Night light I hate to break it to the manufacturers of Lunesta, Sonata, Unisom, and all the others, but there's not a single case of insomnia that's due to a deficiency of one of these synthetic sleep aids. The truth is, most cases of insomnia are the result of bad habits -- too much caffeine, too much external stimulation (i.e. radio, TV, Internet) before bedtime, etc. But even the cases that are based on an imbalance in your body can be solved without drugs. In fact, one new study that set out to help astronauts get over their jet lag after traveling to Mars came away with a simple solution that may also help insomniacs here on Earth. It seems a bit counterintuitive, but increased exposure to light may just do the trick. The study's authors knew from previous research that not everyone has the same internal circadian rhythm: Some people are genetically predisposed to follow a 23.5 hour schedule, while others have a 24.5 internal schedule, and everything in between. That hour may not seem like a big deal, but it revealed a much bigger underlying difference between insomniacs and people who don't have trouble falling asleep that could help eliminate the agony of tossing and turning all night. The researchers discovered that melatonin was released in people with shortened internal circadian rhythms four to five hours before they usually go to bed, making for an easy transition to sleep when the time comes. Those people with the longer internal clock, on the other hand, only released melatonin about an hour before their usual bedtime, which makes it much harder to fall asleep promptly. However, when the longer-circadian-rhythm subjects were exposed to bright light for 45 minutes two times per day, their bodies adjusted to their longer internal clock, and allowed them to get the rest they needed without such a struggle. Of course, if you're battling insomnia, your best bet is still to look first at your sleep hygiene and make any improvements necessary. If those steps don't offer the relief you need, there's certainly no harm in trying this light-exposure technique. But if it's a bust as well, don't give up. Dr. Wright and regular Nutrition & Healing columnist Kerry Bone have written several great articles over the years on natural ways to get the rest you need. For a complete list of articles on this topic, subscribers can visit www.wrightnewsletter.com, log on with the username and password listed on page 8 of your most recent issue, and enter the term "insomnia" into the search function. |
