Insomnia can be defined as inadequate or poor quality sleep due to: difficulty falling asleep, waking up too early, waking up during the night with difficulty returning to sleep or even restless sleeping. Getting quality sleep every night is the best thing you can do for your body. Sleep is needed for physical and mental health. Our body relaxes and repairs itself during sleep, restoring energy to the systems in our body, especially the immune system. People who have weakened immune systems generally are compromised because they are not getting adequate nightly sleep.
There can be many reasons for insomnia. One cause is an imbalance of neurotransmitters (chemicals in our brain that are involved in nerve signaling). One neurotransmitter that is important for the sleep-wake cycle is serotonin. Serotonin can be synthesized from the amino acid tryptophan. Tryptophan is transformed into 5-HTP (hydroxytryptophan), which is the immediate precursor to serotonin. Another cause for insomnia can be over consumption of caffeine containing beverages, especially late in the day. There are also health disorders that can cause insomnia: hormonal shifts in women, adrenal fatigue, stress and chronic worrying, digestive problems and nervous system problems. Another possible cause for insomnia can be lack of melatonin, this is a hormone secreted by the pineal gland to regulate the sleep-wake cycle, less melatonin is produced, as we get older.
Some suggested holistic health supplements to aid with insomnia include:
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