sleep????

[HollyDay]

Lately, I've been dragging during the day and can't sleep at night. I know it is probably hormonal since I'm weaning off HRT. But, does anyone have any suggestions for a better night's sleep?

[Starr]

I would not want to take ambien, see earlier thread! :lol:

[ThatCyndiGirl]

I would not want to take ambien, see earlier thread! :lol:

 

I was just thinking the same thing!

[HollyDay]

totally agree on the ambien thing. I"ve heard too many unusual stories about it

[Negin]

I read pretty much every single post on the Ambien thread and don't think I really understood it. Mind you, I'm usually quite slow on the uptake when it comes to that sort of thing.

 

Some tips that may help.

 

EAT MORE

Walnuts contain melatonin which promotes restful sleep.

 

Plain Yogurt mixed with honey. Yogurt is high in tryptophan.

 

Whole grains – Fiber-rich foods such as brown rice, oats, and quinoa contain large amounts of tryptophan and melatonin.

Eat a complex carbohydrate snack a half-hour before bed.

 

Sunflower Seeds contain high levels of the amino acid tryptophan, which may help mitigate insomnia and depression by boosting serotonin and melatonin levels in the brain.

 

Fruit – Bananas, mangoes, figs, and dates are high in tryptophan

 

Other high-tryptophan foods: tuna, turkey, whole grain crackers, yogurt

 

Legumes – Black-eyed peas, lentils all help calm your nervous system. But legumes can be hard to digest for some. Pay close attention to how you feel after eating them. If you feel overly full, or gassy, have an upset stomach, or if you feel sluggish, skip legumes altogether or eat them in moderation.

 

EAT LESS

Think of night-time as clean-up time for the body. Desserts, cakes, and cookies can keep you up at night because of their high sugar content.

Fatty, High-Protein Foods – Red Meat

Caffeine

High-Sugar, Empty-Calorie Sweets – Cakes, cookies

Cold Foods – Salads, smoothies, ice cream

Avoid spicy foods, especially in the evenings

Avoid large meals within 2-3 hours before bedtime

Avoid caffeine 6 hours before bedtime. The half life of caffeine, the time it takes for half of it to be broken down, is between 3 and 7 hours -- so if your last cup was at 1 PM, you still have a quarter of it left in your system at 3 AM. If you drink it daily and are on the slow side of metabolizing it, it never leaves your system -- and we get slower as we age, so if you could drink coffee when you were 35, that doesn't mean you can at 50. A woman between ovulation and menstruation takes about 25 percent longer to eliminate it. A woman on birth control pills takes twice as long, according to a 1993 study. But if life without caffeine is just too bleak, consider tea, which has about half the caffeine of coffee and has, besides, a substance that damps down the stress system. And if black tea is still too strong, green tea has about a third the caffeine content of that.

Avoid big meals close to bedtime.

[Negin]

SUPPLEMENTS

It’s best to not be overly dependent on any on supplement, that is, to try to avoid taking any supplement every single day, to rotate them; or, better yet, to take a break every month from each particular supplement, to rotate them monthly. Otherwise, your body will become desensitized and the supplement may very well be less effective.

 

Magnesium – Think of magnesium as the relaxation mineral.

Helps maintain healthy melatonin levels

Marvelous for just about everything including periodic nocturnal awakenings when it can coax you gently back to sleep

If you have symptoms of magnesium deficiency – if you’re feeling edgy, have muscle cramps, suffer insomnia, crave chocolate, or notice increased urination, adjust your calcium-magnesium ratio, so that you’re taking at least as much magnesium or—ideally—twice as much magnesium as calcium.

400-1200 mg daily of Magnesium is helpful but use according to bowel tolerance. Your body knows how much magnesium you can tolerate from bowel tolerance – take as much magnesium as your bowels can tolerate

Add 100 mg of magnesium to your nutritional supplements, and increase it by 100 mg every few days until your stools are soft, but not uncomfortably loose.

Take in divided doses and with meals to ensure optimal absorption – preferably more at night

Calcium, magnesium, and many other minerals are best absorbed when they are bound to an acidic carrier such as citrate, aspartate, picolinate, or amino acid chelate. Minerals need an acidic base to break down and get used.

The most absorbable forms are magnesium citrate, glycinate taurate, or aspartate, although magnesium bound to Kreb cycle chelates (malate, succinate, fumarate) are also good.

Avoid magnesium carbonate, oxide, sulfate, and gluconate. They are poorly absorbed (and the cheapest and most common forms found in supplements).

Side effects from too much magnesium include diarrhea, which can be avoided if you switch to magnesium glycinate.

Most minerals are best taken as a team with other minerals in a multi-mineral formula.

People with kidney disease or severe heart disease should take magnesium only under a doctor's supervision.

 

Hops reduces hot flashes, anxiety, and helps muscles relax

30-120 mg at bedtime

Has to be dried to have any medicinal effect

Often used in combination w/valerian and lemon balm.

Passionflower – calming agent

90-360 mg at bedtime

Valerian – reduces time it takes you to fall asleep and improves the quality of sleep you get, without next-day sedation

Take 400 to 800 mg in divided doses throughout the day, or try a time-release version, because if you wake up in the middle of the night, you can fall back to sleep easily and you don’t feel groggy in the morning

In some people, valerian causes wakefulness. If that’s the case, take it during the day to reduce overall anxiety.

Better yet, try a combination of Hops, Passionflower, and Valerian

[Negin]

Melatonin is a natural hormone that promotes sound sleep.

Acts as an antioxidant - early in life, the body produces an abundant supply, but as we age, production steadily declines

Helpful for more difficult insomnia

Decreases anxiety by stimulating GABA (a brain chemical that calms you down)

WHY WE NEED MELATONIN

When we stay up late at night or work night shifts, we keep our body from producing melatonin. This increases the risk of hypertension, heart disease, migraines, diabetes, obesity, and cancer. Studies show women night-shift workers have a 500% higher risk of breast cancer and male night shift workers have a 50% increased risk of colorectal and bone cancer. While not realizing it, many people increase this risk with inconsistent sleep/wake schedules - late night studying or partying or shift work schedules.

After the age of 45, melatonin levels decrease.

Melatonin is the only hormone supplement that’s safe to self-medicate.

GUIDELINES

• Start with 1 mg just before bedtime. Take 2 hours or less before bedtime. If this is not effective, gradually increase dosage. Melatonin dosages vary from individual to individual ~ and most do not need the highest dose. Ease into melatonin in increments. Some take up to 20 and even 40 mg.

• Do not take melatonin every single night – a few nights a week

• Do not take melatonin during the day.

• When you awaken after melatonin-assisted sleep, you should feel refreshed – not tired or groggy. If you do experience grogginess, reduce the dosage.

• Do not give to children

• If you wake up in the middle of the night, you can take another 1-5 mg.

• The time release version is best for people who don't just have trouble falling asleep but have trouble with waking up in the middle of the night.

 

Hyland's Calms Forte

 

L-Tryptophan helps mitigate insomnia and depression by boosting serotonin and melatonin levels in the brain.

May help cure night-time waking

500-1000 mg before bed

 

GABA CALM – take sublingually before bedtime

Try to avoid eating or drinking anything for 20 minutes before and after taking this

 

5-HTP – can take up to 6 weeks for it to start working

200-400 mg at bedtime – take sublingually

Be cautious about taking this if you’re on anti-depressants

Very helpful for insomnia and depression

This amino acid is used by the body to produce melatonin.

5-HTP is a great supplement that works really well for many people. But like most supplements, nothing works for everyone all the time because our bodies are all different. But I would definitely say that 5-HTP is a great supplement to look into. When taken in the evening before bed on an empty stomach, it can really help with the quality and duration of sleep. It works to increase the duration of REM sleep, which increases the overall quality of sleep. It also works really well to help relieve anxiety and depression, as it increases serotonin levels.

 

B Complex – 25-50 mg daily – helps to promote a restful state. Good for relieving stress.

 

L-theanine improves deep sleep and helps maintain a calm alertness during the day. Take 50-200 mg at bedtime.

Can also be used for daytime anxiety

 

Passionflower tea (two to three cups) or Passionflower powder in capsules (2,000-5,000 mg): Passionflower is usually used for calming an excited nervous system.

 

Chamomile tea (two to three cups): Chamomile is a time-proven, effective, calming herb that can be safely used by children and adults alike. Chamomile tea is used regularly worldwide for insomnia, irritability, and restlessness.

 

Reishi Mushroom tea (two to three cups) or Reishi mycelium powder in capsules (2500-5000 mg): Reishi is well-known in Chinese medicine to great feelings of "well being" and spiritual calm. This is a personal favorite. Reishi mushroom is also high-regarded for assisting our immune system health.

 

St. John's Wort tea (two to three cups) or St. John's Wort extract powder in capsules (300-1000 mg): This common, yellow-flowered herb has become an important part of the new surge of interest in natural medicine. It has a long history of use dating back to the ancient Greeks. Scientific research has demonstrated that it can help relieve chronic insomnia and mild depression. Because this herb can sensitize the skin to sunlight, take it in the evening after the Sun has set.

[Negin]

OTHER TIPS

Taking a hot bath with Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) is a good way to absorb and get much needed magnesium. Insomnia is one of the many symptoms of a magnesium deficiency.

 

Do not exercise within 2 hours before bedtime. Exercising 5-6 hours before bedtime may help you sleep more soundly. The only exception is gentle swimming. Swimming, like a hot bath, helps with sleep.

 

In the hours before bedtime, slow down - no more trips to the kitchen, no late night emails or anxiety-provoking conversations or projects, physical or mental, nothing that speeds the heart and raises body temperature. Find some way of making a barrier between the day and sleep. Leave the day at the bedroom door.

 

Falling asleep and staying asleep are two different aspects of sleep.

Traditional Chinese Medicine has this to say about the nocturnal awakenings:

Wake up between:

• 1 - 3, look to the liver

• 3-5, the lungs need some attention

• 5-7, consider supporting the large intestines. You KNOW when you have too much of a good thing when your elimination is too "loose."

 

YOGA

Many yoga poses and the regular practice of yoga help relieve insomnia.

[amo_mea_filiis.]

Possibly (probably) already said; take some vit d supplements.

 

NO electronics of any kind for a few hours before bed. Go to bed the same time every night. Keep your bedroom cool and completely dark. Use heavy (physically heavy weight wise) blankets.