How Can I Sleep Better? An Integrative Physician's Approach to Better Rest

One of the most frequent issues I hear from patients is their inability to experience sound sleep or to wake up feeling refreshed. Problems range from being unable to settle down for sleep, to having racing thoughts that keep them up at night, to waking in the middle of the night, unable to fall back asleep. Sleep is a foundational part of our health and poor sleep impacts your entire wellbeing: mood, focus, hormones, immunity, metabolism, and beyond.

This post includes some of the most frequent recommendations I share with patients regarding sleep optimization. 

But before jumping into solutions, it’s important to clarify: what kind of sleep issue is it—and what might be at the root?

🔍 First, What Kind of Insomnia Is It?

There are many root causes of sleep problems, and identifying the type is essential for targeted support. Here are a few I consider in clinical practice:

• Sleep-onset insomnia (trouble falling asleep): Often linked to stress, anxiety, late-night stimulation, blood sugar swings, or circadian rhythm disruption.
  
  

• Sleep-maintenance insomnia (frequent night wakings): May be due to cortisol spikes, hormone shifts, blood sugar crashes, or environmental disruptions. Many of my patients have frequent night wakings to urinate, which should be addressed as well.
  
  

• Early morning awakenings: Can be related to mood disorders like depression, low serotonin, or cortisol rhythm imbalances and excess stress. 
  
  

• Non-restorative sleep: You sleep, but feel unrefreshed. Consider nutrient deficiencies (like magnesium or B12), chronic inflammation, anemia, iron deficiency or undiagnosed sleep apnea.
  
  

🌿 Root Causes I Commonly Screen For: 

🧠 Possible Underlying Contributors:

• Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA): Especially if you snore, wake up gasping, or feel fatigued all day. (Consider checking out your risk with the STOP-BANG questionnaire for adults and Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire for kids). 

• Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS): Uncomfortable leg sensations or irresistible urges to move at night. May also be due to nutrient imbalances such as iron deficiency. 

• Alcohol or cannabis use: Can help with sleep onset, but disrupts REM and deep sleep cycles, resulting in low quality rest overall. Many prescription sleep drugs have the same effects. 

• Nutrient deficiencies: Especially iron, magnesium, B12, vitamin D and folate.

• Mood disorders or trauma: Anxiety, depression, and PTSD often show up as sleep disruption. 
  

🌿 Evidence Based Natural & Integrative Sleep Tools I Recommend:

These are the top lifestyle and natural supports I frequently recommend to my patients—many of which I use myself.

☀️ 1. Morning Sunlight: Sync Your Clock

One of the simplest ways to support melatonin production at night is by getting 5–10 minutes of unfiltered sunlight in the morning. Morning light helps trigger cortisol (which wakes you up) and sets the stage for healthy melatonin production 12–14 hours later. It also helps with serotonin production for a brighter mood.  

🔵 2. Reduce Blue Light Exposure in the Evening

Blue light from phones, tablets, and LEDs mimics daylight, suppressing melatonin—your body’s natural sleep hormone. If you can’t fully unplug you can use blue light blocking glasses or turn on Night Shift or f.lux apps. I also recommend dimming lights after sunset or using red lights for a more natural approach. 

🌡️ 3. Create a Wind-Down Routine: Shift Physiology

Winding down before bed is not just a luxury—it’s an important nervous system reset. Here are some ideas - 

• Warm bath or shower: Temporarily raises your core body temperature, then helps it fall—a signal to your brain that it’s time to sleep. Similarly, sauna exposure can promote deeper sleep when used earlier in the evening.
  

• Stretching or gentle yoga: Activates the parasympathetic system.
  

• Breathwork (like 4-7-8 breathing or box breathing): Slows your heart rate and calms the mind.

• Progressive Muscle Relaxation: Helps with body awareness and relaxation, it is a relaxation technique where you consciously tense and relax muscle groups throughout the body

• Apps like Insight Timer or Calm offer free guided wind-down routines or Yoga Nidra meditations.

🧠 4. CBT-I (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia)

This highly effective, non-drug approach rewires thought patterns and behaviors around sleep and helps reframe unhelpful sleep thoughts and behaviors. Especially helpful for chronic insomnia or “sleep anxiety.” There are many online programs available and it is generally covered by most insurance plans. 

🏃 5. Move Your Body (During the Day)

Regular physical activity, even just 20–30 minutes of walking, improves deep sleep and lowers nighttime cortisol. Just avoid intense workouts within 2-3 hours of bedtime.

🛌 6. Sleep Environment Matters

• Keep your bedroom dark, cool (around 65°F), and quiet
  

• Use blackout curtains.

• I recommend against white noise, especially for infants and children

• No TVs in the bedroom—reserve this space for rest, not stimulation
  

• Avoid doing work or watching the news in bed
  

• Make it feel safe, calm, and sacred
  
  

🌸 Gentle Natural Support I Turn To First

I frequently turn to evidenced based botanicals and nutrients to support my patients with sleep. 

🌼 Saffron

Yes, saffron isn’t just a culinary spice! Several clinical trials have shown saffron (particularly standardized extracts of safranal) can improve sleep quality, reduce sleep latency (how fast you fall asleep), and ease anxiety that interferes with rest.

• A 2021 meta-analysis found saffron supplementation significantly improved PSQI and ISI scores, and was well tolerated without significant side effects.
  

• It's especially helpful for people with comorbid anxiety or depression.
  
  

🌿 Typical dose range: 14–30 mg/day
 Always choose high-quality, third-party-tested extracts, such as our Saffwell Gummies. 

🌿 Magnesium (Glycinate or Threonate)

Supports relaxation and GABA activity. Can ease muscle tension and help calm the mind. Start with 200 mg nightly. 

🌿 Valerian Root

Traditionally used for sleep and anxiety. Helpful for some, but may cause vivid dreams or grogginess in others—so it’s not for everyone. Has been found to be as effective as benzodiazepines for sleep.

🌿 Sleep Is Medicine.

Sleep is not passive—it’s a powerful, active process of repair, detox, memory consolidation, and hormone balancing. When it’s disrupted, your body and mind take a hit. And while there’s no one-size-fits-all answer, there are many gentle, natural, and integrative ways to get to the root and reclaim restorative sleep.

It’s not just about getting enough hours—it’s about quality, rhythm, and feeling rested. If you're struggling, know that healing sleep is possible, and it often starts by honoring your body’s natural signals, rhythms, and needs.

🧪 References:

• Lopresti AL. Saffron for Sleep: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of RCTs. J Clin Sleep Med. 2022.
  

• Mansi L, et al. Saffron (Crocus sativus) and sleep: A systematic review. Complement Ther Med. 2023.
  

• Walia HK, Mehra R. Blue Light Exposure and Its Impact on Sleep: Mechanisms and Interventions. Sleep Med Clin. 2020.
  

• Manber R, Edinger JD. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I): A meta-analysis. JAMA Intern Med. 2015.