INSOMNIA: TROUBLE SLEEPING
Reasons why we find it difficult to sleep well
Patients often ask me about different problems they suffer when it comes to sleep: some people find it difficult to fall asleep, others wake up at 3 or 4 in the morning and go back to sleep and others are left with their eyes wide open and cannot go back to sleep.
There are many reasons and we will take a tour of all of them.
But first, it is worth understanding how the sleep cycle works: On the one hand, there is the circadian rhythm, a cycle of wakefulness and sleep that is regulated by two hormones: cortisol and melatonin
During the day we synthesize cortisol as soon as the light enters through the window and at night this hormone decreases its production to give way to the synthesis of melatonin by the pineal gland.
Melatonin is the hormone that helps us fall asleep.
Melatonin concentrations are very low during the first 3 months of life and then rise sharply.
Probably because there is melatonin in breast milk which contributes to consolidating the sleep-wake rhythm of babies, until their own circadian system matures.
In youth it is high, but decreases as we age and that is one of the main reasons why most adults have problems sleeping.
The fact that melatonin decreases as we age and that cortisol – the hormone of the day that is also the stress hormone – complicates the situation.
Stress causes cortisol to stay high even at night when it should theoretically go down, which prevents melatonin synthesis.
So if cortisol doesn’t go down, we can’t sleep well
What helps us reduce cortisol?
The ideal is therefore to combat stress and anxiety.
To do this, we must consume foods, nutrients, vitamins, minerals or plant extracts that help us relax.
There are plants of traditional use such as valerian, hops, passionflower and lemon balm, recognized for their anxiolytic properties and rhodiola and the amino acid L-theanine (found in tea) that favors relaxation and the brain’s ability to concentrate and memorize.
And, on the other hand, we have to consume foods that help us synthesize melatonin.
These foods are those rich in tryptophan, an amino acid found in bananas, dairy, cherries, pumpkin seeds, nuts, and eggs.
Tryptophan helps us synthesize serotonin.
Serotonin helps us synthesize melatonin
Serotonin is also essential for melatonin to be synthesized.
But first there is a step that our body must do and that is to transform tryptophan into 5-HTP (hydroxytryptophan).
Griffonia simplicifolia is an African plant whose seeds are naturally rich in 5-HTP, a direct precursor of serotonin, one of the main neurotransmitters in the brain.
So we can be more effective when we take 5HTP in serotonin synthesis than when we eat tryptophan-rich foods, because we skip a step and are more effective.
Serotonin is the neurotransmitter of happiness that contributes to feelings of well-being.
Serotonin is also essential for melatonin, the sleep hormone, to be synthesized.
So, if serotonin is a precursor to melatonin, we could say that if we don’t feel happy (low serotonin levels) we won’t be able to sleep well.
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter involved in sleep and stress management.
Stimulating its production allows you to reduce depressive or anxiety states and return to enjoying quality sleep.
It also plays an important role in appetite and emotions.
On the other hand, among all these synthesis steps, the body needs vitamin B6.
Magnesium and Zinc act as cofactors in the enzymatic pathways so that melatonin can eventually be formed.
These cofactors such as vitamin B6 are necessary for the normal functioning of the nervous system.
All these ingredients are found in the formula of Salengei’s Active Sweet Dreams
Active Sweet Dreams is a supplement based on melatonin, a substance that reduces the time to fall asleep.
Other reasons why we may have difficulty sleeping
They are usually more pathological, such as sleep apnea, which is closely related to being overweight, and type II diabetes mellitus, which must be treated.
One of the best strategies is a weight loss diet.
To do this, we could do a diet with Active Foods (see blog….)
Depression, although it is linked to a whole series of mood alterations, in an initial stage supplements could help, as well as going to a psychologist who can help in the process.
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