Day 16 .:: Reversing Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM): Sleep tight, sleep right ::.

Effortless sleep is a widespread challenge. Lack of sleep and disturbed sleep are categorized by our brain as “threat to survival” and "stress." Constant stress, as discussed in an earlier article, can present as T2DM.

Since recent studies have shown that sedative pills effectively increase sleep by only 11 minutes, therefore we need to learn strategies for healthy sleep if we want effective change. In this article we will discuss methods to sleep comfortably. We need an average of 7-8 hours of sleep, unless you are regular with your deep trance meditation.

Some simple steps to help you sleep are:

Avoid coffee and caffeinated teas after lunch.

 
Morning exercise before 9 a.m.

 
Warm temperature during the day and cooler nights, help in deep sleep.

 
Regular meditation helps people to sleep.

 
Keeping legs in warm water just before sleep helps body to sleep. Even warm showers or immersion helps.

Wearing socks and gloves helps deeper sleep.

 
Alcohol is known to interfere with the REM phase of sleep. Excessive consumption of alcohol during evening impacts numerous neurochemicals and can be addictive. (Contact us for gettingrid of this habit.)

Excessive meals before sleep can hamper sleep with GERD or reflux of food. Try to eat 2-3 hours before sleeping.

Blue lightning or white lights negatively affect sleep. Evolutionarily, humans were exposed to yellow and red light during sleep. This is because paleolithic people, and at least for a million years, humans protected themselves with fire. Blue light however indicates the other end of spectrum, this is perceived by brain as signal to wake up. Long hours of screen time, working on laptops, or watching TV is known to impact NREM stage of sleep. I personally recommend blue light filters which we can use as app or even as glasses.

 

 

Keep a regular time for sleep and waking up. Eventually cyclical circadian body rhythm takes over.

Early morning drop in blood glucose level is very well known in diabetic patients. This is because of the release of cortisol; but the mitochondria count in cells is low, so the body cannot utilize fat. This drastic drop in morning blood glucose levels can be fixed with Intermittent Fasting.

Men with an increased size of prostate gland are known to wake up for urination. This can be
avoided by an alpha-blocker, which you can ask your doctor about. DASH Diet, predominantly raw foods, have healed people of increased prostate size and high PSA.

If you have signs of waking up tired after trying everything above, feel free to get in touch with
us.

Wearing tight clothes help some people sleep better, hence the phrase "sleep tight."

Lifestyle alterations have made people work around the clock. It is hard to generalize regarding sleep with shift workers. Try to stick to one schedule rather than altering schedules once or twice a month. It is alright to work at night, but don't keep alternating it often. Body will pick a rhythm and balance itself. Try talking to your boss to give you night shift only, rather then changing often.

Lack of magnesium is known to affect sleep be causing insomnia. The best form of magnesium supplement is Magnesium Citrate. If you can't find it, Epsom Salt also is helpful.

Melatonin is another supplement which is used for sleeping better. It is known to be produced during sleep. The production of melatonin is increased when we expose ourselves to sunlight. Melatonin is also known to be inhibited if the room has light source; hence it is better to sleep in a dark room.

One last aspect of sleep is having too many thoughts, fears, and domestic disputes. This needs to be addressed separately, which we will do.

Dr.A