Author: Dr. Stacy Foster
First and foremost there are a number of environmental and behavioral factors that can contribute to sleep disturbances. Avoid exercising in the evenings, this only speeds your metabolism and increases your circulation, making it much more difficult for your body to be in a restful state. You can also help sleep at night by avoiding eating anything 3 hours prior to desiring to go to sleep. Eating prior to going to bed raises your blood sugar and inhibits sleep. In addition, later, when your blood sugar drops too low (hypoglycemia), you may wake up and be unable to fall back asleep. You should also address any suspected food allergies, consuming foods you are sensitive to can lead to sleep apnea, excess congestion, gastrointestinal upset and gas. In addition, avoid drinking any fluids two hours prior to desiring sleep, this should reduce the need and frequency to get up in the middle of the night to relieve yourself.
Some other behavioral modification and best remedies for insomnia are to make sure your bedroom environment is as dark as possible. When even a little bit of light hits your eyes, it disrupts your production of melatonin and serotonin, thereby throwing off your circadian rhythm (natural sleep cycle). Natural ways to get to sleep also include making your bed strictly for sleeping. This means no watching television in bed, no doing work in bed, no reading in bed, journaling in bed or use of loud alarm clocks or proximity to electromagnetic fields. A healthy bedroom environment is one of the best sleep aids for insomnia. All of these activities can be too stimulating to your brain preventing you from being able to go to sleep. Electromagnetic fields can disrupt your pineal gland and the production of melatonin and seratonin. Many people mistakenly drink alcohol as an insomnia sleep cure. Although alcohol may make you drowsy, this effect is short lived and most people wake up after several hours and then are unable to fall back asleep. Alcohol also prevents you from falling into the deeper REM stages of sleep, making you feel groggy in the morning. This is also true for sleep medications. They may knock you out, but do not allow your body to enter into the deep REM stages of sleep, which is why you experience that “hungover” feeling in the morning. In addition, benzodiazepines bind to specific receptors in the brain, resulting in y-aminobutyric acid (GABA) potentiation resulting in sedation. These actions are responsible for the unwnated side effects and loss of effectiveness associated with taking sleep medications long term. One final suggestion as a natural aids for sleeping and to combat insomnia is to keep the temperature in your bedroom no higher than seventy degrees. Too warm of a bedroom can awaken you, disrupt normal breathing patterns, increase sleep apnea and increase snoring.
If you find that just changing some behaviors prior to sleep and correcting your bedroom environment still do not help sleep at night, there are a number of safe supplements and sleeping natural remedies you can take to promote both quantity and quality of sleep. The herbs of Valerian, Passion Flower, Chamomile, Vervain and Oatstraw not only relax nervous tension, but also tone the nervous system. Valeriana officinalis contains volatile oils of valeranone and valerenic acid which enhance sleep without any side effects, with the exception of the odor of this herb, making it one of the best remedies for insomnia. Valerian accentuates the inhibitory effects of GABA due to an affinity for the receptor. Valerian is best used by individuals who suffer from insomnia as a result of anxiety and individuals who have a tendency to be sensitive to the cold. If you can’t stand the odor of Valerian, Passion Flower tea is one of the best sleep aids for insomnia. This herb contains anxiolytic, sedative and antispasmodic flavanoids and trace amounts of harmane indole alkaloids. Passion Flower’s active ingredients are a completely safe and mild sedative, still allowing your body to enter into REM sleep. This herb helps relax the mind and is excellent for the worried insomniac. Passion Flower slows the breakdown of serotonin and norepinephrine, thereby instilling a more peaceful state of consciousness. It is also anti-spasmodic and a natural sedative, making it one of the best sleeping natural remedies.
One of the best natural aids for sleeping is the simple mineral magnesium, which is a natural sedative. A deficiency of magnesium can result in difficulty sleeping, constipation, muscle tremors or cramps, anxiety, irritability and pain. You may want to increase your consumption of wheat bran, almonds, cashews, molasses, kelp and brewers yeast, which are all rich in magnesium. Another important group of vitamins vital to anyone suffering from insomnia is the B vitamins. B6 is required for the conversion of the amino acid tryptophan into serotonin. The entire complex of B vitamins are essential to a healthy, normal functioning nervous system. Take a good B-complex with food, before 12 noon. B vitamins have a tendency to upset an empty stomach and actually prevent sleep, leading to insomnia, if taken too late in the day.
Some of you may already know the reasons why you are suffering from insomnia. Here I will share with you what to take for insomnia based on individual associated mental and emotional stressors. Chamomile is ideal for people who are bothered by almost everything. It can safely be taken by children and is also a traditional remedy for nightmares. Chamomile’s active constituents are the volatile oils of chamazulene, matricin and proazulene. Chamomile contains high amounts of calcium, magnesium, potassium and some of the B vitamins, thereby relieving tension and making it one of the best natural aids for sleeping. Another one of the best remedies for insomnia is Hops, as it provides a pleasant numbing sensation thereby inducing sleep. Hops contain lupulin which is considered a strong, but safe and reliable sedative. Hops is great for the individual suffering from pain leading to insomnia or the individual who is quarrelsome in nature and agitated. However, Hops should not be taken by anyone suffering from depression. If you believe your insomnia is related to sleep apnea, taking 2 g of tryptophan and applying breathe easy strips to your nose has shown an increase of 25% inhalation. If you feel your insomnia is related to poor blood sugar maintenance and adrenal and thyroid dysfunction, to help sleep at night take a combination of phosphatidyl serine, ginseng, ashwagandha, eleuthro and follow the Zone Diet.
With regards to insomnia homeopathic remedies, if you suffer from the inability to sleep and feel “brain dead” during the day, Aethusa is one of the best insomnia homeopathic remedies. If you find yourself waking in the middle of the night and are unable to go back to sleep a homeopathic combination called Quietude, works wonders. This insomnia homeopathic remedy can be taken in the middle of the night and still not make you feel groggy the next day when you have to function. Calms forte is an excellent insomia homeopathic remedy, made up of Hops, Valerian, Passion Flower and Celery Seed.
Individuals suffering from insomnia all are a result of different causes. These natural aids for sleeping have been proven to work and often require a combination of behavioral and environmental modification in addition to a variety of nutritional supplements. It should be noted that everyone has different absorption times, so timing is key in when you take a particular supplement and when you desire for it to kick in. You may have to experiemnt to find what works best for you, but don’t give up, it is realistic and possible to achieve a healthy, restful nights sleep.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/sleep-articles/natural-aids-for-sleeping-5387675.html
About the Author
Dr. Foster graduated from an accredited naturopathic medical university in 2000. Dr. Foster has been successfully treating disease, ailments and conditions through the use of botanical medicine, vitamins, nutrition, homeopathy, Chinese medicine and Ayurvedic medicine for over eleven years. Dr. Foster believes her patients are unique in their own body physiology and should be treated as such. What works for one individual may not necessarily work for another. It is a fact that when the human body becomes out of balance, it leads to “dis-ease.” We also know the human body has the innate ability to heal itself if provided with the right environment and nutrients. If you would like to learn about specific natural, alternative treatments for various diseases, ailments and conditions check out these links:
http://www.choosing-alternative-medicines.com/
http://www.choosing-natural-medicines.com/
You can also recieve an absolutely FREE medical consultation from Dr. Foster here:
http://www.natural-alternative-medical-advice.com/
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Thank you so much for sharing such an important sleeping habits. I like your post. keep it up.
Hello
Very good article. I just would like to add one small comment. Sometimes it is worth to try to use different herbal sleep aids in combination. For example chamomile works well with herbs such as valerian. One cup of tea 30 minutes before going to bed should do the trick.
Best Regards
Lucia Mat
These are natural methods of sleeping, I totally darkened my room at the time of sleeping not light coming from anywhere, I don’t know that our dinner in the night also effect on our sleep, Thanks I don’t know that it increases our sugar level also, It’s amazing research.
I do agree sometimes not obtain an opinion from someone because they are asking the wrong questions yourself – not because it is!
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