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PrintSleepless Nights Can Be Averted
Safe and effective natural treatments, according to Dr. Leslie Cisar, are available
Leslie Cisar, NMD
For many people, few things are more frustrating than not being able to sleep. Fortunately, the condition is often is temporary, caused by a stressful situation at work, acute pain or illness, such as cold or flu.
However, chronic insomnia technically occurs when a person has difficulty sleeping for at least three nights a week for one month or more. Difficulty sleeping is characterized by problems falling asleep, frequent waking, not easily falling back to sleep and waking too early. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 50 to 70 million Americans suffer from chronic sleep problems like insomnia.
Research published in the journal Sleep estimates that the average worker loses 11.3 days of productivity a year due to insomnia. This does not include the lost productivity of people not in the workforce or the fatigue that prevents people from being fully engaged in their own interests, enjoyments, friends and family. Insomnia can increase the risk for depression, anxiety, memory loss, diabetes and even early death.
Insomnia has a variety of causes, including anxiety, depression, hormone imbalances and food sensitivities, among others. It is important that sufferers receive a full medical workup and that treatment addresses both the physical and mental/emotional health aspects.
Insomnia is most commonly treated with prescription medication. While these medications temporarily relieve the symptoms of insomnia, for many patients the effects wear off and the insomnia returns and others suffer from intolerable side effects. With prescription drugs, the underlying cause of the insomnia is not corrected and overall good health is not achieved.
Fortunately there are safe and effective natural treatments for insomnia that improve overall physical, mental and emotional health. For occasional insomnia not associated with other health problems, herbal formulas are very effective at either helping you fall asleep or stay asleep. They can be used for occasional insomnia due to stress; for example, having trouble falling asleep the night before a big presentation at work or traveling across time zones in an airplane. A little herbal support during these infrequent episodes can make the difference between dragging and breezing through life’s inevitable stressors.
For chronic insomnia, however, it is important to work with a knowledgeable healthcare provider that will dig deeper to uncover the cause. Frequently, chronic insomnia patients have hormone imbalances, due to thyroid disease or adrenal fatigue. Many women have insomnia associated with menses, menopause or childbirth. Pre-diabetics or diabetics may exhibit insomnia caused by fluctuations in blood sugar.
Anxiety, depression and other mental/emotional issues typically have insomnia as a symptom. In these cases, a thorough medical workup to identify root causes and a holistic, customized approach of homeopathy, botanical medicine, natural hormone therapy (if needed), and therapeutic lifestyle change can be very effective in addressing insomnia and improving your overall health, allowing you the satisfaction of achieving your full potential in all areas of your life, naturally.
Dr. Leslie Cisar is a naturopathic physician who specializes in the natural treatment of insomnia, depression, anxiety and other mental and emotional health concerns. Her private practice, Mind+Body Homeopathy, is located in Chandler. For more information, visit MindBodyHomeopathy.com.
