6 Potentially Sure-Fire Tips To Remedy Sleep Problems

Insomnia has relentlessly bothered several people for a huge chunk of their lives. It even reaches a point that their normal daily activities have become altered. Some have become terribly unproductive during work or school. Some formerly good-looking people have just become a shadow of their old selves. As a result, they have been constantly ridiculed by others and even being used as the subject of jokes and punch lines.

About 50 to 70 millions Americans are insomniacs, most of which are females. Anxiety, depression, and hypertension are very common conditions among obese individuals. More studies have also shown that excessive weight gain can be linked to lack of sleep. In order to maintain a healthy body weight, 8 to 9 hours worth of sleeping time has to be religiously observed, a Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine study says. Theoretically speaking, sleep deprivation alters leptin and insulin production. These hormones are responsible for properly regulating body weight and regular appetite. Lack of sleep can also lead to a sedentary lifestyle since exercise now becomes a very tiring thing to do on a regularly. Lack of sleep also causes mood swings and turning to food for comfort instead of talking to other people.

You should rather not use sleeping pills - even if they are given to you free of charge. This is because using them now will result to drug dependency in the long run. Instead, spending late nights doing research about help methods to get proper sleep is a much better option.

Warm Milk Is Good Prior To Sleeping

Ten years ago, researchers checked out a traditional remedy then reached a conclusion that the amino acid tryptophan, commonly found in milk or turkey, could be the main factor for its alleged sleep-inducing properties. Researches in the past had pointed out that when tryptophan is being unleashed, serotonin - a neurotransmitter for serenity-enhancing purpose - is produced. But when milk was experimented on, they (along with other food rich in tryptophan) were not able to get the expected results on improving sleeping patterns. According to City University of New york insomnia expert and psychology professor Art Spielman, tryptophan-containing food cannot produce what the pure version of tryptophan will and that is a hypnotic action. That is because they constantly compete with other amino acids to gain entry inside your brain. So the truth about warm milk is that it only helps make you comfortable during bedtime, not enhance serotonin production.

Eat Light Snacks During Bedtime

Snacks - a light one that is - before sleeping can make hunger go away. And it is definitely true that hunger is one common culprit that can deprive you of a good night’s sleep. Taking in high Glycemic Index carbohydrates, preferably during dinner time, might also be effective. A recent American Journal of Clinical Nutrition publication recently discovered that when non-insomniacs had carbohydrate-rich dinners consisting of vegetables and rice topped with tomato sauce, falling asleep is easier to accomplish when eating high-Glycemic Index jasmine rice compared to eating low-Glycemic Index rice. Since the writers are not quite certain about how exactly it happened, they made their own speculations. They thought the high-Glycemic Index meals triggered the larger amount of insulin produced therefore upped tryptophan's ratio related to various blood amino acids. This allowed a more even distribution to different body parts most especially the brain. That is why the best time to eat hi-Glycemic Index carbohydrates is during dinner time.

Drink Hebal Tea

Chamomile, hops, lemon balm, and even passionflower are all world-renowned sleep-inducing tea drinks. Unluckily, their effectiveness has not yet been clinically proven as far as the American Academy of Sleep Medicine is concerned. Spielman says that he does not doubt the effectiveness of these teas to some people since warm beverages can help induce sleep since thermogenesis (body heat) is being promoted. Therefore, you should be careful about drinking liquids before sleeping since bathroom trips in the middle of the night will be inevitable. But if your bladder is quite durable, a cup of tea before bedtime may be worth taking a chance on.

Giving “Sleep Supplements” A Try

In herbal stores, shelves are loaded with formulas for sleeping troubles. Tons of people, 1.6 million to be more precise, tried these types of therapies with more than a half reporting a massive improvement in their insomnia. The problem is that the majority of these anecdotes have not yet been given a thumbs up by scientific study. Though there is one exception: the Valerian root. This seemed to render improved sleeping with very minimal side effects (upset stomach is one of them). Figuring out the exact and correct formulation for effective Valerian root use is quite tricky since herbal supplements are not being strictly regulated by the FDA. The wise thing would be to not excessively buy sleep supplements using your hard-earned money. It is better to play safe by waiting for an FDA-approved Valerian root formulation or be sorry later. Also you can try a popular sleeping pill Ambien.

Do Not Over-drink

One shot of wine can be effective in trying to fall asleep. The same could not be said about excessive alcohol intake. Spielman said that “One of his patients suffering from insomnia had a vastly-improved condition when reducing his intake of alcohol from a high of 20 glasses a week to a low of only. One theory about alcohol is that it suppresses the Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep state, a vital element in getting a good night’s sleep. So if you can’t drink moderately, you are probably better off not drinking at all. Spielman added that the ability of a typical human being to excrete caffeine also deteriorates when getting older. He may have a point in that since caffeine effects each one very differently. Some may be over-sensitive to caffeine while some are not affected by caffeine no matter how much they take in. So if you are still able to drink lots and lots of coffee during your prime, it is probably good for you if you gradually cut down your dosage as years pass by. Aside from coffee, other sources of caffeine include soft drinks, teas, and some chocolates. If you are an insomniac, either cut out or just limit during the morning your caffeine intake.