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Why it’s important to know about Inflammageing

October 24, 2023 By Sue

🔥 Put Out The Fires To Defy Ageing & Aching

Are you investing in the best version of yourself for your next decade? This is a question I’m asking myself right now, before I turn 60.

It’s a decision we can all make about prioritising what is necessary for our version of self-care and embracing those steps needed to make those positive changes.

Making headlines in publications such as Newsweek and Time magazines, the term ‘silent or secret’ killer has highlighted the huge role that inflammation plays in almost all diseases.

What is inflammation?

It’s your body’s first defence against infection, and it’s a natural part of the body’s healing process but when it goes wrong, it can upset the delicate balance whether it's your nervous , digestive, respiratory or heart systems and your hormones.

 It’s the difference between a campfire that’s meant to provide warmth on a chilly night and a forest fire that’s out of control, ravaging everything its path.  

Low-grade inflammation is rapidly becoming recognised as the root cause of cognitive decline, as well as other serious health problems. When inflammation is out of control, you age faster.

Managing the fires of inflammation is one of the single most effective things you can do to slow down the biological clock and feel stronger as you age.

According to Jeffrey Bland, Ph.D., women's immune systems display heightened responsiveness to fluctuations in hormones such as oestrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. These hormonal changes significantly influence immune activation and inflammation.

Bland further explains that this heightened reactivity in a woman's immune system makes her potentially more susceptible to environmental factors that can trigger immune responses and subsequent inflammation. These factors may include toxins, chemicals, chronic infections, and injuries.

Acute inflammation fades quickly while chronic inflammation can persist for weeks, months, or even years.

Chronic inflammation is like having a silent, raging, forest fire inside your body with nothing to extinguish it.

7 ways inflammation can damage your body:

Memory loss and cognitive decline
Increased cardiovascular risk
Joint pain and loss of mobility
Allergies and breathing discomfort
Accelerated skin ageing and wrinkles
Compromised digestive function
Weight gain and loss of muscle tone

Remember, even the smallest steps can lead to significant improvements in your overall well-being. So, let's embark on a transformative path together, and empower you so you can thrive!

Unravelling Chronic Inflammation: The Signs, Symptoms & Solutions

Importantly, the presence of excess inflammation in the body isn't limited to those with diagnosed chronic conditions.

Subtle symptoms can serve as indicators of underlying inflammation, even when individuals may not recognise it.

→ These are all common signs of inflammation! ←

Irregular menstrual periods
Challenging menopausal transitions
Frequent headaches
Feelings of depression, mood swings, anxiety
Joint pain
Sleep disturbances
Skin rashes
Irritable bowel syndrome
Age-related muscle loss, clinically known as sarcopenia
Feeling tired all the time
Recurrent infections
Inflammation is the root causes of many disorders - PCOS, Hashimoto’s, diabetes, obesity, IBD, skin and other autoimmune conditions.

With acute inflammation (temporary due to injuries), body can repair itself quickly but when it gets chronic, that's when diseases occur.

Medications can only alleviate symptoms BUT they are NOT a cure.

This One Thing That Might Be the FUEL the Fire of Your Inflammation!

Stress!! it has a profound impact on our immune system and inflammatory response. Whether it's acute or chronic, stress, triggers physiological changes that can contribute to increased inflammation in the body.

How Stress Fuels Inflammation:

Inflammation: Stress triggers the release of the stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, which, when persistent, can lead to chronic inflammation, making us more susceptible to infections and diseases.

Gut-Brain Axis Disruption: Stress can disrupt the gut-brain axis, impacting our gut microbiota and leading to "leaky gut," triggering immune responses and fueling inflammation.

Oxidative Stress: Chronic stress contributes to oxidative stress, this is an imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants that damages cells and tissues, promoting inflammation and chronic diseases.

Unhealthy Lifestyle Choices: Stress can lead to unhealthy habits like overeating, consuming junk foods, smoking, and excessive alcohol intake, which further exacerbates inflammation and jeopardises our health.

The Silver Lining: Taking Charge of Stress and Inflammation!

So what can you do?

Nourish Your Body with an Anti-Inflammatory Diet: A diet rich in whole foods, antioxidants, and omega-3 fatty acids helps combat inflammation and supports a healthy immune system.

Avoid these common inflammatory foods: Sugar, Gluten, Soy & Corn, Trans-fats,Dairy, Nightshades. This is very individual to each person.

What you eat can either fuel the fire or cool it down.

Engage in Regular Physical Activity: Exercise helps release endorphins, reducing stress and inflammation while promoting overall well-being.

Suffering with any of the signs of inflammation?

Where are you at there moment?

➝ Option 1: Continue to do nothing.

It's tempting to ignore the signs and hope they'll disappear on their own. But here's the truth: if you leave inflammation untreated it can impact your overall well-being and quality of life and it’s likely it’ll get worse.

➝ Option 2: Treat yourself.

Taking matters into your own hands is a brave and empowering step. You always have the option to educate yourself about inflammation and make positive lifestyle changes. With a DIY approach the symptoms get addressed but NOT the root cause, meaning the underlying issue is still there.

Like taking antacids for heartburn but not addressing the underlying reason you have this.

Or painkillers every time you get a headache and not understanding what’s causing your headache.

➝ Option 3: Get help.

Sometimes, seeking professional guidance to tackle inflammation – look at the root cause, so you can get personalised treatment options.

Get the help you need to navigate through the complexities of your condition and develop a targeted plan for your well-being.

Take the First Step Towards Healing!

Book a Discovery Call: If you resonate with any of these signs, let's embark on a journey together. Our discovery call is an opportunity to explore your unique health concerns and create a personalised plan to tackle inflammation head-on!

Send me an email at sue@suehardman.com so we can set a time for discovery call to see whether I can help you.

Naturopathic Women's Health Coach

Help with the discomfort of vaginal issues – thrush, vaginosis and lichen sclerosis

July 12, 2023 By Sue

You may have symptoms of discomfort, irritation, discharge, pain and itchiness. It may be that you're you struggling with - thrush, vaginosis, or lichen sclerosis.

For any inflamed and uncomfortable issue, it's important to start with an autoimmune healing protocol to address underlying triggers, while also give symptom relief.

A Naturopathic approach to dealing with discomfort in these sensitive areas would be an autoimmune lifestyle approach, with external and internal support - using diet, nutritional supplements, herbal medicine, salves, homeopathy, and flower remedies.

A healthy vaginal microbiome has been linked to a lower risk of contracting STI's and pelvic inflammatory disease, a lower risk of developing certain gynae cancers, and even a lower risk of experiencing miscarriage and pre-term birth.

Some of the following symptoms can occur alongside vaginal infections:-

- bloating and gut distress
- skin rashes
- frequent vaginal yeast infections
- thrush or a white coating on the tongue
- chronic fatigue
- brain fog
- joint pain

The “4 R’s” the Autoimmune Treatment Protocol:

Remove: Eliminate allergens both topical and internal i.e. foods (such as gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, peanuts, etc.)
Also alcohol, caffeine and NSAIDS should be avoided.
Plus the “removal” of pathogens such as: (an overgrowth of) yeast, parasites, harmful bacteria, viruses, protozoa, etc. would be part of the “remove” step.
Repair: Add in herbs or supplements to repair the intestinal barrier and to soothe discomfort.
Replace: Add nutritional supplements for rebalance deficiencies and to speed up healing.
Reinoculate: Probiotics that contain friendly bacteria such as lactobacillus and bifidobacter are taken to reinoculate the microbiome and bacterial colonies. Therre are specific probiotics to rebalance the vaginal tissue or microbiome.

In my experience each individual does not necessarily need to go through all of these steps in order to feel better.

However, implementing at least one (usually 2-3) can be the difference between success and failure. Changing the diet alone is usually not sufficient enough to feel and function better, especially if the condition is chronic.

Benefits of Naturopathic Treatment of Vaginal Issues

Naturopathic treatment addresses the underlying cause of the vaginal imbalance & issues
Better overall health plus gut and hormone balance
A stronger immune system

If you have these issues that are uncomfortable, itchy or burning. Please get in touch send me an email - sue@suehardman.com that you don't need to feel this way.

Is The Blood Sugar Rollercoaster Impacting Your Energy Levels?

July 12, 2023 By Sue

Isn't it remarkable that every choice we make, every habit we cultivate, contributes to the grand masterpiece that is our health? True, some days are tougher than others, but remember, health is a symphony, not a solo.

Each part plays a role in creating harmony. With that said, let's uncover one piece of this symphony today—your blood sugar levels.

Understanding and addressing how this influence on your energy can help you compose a beautiful score for your health journey.

Blood Sugar Spikes and Energy Levels - The Hidden Connection

Have you ever been hit by a sudden wave of exhaustion, despite a full night's rest? It's possible that your blood sugar levels are playing a significant role in this energy depletion.Let's dive into how fluctuations in blood sugar can impact your vitality and leave you feeling fatigued.

The Energy Rollercoaster

Sudden spikes in blood sugar followed by rapid drops can lead to hypoglycemia - a state of low blood sugar.

This sudden plunge can leave you feeling weak, fatigued, and even dizzy.

It's as if your energy levels are on a rollercoaster ride and the end station is exhaustion.

The Toll of Inflammation and Oxidative Stress

When blood sugar isn't well-regulated, it can lead to chronic inflammation and increased oxidative stress within your body. These conditions disrupt cellular functions and interfere with the pathways that produce energy, often resulting in feelings of lethargy and fatigue.

Sleep Quality and Blood Sugar

High blood sugar levels can compromise your sleep qualit

High blood sugar levels can compromise your sleep quality by interfering with the body's natural sleep-wake cycle. This disturbance can cause frequent awakenings during the night and leave you feeling drained the next day.

Nutrient Absorption and Energy Production

Imbalances in blood sugar can hinder your body's ability to absorb and utilise essential nutrients like B vitamins and magnesium, both crucial for energy production.

Without these nutrients, your body struggles to generate and use energy effectively, which can result in fatigue.

Hormonal Imbalances and Energy Levels

Disruptions in your blood sugar regulation, especially with conditions like insulin resistance, can offset the delicate balance of hormones in your body. This imbalance can affect cortisol, the stress-regulating hormone, and your sex hormones, both of which play crucial roles in energy regulation.

By maintaining balanced blood sugar levels, you're taking a significant step towards banishing fatigue and embracing a more vibrant, energetic life.

If you need support in managing your blood sugar levels and overcoming fatigue, book a free discovery call – send me an email tosue@suehardman.com We're here to help you on your journey to health and vitality.

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Boost Energy Production: B Vitamins are essential for converting dietary nutrients into ATP, the energy currency of the cells.

Support Nervous System Health: These vitamins support the health of your nervous system, which directly influences energy levels.

Promote Heart Health: By reducing homocysteine levels, a risk factor for heart disease, B Vitamins contribute to overall cardiovascular health and endurance.

Enhance Mood and Cognitive Function: Adequate B Vitamins intake is associated with improved mood and cognitive function, influencing your overall energy levels and well-being.

If you'd like to order my favourite supplemental form of B vitamins, please get in touch.

How to balance the good vs the bad oestrogens

May 29, 2023 By Sue

As women, we often find ourselves in positions where we care for others; it's just the nature of who we are. We have roles that vary from being a businesswoman, an employee, keeper of the house, a wife, mother (pet mom), daughter, partner, or boss.

BUT the one role you can't ignore is caring for yourself and the delicate dance that is your female hormones.

In today's blog, we look at the role of oestrogen. This essential hormone varies as you age and throughout your monthly cycle.

What most women don't know is that we need to keep the 'right oestrogen' optimised and manage the reduction of the 'wrong oestrogens'.

Whether you do or don't suffer from hormonal health issues, this is essential information for keeping your oestrogen in the right balance and beneficial for all the women that you know and love.

In the blog below we look at a few things you can do daily that will help your body find its balance naturally. These tools may be all you need to get your body on an even keel again.

Getting the Oestrogen Balance Right

Oestrogen, it’s what makes you feel more like a woman and when a woman's hormones are in balance, she feels fabulous, her skin glows, she has energy and vitality.

Oestrogen helps makes you feel sexy and flirtatious, helps your libido and it’s one of the most powerful hormones and performs about 400 functions in your body.

There are at least two dozen known oestrogens all with various functions and they are produced in the ovaries and the adrenal glands.

The most commonly discussed oestrogens are oestrone, oestradiol, and oestriol and the main function of these oestrogens, as a group, is to tell cells to grow and proliferate.

The Good Oestrogens

Stimulate endometrial cells in preparation for pregnancy, prompt breast tissue growth, maintain function of the sexual organs, stimulate the menstrual cycle, and initiate the bodily changes that occur at puberty.

The benefits of oestrogen you may not have considered:

keeps the heart healthy, maintains stable blood pressure, reducing the risk of heart disease
improves blood flow to the brain, helping with memory and fine motor skills.
plays a critical role in maintaining bone density, reducing the risk of osteoporosis.
helps to increase muscle mass and strength, which can aid in weight management and overall health.
helps to keep serotonin levels stable, which can improve mood and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression.
supports the effectiveness of endorphins, the body's natural painkillers and mood enhancers.
protects the vaginal walls from thinning and atrophy, keeping the tissues well lubricated and reducing the risk of painful intercourse or vaginal infections.

The ‘Bad’ Oestrogens

There are detrimental oestrogens known as xeno-oestrogens or ‘outsider’ oestrogens these are foreign substances with oestrogen like effects on the body.

Most xeno-oestrogens are derived from petrochemicals and include pesticides, industrial chemicals, cleaners, plastics (water bottles, food containers), nail polish, and car exhaust.

Previously, these small amounts of oestrogenic activity were dismissed, but recent findings indicate all those little exposures add up.

How The ‘Bad’ Oestrogen Affects You

Unfortunately, due to the world we live in, we’re exposed to a lot of the ‘wrong’ type oestrogen which can very easily lead to imbalances like PMS, loss of sex drive, sweet cravings, heavy periods, weight gain, breast swelling, water retention, fatigue, depression and cells multiplying unnecessarily, leading to dangerous situations, such as cancer in some cases.

How can you support your body to increase the balance of good oestrogen versus the bad?

There are a few simple things you can do daily that will help your body find it's balance naturally, these tools may be all you need to get your body on an even keel again.

While it is clearly important to minimise our exposure to these external xeno-oestrogens, the good news is that there are other ways of helping nudge oestrogen levels back into balance through phyto-oestrogens found in food and herbs.

Phytoestrogens exert mild oestrogenic effects and block the negative xeno-oestrogens effects on your body, the active chemical constituents are isoflavones, coumestans and lignans, and they work as hormone balancers. They mimic natural oestrogen or block it at oestrogen receptor sites on cells throughout the body. Imagine these receptor binding sites as parking spots reserved for hormones.

Once “parked,” the hormone can exert its effect on the cell. If the body’s ‘good’ oestrogen levels are low, phytoestrogens fill those parking spots and gently mimic the role played by oestrogens. If the levels of environmental oestrogens in the body are too high, phytoestrogens block their access to oestrogen receptor sites, substituting their own milder oestrogenic activity for the excessively strong oestrogenic effects created by environmental xeno-oestrogens.

Foods
To promote the good oestrogens increase your intake or make sure you eat these foods which contain phyto-oestrogens daily:

My favourite functional foods for women to help keep oestrogen in check include – flax seeds, raspberries, organic soy, carrots, apples, cruciferous veg like broccoli and cabbage, chickpeas, beans, lentils, asparagus, fennel, garlic, oats, pears, peas, pomegranate, dried sea vegetables, sunflower seeds, sweet potatoes, squash and wheat germ.

Apples & carrots have special fibres that help with detoxification and elimination of bad oestrogens. They bind up excess oestrogen that would otherwise recirculate in the body to cause symptoms like PMS, so that they are eliminated through your bowels.

Flax contains lignans, which attach to oestrogen receptors. These lignans have a much weaker oestrogenic effect on the body, thus they are protective against oestrogen excess. Flax seeds are also able to inhibit aromatase, further supporting healthy oestrogen levels. Aromatase is an enzyme that converts our androgens into oestrogens.

Broccoli sprouts contain sulforaphane, which supports methylation of oestrogens in phase 2 liver detox.

Oestrogen metabolism is SO important. It’s not just about how much oestrogen you have, but how you’re metabolising it.

Hummus is an easy way a women can increase her intake of phyto-oestrogens daily.

Particularly powerful phyto-oestrogens are found in soya products. The high soya content in traditional Japanese diets is likely to be why Japanese women tend not to suffer from menopausal symptoms.

Herbs

Herbal phyto-oestrogens that I use to manage hormonal imbalances like PMS are as Mexican yam, Black cohosh, Dong quai, Agnus castus and many others.

Many women find immense relief from various hormonal problems and peri-menopause by supplementing with phyto-oestrogens.

 A qualified herbalist will create blends of herbs to address your specific issues combining the best ‘medicine’ for the job.

Do what you can to minimise your exposure to xeno-oestrogens—you’ll find them in some unlikely places.

Sleep Series #2: Nutrients For Better Sleep

March 9, 2022 By Sue

#2 Sleep Series - food & nutrition

Getting enough sleep is as important for your body as eating right, exercising, and practicing good dental hygiene. What you eat affects your health, your mood and how well you sleep.

In a previous article we looked at the first step towards improving your sleep i.e. Circadian rhythm and Good sleep hygiene – this is the foundation and an inexpensive solution.

Here’s the link to the previous newsletter where you can read more about circadian rhythm, blue light and importance of sunshine.

Once you’re happy that you’ve taken care of your sleep hygiene, then consider your food and nutritional choices.

Adding sleep-inducing nutrients from food is an easy, natural way to help with sleep. Then, depending on your sleep issues, you may need to add additional supplementation.

Here’s a reminder why sleep is so important.

During sleep:-

Cells repair and renew – think beauty sleep.
Liver detoxification happens - between 1am & 3 am.
Hormones and neurotransmitters are regulated.
Poor sleep lowers leptin and increases ghrelin (making you hungrier) – and makes it harder to lose weight.
Blood sugar stabilises. Without enough sleep, you can start to crave sugar, carbohydrates, and coffee in the morning, increase risk of elevated blood sugars, weight gain and diabetes type 2.
Your adrenals repair and restore – without rest they produce too much cortisol and can cause an array of health issues. Here’s a blog post on addressing your adrenal fatigue.

Top 3 Nutrients For Better Sleep

You need these key nutrients to produce the hormones that will help calm you down and get you sleeping better.

1. Melatonin is the hormone which helps regulate your sleep/wake cycle.

Near bedtime, it naturally increases to help you sleep. In the morning before waking, production tapers off to allow you to be awake and alert for the day.

It’s made from a hormone called serotonin, the ‘happy hormone’ – found naturally in the brain and digestive tract.

Melatonin regulates our daily sleep-wake cycles and keeps our 24-hour circadian rhythms in sync. When melatonin levels are low, or disrupted, that has a significant impact on sleep.

Did you know that melatonin also plays a widespread role in protecting your health, as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting hormone.

Food that is high in melatonin includes porridge oats, sour cherries (e.g. as the juice concentrate Cherry Active), bananas, peanuts, grape skins, walnuts, and liquorice. It is also concentrated in herbs such as St John’s wort, sage, and feverfew.

Avoiding caffeine - after midday, is a no brainer because caffeine suppresses melatonin for up to ten hours.

Simply put, increasing your melatonin levels could help you sleep better.

Daily intake – 3mg taken in the evening before bed.

Avoid all ‘blue light’ from screens as this disrupts production of melatonin.

2. MAGNESIUM - is a key mineral, essential for many aspects of your health. It plays a huge role in improving sleep quality. Magnesium is often referred to as ‘nature’s valium’.

Magnesium helps to activate neurotransmitters responsible for calming the body and mind, and is necessary for the production of serotonin and ultimately melatonin, which helps regulate your sleep/wake cycles.

Being highly stressed or eating a lot of sugar, lowers your magnesium levels.

In addition, it's also essential for the function of more than 300 enzymes in the body, supporting energy production, managing PMS symptoms, reducing anxiety, migraines and even addressing constipation.

Magnesium is found in nuts, seeds, dark chocolate, and leafy greens. and seafood.

Magnesium works in tandem with calcium.

Try supplementing 600mg of calcium and 400mg of magnesium before bed.

3. TRYPTOPHAN - is a natural precursor to the crucial neurotransmitter serotonin and research has confirmed lower serotonin levels can lead to sleep disorders, depression, anxiety, weight gain, and other health problems.

Tryptophan must be absorbed through your diet, as it cannot be produced in your body.

It’s found in turkey, oats and salmon is required by the body in the production of hormones serotonin (aka our happy hormone) and melatonin, (aka our sleep hormone).

The Recommended Daily Intake is 350-400mg

Sleep-inducing foods that are known to encourage sleep because of the nutrients they contain:-

Contain a mix of calcium, potassium, magnesium, tryptophan, and B6. Try these in the evening to help you fall and stay asleep:

Fish – Vitamin B6 is abundant in fish e.g., salmon, tuna, B6 is needed to make melatonin.

Kale & Yogurt – Rich in calcium that helps process the hormones that help you sleep, i.e. tryptophan and melatonin.

Bananas – are high in potassium to help you stay asleep and contains tryptophan and magnesium which are natural sedatives.

Chicken, turkey, Nuts & Seeds – like walnuts, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds. Help to boost serotonin levels due to high magnesium and tryptophan.

Nuts and seeds all contain tryptophan and can help more melatonin be produced.

When sleep is miserable - so is everything else.

Sleep problems affect more than 50% of women, especially with the changing hormones during midlife - either difficulty falling asleep, night waking or chronic insomnia.

Are you experiencing this?

There are usually several factors at play - and it's essential to get personalised support.

If you’re interested in learning more about working with me, schedule a FREE 20 minute Health Strategy Session now - email me sue@suehardman.com

During this session we’ll discuss your vision for your health, some of the obstacles that stand in your way, and how I can help you sleep better or any other health issues so that you can start to feel your best.

You can also go here to find out more about working with me - Work with Sue

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Sleep Series #1: Circadian Rhythm

October 10, 2021 By Sue

Things you can control!

If one night of poor sleep can make you feel fuzzy-headed then, what about a long-term sleep deficit? The implications can have a much wider impact on your health.

Sleep is not a luxury. if you want to live a long and healthy life, honour sleep as the crucial, powerful healer that it is, and prioritise it in your life now.

Two-thirds of adults throughout all developed nations fail to obtain enough sleep and we’ve disregarded and downplayed the most fundamentally important aspect of our health foundation.

Sleep is often overlooked, yet it’s critically important in achieving hormonal balance, supporting detoxification, weight-loss, brain function, heart balance, DNA repair (or damage), and lots more. YES even weight-loss.

That's why sleep is non-negotiable when it comes to restoring health. Sleep is not a luxury. if you want to live a long and healthy life, honour sleep as the crucial, powerful healer that it is, and prioritise it in your life now.

Two-thirds of adults throughout all developed nations fail to obtain enough sleep and we’ve disregarded and downplayed the most fundamentally important aspect of our health foundation.

Sleep is often overlooked, yet it’s critically important in achieving hormonal balance, supporting detoxification, weight-loss, brain function, heart balance, DNA repair (or damage), and lots more. YES even weight-loss.

That's why sleep is non-negotiable when it comes to restoring health.

Step 1 & 2: Sleep Disrupters You CAN Control

There're a number of ways insomnia or poor-quality sleep can manifest – maybe you can’t fall asleep, or you wake up multiple times or always at the same time - like 3am, you don't wake up refreshed, hot flushes at night, restless leg and so on…..

How Poor Sleep Affects You

If you’ve been pushing your sleep issues onto the back burner then maybe it’s time to rethink this. In the long run, the consequences of sleep loss can be dire to your health.

We know what a bad night’s sleep does to your physical appearance - dark circles and bags under your eyes but what’s far more important than this is the connection to more serious health conditions such as:-

- Heart disease & stroke
- Psychological issues - lack of motivation, low mood & depression
- Hormonal balance
- Suppresses your immune function
- Regulating your appetite - weight gain/obesity
- Brain function - memory, focus & creativity

You might be thinking that this only applies to workaholics or new moms, or people with chronic insomnia.

Just ONE hour of lost sleep will take you 4 days to fully recover. In a 2016 study looking at factors that aged the skin, participants with sleep loss looked “markedly less healthy, less attractive, and more tired.”

In a 2017 study it was found that approximately seven hours per night is optimal for the health and functioning of most adults. However, there may be differences based on your age, gender, health, activity level, and genetic makeup.

Causes of Poor Sleep Can Be Multi-Factorial

When it comes to addressing your sleep issues there are several factors that could be the underlying cause that you need to consider including: -

lifestyle modifications (circadian rhythm)
blood sugar issues
poor detoxification (liver, gut)
hormonal imbalances
EMF
nutritional deficiencies
hormonal factors
and there are also the psychological & emotional factors that play a part – thoughts, worry’s, so on.

STEP 1: ADDRESS SLEEP DISRUPTORS YOU CAN CONTROL - NOW

Avoid Caffeine and sugar later in the day, they keep you awake at night and make it difficult to fall asleep in the first place.
Alcohol - higher alcohol intake results in increased sleep disruption, lowers quality of sleep, and shortens sleep duration.
Spicy and acidic foods — For some people, spicy foods can cause indigestion and reflux.
Stress — The more cortisol and adrenaline your body produces in the day, the more likely your circadian rhythm will become dysregulated.
Good sleep hygiene - Set your sleep schedule and follow a nightly routine, with the right sleep environment. Turn off any blue lights,
Be physically active during the day.

STEP 2: YOUR BODY’S NATURAL OR CIRCADIAN RHYTHM

Circadian rhythms or your body’s internal body clock, includes the production of hormones that regulate sleep, hunger, and metabolism, over a 24-hour pattern loosely based on light availability. Ultimately, theses hormones influence your weight, performance, and susceptibility to disease.

When and how much you sleep, what you eat, movement all affect your health and are linked to these rhythms.

A key driver of your circadian rhythms is - MELATONIN - a hormone produced primarily in the pineal gland of the brain, peaking one hour into sleep and ebbing two hours after waking.

Our modern lifestyle, the constant presence of blue light has resulted in us getting out of synch with our body’s and the earths daily rhythms.

Dimming lights and cutting back on the use of blue light from devices in the evening allows your melatonin to rise naturally, so you can fall asleep.

HOW DO YOU GET YOUR CIRCADIAN CLOCK BACK IN SYNCH?

Go to bed by 10pm – sleeping earlier is profoundly healing, aligns your awake/sleep cycles with the natural rhythms of the earth and can be a life-changing experience.
Get bright light for 30 minutes in the first 30 minutes on waking. Bright light (ideally sunlight) is critical to set your circadian rhythm. In addition to this go outdoors, throughout the day to instantly boost energy.

3. Block out blue light from household light bulbs, TVs, computers, Phones after sunset. After the sun goes down, you want to minimise or eliminate your exposure to blue light. Wear blue-blocking glasses.

4. Darkness at Night While You Sleep block out all light from outside, even a tiny amount of light (like 5 lux) can impact your circadian rhythm.
This amount is the amount of ambient light from streetlights. Use a sleep mask. Turn off all light sources, even red ones anywhere in your home.

5. Fast For At Least 3 Hours Before Bed Eat at least 3 hours before bed. Remember the benefits of autophagy. If you’re hungry before bed increase calories during the day to prevent waking up or hunger before bed. Waking up in the night hungry or anxious can be a sign of poor blood sugar control.

6. Time Most of Your Daily Activity During Daylight Hours. Don’t exercise at least 4 hours before. Workout during daylight hours. Movement and activity are synergistic with other triggers - light, temperature, and meal + nutrient timing. It amplifies the circadian signal.

7. Get Your Temperature Right. Research indicates that temperature plays an important role in circadian signalling. Colder temperatures, signal it’s night time and trigger sleepiness. Warmer temperatures in the morning trigger wakefulness. Paradoxically, cold in the morning can switch on your body’s heater. Heat in the late evening from a bath/shower can cause a drop in temperature that triggers sleep.

8. Start Your Day With Movement. Cyclic AMP is an important cellular signalling molecule that resets your circadian rhythm and tells your brain that it’s daytime (it works synergistically with light, temperature, and food). The best way to trigger cAMP is EXERCISE and movement. Walking outside, yoga, pilates, etc. ... or intense exercise also works for those who are capable of that.

9. Use Sound To Entrain Circadian Rhythm. The sound of birds in the morning can influence your circadian rhythms. Wake up with a gentle soothing noise or sounds of birds. Then shift into music that energises you. Conversely, at night, in the few hours before bed, keep the volume of any noise (TV, computer, conversation, etc.) relatively low. There is research behind this!

10. Have a Routine Try do things at the same time each day, like getting up, eating and exercising.This entrains the nervous system, brain and biology for good circadian rhythm signalling.

Conclusion

There’s many reasons for your poor sleep, and it’s critical to know the root cause behind the symptoms so that we can address it and ensure you have a good nights sleep.

tired

Solutions for better sleep – it depends on you!

Here are a number of possible underlying causes of any sleep issue:-

Is it a lifestyle issue - Circadian rhythm / noise / blue light / emf / room temp?
Could it be diet or food related / nutrient deficiency / neuro-transmitters?
Hormones - Poor sleep is common the older we get with hormonal fluctuations in levels of oestrogen and progesterone.
Burnout, adrenal dysregulation and high stress levels lead to elevated cortisol that also affects sleep quality.
Managing your emotions - Stress, worry

If you’ve got this far and you’re looking for more support with disrupted, non-rejuvenating sleep then I encourage you to please get in touch - sue@suehardman.com