Help Your Patients Manage their Insomnia
INSOMNIA
Todd G. Singleton
You most likely have patients who are among the millions of people who have trouble falling and/ or staying asleep. You can help your patients with this condition not only because of your chiropractic treatments but also nutritionally.
Insomnia is often caused by stress, anxiety, caffeine, or overstimulation before bed, but there is another very common cause that few people even think to consider—nutritional deficiency. Once you determine your patient’s insomnia is caused by nutritional deficiency, it is usually very easily corrected. This can mean your patient can sleep peacefully without the use of prescription drags that have many undesirable side effects.
Patients with insomnia are often desperate for help. Even minimal sleep loss takes a toll on mood, energy, efficiency, and the ability to handle stress. If you want your patients to feel their best, stay healthy, and perform up to their potential, sleep is a necessity, not a luxury.
Treatmg insomnia has become big business for big pharma, as patients run to the drag store for help. The costs can be staggering: • Lunesta: $2.16/pill or $64.80/month, which totals to $777.60 per year
• Halcion: $2.19/pill or $65.70/month, which totals to $788.40 per year
• Sonata: $2.82/pill or $84.60/month, which totals to $1,015.20 per year
• Ambien: $5,30/pill or $159.00/month, which totals to a staggering $1908.00 per year
Not only are prescriptions very costly, but the side effects alone can be very uncomfortable and cause future physical problems. Some of the side effects include diarrhea, dizziness, drowsiness (including daytime drowsiness), headache, nausea, rashes, hives, abnormal thinking, behavior changes, difficulty swallowing or breathing, fainting, fast or irregular heartbeat, hallucinations, memory problems, mental or mood changes, and the list goes on.
SUPPLEMENTATION
Rather than turning to prescriptions, you can give your patients the relief they need with simple nutritional supplements that help the body to readjust its biological clock and get the body functioning properly. Certain deficiencies in the body that have been linked to insomnia can be balanced with the following supplementation:
Calcium: Low levels of calcium in the body are known to be a factor in frequent awakenings during the night. This mineral has a natural calming effect on the nervous system. It works by helping your body convert tryptophan (an essential amino acid found in foods such as turkey and eggs) into serotonin, which helps control sleep. Serotonin, in turn, is converted into melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate the sleep cycle.
Magnesium: Many people suffer from leg cramps or restless legs while trying to rest, which factors into difficulties sleeping. This is often due to a magnesium deficiency in the
body. Magnesium assists the body’s cells to absorb and use calcium properly. When paired together naturally, these minerals help relax muscles, relieve painful cramps or spasms, and bring on restful sleep.
Vitamin B12: A deficiency in B12 may be a factor if the patient has trouble falling or staying asleep. B12 supports the production of serotonin, which affects brain function and sleep. It does this by helping metabolize calcium and magnesium, and working with them to convert tryptophan into the serotonin.
Vitamin D: Most Americans have low levels of vitamin D in their system, yet this vitamin is essential in supporting the body’s usage of calcium and magnesium. It also helps in modulating the body’s biological 24-hour clock as it relates to the sleep/walce cycle.
Other herbal extracts and naturally occurring substances that can help with stress relief and calming are catnip herb, chamomile flower, hops flower, lavender flower, myrrh gum, passion flower, spearmint leaf, valerian root, rhodiola rosea root, L-taurine, SerinAid 50P, L-glycine, silicon dioxide, and magnesium stearate. Additional naturally occurring substances that can help calm the mind and encourage deep, restorative sleep are melatonin, 5-hydroxytryptophan, and gamma-aminobutyric acid.
EATING GUIDELINES
Insomnia can be made worse when patients are eating foods that cause inflammation and put undue stress on the body. To help your patients get the sleep they need, you can direct them to an anti-inflammatory diet that will work together with supplementation to help alleviate insomnia. The following guidelines should be simple for your patients to follow:
Recommended:
Organic dark leafy greens and brightly
colored vegetables
Organic fruits
Organic eggs and poultry
Wild-caught fish
Unrefined, cold-pressed olive oil and coconut oil Organic butter
Acceptable:
Whole grains and legumes (rice, quinoa, lentils, beans, etc.)
Non-organic fruits and vegetables Non-organic poultry and eggs Farm-raised fish Organic, grass-fed red meat
Refined olive oil and coconut oil
Unrefined natural sweeteners (honey, pure maple syrup, agave, etc.)
Off Limits:
Dairy products
Refined vegetable oils
Refined grains, flours, and sugars
Processed foods, fast foods, and junk foods
Alcoholic or caffeinated beverages
Artificial sweeteners
Large amounts of red meat
Patients who can’t sleep will do just about anything to get the sleep they need and are open to your help. The proper nutritional and supplementation guidelines, along with your chiropractic adjustments will be the best defense against insomnia you can give your patients.
■ Dr Todd Singleton, DC, is an author, speaker, and con^B sultant who has been a practicing doctor for more than IV^ETSB 25years. He ran the largestMD DC PTclinics in Utah before switching to an all-cash nutrition model in 2006. He created a very successful cash practice in Salt Lake City and now spends his time consulting and visiting other offices all over the United States. For more information on implementing nutritional programs using effective supplementation in your clinic, visit 'www.SingletonSystems.com.
