Midlife in dreamland: it’s not how it used to be

Can’t you fall asleep?

Or is it constantly interrupted?

Or do you wake up after 8 hours or more without feeling refreshed?

In my practice as a herbalist and acupuncturist I see these kinds of problems all the time. We all deserve a good night’s rest, but this fundamental respite can turn into torture for people over 50.

I work with people dealing with midlife changes that affect their bodies, minds, relationships, and even spirits. In middle age we find ourselves trying to live as we always have, but without getting the same results. For example, this is the complaint I hear so often from people who work hard and are very stressed:

“I used to sleep really well, but these days I can’t seem to. It’s infuriating. I’m exhausted, I don’t have energy, I can’t concentrate and I’m very irritable. I just need a good night’s rest!”

Sleeping habits have been observed in mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. And yet, homo sapiens is the only known animal that deliberately reduces, interrupts, or disturbs its normal cycle of rest. While a bear hibernates until its inner clock wakes it up, men and women will shorten its sleep based on external criteria: a business meeting or doctor’s appointment, family demands, a gripping novel that paralyzes, or a movie too exciting to turn off.

It is a common misconception that sleeping less is a sign of a more productive person or that, as we get older, we need less.

I have to admit that in the past I have bought into this way of thinking. Instead of trying to live 16 hours a day, I tried to accumulate even more life by reducing my rest, to get more things done; a pattern much like that of New York Times writer Jane Brody. Read his recent article “A good night’s sleep is not a luxury, it is a necessity.”

I have fallen asleep in movies, performances, and even social gatherings. From time to time this has been embarrassing. Although my friends, classmates and family who have had to elbow me to wake me up find it funny and occasionally annoying.

I have been lucky. At least while I was fooling myself with the rest, I did not fall asleep while driving, although sadly many do.

While the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration makes it difficult to attribute crashes to drowsiness, the agency estimates that up to 100,000 crashes are due to driver fatigue each year. NHTSA further projects that these crashes cause approximately 1,550 deaths, 71,000 people injured and $ 12.5 billion in economic losses. And these are just guesswork. Who knows the big picture?

Reducing sleep is also a danger for those who work in dangerous conditions or with machinery. Or innocent people who are in the wrong place at the wrong time.

These days I can see how valuable my “zzzz” are and I want to be sure that I get as much as I need; It turns out that in middle age we tend to need deeper nourishing sleep than less, so let’s learn how to do it.

So how much do you really need?

Here’s how to determine how much rest your body needs:

Go to bed at the same time each night and see when you wake up naturally without an alarm.

Or, if you’ve had prolonged insomnia, the next time you have two consecutive days off, perhaps a weekend or a vacation, get as much sleep as you can for the first few days. Once you’ve caught up, record how often you wake up without the alarm, plus or minus fifteen minutes. If you have to get up early to work the next day, you may need to go to bed earlier so you can see when you wake up naturally.

The Midlife Goodnight Rest Formula:

We all need a good night’s sleep. In fact, getting eight hours of sleep every night is one of my basic recommendations for good health. If you find that your spirit needs to calm down or that you have trouble going to or staying asleep at night, try some or all of the following strategies:

1. Nourish to promote health and sleep: what and when you eat is important.

– Eat every 2 to 3 hours throughout the day.

– Breakfast is a must. Ideally it includes protein and vegetables.

– A protein snack will pick you up in the late afternoon, say around 4pm

– A light dinner that starts with soup warms up your digestive process and may include steamed vegetables and some protein. You may want to add foods high in l-tryptophan to your dinner, such as brown rice, cottage cheese, turkey, peanuts, or soy protein, as tryptophan promotes sleep.

2. Reduce the impact of daily stressors through exercise and relaxation: Minimizing the effects of stress on your body, mind and spirit is more important than ever during middle age.

– Under stress, our brain, pituitary and adrenal glands release stress hormones, especially cortisol. Continuous exacerbation of cortisol levels can cause emotional / mental difficulties such as depression and psychosis.

– Regular exercise, meditation, and behavior modifications are among the beneficial remedies. Exercise releases endorphins that: block pain, decrease appetite, and create a feeling of euphoria that reduces tension and anxiety.

– Yoga, tai chi and chi gong are the perfect types of exercise to release stress. His stretching and slow breathing techniques loosen the muscles that we have contracted through our work, anxiety and tension.

– Acupuncture to release stress: This ancient healing modality can increase the level of endorphins and stimulate deeper breathing.

3. Create an Irresistible Sleep-Inducing Bedroom Environment – Your bedroom should provide a harmonious, peaceful, and even sensual environment, conducive to deep rest and pleasure, both welcoming and relaxing.

– Muted and relaxing colors are recommended for your decoration.

– If your mattress needs to be replaced, now might be a good time

– Use your room only to sleep or have sex

– Remove all electronic devices and exercise equipment from your room.

– Lighting should be dim, so consider a dimmer switch or candles (toxin-free)

– A free flow of fresh air is essential: open the windows

– If noises in your home or outside regularly disturb your sleep, consider white noise. A monotonous stream of harmless and repetitive sounds can put your mind at ease

4. Develop a bedtime routine that promotes deeper sleep – what you do during the day and before bed makes a difference.

– Take advantage of the hour before going to bed to do things that nourish your soul and allow you to relax.

– Excuse your daily worries so you can consciously relax

– Remember that this is your well-deserved time for pleasure and relaxation.

5. Take Herbs and Supplements to Help You Rest: To supplement everything else you are doing, you may want to use non-pharmaceuticals to help you fall asleep and stay awake or wake up feeling more refreshed.

Listed below are some herbal remedies that are used in various traditions, as well as vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and other natural ingredients that may be beneficial. However, I must warn you that if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, you should consult a healthcare provider before taking any herbs or supplements.

Sleep problems:

The blue cap calms the nerves and treats the symptoms of emotional excess. It is used for insomnia caused by worry, nervous irritability, restlessness and anxiety.

California poppy is a mild sedative that promotes relaxation and counteracts nervous tension, anxiety, and insomnia.

Chamomile treats nervousness, headaches, anxiety, cramps, and spasms. It is also good for feverish illnesses (colds and flu) and minor digestive problems. Chamomile tea tastes good and is calming. Note: If you are allergic to ragweed or the Asteraceae (daisy) family, such as blessed thistle, calendula, echinacea, safflower, or yarrow, you should avoid chamomile.

Calm your spirit so you can fall asleep:

Biota Seed (bai zi ren) counteracts poor memory, relieves nervousness. It is good for calming palpitations with anxiety and night terrors.

Polygala (yuan zhi) treats insomnia, anxiety, palpitations, and restlessness. Promote positive feelings.

Polygonum multiflorum (ye jiao teng) relieves irritability, restless dreams, and insomnia.

Vitamins, minerals, amino acids and other natural substances that will help:

Calcium is a natural relaxant with a calming effect. Use calcium lactate (if you are not allergic to dairy) or calcium chelate. (1500-2000 mg daily in divided doses after meals and before bedtime)

Magnesium is also a natural relaxant that helps relax muscles. (1000 mg per day)

It is good to take calcium and magnesium together as they balance and complement each other. Ideally, take them in a ratio of 2 parts calcium to 1 part magnesium.

Zinc helps restore body tissues at rest. (15 mg daily).

We wish you a better night’s sleep and a crisis-free middle age!