Top Santa Clarita chiropractor and nutrition advisor offers natural alternatives to ineffective and potentially dangerous drugs for sleep problems including insomnia. 

By Dr. Thomas Polucki 

Are you sleep deprived? You have plenty of company: A third of Americans are sleep deprived for one reason or another. If you are sleeping fewer than seven hours a night, even if you think you’re able to function normally the next day, you need to read this. 

If you have recently had a sleep problem and taken any kind of artificial sleep aid, you should also know there are natural sleep aid alternatives that can help the body get to sleep naturally, rather than forcing the onset of sleep with chemicals. 

While many of us rely on the caffeine and sugar in tea, coffee or energy drinks to keep us awake and get us through the day, the natural energy that comes from a good night’s sleep and lasts all day is hard to synthesize.

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Caffeine not only interferes with normal, health-restoring sleep in the short term, but also pushes people toward long-term adrenal fatigue and eventually exhaustion. Caffeine is not a healthy solution for people who are sleep deprived. 

Most people could live longer without eating than without sleeping. 

And while Americans spend $5 billion a year on sleep medication, these $4-or-more-apiece sleeping pills offer only an additional 15-30 minutes of sleep per night. Some produce undesired side effects, like raiding the refrigerator or even driving while asleep. 

Just by getting enough sleep, you can reduce or eliminate the need for caffeine. With enough sleep and a proper diet, you should have more than enough naturally energy to get through the day naturally. 

Body’s Prime Repair Time: While Asleep 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.

People are designed to be active during the day, then rest and repair at night. However, most of us push our active time past our bedtime on a regular basis. The body’s prime repair time is while asleep between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. Sleeping outside this window of repair does not recharge the body’s adrenal function enough to repair from the day’s accumulated stress — or prepare you for the stresses to come the next day.

RELATED: Read more Dr. Polucki Family Health Hour news articles on KHTS’s website 

Sleep deprived people are more dangerous on the road, less effective at work and more easily stressed or overwhelmed in family and social settings.

And since sleep deprivation contributes to adrenal fatigue, risks of serious metabolic issues like cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes increase with every night you don’t sleep at least seven hours. In fact, you are 300 percent more likely to die from any disease when sleep deprived. 

Now, how would you like to lose weight while in bed? Studies show that people who get at least seven hours of sleep consume 300-600 fewer calories a day and have a more efficient metabolism. A good night’s sleep might be the easiest weight loss strategy yet. 

Melatonin: A Natural Sleep Aid for the Sleep Deprived

Melatonin is a hormone most people associate with sleep. As a supplement, high-quality melatonin is a mild sleep aid that is natural, non-toxic and non-habit forming. And there have been no reports of people driving in their sleep under the influence of melatonin.

An estimated 80 percent of melatonin associated with brain chemistry is actually found in the body’s digestive tract. So any study serious about restoring natural sleep must evaluate your digestive tract health, even if you have no adverse digestive symptoms.

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How to Naturally Reduce Aches and Pains that Can Cause Sleeplessness

Also contributing to sleeplessness for many of us are the little aches and pains that make us toss and turn as we try to get comfortable. 

During the day, we usually tune out mild aches and pains in our joints and muscles because of all the other physical activity going on in the body. But in bed at night, lying still, with less physical distraction, these little reminders of un-rehabilitated injuries can turn into major sleep disruptors. 

Pain-killers and sleeping pills are not the best solution to sleep deprivation. Find out how formerly sleep deprived patients are now sleeping easy naturally. 

If you have tried the “take another pill” approach to treating insomnia or sleeplessness and found it ineffective or unpleasant, you may be a good candidate for one of our drug-free, non-surgical, no-twisting-or-turning sleep programs to find and treat the root cause of your sleep disruption, rather than just treat the symptoms. 

Take the online survey at http://www.drpolucki.com/consultation/ and you may qualify for a free 15-minute phone consultation about natural sleep aid alternatives.

About Santa Clarita Chiropractor Dr. Thomas Polucki

Dr. Thomas Polucki is a Board Certified Doctor of Chiropractic, Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner, Certified Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner, Certified Metabolic Typing Advisor and Certified Upper Cervical Chiropractor. Dr. Polucki provides Functional Medicine services in most cities via remote labs and Internet consultations. He sees patients by appointment at 25050 Peachland Ave., Suite 105, Newhall, Calif., 91321. Visit drpolucki.com for more information or call 661-753-9340 to schedule an appointment. 

Dr. Polucki also hosts the “Dr. Polucki Family Health Hour” on AM 1220 KHTS radio in Santa Clarita Mondays from 11 a.m. to noon. Click here to listen to the podcasts. 

The information in this article is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease.

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