A good night's sleep enhances
energy, mood, vitality, sex drive,
and reduces the risk for chronic medical conditions. A good night's sleep also
helps us solve problems and improve memory.
Sleep problems can be caused by various medical disorders including asthma, COPD, heart
failure, enlarged prostate,
gastroesophageal reflux, chronic pain, restless leg syndrome, depression, and anxiety.
Obstructive sleep apnea causes daytime fatigue. An unrecognized cause of sleep
problems is the use of herbal and nutritional medicines. Many herbs and
supplements enhance alertness and have a long half life.
Sleep improvement with a regular
schedule
If you sleep late on Saturday and Sunday mornings,
you'll get Sunday night insomnia. Instead, go to bed and get up at about the same time
every day. You may not need to rely on an alarm clock to wake up when you get enough
sleep.
Don't eat or drink a lot
before bedtime sleep
Eat a light snack about 1 to 2 hours before sleep. If you drink
too much liquid before sleep, you'll wake up repeatedly in the night for trips to the
bathroom.
Don't eat too many spicy or fatty foods. They may
cause heartburn and interfere with proper sleep. If you get the munchies, eat something that
triggers serotonin, which makes you sleepy. Carbohydrates (whole grain bread, pasta,
potatoes, lentils, barley, fruits, or cereal) with small amount of foods containing the
amino acid L-tryptophan (milk, tuna, or turkey) will do the trick.
Sleep improvement by avoiding caffeine, nicotine,
and stimulants
Smokers experience withdrawal symptoms at night, and they
have a harder time both falling asleep and waking up. some people are so
sensitive that even a cup of coffee drank at lunch can interfere with sleep.
Caffeine is found in tea (including green tea),
certain soft drinks, chocolate, cocoa, and of course coffee. Caffeine is also found in
certain herbs such as guarana and kola nut.
Diet pills that contain ephedra or ma huang can
keep you awake. So can the nutrients phenylalanine, tyrosine, certain hormones,
ginseng and other adaptogenic herbs, tongkat ali, and the anti-depressants St.
John's wort and SAM-e. High doses of vitamins may act as stimulants, interfering with
sleep. Take most of your supplements early in the day.
Sleep improvement with exercise
If
you want to to sleep better and deeper, do more exercises, either in the morning
or in the afternoon. Physical
activity enhances the deep, refreshing stage of sleep, and also helps the body
release more human
growth hormone. Many people report deep sleep after a
full day of walking, hiking, or biking. Take a 20 to 30 minute walk in the
morning to expose yourself to morning light which will help you sleep better at
night.
A slightly cool room is
ideal for sleeping
This mimics your internal temperature drop during sleep, so
turn off the heat and save on fuel bills.
If you tend to get cold, use blankets. Try
sleeping in warmer nightclothes and wear socks. Studies show that warm hands
and feet induce sleep quickly. If you overheat at night, wear light nightclothes
and sleep under a single sheet. Use an air conditioner or fan to keep the room cool. Use a dehumidifier if you are bothered by moist
air. Use a humidifier if you are bothered by dry air. Signs of dry air irritation include
a sore throat, nosebleeds or a dry throat.
Sleep only at night
Daytime naps steal hours from nighttime slumber. Limit daytime sleep to 20-minute, power
naps. Don't take a nap after 2 PM.
If you work nights, keep window coverings closed so
that sunlight, which interferes with the body's internal clock, doesn't interrupt your
sleep. If you have a day job and sleep at night, but still
have trouble waking, leave the window covering open and let the sun's light wake you up.
Night shift can be harmful to the body. Irregular sleep patterns
seem to quickly throw off the body's natural hormonal and metabolic activity --
which, if sustained, could present long-term health risks. Night-shift work has
been linked to a greater likelihood of developing diabetes, cardiovascular
disease, and obesity.
Sleep improvement by
keeping noise down
Silence is more conducive to sleep. Turn off the radio and TV. Use earplugs, a fan or some
other source of constant, soothing, background noise to mask sound that you cannot
control, such as a busy street, trains, airplanes or even a snoring partner. Double-pane
windows and heavy curtains also muffle outside noise.
Make your bed comfortable If you share your bed, make sure there is enough room for two. Use your bed only for sleep and sex. Go to bed when you are tired and turn out the lights. If you don't fall asleep in 15 minutes, get up and do something else. Go back to bed when you are tired. Do not agonize about falling asleep. The stress will only prevent sleep.
Soak and sack out
Taking
a hot shower or bath an hour or two before sleep helps bring on sleep because they can
relax tense muscles.
Use ear plugs and eye
shades to block noise and light.
You may be amazed on how much better you'll
sleep and feel
in the morning when you use ear plugs since you will be able to get a deeper sleep without
frequent overnight interruptions from traffic noise, airplanes, dogs barking, roommates
snoring, etc.
Being woken up and exposed to bright light at night can throw off a person's
biological clock for the next few days, a new study shows. What's more, the researchers
found that being woken up at night at all--even in a dark room--also disrupts the body's
timing, although to a lesser degree.
Use sleep relaxation techniques
Once you are in bed, take a deep breath and gradually let it out. Do this a few times.
Then, lightly shake one of your feet, and go back to taking a couple of deep breaths.
Lightly shake the other foot and then take a couple of deep breaths. Move up to your legs,
hips, arms, neck, muscle around the mouth, eye muscles, etc., while going back to the
breath after shaking each body part. Soon you'll be in la la land.
Sleep improvement Supplements for
deeper sleep
Some of the causes
for lack of sleep include a sedentary daily routine, lack
of adequate exposure to sunlight, stimulants such as coffee or high doses
of certain supplements, late night TV viewing and bright lights. Many
people try to find a natural herb as a sleep aid. There are a few herbs
and nutrients that have some relaxation and sleep inducing properties.
It's difficult to predict the best choice for each person. Some of the
supplements and herbs that could be helpful include
5HTP, tryptophan,
melatonin, hops, passion flower, valerian,
theanine, and kava. The timing can make a
difference. For instance, some herbs initially cause alertness for 2 to 4
hours, followed by sleepiness, kava being an example. In a new study in
mice,
researchers found that the combination of passion flower and kava was more
effective than either herb alone. Whether humans will respond as well to
this combination has not been evaluated. According to new research, while sedative
drugs, such as Restoril and Ambien, improve sleep in older people with
insomnia, the risks of such therapy outweigh the benefits. The
improvements are modest, and the risks include thinking difficulties and
daytime fatigue. Pharmaceutical sleeping pills are okay to use
once in a while (a few times a month), but not regularly every night. Herbal and nutritional products that
could help with sleep include
tryptophan for serotonin,
Kava Kava,
the herb
Valerian,
and particularly
Good-Night-Rx.
We do not find
Chamomile to be very helpful. The use of a 5-HTP
supplement can lead to yawning
within a few minutes.
Watch a funny film or comedy
show
Viewing a humorous film is useful in the treatment of night-time wakening.
NIghtmare
Sleep disturbances, especially nightmares, are common among people who have
attempted suicide.
Sleep apnea
Teenagers with the breathing disorder sleep apnea are at increased risk of
developing metabolic syndrome -- a collection of risk factors for diabetes and
heart disease.
Driving Under the Influence of sleeping pills
The Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers that practically all prescription sleeping pills
could at times cause sleep-driving such as getting up in the middle of the night and going for a
drive — with no subsequent memory of doing so. Other complex sleep-related
behaviors have included making phone calls, fixing and eating food, and having
sex while still asleep. Ambien isn’t the only insomnia drug that can cause sleep-driving.
Others
include Butisol sodium; Carbrital; Dalmane; Doral; Halcion;
Lunesta; Placidyl; Prosom; Restoril; Rozerem; Seconal; and Sonata.
Many people can avoid the use of prescription sleeping pills if
they follow the suggestions we have listed on the web page on sleep. You may also consider the
occasional use of a natural sleep aid called Good Night Rx. This natural
product is not as potent as the pharmaceutical drugs, but it is quite good and
has hardly any side effects when used reasonably, such as no more than 3 nights
a week.
Tryptophan, turkey, and
sleep
Q. Does eating turkey make a person want to sleep more due to the
tryptophan in turkey meat?
A. Turkey has an amino acid called tryptophan that is involved in
sleep. However, turkey has no more tryptophan than chicken or beef. The
cause of sleepiness at Thanksgiving is more likely due to consuming lots
of food and drink.
Danger of poor sleep
Poor sleep makes older individuals more likely to fall down, a major cause
of injury and death among the elderly. This danger of poor sleep may be
reduced by following the sleep tips listed on this page.
Sleep Emails
Q. I am a 62 yr old male and I have had major sleep problems since I went
through Rx Drug rehab in August of 04. I have tried 5 HTP, Melatonin, L-Tryptophan
herb teas and Lunesta. Nothing is working. Can you possibly suggest anything
that might help.
A. See the suggestions above, perhaps Good Night Rx could be
helpful.
Q. Do you have any suggestions for snoring during
sleep?
A. There is some information on
snoring here.
Q. Do you know if a lack of sleep over many weeks
can cause brain damage, only averaging 2 hours a night.
A. Lack of sleep has a negative influence on brain function
including memory, mood, alertness, and overall cognitive function. It's
difficult to say whether any permanent brain tissue damage occurs within a few
weeks, but it is quite possible long term damage could occur over several months
or years of lack of sleep.
My daughter is detoxing in a residential drug
treatment center. They are not giving her anything to help with detox except for
trazadone which is not helping her insomnia. Are there any suppliments which
might help her sleep and build up her endorphin levels naturally?
We can't provide specific advice but perhaps the suggestions
on this page may help.
back to index
yohimbe bark
sleep tips