Sleep disorders

A while ago I had a friend contact me regarding what she thought was adult onset attention deficit disorder. She asked a bunch of people about drugs, and I promptly responded with alternatives. Of course.

Attention deficit disorder mirrors the effects of a number of other problems, most of them related to sleep. Several studies have made a connection between ADD and the inability of the brain to turn off the dreaming function when a person is awake.

Most of us go through periods of inattention or distractability. This coincides, in many cases, with an inability to sleep or a lighter sleep cycle, where we don't get all the REM sleep our brains need to stay in top shape. Our brains respond by trying to drop into REM sleep while we're awake. If we get enough sleep, everything works better.

While there are other possibilities, I tend to work with what I can affect. The simplest solution is getting enough sleep, but who has time for that? :) Meditation and exercise increase endorphins and wake up the brain. Many people who exercise enter a state similar to meditation without even thinking about it, a sort of resting state while fully awake.

I learned many years ago that if I could force my brain into a resting state I could make myself fall asleep.

When you're right on the edge of sleep your brain starts to run at random through images, sometimes sounds or snippets of conversation. Almost like a sorting process. One second you're looking at a field of sunflowers, the next you're listening to a snatch of Mozart. Then a child's face pops up, or a conversation overheard. In essence, your brain goes into an ADHD state where anything could be noted and called up. Everything becomes significant.

I found that if I could duplicate this form of random thought, never keeping my mind on anything for more than a second or two, I would drop into sleep without a problem. It does take practice (rather like my technique for getting rid of headaches) but if you're not sleeping well it's worth a try.

If you have random periods of inattention, or find yourself wondering who this person is you've been talking to for the last hour (You know you were introduced, but the name, the name!) it very easily could be a sleep problem.

Sometimes this happens during the day. The trick there is to force the brain to focus on one thing--it usually brings my attention back, and generally it is a clue that I didn't get enough sleep the night before. A fifteen minute power-nap may be helpful.

A tea made of equal parts of catnip, valerian and lemon balm usually helps me to calm down as well, but don't use the valerian if you're taking any kind of chemical anti-depressant or for more than a week at a time. If I need to relax but don't need to sleep, I skip the valerian or go for a smaller dose.



LR Note: YES, catnip is a human tranquilizer. Maybe it affects us differently because cats are alien...or maybe we are.


Additions to your calming pharmucopeia:
Most mints
chamomile
turkey (triptophan)
lavender

A few facts about herbs

1 Valerian is NOT related to Valium

2 There are interactions between pharmaceutical drugs and herbs

3 Herbs are no more safe in large doses than pharmaceuticals

4 "Herbal" refers to the above-ground portion of any plant

5 Many substances referred to as herbs are in reality roots

6 Plants are annuals (live one year), bi-annuals (live two years), or perrenials (live more than two years)

7 Many bi-annuals are in reality perrenials but they reach their highest potency in the second year

8 Dividing the root of many perennials will create new plants which are clones of the parent plant

9 Plants breathe in and out, just like we do

10 In the winter, all the nutrients from a perrenial are stored in the root. Therefore, the winter or early spring is the best time to harvest roots

11 By harvesting the root you actually kill the plant--no more next year

Chronic pain

Most types of pain--muscle spasms, headaches, backaches--are easily handled. Taking a muscle relaxant will take care of most muscle spasms (which includes the majority of backaches). These types of pain relief I'll address another time.

But some people live with chronic pain, to the point that they have difficulty sleeping and rely on either massive doses of pain killers or chemical sleep aids. Or both.

I try not to take anything chemical, or anything that is considered pharmaceutical. I have people in my family who have serious reactions to certain chemicals, and we have a family history of addiction, so I stay away from anything that might lead in that direction.

Pain is a difficult problem with herbal medicines. If it can't be resolved by a simple anti-spasmodic or anti-inflamatory, there just aren't many choices. Most of the choices for true pain relief are dangerous and addictive.

Sometimes the choice is between pain and sleep. Below is a simple sleep aid, but valerian is an addictive anti-depressant. It should not be taken regularly, or for more than a week at a time. It should also not be taken with other anti-depressants.

1 T valerian leaf
1 T catnip
1 T lemon balm

I choose not to use the valerian root. The leaf has the same effect, it's just not as strong and I still have the plant after. Catnip and lemon balm are both relaxation aids.