Not sleeping night after night is known as
insomnia. It maybe that the person cannot get to sleep or that they wake-up and cannot get back to sleep. Around 15-18% of the
general population is suffering from insomnia at any given time. Poor nutrition can make you
vulnerable to this problem. There are other causes as well like:
hypoglycemia, muscle aches,
indigestion, breathing problems,
anxiety,
stress, grief, caffeine, and
depression. A lack of calcium or
magnesium can cause you to wake up after a few hours of sleep and
not be able to go back to sleep.
Habitual sleeping problems, repeated night
after night, is known as insomnia. Insomnia can take the
form of being unable to fall asleep when gingo to bed,
or waking during the night and being unable to get back to
sleep. An estimated 15 % - 17% of people suffer
from insomnia. While insomnia can be extremely frustrating, it is
not life threatening and may be only a
temporary annoyance, although in some cases sleep related
problems may last months or even years. Insomnia can
result from a wide variety of causes, including
hypoglycemia,
muscle aches, indigestion, breathing problems, physical pain,
anxiety, stress, grief,
depression, jet lag, caffeine
consumption, and the use of certain drugs, including the
decongestant pseudoephedrine which is found in many cold and allergy
remedies, most appetite suppressants, many antidepressants,
beta-blockers which are medications used for high blood pressure and
heart ailments, the anti-seizure medication phenytoin "Dilantin",
and thyroid hormone replacement drugs. A lack of the nutrients
calcium and magnesium can cause you to wake up after a few
hours and not be able to return to sleep.
Systemic health
problems with the lungs, liver, heart, kidneys, pancreas,
digestive system, endocrine system, and brain all may affect
sleep, as can poor nutritional habits and eating too close to
bedtime. A sedentary lifestyle can be a major contributor to
sleep disorders. While 1 or 2 sleepless nights can cause
irritability and daytime sleepiness, with decreased ability to
perform creative or repetitive tasks, most people can adapt to
short term periods of sleep deprivation. After more than three
days, however, sleep deprivation starts to cause a more
serious problems in overall performance and can even cause personality changes. If chronic, inadequate
sleep compromises productivity, creates problems in
relationships, and can contribute to other health problems.
There are no specific rules about how much sleep is
enough, because each person's needs are different.
Some people can do well on as little as 5 hours of sleep a
night, while other people appear to perform better with nine, ten, or
even more hours of sleep. Most adults need about 8 hours of
sleep nightly in order to feel refreshed and function at peak
performance during the day. Children, especially very young
children and adolescents, generally require more sleep than
adults to be at their best. It is not uncommon for people to
sleep less as they get older, especially after 60 years of age.
Millions of people have trouble getting to sleep due to a
condition commonly known as restless leg syndrome. For reasons
not known, when these people are in bed, their legs jerk,
twitch, and kick involuntarily. Restless
leg syndrome has also been linked to the painful nighttime
leg muscle cramps that afflict so many people.
Sleep apnea is
a potentially serious disorder that can cause repeated waking
during the night. This problem is commonly associated with
snoring and extremely irregular breathing throughout the
night. In sleep apnea, breathing actually stops, for as long
as two minutes at a time, while the individual is asleep. When
breathing stops, the level of oxygen in the blood drops,
resulting in oxygen deprivation. The individual then awakens,
startled and gasping. A person with sleep apnea may awaken as
many as 200 times throughout the night. The affected
individual may not remember these awakenings, but anyone else
who is awake at the time can naturally become alarmed when a
person with sleep apnea stops breathing. Aside from disrupting
normal sleep and causing extreme sleepiness during the day,
sleep apnea is associated with other, more serious, health
problems. People who suffer from sleep apnea tend to have
high
blood pressure and are more likely to have
strokes
than other people, and face an increased risk of
heart disease, although the reason for this is not known. People with sleep apnea also seem to have a
higher than normal incidence of emotional and psychotic
disorders. Experts attribute this to what they call a
"dream deficit" lack of adequate rapid-eye-movement
(REM) sleep, which is the stage of sleep in which dreaming
occurs. Proper nutritional supplementation, dietary
changes, and lifestyle changes can help with insomnia and
related health problems.
Nutrient /
Supplement |
Importance
( 1 - 10 ) |
Helpful notes |
vitamin B
complex |
10 |
promotes a restful state, relieve stress, and works with
both calcium and magnesium. Often used in a female herbal
formula or a sleep aid
formula. The B vitamins are also important for proper
functioning of the body's nervous system. |
Pantothenic
acid |
9 |
good for relaxing, relieving
stress, and insomnia |
Inositol |
9 |
aids sleep and REM cycles |
Calcium |
10 |
works with the mineral magnesium to help sooth, calm, and
relax both the body and mind |
Magnesium |
9 |
has a calming effect,
benefits the nervous system, and balances the body for people
suffering with insomnia. |
Aloe
vera |
9 |
herb often mixed in
a relaxing formula to help combat stress and aid in sleep. The
herbal formula often contains chamomile, kava kava, and
passion flower. |
Kava
kava |
9 |
herb used to unwind
and calm the mind. It helps to sedate the central nervous
system. |
Chamomile |
8 |
helps calm people
under stress and very useful for children also |
Passion
flower |
8 |
induces sleepiness
and relaxes the muscles |
Bioflavonoids |
8 |
helps to reduces
stress and works well with vitamin C |
vitamin
C |
8 |
stress reducing
vitamin |
Zinc |
7 |
mineral helps body
tissue recovery while sleeping |
Other Changes To Make
-
drink 6-8 glasses of steam distilled or
filtered water a day
-
eat 50% raw fruits and vegetables (organic is best)
-
nuts, seeds, and whole grains are good
-
juice is good (make your
own with a juice machine)
-
do not worry as much about calories as eating the right foods
-
carrot and celery sticks are good to use as a snack
-
a colon cleansing can be very helpful - (do several times each year)
-
do not drink coffee, alcohol, soda pop, other junk food drinks
-
do not eat processed foods white sugar, white flour, etc...
-
use stress relief like going for walks in the park
(or the 10/90 rule - see
Stress)
-
brown rice is good to eat
-
avoid red meat and animal fats
-
reduce dairy products cheese, milk, and others
-
fast a few days a month
-
get at least 8 hours of sleep
-
exercise light to moderate amounts
-
avoid artificial sweeteners like Aspartame and NutraSweet
-
do not smoke and avoid second hand smoke
-
do not skip meals - just eat better and not as much at each meal
-
do not chew gum - it can cause you to feel hungry
-
do not watch too much TV try reading a book or something else
|