep. Basically, I took a 4-hour nap that whole week.

During my paper research I found that shift work, especially swing shift (where a person is forced to work days for a week, followed by seconds for a week, followed by thirds for a week and then getting a few days off) so severely disrupts a person’s hormones and health that it is nearly criminal to demand such shifts. Ultimately, the swing shift is designed to prevent HR from dealing with unhappy workers who must remain on unpleasant shifts until they reach a level of seniority that allows them to move to days.

Furthermore, sleep deprivation increases cortisol production. Cortisol is a stress hormone produced in the adrenal glands and when it is high it can increase blood sugar. This in turn increases insulin production. This results in fat storage and insulin resistance. Sleep deprivation can negatively affect health in so many ways.

Then I started at the police department. I hate seconds so much that I chose to work thirds for 16 years. I had already worked thirds at the factory, so it wasn’t that much of a change for me.

I had onset insomnia as a kid and teenager. Onset insomnia is the trouble going to sleep, as opposed to insomnia interruptus, where you wake constantly, or insomnia terminus, where you wake earlier than needed and stay awake after that.

After I started working third shift, I didn’t have a problem falling asleep. I was normally so exhausted from working so many hours or staying up so long that exhaustion dropped me into a deep slumber nearly immediately.

Several people in my holistic practice have lately been asking me how to address insomnia. Over the years I have read numerous articles addressing the various forms of insomnia. I’ll summarize what I’ve read over the years.

1.       Bed is only for two purposes. Sleep and sex. NO reading in bed. NO eating in bed. NO other activities that resemble wakefulness. Your brain should only think of your bed as a place to sleep or have sex. Sex followed by sleep, that is. Train your brain to only use bed for these two activities.

2.       Avoid electronic devices before bed. This includes TV. The blue light emitted from electronic devices prevents the production of serotonin. Serotonin promotes tiredness and begins the sleeping process. Blue light interrupts the sleep cycle. Reading your tablet or playing on your phone before bed is a surefire way to remain awake for a few more hours. Do not lie in bed watching TV, either. This trains your brain to believe that bed is for recreation. Watch TV in another room and shut it off a couple hours before your appointed bedtime.

3.       Move chargers and electrical devices away from your bed. Charge your phone on the other side of the room. Plug your lamp on the other side of the room. The EMF (electromagnetic field) that electrical devices emit can disrupt brain activity, preventing you from falling or remaining asleep. A bonus is that when your phone alarm goes off in the morning, you have to get out of bed and walk across the room to dismiss it. This helps you wake up.

4.       Create a bedtime routine. Do the same bed prep in the same order every night. This establishes a habit that your brain recognizes as a pattern designed for sleep. After a few weeks of the same behavior in the same order, you will start getting tired just by starting the routine. Examples are shutting off the TV, plugging in your phone, letting the cat out, brushing teeth and washing face, changing clothes, putting clothes in the washer, etc.

5.       Keep the room cool. We sleep better if the room is slightly cooler, around 68 degrees. It’s better to use an extra blanket than to heat the room too much.

6.       Keep the room dark. Even a night light can disrupt melatonin production and prevent us from falling asleep. A dark and cool room is more conducive to sleep.

7.       Follow the 3, 2, and 1 rule. No food or alcohol 3 hours before sleep, no work 2 hours before sleep, no electronics 1 hour before sleep.

8.       Use a fan. Not only for air movement to keep the room cooler, but also for the white noise it creates. This goes back to dark and cool rule.

9.       Go to bed at the same time every night. This is difficult, but it’s necessary to keep your brain in the programmed with the habit you have established. Things happen and we must deal with them; but attempt to head to bed the same time every night.

10.  Use a sleep mask. I have one with Bluetooth speakers built into it. I play binaural beats while I sleep. Binaural beats are two tones of different frequencies played in each ear. Some are set for healing frequencies, others are strictly for sleep. The brain switches wavelength at different times. During sleep, the brain operates at 2-4hz. Binaural beats will have soothing music going, while in the background each ear will receive a different frequency that when subtracted equal 2-4hz. For instance, one ear could have 18hz and the other 16hz. We can’t hear these tones because they are below 20hz, but the brain subtracts these, and it becomes 2hz. This is the wavelength that induces and maintains sleep.

11.  Breathe. Breathe in and out through the nose. Pull the in breath through the top of the sinuses and down the back of the throat. Mentally follow the breath down the body and use it to fill the belly. Let the belly rise and fall with the breath. Any time a thought rolls through your mind, release it gently and go back to your breath.

12.  Relax your physical body. Flex each part of your body one section at a time, then relax it. Start with your toes. Flex your toes, then relax them. Then your calves, Then your thighs and so forth. A relaxed mind and a relaxed body will work together to bring you closer to sleep.

13.  Get regular exercise. Exercise will certainly help you sleep when the time comes. While it is not recommended to exercise right before bed, getting steps or resistance exercise every day will encourage the body to sleep deeper in order to recuperate.

If these habit building exercises don’t work, there are some safe herbal remedies that can help. While pharmaceuticals can be habit forming, or even dangerous (yeah, I’m talking to you – Ambien) herbs are completely safe and not habit forming.

I sell a formula from a reputable company that contains valerian, hops, and passionflower parts. It’s effective in inducing drowsiness and does not make you feel like a jet crash in the morning.

Ashwagandha is also a great herb for inducing sleep and reducing stress. I use ashwagandha in tincture form every day.

I hope these methods are of use to some of you who are experiencing insomnia. If you need some of the formulas I provide, I can sure get them to you.

You gotta get your rest if you wanna keep grinding.

Grind, rest, grow, conquer.

Love ya,

Weeg

Joe “Weeg” Weigant is a Board Certified Massage Therapist, Holistic Health Authority, Reiki Master Teacher, Herbalist, Metaphysician, and Empowerment Coach. He combines bodywork, energy work, and coaching to improve quality of life by healing from the outside in and from the inside out.

Weeg sells Nature’s Sunshine Products, Pure Herbs Ltd., doTERRA, and Juice Plus+. Weeg suggests lifestyle changes and provides herbal remedies to his clients so they may build new habits for long life and vibrant health. He teaches Karate and Tai Chi, Reiki Certification, as well as seminars and workshops in metaphysical and spiritual matters. Weeg is available for sessions at Tri State Holistic Wellness by appointment only.

Contact by text 812.568.5356, or Facebook Messenger to set an appointment.

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