Fuel your well-being: How to solve sleep problems?

Summary: How to solve your sleep problems?

The radio column addresses the importance of sleep and the challenges many people face in sleeping well. Lynn Goneau, naturopath La Boite à Grains, highlights the harmful consequences of lack of sleep on physical and mental health. She explains how sleep affects memory, decision-making, mood, and the immune system, as well as sleep's role in repairing and cleansing the body.

Lynn gives practical tips for improving sleep quality, including exposure to natural light in the morning and avoiding bright screens in the evening. She also recommends relaxing activities before bed, as well as foods and supplements rich in magnesium and calcium to promote sleep.

Additionally, Lynn mentions two natural health products, Stress FX and Sleep Great, that can help relieve stress and improve sleep without resorting to pharmaceutical sleep aids.

The conversation ends with Frédéric inviting listeners to meet Lynn at La Boite à Grains for additional advice.

1. Introduction: Sleep Challenges

The radio column begins by highlighting the difficulties many people encounter in sleeping well, highlighting the importance of the subject.

2. Impact of lack of sleep on health

Lynn Goneau highlights the harmful consequences of lack of sleep on physical and mental health, particularly on memory, decision-making, mood and the immune system.

3. Role of sleep in body repair

The importance of sleep in repairing and cleansing the body is explained, highlighting its crucial role in maintaining good overall health.

4. Tips for Improving Sleep Quality

Lynn gives practical tips for improving sleep quality, such as exposure to natural light in the morning and avoiding bright screens in the evening.

5. Sleep-Promoting Foods and Supplements

Foods and supplements rich in magnesium and calcium are recommended to promote sleep, with examples including almonds, sunflower seeds, and avocados.

6. Natural products to relieve stress and improve sleep

Two natural products, Stress FX and Sleep Great, are mentioned as natural alternatives to relieve stress and promote sleep, without resorting to pharmaceutical sleeping pills.

7. Invitation to meet Lynn for additional advice

Frédéric invites listeners to meet Lynn at La Boite à Grains for additional sleep tips.

About the author

Lynn Goneau, Qualified Naturopath

Specialized in:

• Digestive health
• Hormonal health
• Stress and fatigue
• Memory and concentration
• Weight management

Frédéric Bisson, radio host at 104.7 FM

Host at the 104.7 FM radio station on the Cogeco network. Frédéric Bisson hosts the show L'Outaouais Now from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. every day of the week since February 27, 2023.

Transcription

Frederic Bisson - Host 104.7FM (00:19):

Those who have problems falling asleep or sleeping well. We talk about all this with our friend the naturopath from La Boite à Grains Hello Lynn Goneau.

Lynn Goneau - Naturopath La Boite à Grains (00:28):

Hello Fred.

Frederic Bisson - Host 104.7FM (00:29):

It's not easy. There are many people who have difficulty sleeping.

Lynn Goneau - Naturopath La Boite à Grains (00:32):

Yes, finally, Fred, you can even say that there are 43% of men who don't sleep well, then 55% of women who have difficulty falling asleep, then staying asleep.

Frederic Bisson - Host 104.7FM (00:44):

It's more than half anyway.

Lynn Goneau - Naturopath La Boite à Grains (00:46):

Yes, lack of sleep can affect Fred, your memory, your ability to retain or make decisions in all sorts of ways. When you haven't had a good night's sleep, do you just want junk food? Tse. Are you chasing your comfort food?

Frederic Bisson - Host 104.7FM (01:04):

Correct.

Lynn Goneau - Naturopath La Boite à Grains (01:04):

Does that happen to you Fred?

Frederic Bisson - Host 104.7FM (01:05):

Sugar. When I'm tired, it's amazing.

Lynn Goneau - Naturopath La Boite à Grains (01:08):

Your immune system is weakened. And greatly there. It's really, that's where you can catch all the germs, then get the flu, etc. It can affect your mood, your patience. We have a lot less when we haven't slept well. Yes. In short, it causes lots of unpleasant symptoms. Did you know Fred that during your sleep, this is where your body repairs and cleans itself?

Frederic Bisson - Host 104.7FM (01:33):

This is what I found out recently.

Lynn Goneau - Naturopath La Boite à Grains (01:36):

Yes, research will show it. You need to sleep a minimum of seven hours a night, and the ideal is really between eight and nine. Of course, each person is different. What is your magic number?

Frederic Bisson - Host 104.7FM (01:50):

Right now, I'm trying to sleep between eight and nine hours. It's quite easy, on Saturday I slept 14 hours.

Lynn Goneau - Naturopath La Boite à Grains (01:57):

Ah, you needed it.

Frederic Bisson - Host 104.7FM (01:59):

I needed it. Yes, sometimes I think it's a little too much, but I'm a big sleeper.

Lynn Goneau - Naturopath La Boite à Grains (02:03):

Well, me too, nine o'clock. It's my taste. So for each person it's different, and we know what we can, how we can function well with our hours of sleep.

Frederic Bisson - Host 104.7FM (02:12):

Tell us about the system. How it works to fall asleep, to stay asleep.

Lynn Goneau - Naturopath La Boite à Grains (02:17):

There, we are definitely going to talk about melatonin. This is really the hormone which is the sleep hormone. The body will produce it. Then sometimes, it is difficult to produce it, especially when you are in great periods of stress to help your body produce melatonin. Here are some little suggestions in the morning. The ideal is to go out, then take in the morning glow. So the sun, if you can't go out for clarity, expose yourself to a window to be able to have that clarity, that will trigger your wake-up cycle, sleep in the evening obviously. But you have to expose it to darkness. You can take a little margin of when it starts to get darker or even just dim your lights to create in your house, to create a little atmosphere that is dark. Because that’s what will trigger the production of melatonin in your body.

Frederic Bisson - Host 104.7FM (03:09):

In the living room at home, I have a light bulb and for half an hour, so it will decrease in intensity until it goes out completely. So I wear that all the time.

Lynn Goneau - Naturopath La Boite à Grains (03:17):

Wonderful, that’s excellent.

Frederic Bisson - Host 104.7FM (03:19):

But the problem is that I'm looking at a screen at the same time.

Lynn Goneau - Naturopath La Boite à Grains (03:22):

Well, just that. That doesn't help the blue lights of the famous screens, cell phones, tablets, that's as if your brain, it's going to realize that there's like a ray of sunshine there, that's going to prevent you from producing it. If you are stressed, your body will produce cortisol instead of melatonin.

Frederic Bisson - Host 104.7FM (03:51):

Stress-free, but how?

Lynn Goneau - Naturopath La Boite à Grains (03:52):

So you need activities that will relax you in the evening. Example: hot baths, reading, yoga, meditation, anything that relaxes. It could be chamomile or lemon balm herbal teas, these are things that will allow you, at least, to relieve your stress.

Frederic Bisson - Host 104.7FM (04:12):

I understand.

Lynn Goneau - Naturopath La Boite à Grains (04:16):

Here we are going to talk about magnesium. Magnesium is a mineral that will help you relax your muscles and then promote your sleep. You can take it from me, I take a liquid, but you can also find it in foods. Almonds, sunflower seeds, avocados are good to eat in the evening or even during the day.

Frederic Bisson - Host 104.7FM (04:36):

Well, remind us of the foods to eat to sleep well, to stay asleep, it's clear that coffee, tea, we remove that...

Lynn Goneau - Naturopath La Boite à Grains (04:43):

Dark chocolate, coffee, anything with caffeine. Those that will help produce your melatonin are more like turkey, chickpeas, lentils, all foods that are rich in calcium because calcium will play a role in really producing melatonin. Yogurt, green leafy vegetables, salmon, sardines. And then even before going to bed, sometimes I feel a little peckish. I have a small snack, yogurt with nuts, nuts with seeds, I mix that with pumpkin seeds, then sunflower seeds. This will help me because going to bed hungry doesn't help.

Frederic Bisson - Host 104.7FM (05:21):

And there are solutions with supplements too. If you don't want to resort to pharmaceutical sleeping pills, you can use these supplements.

Lynn Goneau - Naturopath La Boite à Grains (05:33):

So I have two products from the company Healthology. The first is called Stress FX. Then it's a formula that will help you relieve symptoms of stress. There, you take it during the day. Cognitive functions, concentration, mental stamina and all that will be increased. It will ease your nervous agitation. You take Stress FX during the day, then the other product called Sleep Great it is a formula used to reduce the time it takes to fall asleep. Those who have difficulty falling asleep. She is excellent.

Frederic Bisson - Host 104.7FM (06:26):

Excellent. We're going to owe you tomorrow at La Boite à grains?

Lynn Goneau - Naturopath La Boite à Grains (06:31):

Always Tuesdays at La Boite à Grains on Boulevard Gréber from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. It makes me happy to chat with people.

Frederic Bisson - Host 104.7FM (06:39):

Well, Lynn, good sleep. Worse, we hope it goes well and we'll talk again next week.