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Marnie Evans* was on vacation with her husband and kids in
Northern Ontario three years ago when her allergy medication ran out. Instead
of risking a medical emergency, she headed to the local hospital to get a new
prescription. But when the admitting nurse asked Marnie why she was there,
it became clear she had bigger problems than an expired prescription. Marnie
broke down in tears; suddenly allergies were the farthest thing from her mind.
“I haven’t slept in months,” she blurted out. “And I just can’t cope anymore.”
The 44-year-old felt herself drowning in work and had recently watched several
co-workers get laid off, which made her feel rattled by her own job instability. She
recalls struggling with insomnia on and off throughout her adult life, but this was
different. “I got very anxious about it, but that only made things worse,” she says.
Once the allergy meds were dealt with, the emergency doctor gave Marnie two
prescriptions: one for a tranquilizer to help her find calm in the short term, and
another that simply said, “Sleep.” “Take this to your family doctor,” he said.
“You need to figure this out.”
Marnie is one of the more than three million Canadians, mostly women, who
struggle with insomnia: It often takes them more than 30 minutes to fall asleep,
they wake up regularly during the night, or their eyes pop open at least a half-hour
before the alarm goes off . And the result? “During the day they feel awful,” says
psychologist Colleen Carney, director of the Sleep and Mood Disorder Program
at Ryerson University in Toronto. But there’s more to it than that: “Fatigue impacts
the way you think, your ability to concentrate and how you make decisions,” says
Carney. Plus, mounting research shows lack of sleep is linked to higher rates of
obesity, premature aging and chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease.
If Marnie’s story sounds familiar, try these surprisingly effective ways to stop
tossing and turning—and get your health back on track.
When Rachel Pulfer, the 36-year-old
executive director of Journalists for
Human Rights in Toronto, struggled
with severe insomnia a few years
back, she eventually found relief
with a simple rule: Don’t check
emails after 7 p.m. She found that
if she worked too close to bedtime,
she was guaranteed disrupted sleep.
She also created a pre-sleep routine
that included a lavender bath and
drinking warm milk before bed.
Try this trick: Pick a time to turn
off all electronics (ideally two hours
after work or less) . Use your newfound
time to relax with a warm
mug of milk or enjoy a calming
aromatherapy bath.
2. Do yoga at night
The one good thing about
insomnia is that it often highlights
bigger issues. “If you’re stressed out
and just pushing through it, maybe
you should think, ‘This anxiety is so
bad that it’s impairing my ability to
sleep. Maybe I need to take better
care of myself,’” says Carney, whose
book Quiet Your Mind and Get to
Sleep is the guide Marnie credits
for helping to improve her sleep.
Some experts point to yoga
as a powerful way to unwind
a stressed-out, overactive mind.
Holding poses and focusing the
breath can reduce heart rate
and blood pressure, leaving
you more relaxed.
Try this trick: Look for an evening
hatha or restorative yoga class
that you can do after work.
Jennifer Bunzenmeyer, a naturopathic
doctor at the Acadia
Wellness Centre in Calgary, says
that stressful, hectic days force us to
produce large amounts of hormones
like adrenaline or cortisol over time,
which can leave us too stimulated
to fall asleep. Combat this problem
by giving yourself a ‘recess.’
Try this trick: Find a quiet corner
to do her favourite breathing
exercise (which you can also
do at night): Close your eyes
and breathe in deeply through
your nose for four counts, then
breathe out through your mouth
for another four counts. Repeat
until you feel relaxed. Meditation
can also help. “It teaches you
to calm down your mind,” says
Bunzenmeyer, who suggests the
Mindfulness for Beginners CD
series by Jon Kabat-Zinn.
4. Get out of bed
If 20 minutes has passed
and you’re still sleepless or
worrying, bust out the fuzzy
slippers. Carney points out that
the worrying is likely happening
because you’re in and out of
stage 1 sleep, that not-quite-asleep
time when thoughts can
be intense and irrational. “When
you go into another room, you’re
not in stage 1 anymore, so you’re
more lucid and all those worries
are more likely to just go away.”
Once you’re relaxed and feeling
sleepy, go back to bed.
Try this trick: Prep your den
or living room with a night light
and a good book.
If you’re struggling with
insomnia, it might seem natural
to take a nap. But all you’re doing
then is teaching your body it
needs less sleep. To get deep,
restorative sleep, you have to
wear yourself out. And that’s
better achieved by socializing
and staying active.
Try this trick: Instead of nodding
off after dinner, meet a friend for
a walk outdoors. Fresh air is
nature’s sleep aid.
6. Keep a sleep journal
Each of us has an internal
sleep clock, which sets the window
of time the body is most primed
to sleep. It’s individual and fairly
fixed (which is why there are
early birds and night owls).
Carney and her team help people
determine this window through
sleep diaries as part of cognitive
behavioural therapy (CBT). Here’s
how it works: Say your sleep
diary shows that you usually fall
asleep around 11 p.m. and wake
up at 6 a.m.; that’s your approximate
window. Force yourself to
be in bed only during those
hours, and don’t go to bed if
you’re not sleepy. “You might
not get to sleep until two, but
when it’s six o’clock, it’s feet-on-the-floor time. Yes, that sucks
for the day after, but you’ll be
rewarded that night with deep
sleep.” Usually within a week
or so, says Carney, the body will
fill up the window with sleep
since it’s naturally inclined to
rest during that time, and you’ve
reinforced that this is your
only opportunity for sleep.
Try this trick: Keep a journal on
your bedside table to pinpoint
your window – then stick to it.
If you struggle to get to sleep
at home but don’t have trouble
in other places (like on vacation
or when visiting someone), it’s
possible your bed has become
a signal for wakefulness, says
Carney. “If you associate the bed
with sleeplessness, you just have
to look at it, and you’ll instantly
feel awake and anxious.”
Try this trick: Move the furniture,
change the wall colour or get
new sheets. Even lowering the
temperature could do the trick.
8. Use natural
supplements
Although it can be very tempting
to open the medicine cabinet
or dip into your liquor stash,
neither one holds an effective
remedy, says Charles Morin,
professor of psychology and
director of the sleep research
center at Université Laval in
Quebec City. Over-the-counter
meds, such as Nytol, contain
antihistamines, which make you
drowsy but can also leave you
feeling groggy and nauseous.
You’re also more likely to wake
up with a headache the next day.
And what about a quick nightcap?
“Even if a drink helps you relax
in the moment, you’ll likely have a
more fitful sleep and wake up in the
night, so skip it,” says Morin. And
of course there’s the risk of getting
hooked: Carney says that one study
of people with chronic insomnia
showed they were more likely to
develop problems with alcohol
than those without sleep troubles.
Try this trick: Ask your doctor
about natural alternatives like
melatonin, or consider acupuncture.
Bunzenmeyer also
suggests balancing hormones
with omega-3 supplements.
Bunzenmeyer has noticed that
many of her patients suffering from
insomnia have improved their sleep
by balancing their blood sugar
levels through their diet. “People
often wake up in the night because
their blood sugar has dropped.”
Try this trick: To stabilize bloodsugar, she recommends starting the
day with a balanced breakfast and
eating protein at each meal and
snack. Caffeine (coffee, black tea,
pop and chocolate) is a no-no. Use
camomile and passion-flower teas,
which have natural sleep-enhancing
properties, says Bunzenmeyer.
10. Don’t panic
You’re lying in bed watching
the minutes change on the clock,
thinking about how tired you’re going
to be tomorrow. But the more you
stress, the more you can’t sleep, and
the more you can’t sleep, the more
you stress. “If people are more
relaxed about the sleep loss, the
insomnia gets better and they can
recover,” says Carney. It’s a lesson
Marnie has learned well. “I used to
be so worried about my sleep. Now
I tell myself that if I don’t sleep, I
will be able to cope. And I do.”
Professional help
If nothing else helps, it might be time to try medication or therapy. Here's what you need to know:
For stress insomnia: Sleeping
pills prescribed by
your doctor (like
Ambien) can help
relieve short-term
insomnia caused by
stress, such as the
death or serious
illness of a loved
one, divorce or job
loss. But they’re not
recommended for
chronic insomnia
due to side effects
and loss of efficacy
in the longer term.
For chronic insomnia: Cognitive behavioural
therapy (CBT)
is a smart treatment
for chronic
insomnia. With it,
you can learn how
to adjust the way
you think about
sleep and learn
to reframe your
sleep habits.
Bottom line:
Marnie Evans
tried both: CBT
helped treat her
insomnia, and she
has a prescription
sleep aid that she
calls her “security
blanket.” She has
used it occasionally,
like when she
started a new job.
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