Relief for Insomnia

Are you having trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep? Maybe it's your diet!

Coffee: try drinking coffee only before 11:00 a.m. and not later in the day.

Evidently, drinking coffee early in the day can improve your sleep quality by as much as 30% or more.

The caffeine in coffee takes up to twelve hours to be fully broken down by the liver.

Nuts: eating nuts like almonds, can help to relax muscles, soothe your nerves and increase the amount of time spent in restorative sleep.

Nuts contain calcium and magnesium and work best if eaten within six hours of bedtime. Eat 1 ounce daily.

Water helps with sleeping because it hydrates the body.

Being dehydrated can affect sleep because it simulates the adrenal glads which will then produce stress hormones.

So you don't get up at the night to visit the bathroom, drink the majority of your water before 4:00 p.m.

Snack: eating a bowl of jasmine rice before bed can help you to fall asleep faster.

This type of rice increases the body's production of serotonin and cytokinins that help calm nerves and induce drowsiness.

Other snacks that all help include oatmeal cookies, buttered whole-grain toast, whole-grain cereal, and milk.

All our lives we have been being told that we need to make sure we get enough sleep.

Getting seven to eight hours of sleep ensures our bodies are rested, and we have the energy to get through the day ahead.

Not only is getting sleep important to our physical being, but studies done by the American Physiological Society suggest getting a good night’s sleep is crucial for our brain's memory function as well.

When we sleep, our brain is able to process the information from the day and form memories.

When we don’t get enough sleep, our brain becomes foggy which impairs our ability to learn and retain new information.

1. Sleep in complete darkness if possible. Light will disrupt your circadian rhythm and your pineal gland’s production of melatonin and serotonin, the hormones that support your internal clock.
2. Don’t watch TV right before bed as it can be stimulating and you will take longer to fall asleep.
3. Wear socks to bed. Studies have found that it reduces waking up in the middle of the night.
4. Avoid reading stimulating novels and instead read something spiritual or religious to help you relax.
5. Journaling before bed helps you get rid of all your ‘busy’ thoughts and helps to relax your mind.
6. Go to bed before 11:00 p.m. Studies have shown that our bodies do the majority of repair work between 11:00 p.m. and 1:00 a.m. The gallbladder dumps toxins during this time as well.
7. Keep your bedroom on the cool side and if possible leave the window open to let in some fresh air.
8. Try to avoid foods that you have some sensitivity to such as diary and wheat products. These foods can affect sleep and cause apnea, excessive congestion, gastrointestinal upsets including gas.
9. Place your clock out of your view so you aren’t watching the time. Watching the clock will only keep you agitated and awake.
10. Go to the bathroom right before bed to reduce the chances of having to get up again in the night.

Acquisition: The act of learning or experiencing something new is referred to as acquisition. For instance, it could be the moment you get your first kiss or someone tells you their name.

Consolidation: Consolidation occurs when a memory "sticks" or becomes stable in your brain, allowing you to recall specific details.

Recall: Recall refers to the ability to recall a memory in the days, weeks, or years following its occurrence.

Depending on the consolidation step of creating memories, recall can be clear or hazy, and facts may not always be correct.

When acquisition and recall take place while we are awake, researchers believe consolidation takes place while we sleep.

A study led by Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center doctors taught a sequence of finger movements to twelve healthy, young kids.

The patients were assessed on their capacity to recall the finger motions after 12 hours, with some sleeping and some not, while an MRI was utilized to measure their brain activity.

The MRI results revealed that after a period of sleep, several parts of the brain were noticeably more active, and individuals who slept improved their motor skill performance.

This shows that even if we don't understand why or how sleep is inextricably related to our memories.

Do you have trouble getting to sleep? Try taking the supplement, L-theanine.

Japanese researchers found that taking 200 mg helped overly stressed people to relax and feel drowsy in as little as 30 minutes after taking this amino acid.

L-theanine boosts the production of calming brain waves that will have you drift off to dreamland.

Note: check with your MD before taking any new supplement.

Sleeping and Weight Loss

Being sleep-deprived actually hinders weight loss. Your body produces more of the hormone, ghrelin, and less leptin.

Ghrelin spurs the appetite while leptin will actually stop food cravings.