Insomnia

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Aspects of Insomnia
1. transient, acute, or chronic.

2. unable to fall asleep or unable to stay asleep.

3. poor sleep quality; never reaches delta sleep (restorative phase)

4. the fight or flight response to stress and anxiety (high cortisol).

Kitchen Remedies and Natural Cures for Insomnia
Eat a small snack just before bed.

Post-prandial somnolence is a normal state of drowsiness or lassitude following a meal. Post-prandial somnolence has two components – a general state of low energy related to activation of the parasympathetic nervous system in response to mass in the gastrointestinal tract, and a specific state of sleepiness caused by hormonal and neurochemical changes related to the rate at which glucose enters the bloodstream and its downstream effects on amino acid transport in the central nervous system. Digestion pulls blood to the gut; less blood in the brain should lessen brain activity.

Melatonin: because this site stays focused on food, supplements, and herbs.

The hormone melatonin, sold as a "dietary supplement" in some countries or as a slow-release prescription drug (Circadin) in Europe, is effective in several types of insomnia. Melatonin has demonstrated effectiveness equivalent to the prescription sleeping tablet zopiclone in inducing sleep and regulating the sleep/waking cycle. One particular benefit of melatonin is that it can treat insomnia without altering the sleep pattern, which is altered by many prescription sleeping tablets. Another benefit is it does not impair performance related skills.

Tryptophan: The body converts tryptophan into serotonin, then serotonin is converted into melatonin. Melatonin and serotonin functions make you feel relaxed and sleepy. The body can also turn truptophan into niacin. Tryptophan is a routine constituent of most protein-based foods or dietary proteins. It is particularly plentiful in chocolate, oats, dried dates, milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, red meat, eggs, fish, poultry, sesame, chickpeas, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, corn, spirulina, bananas, and peanuts. Bananas contain both melatonin and tryptophan. Despite popular belief that turkey has a particularly high amount of tryptophan, the amount of tryptophan in turkey is typical of most poultry. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tryptophan

5-HTP: The liver turns 5-HTP into serotonin. Like tryptophan, 5-HTP increases serotonin. People who take this supplement claim that they fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer, and have a longer delta stage sleep.

B vitamins: should be manufactured by one's own gut. Eat Greek Yogurt with live cultures. Supplements help until one builds up the intestinal flora.

Niacinamide (B-3):interacts with the benzodiazepine receptors, lowering the affects of stress and anxiety.

Calcium and Magnesium: Calcium without magnesium can cause restlessness. Magnesium is the natural balance and relaxes the muscles.

Green tea: has a calming effect from its amino acid L-theanine. Just another way to reduce stress and anxiety.

Herbal teas: chamomile, basil, cat nip, hops, St. John's wort, kava, linden, marjoram, passion flower, skullcap, valerian, and vervain.

Oatmeal: breakfast cereal or in baked goods. Could be your bedtime snack.

GABA (Gamma-aminobutyric acid): Like serotonin, GABA is a neurotransmitter. Amino Acids (especially Taurine) found in protein increases GABA. GABA reduces the stress neurotransmitters that cause fight or flight.

L-Glycine: 3 gm before bedtime improves sleep quality. Glycine is an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system, especially in the spinal cord, brainstem, and retina. There is some evidence showing that 3000 milligrams of glycine before bedtime improves sleep quality. ''Yamadera W, Inagawa K, Chiba S, Bannai M, Takahashi M, Nakayama K (2007). "Glycine ingestion improves subjective sleep quality in human volunteers, correlating with polysomnographic changes". Sleep and Biological rhythms 5 (2): 126–131''

Lavender: inside your pillow. Spray the bedding with lavender oil.

Iron or copper: get a lab test to see if your blood levels are low. Eat more shellfish.

Exercise helps overcome stress and anxiety. A lack of exercise affects the entire body, including the ability to sleep.

Create an environment
Create a schedule for the following (and stick to it)

Take a warm bath or shower and dress in pajamas.

Special night-time snack

Warm herbal tea or full fat milk

Only lay down in bed when going to sleep (don't push kids by putting them to bed).

Make the bed luxurious: New, extra nice sheets, pillows, etc. Egyptian cotton feels great.

Soft dim lights, perhaps candles.

Peaceful music (with a shut off timer).

Enjoyable, pleasure reading is OK as reading can put a person to sleep.

Three hours before bed
Don't take caffeine, coffee, regular tea, colas, aspirins, etc.

Don't watch scarry movies or read scarry books.

Don't get into any family fights.

Don't overeat; no large meals close to bedtime.

Don't fight nature
Allow yourself two weeks to grieve. If you are experiencing recent loss, it is normal to be un-normal. Let your emotions and body run their natural course. But after two weeks, get yourself up and moving so it does not become a chronic condition.

A person cannot over-come or counteract stress and anxiety when right in the middle of a particular situation or problem. When your mind and body are responding normally to stress and anxiety, don't compound it by getting upset. The fight or flight response causes the body to pump out cortisol, the wake up hormone.

Anybody with insomnia should never take naps or sleep during the day, including children. If one has already slept, then the body won't be tired. A shorter sleep pattern may be normal for that person.

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