Truly, without sleep, we are just: without...

As a naturopathic doctor, it is my job to understand why something is happening; why somebody is experiencing the symptoms that he or she does, rather than place a bandaid on every manifestation I see, otherwise known as a "symptom." That's right: issues with sleep are a symptom of another concern. Although everybody's needs are individual and unique, I can speak to and give suggestions on what I commonly see walk into my office.

Most people don’t come into my office with their primary concern being sleep. It’s usually fatigue, digestive upset, hormonal dysfunction, you name it. But then when I prod closer, inquiring about their sleep, the remarks are nothing short of, “oh, terrible,” “awful.” And they’re all very matter-of-fact, to my surprise. I would think people would be more hung up on their sleep patterns, but it ranks lower on their priority list in comparison to the other things.