Insomnia is defined as the inability to fall asleep or stay asleep. This is seen in people as frequently waking up at night, or lying in bed struggling to fall asleep. It can be extremely detrimental to one’s health, especially long-term. I see the effects of having chronic insomnia in many people each day as a healer. People suffering from insomnia are more prone to health issues like anxiety, pain disorders, high blood pressure, depression, brain fog, chronic fatigue syndrome, digestive issues, weight gain, and auto-immune disorders. This has been a common correlation I have seen with all the people that I have worked with. This is why I make it a priority as a detox specialist and iridologist to heal the root cause of insomnia in each client. There is hope to finally heal your insomnia through detoxification! In this article, I will be discussing what causes insomnia and how to heal insomnia through detox so you can get amazing sleep each night and wake up feeling refreshed and energized!
My Personal Insomnia Story
Insomnia is something that I had been struggling with all of my life. I was always the type of person that felt more energized at night, and it was often in the midnight hours that I found myself to be the most productive and creative. This was apparent to me when I was going through high school and college that required a lot of hours of studying, writing essays, and completing projects. I would often go to sleep at 3 or 4 in the morning. This pattern of poor sleep and insomnia followed me into my early adult years. I often found myself so fatigued during the day, struggling to get out of bed at a proper time, and come night time, I found myself wired, anxious, hooked to my phone and devices, and feeling horrible both physically and mentally. I have seen just how destructive our current schooling system is in setting people up for failure with their sleep and health! Everyone going through the schooling system has to not only work while in school, but also after school with more work to do at home. This leaves very little time for the body to adjust and wind down for the evening to get effective sleep. Breaking out of this cycle from a biological and psychological point of view can be difficult, but not impossible. You will see that there are many causes of insomnia and that they vary from person to person. Some people can have one cause, or a combination of causes to their insomnia. In this article I will address the top causes of insomnia that I have seen in people in my years as a healer. Through detoxification with raw foods, powerful herbs, and detox tools, I and so many of my clients have been able to heal from the destructive cycle of chronic insomnia.
Why We Need Good Sleep
As a healer and detox specialist, I have seen countless of people with chronic illness suffer from insomnia over the years. There are two types of insomnia. The first type are those that struggle with falling asleep, and the second type are those that struggle with staying asleep. You can either have one or the other, or you can be someone who struggles with both. With my own personal background of having healed from fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, I first noticed just how powerful and healing sleep is to the human body on my own healing journey. On nights that I could not get restful sleep, my body ached and experienced pains even more, my mental health struggled - I was an emotional mess, and I would experience extreme bouts of brain fog, anxiety, and depression. Speaking to so many of my clients over the years, I realized that I hadn’t been alone in my struggle. They too noticed this correlation between sleep and their physical body.
This is because it is during sleep that the body is able to deeply detox and regenerate. During sleep, the human body goes into detox mode because it is given the chance to do a few things not accomplished during the day.
During Sleep:
-The body is able to Fast from foods and liquids.
-The body is able to stop physically moving, thus not creating lactic acid in the muscles and joints.
-Our minds and emotions take a break while we process the days events and gain clarity.
Getting good sleep is key in healing the body because deep detox is best accomplished when we are in a resting state. Think about it this way. During the day time hours - as we are moving around, engaging, communicating and connecting with others and the world around us, and consuming foods - we are in a sense, “filling our cup”. If we are highly acidic individuals - most humans are (with major acidosis in the interstitial fluid that bathes all of our cells), then adding more to this body “cup”, will make it overflow. When acids overflow due to over activity and overconsumption without taking a break to rest and detox, then this is when symptoms and disease occurs.
During sleep, our bodies not only receive this much needed break from acidic chemistry, but they go into the deep detox mode that occurs when the body is in a relaxed and fasting state. This is why people tend to see more kidney filtration when they check their urine after they wake up. You can see that the body eliminates better when it is relaxing and resting. This is because the adrenal glands control kidney filtration and the adrenal glands require physical, mental and emotional rest in order to relax and assist the kidneys in the filtering and removal of all the acidic wastes within your body.
When people utilize the power of sleep by getting to bed at an appropriate time, deep healing occurs within the body. You can see that every hour of the day has a different focus to achieve balance and healing in the body. Working with this cycle ensures that our body remains healthy and full of vitality!
Gland Weaknesses That Cause Insomnia:
Throughout the years of helping many clients heal from their health issues, I noticed that about 70% of the people that were coming to me with health issues were having issues with getting good sleep. After analyzing hundreds of cases and eyes through iridology and putting together healing protocols for my clients, I have found that insomnia can be caused by several reasons depending on the client’s genetic weaknesses, level of acidity in the body, organ and gland weaknesses, different life-style factors, and the condition of the colon. The following are the top 7 causes of insomnia and how to address them to finally heal the root causes!
1. Pineal Gland Weakness
The first cause of insomnia is having a pineal gland weakness. The pineal gland is located in the brain. Modern science actually knows very little about the pineal gland. What is known is that the pineal gland produces melatonin which directly affects sleep cycles and a person’s ability to fall asleep and stay asleep. I often find that many of my clients suffering from insomnia or people that are “night owls” tend to have a weakness in this gland. This can be seen by examining the eyes through an iris reading. A pineal gland weakness will often look like a lesion in the iris in the pineal region. The pineal region is located in the top portion of the iris, directly above the colon and sinus regions of the iris. Interestingly enough, after having spoken to hundreds of people in consultations, I have found a strong correlation between having this pineal gland weakness in the iris, and a person’s intuitive gifts. People that have a pineal gland weakness tend to have a deep sense of knowing and gravitate towards having a strong spiritual practice. Another correlation that I have made in people that have a pineal gland weakness is a tendency to have nightmares. Very often nightmares can create subtle anxiety in the subconscious mind that has an impact on someone’s mental health, emotional health, energy levels, and sleep cycles. To heal the pineal gland, one must focus on healing the colon. Cleaning the colon of acidosis, toxicity, and mucus will allow the head and brain to drain lymphatically, and thus help in the healing of brain lesions - including a pineal gland weakness. In this way, we can see the direct correlation between the health of the brain and the health of the colon.
2. Adrenal Gland Weakness
The second cause of insomnia is having an adrenal gland weakness. This is the most common cause of insomnia as I would say 80-90% of the world’s population has some degree of adrenal gland weakness. In today’s world, the degree of adrenal gland weakness gets worse each day due to stress and the consumption of energy robbing foods. It is sad to say that with every passing generation, adrenal glands have become weaker, due to the incredible amount of stress we go through as humans both physically and mentally with the increasing demands for productivity and the juggling of many responsibilities. Chronic and Genetic Adrenal gland weaknesses are being passed down to children since many parents do not know about true detoxification in order to clean their bodies and regenerate their weaknesses in order to give their offspring the strongest genes before conceiving. This has become of great concern to me as a detox specialist because I have seen the many diseases that children are currently suffering with due to having weak adrenals.
Many health issues are attributed to having chronic adrenal gland weakness in the body as these glands do so much for us! If someone has an adrenal gland weakness, they are likely to suffer from any of the following: anxiety, low blood pressure, fatigue, blood sugar issues like hypoglycemia or diabetes, skin issues like eczema, acne, psoriasis, fungal issues and candida, systemic inflammation or inflammatory disorders like arthritis, prostatitis, colitis, sinusitis, cystitis, and more, asthma, sleep apnea or trouble breathing, kidney issues, edema, low back pain, female and male reproductive issues, and of course, insomnia and sleep issues. Having underlying anxiety can cause insomnia through symptoms of racing thoughts, intrusive thoughts, having fatigue in the morning and having more energy at night that throws off a healthy sleeping schedule, fears and phobias - often exacerbated at night, and having heart palpitations or arrhythmias while laying down at night. If you experience any of these symptoms, they can be healed through a strong and specific detox protocol to address your body’s organ and gland weaknesses. I have guided many clients in healing these symptoms that have caused them issues with insomnia and trouble sleeping. Depending on the level of adrenal gland weakness as seen in your eyes, you will need an herbal adrenal gland formula or an adrenal glandular. Powerful herbal formulas or glandulars are recommended based on how weak your glands and organs are as seen in your eyes, symptoms, and genetic history. This is why I recommend the Master Your Health Detox Package as it is the number one package that brings everything you need to get to the root cause of all your health issues and put you on the correct path to finally start healing your body! If you would like to work with me and my team one-on-one in the healing of your health issues, go to: www.spiritrawpicalhealing.com/services and book an appointment!
3. Mucus Obstructions
Mucus can cause many obstructions in the body and the breaking down of tissue and organ and gland function. I commonly see mucus obstructions in people’s symptoms and eyes when they come to me for healing their health issues. Many people have mucus accumulation in the head and sinus region especially. This mucus blocks the proper functioning of the glands within the brain region. Both the pineal gland (that produces melatonin for sleep), and the pituitary gland (that controls all the glands in the body), can become extremely congested that they lose their function. This is something I make a note of looking for when analyzing someone’s eyes and symptoms to create the perfect healing protocol for them. In order to bring function back into these glands, mucus elimination from the head, sinuses, and brain regions must be made top priority in a detox protocol. To eliminate this hardened mucus that has accumulated in the head region due to a life-time of consuming mucus forming foods, one must put an emphasis in the most powerful foods and herbs to decongest the body. Citrus foods like oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruits are powerful mucus pullers. You can see the pulling of this mucus out of the head and brain region through the sinuses. A common detox symptom to experience is sinus drainage, sneezing, and cold and flu-like symptoms. When you see all of this mucus come out of the head and brain region, the pineal and pituitary glands will increase in their function and offer your body better and deeper sleep! This is why detox symptoms like head-drainage are so incredible and powerful to achieve during your healing journey! Mucus accumulates in many areas of the body, hindering the function of all organs and glands, during detox, this main causative factor of many health issues is finally eliminated to make way for proper cellular oxygenation and regeneration!
Likewise, mucus obstructions can also cause issues such as sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is caused by mucus congestion in the sinuses and lungs and can make it very difficult for people to sleep at night. I often recommend the spasm calm formula to people that have issues with sleep apnea or asthma. It is important to relax and dilate the air passageways in order to release and drain mucus out of the lungs through detoxification. Another beneficial formula for dissolving all hardened mucus and obstructions is the 3 Lung tincture formula. Herbs such as mullein leaf, pleurisy root, and fenugreek seed are powerful at dissolving and pulling mucus out of the lungs and sinuses in the body. They are also effective at dissolving tumors and cysts. Powerful and specific herbs play an important role in healing the body of many health issues with a detoxification protocol.
4. Systemic Inflammation and Acidosis
Inflammation of the bladder or inflammation of the prostate can also create sleep issues in many people. Frequent urination can have you waking up several times during the night to urinate, thus disrupting your ability to get deep sleep. This inflammatory cause can be healed through a detoxification protocol that focuses on eliminating acidosis within the tissues and organs of the body. Kidney filtration is of great importance to achieve consistently in order to heal inflammation (which is really just the medical name for acidosis that is embedded within the tissues). Prostatitis is a major issue in many male clients that come to me for the healing of their health issues. When the prostate becomes enlarged due to acidosis, this enlargement puts pressure on the urethra as well as the bladder, causing frequent and even painful urination in men. In women, urinary tract infections or interstitial cystitis can cause frequent and painful urination as well. To heal these inflammatory health issues, one must focus on healing the adrenal glands, to bring inflammation down in the body, as well as get the kidneys to filter acidosis lying in and around all the cells of the urinary tract tissues. The adrenal glands produce anti-inflammatory steroids that keeps all inflammation in the body in check, as well as assisting the kidneys to remove acidosis. Equally as important is to ensure that constipation is not an issue. Hardened stools in the colon can also apply pressure to the bladder in both sexes. In women, inflammation of the uterus or uterine disorders such as endometriosis or PCOS can also put pressure on the urinary system, causing frequent urination. Through a specific healing diet and herbal protocol tailored to your weaknesses, these symptoms can be completely corrected long-term in order to ensure your healthy sleep! As you can see, there can be many causes for insomnia. A skilled detox specialist and iridologist like myself, considers all possible causes as the body is interconnected, with many organs, glands, and systems affecting each other simultaneously.
5. Daily Stress
By now, we can see just how important the adrenal glands are in maintaining good health, and how they influence sleep in their many functions in the body. Although adrenal gland weaknesses are often genetic and many people have weak adrenals, they can be made much weaker through the lifestyle choices that you are making each day - to the point of developing serious health issues. Many people partake in consuming stimulants like coffee, caffeinated drinks, chocolate, energy drinks, too much protein in the diet or as protein shakes (both whey and plant-based protein powders are harmful to the body), and animal products like meat that overburden the adrenal glands with steroids and hormones found in all meats (even grass fed and organic meats contain these harmful hormones naturally released by the animal into the tissue as it dies). One must avoid all of these harmful dietary choices in order to heal the adrenal glands during a detox protocol.
The adrenal glands are also further weakened due to physical, mental, and emotional stress that one can and does experience daily. I have seen clients that were often taking on more than they could handle in their day to day lives, not allowing their bodies time to rest and heal each day. I have seen so many people lead incredibly stressful and busy lives that eventually send them into the deep end with multiple health issues when their adrenal glands eventually burn out and crash. I would say that many clients from the ages of 20-50 usually have this underlying issue that is a major causative factor of many of their health issues. A beneficial way to restore your adrenal function is to do the following: do not take on more responsibilities or duties than you can comfortably perform, do not do long fasting as this damages the adrenal glands, take tonifying adrenal herbs daily along with your specific detox herbal protocol to further assist your adrenals in the healing process. Making changes in your life to create an environment conducive to healing is often necessary in order to heal the adrenal glands and heal your sleeping cycle!
6. Deficiencies
Deficiencies are also another cause of insomnia. B vitamins are essential for mental well-being and a strong and healthy nervous system. Vitamin B6, along with vitamin c helps to form serotonin which helps us to calm down and get our bodies ready for deep sleep! Likewise, the cycle of getting enough sleep each night also creates normal serotonin levels in the body overtime, which helps you get better sleep in the long-run. With these deficiencies in b vitamins comes issues like anxiety, irritability, fear, depression, and suicidal tendencies. This mental and emotional disruption can cause sleep issues for many - either getting too much sleep or not getting enough sleep!
I do not recommend anyone start taking these vitamins in isolated form as they can create an even greater deficiency in other vitamins and minerals in the body. Instead, I recommend focusing on the following superfoods and herbs that contain the highest concentrations of b vitamins found in nature. Taking isolated vitamins is dangerous and causes further toxicity to the body! These foods and herbs are suitable to consume during your detox diet and long-term as part of a health diet to cover any nutritional gaps due to poor variety of produce, low quality fruit, lack of nutrients in some produce due to soil depletion, or issues of malabsorption in some individuals. These foods are: dark green leafy vegetables, blackstrap molasses, spirulina, chlorella, bee pollen, some seeds like sesame seeds and nuts during the balancing cycles of detoxification, dandelion greens, nettle, parsley, seaweeds, and wild oats are all high in b vitamins that assist the body in the production of serotonin.
Vitamin or mineral deficiencies often have their main cause however, not in lack of nutrition within the diet itself, but rather due to either digestive issues, malabsorption issues, or weak adrenal glands in the body. Digestive weakness can mean that someone has a weakness of the pancreas, the liver/gallbladder, and/or the stomach, causing poor digestion of foods. Many people see undigested foods in their stools when they have these set of weaknesses. This is clearly indicated when I analyze someone’s case to see what herbal protocol they need in order to heal their health issues. Malabsorption issues can come from a weakness or congestion in the colon and intestines, and/or a pancreas weakness. Malabsorption issues cause poor absorption of nutrients within the bowel wall thus creating deficiencies. People with malabsorption having difficulty with absorbing the full nutrition from the foods they consume. Lastly, having weak adrenal glands usually translates to having poor utilization of nutrients. The adrenal glands especially are responsible for utilizing vitamins and minerals in the body.
If there is an issue with any of the 4 following processes that the body uses to extract nutrition from foods - digestion, absorption, utilization, and elimination, then you must work on healing these processes during your detox journey. Every human being on the planet depends on the health of these 4 processes in order to achieve and maintain good health. The health of these 4 processes is very necessary to gain vitality and health in your body with the foods you consume. These processes ensure that you not only break down your foods efficiently, but you also absorb them fully, utilize your nutrition, and eliminate all your wastes and acidic by-products from the foods you consume.
7. Parasites
Lastly, parasites can also cause issues with insomnia. In my years of helping people heal from sleep issues I have noticed that parasites tend to be most active at night in order to guarantee their successful reproduction.
Pinworms are notorious for keeping people up at night. The most common signs of pinworms in the body are itching around the anus and restless sleep. The itching is usually worse at night because the pinworms move to the anus to lay their eggs. When people scratch the anal region, pin worm eggs are then embedded in the fingernails and make their way towards the mouth, in which they then go through the body and hatch in the intestines and to then lay their own eggs in the anus once again. Many people are riddled with these types of parasites which is why it is important to undergo a parasite kill when starting a detox protocol.
The parasite Trypanosoma brucei has also been seen to disrupt the sleep-wake cycle, which leads to daytime sleepiness and insomnia at night in many people. This parasite does this by through its bio-secretions that alter the biological clock of its host by shortening the circadium rhythm.
As a general rule of thumb, every client that comes to me is detoxed of parasites and pathogens that may interfere with their detox and may also be contributing to a lot of their current health issues. Many people have parasites as parasites absolutely love decaying matter and mucus environments. Parasites can be found anywhere in the body, in many different organs and systems. They can be small - microbial, or large and visible to the naked eye (as is the case of tape worms, thread worms, round worms, pinworms, or flukes).
How Do you Know if You Have Parasites?
If a human has eaten meat throughout their life, or have been around animals, they most likely have parasites. Even everyday living such as gardening, touching most surfaces, being around children, exposes all humans to parasites. This may come as a shock, but about 70 percent of the population has a body riddled with parasites. This is not meant to strike fear in you. It is an opportunity to clean your body so you can take your terrain back. Parasites rob us of our nutrition, that can lead many cells to cellular death. Parasites cause major digestive issues in our bodies, and they even control our moods and affect our sleep cycles. Parasites can make us crave unhealthy foods like meat, complex starches, and processed foods. These are in fact the foods that keep them alive. Parasites hate fruits and herbs. These foods are anti-parasitic and kill them off.
It used to be a common practice in the old days for families to do an annual and even seasonal deworming with anti-parasitic herbs. Many people nowadays are surprised when they take parasite herbal formulas to find that they start releasing worms and their eggs!
I recommend taking the parasite formulas for the first few months on the beginning of your detox journey coupled with your other herbal formulas in your detox healing protocol. If you start to see parasites in your stools, then continue taking the parasite formulas until you see no more in your stools. After this, wait 1 month and take the parasite formulas again to kill off and release any eggs and young parasites from your body.
Take Parasite m formula for fungal issues and microbial pathogens like bacteria. Take Parasite g formula for large parasites like rope, thread, tape worms, pinworms, and flukes. I recommend taking both formulas throughout one’s detox journey. Parasite m is especially useful in getting rid of cravings for bread, pasta, rice, and starchy foods in general and during your detox. These starchy foods are fungal proliferators and are not detoxifying foods.
Powerful herbal formulas are recommended based on how weak, acidic, or obstructed your glands and organs are as seen in your eyes, symptoms, and genetic history. This is why I recommend the Master Your Health Detox Package as it is the number one package that brings everything you need to get to the root cause of all your health issues and put you on the correct path to start healing your body! If you would like to work with me and my team one-on-one in the healing of your health issues, go to: www.spiritrawpicalhealing.com/services and book an appointment!
Detox Tools to Help Insomnia
Now, we will talk about the effective tools, practices, and herbs you can use to help you establish a proper sleeping schedule once again in order to heal insomnia! These herbs and tools are best used and most effective when in conjunction with a detox diet plan and herbal protocol created for your specific health issues.
Powerful Herbs that Help Insomnia:
Along with the specific herbal protocol that I recommend to my clients to heal their organ and gland weaknesses, if they struggle with insomnia, I also recommend one or more of the following herbs to support them during their detox. These herbs have proven to be very effective in helping many people with general insomnia issues and even insomnia issues that some people experience during detox. Whatever health issues or symptoms you are facing, herbs will come to the rescue and work in conjunction with the natural healing pattern of your body!
1. Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha is a powerful adaptogen, that helps you to adapt to the challenges and demands of stress in your everyday life, thus supporting your vitality and energy reserves. It also lowers cortisol levels in the body. Ashwagandha reduces the effects and symptoms of stress and anxiety by building resistance in the body to stress, therefore promoting a calm mental state that will decrease the time to fall asleep and increase your sleep duration. The ashwagandha leaves contain a compound called triethylene glycol while helps you fall asleep faster. Traditionally, Ashwagandha was used in cases of nervous exhaustion and long term stress, and in cases of an overactive but debilitated person, so it is a wonderful herb that supports you when you are feeling tired but wired! It is a fantastic herb to help you re-establish long-term sleep cycles! It is also an excellent herb to take regularly if you have a chronic adrenal gland weakness as seen in your eyes.
2. Chamomile
If you find that you suffer from digestive issues, insomnia, anxiety and stress, then chamomile is the herb for you. When your anxiety is wreaking havoc on both your digestive system and sleep, chamomile should be your go-to tea. Sip it throughout the day to calm your digestive system and before bed to calm your mind. I find that chamomile goes especially well when combined with lemon balm. Many herbs that are useful for getting restful sleep are also fantastic for anxiety and stress. Chamomile is the best all around herb for stresses in the nervous system, digestive system, and the immune system - all which can affect sleep and insomnia.
3. Lemon Balm
Lemon balm is one of nature’s best nervous system herbs. It is a mild sedative and anti-spasmodic in nature. It is best known for its antiviral, antiseptic, and relaxing qualities. It makes a great tasting tea and tincture, being part of the mint family with notes of lemon. I often recommend lemon balm tea to my clients that have racing thoughts throughout the day and have trouble falling asleep at night due to their anxious and intrusive thoughts. Lemon balm and chamomile combined are especially powerful in the form of a tea or when found in the same tinctured formula.
The powerful herbal formulas that I recommend to my clients as part of their healing protocol have the best herbs all around that work together synergystically, making the most effective herbal protocol to heal their health issues!
4. Skullcap
Skullcap is one of the most powerful herbs that has sedative properties. For purposes of combating insomnia, it does so much in relaxing and calming the mind. I often recommend the spasm calm formula to my clients that have issues with panic, anxiety attacks, tremors, or pain issues that prevent them from fully relaxing and sleeping at night. This is the star herb in the spasm calm formula I recommend to so many of my clients. Since it is the most versatile working on all nervous system disorders - its uses have a wide range in helping with many symptoms such as headaches, menstrual pain, nervous exhaustion, nerve tremors, muscle pain, and stress. Skullcap in tinctured form is most powerful for pain or stress that needs to be addressed immediately as tinctures work the most quickly in the body. Skullcap tea and capsules although not as strong initially, have a healing effect on the body long-term. All herbal forms have their place in a powerful healing herbal protocol based on your body’s weaknesses. This is what I create for my clients to heal the root cause of all their health issues as a detox specialist and iridologist!
5. Valerian
Valerian root is very similar to skullcap in its properties - being a very versatile and sedative herb. It helps to promote deep and restful sleep in those with occasional sleeplessness. It is effective both as a long term nerve tonic and also for acute issues like headaches and pain. It also has a tonifying effect on the heart and is often combined with hawthorn berries in many herbal formulas for the heart. It is a fantastic herb for high blood pressure and for those that suffer with irregular heart beat. Many of my clients that had issues with heart palpitations, especially when falling asleep, used valerian root during their detox journey and their heart issues went away completely, thus being able to fall asleep again. Tincture, capsule or tea works with valerian root, however some people may not like the smell of valerian in tea form, while others love the smell.
6. Passion Flower
Passionflower is a gentle, but effective herb that helps to calm the nervous system & reduces muscle spasms. Modern research has been confirming its traditional use for helping improve sleep. It is widely used in its native region in South America. Passionflower has been used for epilepsy, anxiety, insomnia, and panic attacks in this region of the world with so much success. It is excellent as a pain reliever in issues of toothaches, headaches and menstrual pains. I find that it is particularly helpful in helping hyperactive children. Often combined with valerian root, passionflower is effective for inducing sleep. Being such a relaxing herb, passionflower is one of the top herbs for stress, anxiety, and depression. Many people combine this herb with st. john’s wort. Passionflower supports the production of GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), which suppresses excessive brain activity before bed at night and induces relaxation for sleep. Passionflower is a great choice when you have trouble falling asleep due to an overactive mind, or if you are constantly full of thoughts and worries about the present and the future. This herb is also helpful for those that wake up in the middle of the night with nervous thoughts and racing heart. Passionflower is best used as an infusion sipped throughout the day and in tincture form at night before bed.
7. California Poppy
California poppy is a vibrant flower and is much milder and nonaddictive compared to its cousin opium poppy. It is fantastic for establishing balance in the body and relaxing over-excitability. It is an excellent herb for children that have trouble sleeping due to an over excitable nature. The seeds can be ground and used in many recipes in the kitchen. Likewise California poppy can be taken as a tea or tincture. California poppy has long been used as an analgesic and antispasmodic herb for pain management for thousands of years and is a better non-addictive option for various aches, cramping and discomforts.
8. St. John’s Wort
St. John’s Wort is best known for its properties in combating depression and anxiety - making it known to lift the spirits and add sunshine to one’s inner life. It is particularly helpful in healing symptoms of stress, anxiety, seasonal affective disorder, chronic fatigue and personality disorders. One of the most well-known properties of St. John’s wort is its ability to heal damaged nerves due to burns, neuralgia, wounds, and trauma to the skin. A medicinal oil made from St. John’s wort heals bruises, sprains, burns and injuries of many kinds! To combat insomnia, it is mixes well with hops and valerian root. The flowers and leaves are used in preparing st. john’s wort. Tea, tincture, and capsule form work well. Although some people say that St. John’s Wort can cause sensitivity to the sun, I have not found this to be the case as St. John’s Wort is actually found in many natural sunscreens that help protect you from sunburn. As with everything, one must use healthy discernment and follow your intuition when you are trying something new.
With all of these abundant herbal options for sleep and insomnia, one often does not need to resort to taking medications with harmful side-effects. Countless have been the stories I have heard from clients that come to me battling illnesses from the side-effects of taking sleeping pills like benzodiazepines, antidepressants, zolpidem, doxepine, zolpidem, or antihistamines. Many people’s body’s have crashed with debilitating chronic illnesses from using these drugs. Using herbs as nature intended is often very effective. Detoxification of the body will heal the root cause of insomnia! If you are currently taking any medications but wish to come off of them, I recommend smart detoxification and detox guidance while also consulting with your doctor that is hopefully supportive to you in your health decisions in order to slowly titrate off meds. This is the best approach. Depending on your body’s weaknesses and length of time you have been taking medications, this will affect the length of time it will take to titrate off medications such as these. Detox guidance and medical support is absolutely needed to do this safely. To work with me and my team one-on-one in the healing of your health issues, go to: www.spiritrawpicalhealing.com/services and book an appointment!
Beware: The Negative Effects of Taking Melatonin
Melatonin is often suggested as the more natural treatment for insomnia, but it does not come without a price to your body. Taking melatonin weakens your pineal gland overtime, just like taking insulin weakens your pancreas overtime, and going on dialysis weakens your kidneys overtime. All hormone therapy weakens the corresponding gland and organ because it takes over the gland or organs responsibilities. Organs and glands become lazy when hormones, medical tools, and procedures take their place. Do not take Melatonin unless you have tried every natural remedy without improvement. I recommend not taking melatonin long-term, unless you have already tried the above herbs, and powerful herbal formulas as part of a detoxification program. If melatonin is taken, it should only ever be for a short period of time as an emergency. Taking melatonin for longer can have serious repercussions on one’s health and make insomnia much worse. If you want to take melatonin, perhaps try a natural source of melatonin which is actually found naturally in tart cherries! Tart cherries can be found in a powder, capsule, or liquid form to take at night before bed to assist with sleep.
The Importance of A Night Routine:
For those that have insomnia and sleep issues, I have found that a calming bedtime routine can be just what your body needs to settle down for some deep sleep! I recommend following a night time routine that starts at least 1-2 hours before your bedtime. A night routine can be short or longer depending on what works for you. There are some essentials however, that will guarantee a successful night routine.
First, I recommend setting an alarm on your phone that will remind you of when to start your night routine. Next, do all of your bathroom necessities like brushing your teeth, washing up, and showering, etc. Do not save this for last as washing up can have the effect of waking your body up and give you a more difficult time getting to bed - so do this at the start of your night routine.
Next, I find that doing some journaling helps to wrap the day up. It doesn’t have to be a long journal entry, but jotting some thoughts of the day down, or answering some prompts can tell your brain that the day is over and it is time for bed.
These 3 prompts are great for journaling at night:
What are three great things that happened to you today?
What are three things that you learned today?
What could you have done today that would have made it even better?
You can also use this journaling time to declutter your mind. If you have any new ideas, or things that are on your to-do list in your mind, I recommend writing them down instead of letting them take up space in your brain. Writing things down allows you to empty your mind of that stress and puts it on paper so you won’t have to worry about remembering that idea or task. Use this time to plan the following day, highlighting the most important things you want to get done tomorrow so you have a plan of action and don’t have to ponder or worry about it before bedtime.
Another great idea for journaling is to journal a bit on a question that has been on your mind or has been bothering you. Is there a life-changing decision you have to make but you have been putting it off? Writing and journaling can help you gain some clarity. Just talk to yourself as you would a friend while you are journaling. If you do this, then you are setting up your subconscious mind to think on it while you are sleeping and may even find the answer you are looking for in your dreams. When you wake up, you are likely to have more clarity on your situation.
Lastly, after journaling and clearing our minds, we want to activate the parasympathetic nervous system. This is the part of your nervous system that is responsible for “resting and digesting”. The sympathetic nervous system is the “fight or flight” nervous system. This sympathetic nervous system should not be active before bed, but the parasympathetic nervous system should. Here are some tips to activate the parasympathetic nervous system. First you want to make sure that your bedroom is a little on the cooler side. Either turn on the ac, or a fan, use cool sheets, or sleep with little to no clothes on. This is especially important if you live in a hotter climate. Equally as important is to avoid anything loud like music, or violent or suspenseful movies before bed, and also avoid blue light coming from cellphone devices, computers, or tablets. Keep these devices out of reach during your night routine or use the blue-light night setting on your device while also dimming down the brightness. If you must use your device, be sure to also use blue-light blocking glasses. After some journaling, do a relaxing activity that you enjoy. I personally like to read a book to help me unwind, or I’ll listen to an audio book. It will usually be something in the fiction realm as something non-fiction or too intellectual will keep my brain with its gears turning when I’m aiming for the opposite before bed.
Reading is just one way to unwind before bed. There are many things you can do to activate your Parasympathetic nervous system. You can choose from the detox tools mentioned below to create a calming night routine for yourself to unwind right before bed.
Detox Tools to Help with Sleep:
Along with powerful herbs that help the body wind down, help calm the nervous system, help heal the adrenal glands and combat stress, there are also detox tools that can help the body rest and relax in order to get amazing and restorative sleep. Choose from the following!
Salt Bath Soaks (Dead Sea Salt or Epsom Salt Baths)
Meditation (There are many types of meditations, I personally like the third eye meditation focusing on the strengthening of the pineal gland).
Yoga and Stretching before bed
Breath Work (Deep breathing to relax and calm the mind and body)
Aromatherapy/Essential Oils for Sleep (Lavender, peppermint, chamomile, cedarwood, bergamot, and frankincense are wonderful to diffuse in your bedroom).
Dim all the lights and use Himalayan Salt Lamps for light.
Sound Therapy - the Sound of rain and thunder, the ocean, and other nature sounds can be very comforting while you are sleeping.
Use a weighted blanket to reduce anxiety and promote deep sleep.
Have a Relaxing Bedroom - Rearrange your furniture and redecorate every so often to your liking.
Things to Avoid for Good Sleep
I would recommend just saying no to late-night activities if you are struggling with chronic insomnia. Once in a blue moon is okay, but if you are staying up late every night until the wee hours of the day, you are depleting your nervous system of the energy it needs to restore itself. Remember, at all times, what is most important for you is to feel good, well rested, and heal your body.
Here are some keys to pay attention to that can make it difficult to sleep at night. Be sure to avoid these!
Phones, Electronics, Laptops, Tablets
For a good night’s sleep, turn off electronics and phones and laptops, use blue-light blocking technology in glasses or the settings on your devices. Blue light stimulates photo receptors in your eye that suppress melatonin release from your pineal gland. Melatonin is the most important hormone for the onset of sleep. You can also make sure that you set your phone to silencing calls, notifications, and texts after a certain time every night and have it automatically disable the next morning. This can be especially helpful in preventing random spam calls that can wake you up while you are asleep. I recommend keeping electronic devices as far away from you, on airplane mode and with wifi and bluetooth turned off as these frequencies can contribute to poor sleep as well.
Stimulants
Avoid drinking coffee, energy drinks, or any stimulants. Stimulants can keep us wired hours later even at night, affecting sleep patterns! If you find that you are tired in the morning and need something to give you energy, instead of reaching for stimulants, reach for herbs, superfoods, and foods that naturally energize your body by healing the root cause of your fatigue issues. The best superfoods for energy are: bee pollen, spirulina, berries, seaweed, ashwagandha, ginseng, all fruits that provide simple sugars for physical and mental energy! The superfood blend that I recommend to my clients is fantastic to take in the morning for energy and has many of these foods and herbs all in one. Only take these superfoods and herbs during the daytime (not during the afternoon or night) as they can bring a lot of physical and mental energy into the body that can keep you awake at night.
Lack of physical activity during the Day
If you spend your entire day in bed, on your phone, or not getting much physical movement, at night you may not feel like falling asleep. Likewise, exercise can help us produce feel good hormones that lowers our stress levels, quiets anxious or mental thought patterns, and helps us feel like we have earned a good night’s sleep!
A Messy and Cluttered Room/Home
A good habit is to keep an organized space and home. Instead of spending hours cleaning every week or two, dedicate time to tidy up for a few minutes every night before bed. Have the dishes done, floors cleaned, and space decluttered with everything in its place. A clean and decluttered environment is just one more thing that your brain will not have to worry about and it won’t add to your stress!
Poor Oxygenation
Keep windows open or keep plants in your bedroom that clean the air and increase the oxygen saturation in your bedroom. Likewise you can also improve the air quality throughout your home by keeping more plants! Excellent plants that help clean the air of harmful substances are: Pothos, peace lily, spider plants, philodendrons, and snake plants. These plants are fairly easy to care for. You can find plant guides online to help them grow and thrive!
If you have been experiencing insomnia or poor sleep, then it is time to detox! As a detox specialist, I can see what your healing protocol should look like through the signs your body exhibits with your symptoms, health history, and the signs in your eyes. This is imperative in knowing which glands, organs, and systems need the most support on your healing journey in order for you to completely heal. If you would like to work with me and my team one-on-one in the healing of your health issues, go to: www.spiritrawpicalhealing.com/services to book an appointment!
I hope this in depth article has helped you understand all the root causes of insomnia, and what you can do to heal your sleep issues if you are currently experiencing this. The benefits of getting enough sleep and going to bed at the appropriate time, while also waking up early, are endless and can transform your life and how you feel in your body. I also hope that with this information, you have seen just how important it is for you to detox your body in order for you to heal and also to prevent any future diseases. It is especially important to detox if you are currently suspecting that you are struggling with many of the areas discussed in this article today. Through detoxification with powerful fruits, raw foods, specific detox tools, and an herbal protocol specific to your body’s weaknesses, you can heal and completely reverse any dis-ease!
Until Next Time,
Happy Healing!
-Ailin Duran D.S.