Pathophysiology of Sleep Debt and Sleep Therapeutics
90 minutes  
 
The state of sleep debt, induced when hours of sleep drop below seven to eight hours, includes profound changes in the endocrine, cardiovascular, and immune systems. Natural treatments for these systems are sure to ultimately fail unless the underlying sleep debt is corrected. Herbal nervines and hypnotics, administered in the context of lifestyle changes to induce recuperative sleep and establish normal sleep duration and depth, become critical to the successful practice of herbalism in chronic disease. Sleep debt is a major obstacle to cure and is present to some extent in the majority of patients in the U.S. today. Bed rest and recommendations for recuperative rest have traditionally been an important therapeutic intervention in many medical systems and may be more important in the current era than in the past when individuals habitually slept more than they do now.  This lecture defines and covers the pathophysiology of sleep debt in detail, and with this understanding offers lifestyle modifications and herbal materia medica to help optimize restorative sleep.
 
Materials
The audio file
Lecture notes
Sleep Hygiene Handout
Sleep-Cycle Questionnaire
 
This lecture is offered as Continuing Education by the NAIMH but has not been pre-approved for CE credits by any professional board.
 
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Fatigue: Pathophysiology, Natural Therapeutics, and Adaptogens