Host: Today we're talking about insomnia trouble getting to sleep, trouble falling asleep. Dr. Mark, you see this a lot in your clinic.Dr. Stengler: I really do. I'm always amazed how many people have problems with sleep. Patients come in, and I'd say a third of my patients, all different age ranges, 30 years and up, have problems with sleep, so we use natural ways to help them so they don't get addicted to sleep medications.Host: Besides not feeling good in the morning, what else can not having a good night's sleep do?Dr. Stengler: A lot of research has shown that not getting enough sleep can affect your mood depression can be a big one, as well as irritability and poor focus on the job or at school. You can get weak immunity, because your immune system regenerates during sleep, so there are a lot of wide-ranging effects from poor sleep. Also, blood pressure problems your blood pressure goes up when you don't sleep well and your blood sugar levels can go up too.Host: So for people who have trouble falling asleep, what can you do for them? They don't want to take all the medications. Many people have taken loads of medications for sleep and feel terrible in the morning with side effects. What can natural medicine do?Dr. Stengler: First, we'll address their lifestyle. A lot of people are just stressed out and not dealing with stress properly; we've got to get an exercise program going, and they need more rest. But beyond the general things, we use natural things which promote sleep and help the brain relax at night. As a lot of patients tell me, their brain is just racing and won't turn off. So one of the supplements I use a lot, very safe, is 5-hydroxytryptophan it's the amino acid tryptophan in its active form. You take it as a supplement, 100 to 200 milligrams before bed; it increases the serotonin levels in the brain, which causes the brain and nervous system to relax and helps promote a good night's sleep. If you're on an antidepressant or anti-anxiety medication, check with your doctor first, because those medications have a similar effect. We also use sublingual melatonin the type that dissolves on your tongue and goes right into your bloodstream which activates the sleep center of your brain so people can fall asleep. The capsules can work well too, but I really like the sublingual form; it seems to work better for more people.Host: So you've got the 5-HTP option and the melatonin option. How do you decide?Dr. Stengler: For patients who have anxiety, we'll use the 5-HTP, because it gets their serotonin level up and helps them relax. If there's no known cause, we'll use the melatonin. In many severe cases, we'll use both have them take the 5-HTP an hour before bed and melatonin half an hour before bed and that one-two combination can work very well for a high percentage of people. But we always encourage stress reduction techniques before sleep too, whether it be prayer or reading. There have been some very good studies done on classical music: listening to classical music 30 minutes before bedtime, after about four weeks, is comparable to drug medications to help people get to sleep, and of course much healthier in the long run.
