Insomnia and Thyroid Disease

Insomnia is one of the most frequent complaints Americans bring to their own healthcare professional. What you may not know is that insomnia may be attributed as a side effect associated with thyroid disease.

What's the connection between insomnia and thyroid disease?

Good sleep is crucial for good health. Sleep helps our brains function and helps regulate our emotions, so it helps heal your heart and blood vessels, and it helps maintain a healthy balance. However, when an underlying issue like thyroid disease affects the body, it can lead to a variety of symptoms, in many cases even sleep disturbances.

Insomnia and your Thyroid

Numerous studies have shown that insomnia is related to nutritional deficiencies, specifically certain vitamins and minerals. Whenever you have thyroid issues associated with an overactive or an underactive thyroid, you may also have gut issues. Gut problems can mean that your body is not absorbing the nutrients it requires from your food.

Another potential cause for insomnia occurs whenever your cortisol levels are out of whack. Cortisol is the "stress" hormone produced by your adrenal glands. It's obviously higher in the evening when it is time to go to sleep, once we will need to wake up, and lower in the early hours. In case your adrenals are overstressed, however, they could be releasing cortisol at all times of the night and day, which makes it hard to fall asleep and stay asleep. Increased levels of cortisol in the body reduce thyroid function, therefore such issues often go hand in hand.

Changing Sleep Habits to Eliminate Insomnia

Certainly, insomnia is a symptom of a much bigger issue and it can contribute to other serious issues such as brain fog, depression, and weight reduction. Yet a lot of patients don't seem to prioritize sleep. How often has it been discovered that someone is used to "getting by" on just six, five, or four hours of sleep a night. Research studies have demonstrated that adults need between 7 and 8 hours of sleep per night for overall health and wellness.

Achieving a Better Night's Sleep

First let us be clear: Most of us want to sleep better regardless of how many countless nights we've spent tossing and turning or staring at the ceiling. It is not that we don't wish to sleep but occasionally we're not making it a priority.

That's why it's essential to make a call of action based on the simple fact that you need to be educated and do something about it. And that something doesn't involve introducing more chemicals into your already overburdened body and it most definitely doesn't involve popping a pill that will help you sleep. The remedy is all about designing your life to be conducive to proper sleep. Below are some tips which can help you achieve a better night's sleep.

Morning:

• Start your day with some light exercise. It's suggested to do yoga, tai chi, or qi gong for the positive physical and psychological advantages to many of my customers. The National Sleep Foundation shows that exercise is an excellent way for fighting with insomnia.
• Meditate. Practice meditation for five minutes or more. Mindfulness as a technique has proven to help lower insomnia by reducing stress and promoting relaxation.
• Skip the caffeine. It is not great for your adrenals and it has been demonstrated as a potential cause for sleeplessness.
• Eat 2 Brazil nuts with breakfast. Brazil nuts are a great source of selenium.

During the day:

• Take your time back. One of the very best practices for stress reduction patients should learn about is ninja time management, that means chopping out any actions which are not critical to your day. 
• Get outside.Vitamin D is just another very important nutrient for sleep regulation, so only getting a little sun every day is a fantastic way to enhance your sleep. 
• Eat foods rich in vitamin A. These include potatoes and leafy greens. For greens, overcooking them can affect their goitrogenic properties, therefore it's ideal to steam them.

Evening:

• Eat a high-protein day meal. You understand the turkey coma we get after Thanksgiving dinner? Tryptophan, which helps the body produce melatonin and serotonin necessary for the sleep is brought on by it.
• Have some cherries for dessert. Sour cherries (particularly Montmorency) may also help enhance the body's supply of melatonin.
• Drink a little cup of chamomile tea. Chamomile is a all-natural sleep aid that is traditional.
• Have an epsom salts bath with lavender oil. The hot bath will help your body relax (and detoxify!) And the lavender is a wonderful aromatherapy scent for comfort.
• Turn off your devices at least 1 hour before bed. Your brain can stimulate to awaken. (Plus, anything you could read, like work mails, which could stress you out and isn't helping your sleep.
• Go to bed at the same time. Having a set bedtime lets your body become accustomed to a routine, and you will find every night, you feel sleepy at precisely the exact same time.

Should you employ these strategies in your day, it can practically be guaranteed that you'll see an improvement in your insomnia right away. It will allow you to sleep peacefully in the long term although this isn't a quick fix.

If you're desperate to get some sleep straight away try out these and consider seeking medical treatment from an experienced naturopathic, practical, integrative professional, functional medicine practitioner or health coach to learn what additional nutritional supplements might be perfect for you regarding your specific thyroid disease symptoms.

The scope of our information is limited to chiropractic and spinal injuries and conditions. For more information, please contact the proper professionals. 

By Dr. Alex Jimenez