Sleep is one of those things you don’t really think about until you’re not getting enough or you’re finding it challenging to do so (ask any new parent or shift worker!). At Practical Naturopathy, we believe sleep is one of the cornerstones to health and wellbeing and we want to make sure you’re not just getting enough, but that it’s also of amazing quality!
Melatonin is one of the key hormones in our body that helps to initiate and promote healthy and restful sleep. We naturally produce it as the sun goes down and the evening darkness sets in and then, it will naturally start to decline as we are exposed to the first light of the day. Living in our modern world, with all our technological and creature comforts, the line between how our body and brain experiences night and day can sometimes get a bit blurred. As such, we don’t always produce great levels of melatonin, which can mean we struggle to feel sleepy, fall to sleep and stay asleep.
Should you be taking melatonin?
Our naturopaths are often asked if those experiencing insomnia or issues with sleep disturbances should be taking melatonin.
If you have spoken with your GP and they have deemed you to be a good candidate for melatonin, we’re supportive of that. What we’re not so keen on, is people purchasing random melatonin supplements (and some of the ones we’ve been shown are definitely sub-optimal quality!!), without adequate assessment and then popping a few pills in the hope that they will drift off into a dreamy slumber.
As with all our naturopathic assessments, we like to get to the root cause of why you’re not sleeping. While Melatonin is a large player in the sleep game, it’s not the only one and similarly when it comes to hormones, there are many others that can be helpful for supporting a healthy and restful night sleep. Our naturopaths will work with you to understand what your sleep blockers could be and help you come up with a strategy that has you drifting off into dreamland!
How a naturopath can help with poor sleep & insomnia?
As mentioned, our naturopaths are experts in helping you get to the bottom of why you’re not sleeping. As part of your naturopathic prescription, our naturopaths may:
- Prescribe herbal medicine and/or nutrients that will help you relax and promote sedation so that you can fall and stay asleep.
- Work with you to develop useful sleep hygiene practices so that you can continue to build good sleeping patterns.
- Investigate any underlying imbalances that might be impacting your sleep like hormones, nutrient deficiencies or structural/functional issues.
