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

Summary: How do you solve your sleep problems?

The radio column discusses the importance of sleep and the challenges many people face in getting a good night's sleep. Lynn Goneau, naturopath of La Boite à GrainsLynn Goneau, a naturopathic doctor, highlights the harmful effects of sleep deprivation 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 bedtime, as well as foods and supplements rich in magnesium and calcium to promote sleep.

In addition, Lynn mentions two natural health products, Stress FX and Sleep Great, which can help relieve stress and improve sleep without resorting to pharmaceutical sleeping pills.

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

1. Introduction: The challenges of sleep

The radio chronicle begins by highlighting the difficulties many people face in getting a good night's sleep, underscoring the importance of the subject.

2. Impact of sleep deprivation on health

Lynn Goneau highlights the harmful effects of sleep deprivation on physical and mental health, including memory, decision-making, mood and the immune system.

3. Sleep's role in repairing the body

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 advice on how to improve sleep quality, such as exposing yourself to natural light in the morning and avoiding bright screens in the evening.

5. Sleep-enhancing 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 for relieving stress and promoting sleep, without resorting to pharmaceutical sleeping pills.

7. Invitation to meet Lynn for further advice

Frédéric invites listeners to meet Lynn at La Boite à Grains for further advice on sleep.

About the author

Lynn Goneau, Certified Naturopath

Specialized in :

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

Frédéric Bisson, radio host at 104.7 FM

Radio host at 104.7 FM on the Cogeco network. Frédéric Bisson has hosted L'Outaouais Maintenant from 3 to 5 p.m. every weekday since February 27, 2023.

Transcription

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

Those who have trouble falling asleep or sleeping well. We talk about it all with our friend, the naturopath from La Boite à Grains Lynn Goneau hello.

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

Hello Fred.

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

It's not easy. A lot of people have trouble sleeping.

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

Yes, well, Fred, you could even say that 43% of men don't sleep well, and 55% of women have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep.

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

That's more than half.

Lynn Goneau - Naturopath of 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 feel like eating junk food? Tsé. Do you run after your comfort food?

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

Exact.

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

Does that happen to you, Fred?

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

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

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

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

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

This is what I recently learned.

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

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

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

At the moment, I'm trying to sleep between eight and nine hours. It's pretty easy; on Saturday I slept 14 hours.

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

Ah, you needed it.

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

I needed it. Yes, sometimes I think it's a bit much, but I'm a heavy sleeper.

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

Well, so am I. Nine o'clock. That's how I like it. So for each person it's different, then we know what we can, how well we can function with our hours of sleep.

Frédéric Bisson - Radio host 104.7FM (02:12):

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

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

We're going to talk about melatonin. This is really the hormone that is the sleep hormone. The body produces it. And sometimes it's hard to produce, especially when you're under great stress, to help your body produce melatonin. Here are a few suggestions in the morning. Ideally, you should go outside and take in the morning light. So, if you can't go out in the sunshine, expose yourself to a window so you can get that light. This will trigger your wake-up and sleep cycle in the evening, of course. But you have to expose yourself to darkness. You can take a small margin when it starts to get darker or even just dim your lights to create a little atmosphere in your home that's dark. Because that's what's going to trigger the production of melatonin in your body.

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

In our living room, I have a light bulb that dims for half an hour until it goes out completely. So I use this all the time.

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

Wonderful, that's excellent.

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

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

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

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

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

Stress-free, but how?

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

So you need activities that will relax you in the evening. Hot baths, reading, yoga, meditation, anything that relaxes. It could be chamomile tea, lemon balm tea, etc. These are things that will at least help to relieve your stress.

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

I understand.

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

Let's talk about magnesium. Magnesium is a mineral that helps relax your muscles and promote sleep. You can take magnesium in liquid form, but you can also find it in food. Almonds, sunflower seeds, avocados, it's good to eat these in the evening or even during the day.

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

Okay, remind us of the foods that are best for sleeping well, for staying asleep. It's clear that coffee and tea are out...

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

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

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

There are also solutions with supplements. If you don't want to go to pharmaceutical sleeping pills, you can use these supplements.

Lynn Goneau - Naturopath of 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 to help relieve symptoms of stress. You take it during the day. Cognitive functions, concentration, mental endurance and all that will be increased. It will relieve your nervous agitation. You take Stress FX during the day, then the other product called Sleep Great is a formula we use to reduce the time it takes to fall asleep. Those who have trouble falling asleep. It's an excellent formula.

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

Excellent. We'll owe you tomorrow at La Boite à grains?

Lynn Goneau - Naturopath of 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's a pleasure to chat with people.

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

Bah Lynn bon dodo. We hope it goes well and we'll talk again next week.