Is lack of sleep giving you bags under the eyes? Are you so sleep deprived that the only way to get through the morning is by drinking a triple espresso? Not being able to sleep affects  everyone at some point in their life and about 10% of the population suffer from insomnia that continues for 6 months or more. Many experts recommend we get between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per night and whilst it's important to make sure we get enough sleep, it is equally important we get good quality sleep.

Sleep is necessary to help our brains recover and recuperate from the day's activities. We have different cycles of sleep to achieve this. If you are not getting enough sleep, or your sleep cycles are disturbed, then your brain is not getting enough time to rejuvenate and "reset" resulting in:

• Poor concentration
• Poor memory
• Clumsiness
• Low mood
• Irritability
• Fatigue

Poor sleep and also impact on tissue repair and detoxification, and may affect your fertility

Whilst there are many reasons for sleep disturbances, STRESS is the most common trigger. Researchers have found that there is often an increase in the stress hormone cortisol in people who have sleeping problems, so stress management is essential.

The benefits of using natural therapies for sleep maintenance are that they are not addictive like some medicines, and won't leave you feeling groggy in the morning. More importantly, treatments like Acupuncture, Herbal Medicine and Nutritional Supplements can help address the underlying causes of poor sleep such as nutritional deficiencies and stress.