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Sleeping Beauties!

No matter what it's cause, insomnia is the most common sleep complaint among Americans today. According to the National Sleep Foundation, 30% to 40% of adults say they have occasional insomnia. And 10% to 15% of Americans say they have trouble sleeping all the time. When insomnia strikes, several natural sleep remedies might help you. Life style changes, including food choices, exercise, routine sleep hours, supplements, and herbs may help you achieve restful sleep. Try these when you've counted your last sheep. 

  • Magnesium: research shows that even a marginal lack of it can prevent the brain from settling down at night. You can get magnesium from food. Good sources include, green leafy vegetables, wheat germ, pumpkin seeds and almonds.
  • Calcium also plays a role in achieving a restful nights sleep. Having a good amount of calcium in your diet helps your body to produce melatonin, which is a hormone that helps regulate the sleep/wake cycle.
  • Melatonin: causes drowsiness, lowers body temperature, and puts the body into sleep mode.
  • Valerian root is a herb that has been used to promote sleep since ancient times, by calming the central nervous system. It increases the amount of time spent in deep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Valerian also significantly improves sleep latency, which is the amount of time it takes for a person to fall asleep. 
  • Hops is also another form of herbal sleep remedy. Its is used as one of the many herbs for sleep because of its calming, and hypnotic effects. Hops can be used in cases of anxiety, restlessness, and fighting sleepless nights.
  • 5HTP is another. It increases serotonin and causes relaxation in the central nervous system.It also makes sleep more restful and rejuvenating by increasing the deep sleep stages 3 and 4, without increasing total sleep time. 
  • Another is Gaba, which reduces the production of glutamate, thus calming the nervous system. It also loosens the muscles into a relaxed state. A lack of Gaba disturbs how the brain enters the delta phase of sleep each night.  

The following changes to your lifestyle and environment can also help you to combat sleep issues. To keep your sleep surroundings as dark as possible turn off the t.v, computer, and radio, and move it out of the room. In some people nighttime light can hinder melatonin and create "social jet lag" which mimics symptoms of traveling several time zones. If you must have your bedroom appliances on try and use ones that illuminate red light, which is better for sleep than blue light. 

Exercise also helps to create a more peaceful sleep and promotes overall health. Doing it early in the day allows your body time to regulate its temperature and prepare for bed. Your body temperature rises during exercise and takes up to 6 hours to drop back down to a normal temp. Because cooler body temperatures are linked to better sleep, its important to give your body time to cool down before sleep. 

 Along with the above statements, creating a tranquil sleeping area and staying consistent with bed times and wake times everyday can create a regulation for your mind and body which will create a normal circadian rhythm. body needs. It's a tough sell, but meditation may be a powerful tool for insomnia also. Meditation sends signals to your sympathetic nervous system's "fight or flight" response telling it that it's alright to relax. Its can help you put aside your thoughts for the day and is especially useful for people prone to worry. 

There is no magic trick to treating insomnia, but some of the home remedies outlined here might just be the recipe you need to get back to sleep. 

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