Insomnia

A ruffled mind makes a restless pillow.

~ Charlotte Brontë ~

My wife is one of those lucky people who falls asleep before her head hits the pillow. I am not so lucky. When I lie down my mind begins to race at Quantum speeds processing a million random thoughts. My parents tell the story of waking up in the middle of the night finding the three year old me playing my Mr Roger’s records while singing “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood.” 40+ years later. It still happens…well without the Mr. Roger’s records.

Sometimes insomnia comes in handy for an Obgyn since babies do not seem to follow the Monday through Friday 9 to 5 schedule. I hear from patients every day that they also suffer from insomnia. Over the years I have found a few things that help. I wanted to find tools that avoid addictive medication. Here is my TOP Seven List of all natural ways to treat insomnia.

1. Cut Screen Time
  Electronics stimulate the mind. Turn the phone off. Instagram and Facebook will still be there tomorrow.
2. Mindfulness
  I was a skeptic about meditation and now my nine year old daughter Lucia and I do a brief mindfulness exercise together every night. We use an app called Headspace. Insight Timer is great too.Meditation has many health benefits and helps calm the mind. Leave your skepticism at the door and give it a try. Commit to doing it daily for two weeks before you give up. That was my plan, and I am still doing it daily a year and half later. This is an awesome way to help get the kids to sleep after reading a bedtime story. You spend time with your children, you both get health benefits and you both develop habits that can last a lifetime.

1. Bulletproof Sleep Induction Mat
  This is my favorite product. It looks like a bed of nails. Ok it is a bed of nails. The mat stimulates acupressure points in the back to trigger relaxation, release endorphins and increase blood circulation. It feels great and “hurts” just enough to stop the mind from racing.

1. Bulletproof Sleep Mode Supplement
  Most over the counter supplements contain too high a dose of Melatonin. Over time they can deplete your body’s ability to produce its own. This is a combination product of bio identical Melatonin, L-Ornithine and Brain Octane oil designed to put the brain into sleep mode. I recommend taking this with an over the counter Magnesium supplement.

1. Daily Exercise
  Get your steps in. We all make a million excuses why we can not exercise. The truth is we all need to commit to this key health habit. Start with something simple like walking around the block. Do it everyday. Set an easily achievable goal that you can stick with over a long period of time. As exercise gets easier you can increase your goal. The key step is to set the bar low enough that your excuses to NOT exercise just seem silly. I remember telling myself one time “I can’t exercise today because I would have to change my shoes.” #badexcuse

1. Dodow
  Dodow is a LED light metronome that helps you relax. A glowing, pulsating blue light is projected on the ceiling. You coordinate your breathing to the dynamic light changes. I find it extremely calming and peaceful.

1. Read a book
  Fill your time before sleeping with a book. Reading books expands your mind and opens you up to new ways of thinking. Reading even a few minutes a day can help calm your mind and prepare it for sleep. If you read for just 10 minutes a day you can complete on average 10 books a year. Reading can be life changing. Here are a few of most recent favorites:

Get inspired with The Seed by Jon Gordon