Thursday, June 08, 2006

Healthy Eating to Cure Insomnia

Not being able to fall asleep is a problem that has plagued almost everyone at some point in their lives. You toss and turn while you watch the clock slowly tick the minutes away. Just as you feel the tug of sleep, you hear the sound of the alarm clock and you have to get up and face your day without any rest.

There are many contributing factors to the problem of insomnia. One of those factors might be what you are eating during the day. Your breakfast, lunch or dinner could be the culprit behind that insomnia. Our bodies absorb certain foods and those foods could be working against your desire to sleep.

Changing our diets is one of the healthiest ways to fix a sleeping problem. Choosing foods that enhance the body's ability to relax and fall asleep is the most natural cure you can find.

There are foods that naturally work with the body's chemistry to promote sleep. If you find yourself struggling to get a full night's rest it might be worth considering adjusting your diet to incorporate some of the foods listed below.

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Fruits - one fruit that seems to have a stronger effect on treating insomnia is lemons.
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Breads - any type of bread including muffins and bagels seem to be effective, but whole grain breads are preferable over other types.
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Milk - a glass of warm milk has been said to help a person fall asleep and that is true, there is a chemical found in milk that actually promotes sleep.

Everyone's body chemistry is different. Therefore each individual person has to do their own research into what foods work for them. If having a bowl of strawberries before bed makes you sleepy, than you need to consider that strawberries might be a trigger for you. If however, you have an apple and two hours later you are tossing and turning in bed, the natural sugar in the apple might be the reason you are suffering from insomnia.

A good way to keep track of what foods you are eating and how they impact your sleep pattern is to keep a journal. The premise is simple - you just write down each thing that you eat during the day and the time that you ate it. Then each night you mark down what time you go to bed and after waking jot down a quick note or two on how you slept and how long you slept.

Before long you will probably notice a pattern developing - your body will react to certain foods and after consuming them, you may experience insomnia. At the same time you will see clear patterns developing that tell you what foods are helping you to sleep better. With this knowledge you'll be able to carefully plan your meals and snacks while taking into consideration what foods you need to avoid and which you should include in your diet so that you get a full and restful night's sleep.

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Saturday, June 03, 2006

Treating Insomnia Naturally

Sleep is something that every human being requires. For some people they only need a few hours of sleep every night, but for others if they don't get at a minimum eight hours, they cannot function properly during the day. Their work, their relationships and their life is impacted. Sleep in fundamental to a healthy and happy life.

Insomnia is a problem that affects millions of people each night. If you are one of these individuals and you've spent a night filled with sleeplessness, you would most certainly welcome any method that would guarantee sleep. Having first hand knowledge of how difficult it is not to be able to sleep, gives a person an appreciation for how valuable resting our bodies is.
Insomnia can be a chronic condition for some people. It may begin as a symptom of an illness or during a particularly stressful time in someone's life and it causes such a drastic disruption in the individual's sleep pattern that they struggle to find a way to regain a normal sleep pattern. Spending years struggling to find a method to sleep is a frustrating experience.

Traditional medicine offers many alternatives for people who have suffered from serious insomnia. Sleeping pills are a commonly prescribed remedy. Although they do adequately treat the insomnia, they also often have serious side-effects. One of the most serious side-effects is that they are often addictive. It becomes a trade-off for those who choose this approach. Although their insomnia is treated, they become dependent on medication and in some cases have to stay on that medication for the rest of their lives.

There are natural alternatives that a person can take to treat the insomnia. Some of these are in the form of a pill or a tablet which consists of a combination of herbs. Herbal teas are another popular choice for people who suffer from sleep problems. You simply brew a pot of the fragrant tea and sip it shortly before bed. The soothing effects of the tea lull you to sleep without the chemicals associated with traditional sleep medication. There are a variety of these types of teas available and the taste is very welcome and pleasant.

An old stand-by that many people turn to when they suffer from the occasional bout of insomnia is to warm a glass of milk. There is a chemical that is released in milk once it is heated. This chemical is called tryptophan and it works to relax the body and help you to drift off to sleep. Besides being a natural remedy for insomnia, milk also has the added benefit of being a significant source of calcium.

Suffering from insomnia can change a person's life in many ways. Without the foundation of a steady and regular pattern of sleep, they aren't able to function to the best of their ability. By researching natural remedies for insomnia, the sleeper will once again find the rest they need and do so in a way that is healthiest for their entire body.