Insomnia Solutions

Have trouble falling asleep?

Frustrated with laying in bed awake?

Exhausted from not getting the rest you need?

You're not alone counting sheep!

The average American only gets 6.5 hours of sleep per night and 50% of 18 to 49 year-olds say that they would feel better with more sleep.

What is keeping millions of professionals around the world from drifting off to dreamland every night?

Here are some hints:

• it is one word
• it starts with the letter 's'
• it has six letters

Can you guess?

That's right, STRESS!

There are three primary stressors I most commonly see prevent professionals from getting to sleep easily.

1. Electromagnetic Stress
2. Nutritional/Chemical Stress
3. Psychic Stress

Stress is the major reason for sleep challenges because it causes the brain and body to become alert and awake to fight-or-flight. No matter where the stress originates from, the hormone cortisol is released and simultaneously suppresses the sleep, growth and repair hormone melatonin. In summary, stress = awake because it's not a good idea to get sleepy when running from a lion.

Here are four of the most effective insomnia solutions for the three major stressors mentioned above that aren't being optimized by professionals worldwide.

1. Light <> Electromagnetic Stress

Your brain processes light from any source as if it were the sun. Light causes your body to release cortisol causing you to be up and alert. The first insomnia solution is to dim down the lights, avoid screens and unplug from devices anywhere between 30-90 minutes before bed. Ideal bedtime is 10:00-10:30pm to maximize physical repair, so aiming for a 9:00pm 'unplug' is a great strategy. By gradually making your home more and more dark it will signal to your brain that the sun is setting and it's time to prepare for sleep. Also ensure that your bedroom is as cave-like as possible because any light (even from a bedside clock) can stimulate your skin and eyes.

2. Blood Sugar <> Nutritional Stress

It's estimated that 60% of a professional's calories are consumed between 6:00pm and 6:00am! Most individuals eat their biggest meal of the day for dinner and that plate is usually made up of primarily carbohydrates (grains, starches, drinks, desserts, fruit and vegetables). This is a huge amount of high-energy food which spikes your blood sugar and then crashes it. Blood sugar spikes and crashes are both stressful to the body because sugar needs to be tightly managed by the brain for survival. We also know what happens when kids eat too much sugar before bed...so why would us big kids be any different? The second insomnia solution is to have a dinner consisting of protein, fat and above ground vegetables to prevent a blood sugar spike and crash.

3. Caffeine <> Nutritional/Chemical Stress

The average American drinks three 8 ounces cups of coffee per day, most likely because they are not getting enough sleep and staying up too late. Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulator and it activates the stress response characterized by a release of cortisol as well as blood sugar. It's important to know that caffeine has a six hour half-life in the body. That means half of the caffeine will still be in your circulation six hours after you finish your cup of coffee, tea, energy drink or soda! Drinking caffeine after noon is especially detrimental to your sleep because of this fact. The average drip cup of coffee will have 150-300 mg of caffeine, so you can easily do the math to find out how much caffeine is floating around in your system when you are trying to fall asleep. The third insomnia solution is to not only have caffeine well before noon, but minimize caffeine consumption by ordering an Americano, espresso shot, decaf coffee or a demi-size cup.

4. Relaxation <> Psychic Stress

It's estimated that we have 68,000 thoughts per day and the majority of them are negative in orientation. A racing, stressed out or negative mind is one of the biggest challenges to falling asleep. So is engaging in suspenseful Netflix marathons, intense sports playoff games, politics, news or work emails really going to help you drift off to sleep? Highly unlikely! Here are four techniques to calm down your mind and body before bed:

• Gratitude or Worry Journal - Studies show that jotting down what you are thankful for or the highlights/positives of your day before bed can improve your sleep rather than ruminating on what didn't go well. Alternatively writing down any and all worrisome thoughts, to-do items, and things you don't want to forget for the next day is effective at creating more peace of mind.
• Sleep Tea - Enhance your evening relaxation by adding a sleep tea to your routine like Yogi Bedtime made of organic herbs to support your best rest.
• Lavender Oil - Lavender can promote relaxation when applied to directly to muscles and can also calm the mind when used in a diffuser.
• Alternate Nostril Breathing - This yoga-based breathing exercise stimulates both hemispheres of the brain and tells the pineal glad to release melatonin. By breathing in and out through one nostril at a time you can effectively slow down stress and quiet mind chatter.

Lance Breger is the CEO and Executive Wellness Coach of Infinity Wellness Partners, a comprehensive corporate wellness company that prepares executives and organizations for the most productive and healthy work-life. Lance has led online/on-site training programs for thousands of professionals through his company’s four pillars of wellness: fitness, nutrition, mind/body and ergonomics.

Lance was named a Top 50 Health Promotion Professional in the nation by the Wellness Council of America, serves as a Master Instructor for the American Council on Exercise and is a recipient of the IDEA Health & Fitness Association Program Director of the Year award.