World Sleep Day - Getting enough sleep is important for womb health - be wary of natural sleep supplements

It’s World Sleep Day and this couldn’t be better timing as yesterday I had a Thyroid Blood Test and Blood Pressure check – my BP was sky-high and I think that sleep supplements contributed to a rise in BP.

I think that supplements may have contributed to a rise in my BP

I’ve always had anxiety related spiky blood pressure, not helped by the womb scare I experienced last year. Coupled with this, during the past year, I have also experienced menopausal insomnia – regularly waking up between 3-3.30am and worrying about the world! I know how bad sleepless nights are for us, so last year, I decided last year to purchase some natural sleep remedies. 

I read that 5-HTP and L-tryptophan along with a weighted blanket would help me sleep. I had also read that these supplements can cause Seratonin Syndrome and to be careful with doses. The signs of seratonin syndrome are high BP, a pounding heart and upset stomach. I also remember that two weeks ago I had an upset stomach and I remember now that I increased the dose because I couldn’t sleep. Was this related? Or is it a case of correlation does not imply causation? Anyway, after yesterday’s BP result, the nurse gave me a 7 day chart to record my BP. The Mayo Clinic states that medications to treat anxiety and meds that affect serotonin function can raise BP because they narrow the blood vessels. I was worried, so last night, I didn’t take any 5-HTP or L-Tryptophan, and I slept under my weighted blanket like a baby, although I woke at 6am.

The moral of #MySleepSupplementStory is threefold: 

  1. Herbal supplements are powerful and can poison you. Medical News Today says that 5-HTP “is derived from the seeds of Griffonia simplicifolia, which is an African plant. The supplement does not naturally occur in foods.”
  2. Herbal supplements are too easy to buy online and there should be more guidance.
  3. I’m kicking myself because I didn’t practice my inside-out philosophy to get to the source of the problem as I have done for #MyWombStory. Maybe it was because I was sleep-deprived!

I wish the Government invested as heavily into natural supplements; sleep deprivation causes irrational thinking and because natural supplements are so readily available, take these which may cause worse health issues. I know big pharma is all about money, however, pharmaceutical companies could still make money if they  prescribed safe and measured doses of natural supplements. The world would be a safer place, reducing overdosing and medicine conflicts. High BP can cause all sorts of damage to vital organs in the body. I have reversed womb damage, but could have killed myself by overdosing on serotonin. I will stick to my weighted blanket and cherry juice from now on and use my tried and tested inside out approach!

So, why do I wake up at 3am?

I discovered a couple of fascinating websites about waking up at 3am.

  1. The well known A.Vogel natural supplements said that a Traditional Chinese Medicine thought is that our bodies carry out important tasks 24/7 and they list different times for different organs. A. Vogel says:
    ” 1-3am is ‘liver time. One thing the liver needs is energy, and for that it uses glycogen from the body’s sugar stores. The problem is that adrenaline production also uses up glycogen, and adrenaline is what we produce when we are stressed and when our blood sugar levels are unstable.”  It suggests keeping a bottle of Dormeasan by your bed for if you wake up. Dormeasan contains Valerian and hops. However, even Valerian can cause side effects and interact with some drugs.
  2. Alfred Vogel (1902-1996) said; “Nature gives us everything we need to protect and maintain our health” – remember that I could have killed myself by overdosing on natural herbs, so treat herbal supplements as if they are pharmaceutical meds.
  3. There is also a spiritual thought to waking up between 3am and 5am. Some say It is a sign of spiritual awakening. Others including Medium suggest it’s a sign of sadness and also to pay attention to your lungs! Seeing as I was a smoker for 20 years and gave up 14 years ago; this is quite scary. However, a medical test I had in 2019 say my lung capacity was one point off an athlete’s score. I can’t wait to get back to swimming for that reason.

I accept that my body is out of balance

My body is obviously out of balance due to various stresses caused by some personal issues and my job! Going back to the high BP result, I measured my BP at 8am this morning – before coffee. The first result I took in my office and I had just logged on and spotted some technical issues on my website to be resolved – this BP result was 156/102 (should be 120/80). Ouch. So I changed rooms; I sat down in my living room, listened to a meditation, and within 10 mins my BP was 118/81. Wow! What a difference 10 minutes makes! My intuition was right for my womb, and it also tells me to avoid supplements that narrow my veins! 

I am pleased because this morning’s BP result means that I am in control of improving my BP simply by moving to a different room and meditating, The Blooming Wonderful Wombs vision is: Healthy Womb, Healthy Mind, Healthy Soul. Going forwards, I will be focusing on reducing stress and improving my sleep pattern from the inside out, which will continue to protect my womb. I practice self-reiki and will make more of an effort to do this more regularly and also ask the universal energy for healing to my lungs, liver and adrenals! As we speak, I am seeking an acupuncturist to help me stay healthy, and I will be meditating before bedtime. I will report my results in due course.

Thanks for reading – sleep well!

Warm wishes,

Vicky x