[New Study] Sleep, Stress, & Anxiety

👋 Raise your hand if you want more resilience to stress!

Less anxiety?

Yes please 🤚

New research shows that one way to achieve these things is simply by getting BETTER SLEEP.

The study looked at data from 1600 healthy adults during 2020 (an anxious time for lots of people!). Most of the participants were women.

They found that both positive coping strategies and higher quality sleep made people more resilient to stress and anxiety—independently, meaning each of these things work on their own.

Need some tips & motivation for better sleep?

✅ Keep the room cool

✅ Turn off screens in the evening

✅ Commit to a calming routine

✅ Cut off caffeine in the afternoon

✅ Get exercise during the day!

We have lots of tools in our functional medicine toolbox to help with stress, anxiety, & sleep.

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Reference

Sullivan EC, James E, Henderson LM, McCall C, Cairney SA. The influence of emotion regulation strategies and sleep quality on depression and anxiety [published online ahead of print, 2023 Jun 21]. Cortex. 2023;166:286-305. [link]

Steal this Sleep Secret 🤫

🌱 Sleep tip!

One thing I love to nerd out about is natural products. When it comes to sleep, lavender essential oil is one natural option with research to back it.

📚One study found that college students who wore a chest patch containing lavender essential oil had better sleep and ☀️woke up feeling more refreshed ☀️

Raise your hand if you want some of that ✋

Lavender essential oil is calming and stress relieving. Here are some ways to use it for better sleep:

▪️Apply a small amount to the wrists & temples

▪️Apply to the soles of the feet before bed

▪️Use in an aromatherapy diffuser

▪️Add to a warm bath before bed

LIKE this post if you needed to hear this today ❤️

Making Sense of Melatonin

Confused by all the different options for melatonin supplements? Let’s set this straight. 

Melatonin is a hormone naturally produced by the brain in response to darkness—following a cyclical 24-hour rhythm. Melatonin supplements can be taken to support sleep

Here are the top 3 questions I get about melatonin:

1️⃣ Should I take regular or timed-release melatonin?

If you struggle to FALL asleep, you’ll want to take regular melatonin for the fastest action. If you struggle to STAY asleep, timed-release is best. 

2️⃣ Should I take capsules, tablets, or a liquid?

If you want the fastest action to support sleep onset, it’s best to choose a liquid or a sublingual tablet. That way the melatonin can absorb directly into the capillaries under the tongue for the quickest effect. 

3️⃣ How much should I take? 

The optimal amount depends on your individual response as well as the reason you are taking melatonin (lower amounts support sleep whereas higher amounts support immune function). It’s best to talk with a healthcare professional!

Melatonin is just one tool in our toolkit to support sleep. If you struggle with sleep and want a natural approach to sleeping better, we invite you to book an appointment!