Warning: if it takes you longer than 30 minutes to fall asleep, then you are suffering from insomnia.
Can’t sleep? Insomnia and sleep disturbances can be caused by a variety of factors including overeating, too much caffeine, depression, stress, and anxiety.
Before troubling your doctor with this problem, try a more natural approach to remedy the situation.
· Increasing your intake of potassium, biotin, calcium and B vitamins can have a soothing effect on your system, so make sure you include the following foods throughout the day:
Potassium: Bananas, leafy green vegetables, sunflower seeds, citrus fruits.
Biotin: Brewers Yeast, nuts, brown rice, liver and kidneys.
Calcium: milk, yoghurt, fresh meat & fish, eggs, fruit & vegetables, beans.
B Vitamins: Brewers Yeast, raisins, figs, dates, cantaloupe melon.
Brewers Yeast can be especially valuable as its rich in B-complex vitamins, an excellent source of organic iron and other important minerals, and amino acids, making it one of natures true super-foods.
If you don’t like the idea of taking a lot of vitamin and mineral supplements, or do not have the money to buy expensive supplements, then the addition of Brewers Yeast to your diet can go a long way towards improving your health. Plus you can purchase large jars of Brewers Yeast at very reasonable prices from your local health food store.
· Eating a small snack containing carbohydrates about 30 minutes before you go to bed can help to ease anxiety and promote restful sleep.
Combining carbohydrate with some calcium, such as a turkey sandwich (good source of tryptophan) with a glass of warm milk, could be a great tonic, and delicious too!
Taking an exercise class, or brisk walk in late afternoon or early evening will go a long way to ease the stresses of the day, therefore promoting healthy sleep. Always make sure you don’t overdo the intensity of your chosen workout, or schedule it too close to your usual bedtime or you could end up stimulating your system rather than relaxing it ready for sleep.
· It’s a well-known remedy, but drinking a warm milky drink near bedtime can have a sedative effect on some people.
Malted milk or cocoa can be drunk if you don’t particularly like the taste of warm milk, but be careful not to add stimulating caffeine to your nighttime beverage such as coffee, or even too much cocoa powder. Cocoa powder does contain caffeine, and drinking too much can have the same stimulating effects on your system as coffee.
· Herbal supplements can help.
If you are fussy about your food, or don’t want to pop expensive vitamin pills, you might want to consider taking a trip to your local health food store and investigating the wide range of herbal tinctures and sleep remedies on offer.
Some tinctures such as Valerian, Chamomile, Hops, and Passionflower contain natural sedative properties that have been used for centuries by natural herbalists and physicians way before the advent of modern medicine to promote good health and natural sleep. Talk to a registered herbal practitioner about the best combination of herbs to take.
Tinctures are liquids or extracts than can be taken in a little water or juice, and therefore are much easier to take than the bulky pill alternatives. A little warning though – they can taste a little unpleasant, but the benefits far outweigh the taste!
Adopting some, or all of the above tips could help reduce, or possibly alleviate some of your sleeplessness, but in really severe circumstances it is always advisable to consult your doctor.
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