According to the National Sleep Foundation, 6 out of 10 people report they have problems getting a restful night’s sleep. Given that sleep deficits have been linked with diabetes, heart disease and lowered thyroid function, this is alarming. Sleep issues have been a media favorite in the last couple of years, as multiple studies have linked lack of sleep to increased belly fat and weight and decreased leptin/increased ghrelin levels (hormone shifts associated with increased appetite). In fact, one study reported that if you got less than five hours of sleep, you would gain weight regardless of exercise and diet!

Most health practitioners link a lack of sleep with increased stress, but amazingly few realize that research shows that chronic stress from too-busy days hyper-excites the brain and is the actual trigger of chronic primary insomnia (insomnia not due to any other causes, such as sleep apnea).

In a landmark study reported in 2001 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, researchers concluded that insomnia was a disorder of hyper-arousal. Significantly higher levels of the stress hormones adrenocorticotropic hormone and cortisol were found in insomniacs compared to the lower levels found in people who sleep normally.

In a 2007 article in Sleep Medicine Reviews, researchers revisited the connection between primary insomnia, depression and hyper-arousal factors as seen by high levels of stress hormones. Once again, researchers are calling for more attention to the regulation of stress hormones as a better approach for insomnia.

Current drug therapy does not offer good options for managing cortisol and its effects on your brain. There are other, more effective approaches for dampening your stress response during the day so that your brain can slow down or cool off at night.

To retrain your brain and to allow the sleep switch to flip on at night, here are some safe natural therapeutics:

• Theanine helps stop the rolodex from spinning in your mind at night by reducing excess PEA (phenylethylamine) production during the day. PEA is a neurotransmitter that makes you focus, but it should be turned off before bedtime. Consider 100-200 mg up to three times a day to calm your hyper-excited mind.
• Seditol is an extract of phellodendron and Ziziphus. It helps to cool down the brain at night by helping to balance you calming neurotransmitters and stress hormones. Consider 365-720 mg one-half hour before bedtime.

[Ed. Note: Jim LaValle is an educator, clinician and industry consultant in the field of integrative healthcare. He is a licensed pharmacist, board certified clinical nutritionist and doctor of naturopathic medicine with more than 20 years clinical practice experience in the field of natural therapeutics and functional medicine. Named one of the "50 Most Influential Druggists" by American Druggist for his work in natural medicine, LaValle has authored 13 books, including his latest, Cracking the Metabolic Code. For more information, click here.]