There are basic vitamins, minerals and amino acids that are catalysts for all of the bodies nutrition. Magnesium is one of those. The lack of magnesium could be causing your lack of sleep.
Magnesium influences digestion, energy production, muscle function, bone formation, creation of new cells, activation of B vitamins and relaxation of muscles, as well as assisting in the functions of the heart, kidneys, adrenals, brain and nervous system. Insufficient magnesium in the body can interfere with these body processes.
Some of the lack of magnesium symptoms look just like sleep deprivation symptoms.*
Low energy
Fatigue
Weakness
PMS and hormonal imbalances
Inability to sleep
Weakening bones
Muscle tension, spasms & cramps
Abnormal heart rhythms
Headaches
Anxiousness
Nervousness
Irritability
*Peter Gilliam has one of the best magnesium products on the market. His site has the data you need to pick the right product for you.
Sheila
P.S. I have been a long time fan of Gillham's Cal-Mag. Perfect for relieving stress.This is my favorite sleep remedy.
When you can't fall asleep it is possible that there is something lacking in your diet. There are two areas that are very common in people who can't fall asleep:
Lacking in B vitamins
The lack of B vitamins can cause anxiety, depression, forgetfulness and fatigue. (Sound like lack of sleep symptoms?) Getting a good balance of B vitamins is vital to your over all health.
This is one of those "which comes first? The chicken or the egg?" Stress and anxiety cause you to use up your B vitamins and the lack of B vitamins cause stress and sleep anxiety.
A good balanced daily formula of balanced vitamins:
Vitamin A
10,000 IU
Choline
50 mg
Vitamin D
400 IU
Inositol
50 mg
Vitamin E
400 IU
PABA
50 mg
Vitamin C
500 mg
Calcium
55 mg
Vitamin B 1
50 mg
Magnesium
27 mg
Vitamin B 2
50 mg
Iron
2 mg
Niacinamide
50 mg
Zinc
1.6 mg
Pantothenic acid
50 mg
Copper
0.22 mg
Vitamin B 6
50 mg
Potassium
5 mg
Vitamin B 12
500 mcg
Manganese
0.44 mg
Biotin
500 mcg
Iodine
25 mg
Folic acid
400 mcg
Now I am not a doctor, so remember to see your nutritionist, homeopath or Traditional Chinese Medicine doctor to get a good nutritional advice that fits your particular needs.
Sheila
P.S. Having nightmares? add 100 mg of B1 about 2 hrs before bedtime.
If you are having trouble falling asleep take your troubles somewhere else. According to Sleep Specialist, Dr. Daniel Kripke, you should take all of your worries outside of your bedroom. He suggests using your bedroom only for sleep as a good sleep habit.
Take your worries out to a chair.
Do not read alarming material in bed.
Do not watch TV in bed.
Handle all problems and worries outside of the bedroom.
These ideas reminded me of something I had read about the famous Andrew Carnegie, Captain of Industry. Carnegie's rags to riches is one of my favorite stories.
"It is reported that Andrew Carnegie did something in particular that led to his great success. Every single night before he slept at night, he did this very simple habit. What he did was so simple yet so powerful. This little technique is not used by many people. As a matter of fact this is a big secret. So what you are about to hear may very well be something that can change your life forever. He kept a notebook close to him, and every night before going to sleep he would write down 6 things he needed to accomplish the next day. As he wrote these 6 things that he needed to accomplish, he visualized and felt as though they were already accomplished. As he slept the unconscious mind would figure out the best way to accomplish his goals. This is how the unconscious mind works. The unconscious mind (while we are asleep) gives us clues and suggestions to the best route to take while going after goals (during the day).The next day he would work on accomplishing his goals. Before the day end he made sure the 6 things were accomplished."
(I am not sure where I got this story. If you wrote it, let me know.)
What a wonderful way of handling your worries. Write them down and trust you will know how to handle them. Then get busy with the knowledge you gather in your sleep.
Finding a way to relax could have the biggest effect on remedying lack of sleep. Europeans and Americans generally live very fast paced life styles. The importance of relaxing and give the body time to heal is common in Eastern cultures.
Find what works best for you and practice-practice-practice. Remember you are learning something that could be completely new to you.
To remedy sleep, "The Sleep Secret Audio" has really made a difference for me and others, here is what one of my friends had to say:
"The sleep-secret product is phenomenal. I was a bit skeptical at first when I bought it, but I was truly getting desperate to sleep and their audio relaxes me so quickly that I drop off right away. I keep wanting to stay awake long enough to hear more of Claus's music, but nooooooooo...I HAVE to fall asleep and miss it. Ggggrin! So I ordered one of his CD's so I can hear the music and NOT fall asleep.
I wake up after a while long enough to turn off my MP3 player and go right back to sleep. Very relaxing.
Ultra-glad I bought the product.
Toodles for now.
Kate"
You can down load the sleep cd "The Sleep Secret Audio", it has helped us relax and remedy sleep problems.
The firs step to remedy sleep when you can't sleep, is to understand normal sleep habits.*
The healthiest people sleep only 6.5 t0 7.5 hours.
It is actually safer to sleep 5 to 6 hours a night than 8 to 10 hours.
The average adult in the U.S. sleep 6.5 hours.
It is normal for older people to awaken often at night.
Don't worry. People with insomnia live longer than people who sleep a lot.
It's is harmful more time in bed than you really need.
If you getting a good amount of sleep, but you still fatigued during the day, something else could be wrong. The first place to check would be your diet. If you want sleeping pills see your doctor. If you want help to solve your fatigue see a nutritionist, homeopath or Traditional Chinese Medicine Doctor.
What harm could there be in taking sleeping pills? Although it may appear that taking a sleep aid would be beneficial in helping get more and better sleep the results of taking a sleep aid can do more harm than good.
Increase in mortality rate
Addiction
Anxiety
Forgetfulness
What appears to be Alzheimers in older people
Possibly cancer
Shallow breathing - lack of oxygen
Doing thing in your sleep you would not normally do
Infections
Heart disease
When I told my Traditions Chinese Medicine Doctor that I was writing this blog, he said that sleeping pills are one of the most dangerous drugs on the market; they are mind altering drugs. He attributes sleep problems to our fast paced American life style.
Dr. Daniel Kripke, of the University of California gives this warning in his lecture.
Lack of sleep? Sleeping pills are not the answer. So what is? I will be showing you more of what I have found in the way of sleep help.
How much sleep do you really need? According to a poll of the Sleep Foundation, the time spent sleeping has dwindled. The average American adult is getting between 6 and 7 hours of sleep a night.
Is that bad?
Actually no. Over a million adults of all ages were studied in order to research the relationship between sleep duration and mortality. The tests run over a six year period found that people who slept between 6.5 and 7 hours a night had the lowest death rates. While people who slept eight or more hours had a greater risk of dying over the same period. In fact, the greater the sleep duration beyond eight hours per night, the greater the death rate.
Are you trying to remedy sleep based on what has come down as tradition? Are you working as hard as your ancestors?
How much sleep do you really need? What should your sleep habit be?
We are all individual. Life's activities are different for each one of us. Someone who works physically hard will require more sleep than someone that works in an office. You need to decide what it how much sleep you need to run your life.
You are the one who can determine what sleep habits work best for you.
Eating a little bit of chocolate was a treat that Teresa Wood looked forward to after work. The Fairfax Station, Va., resident allowed herself two small pieces of chocolate candy a day.
But after taking a drug to help her sleep at night, Wood awoke in the morning to find an empty box on the table in place of a pound of chocolates that had been there the night before.
"I couldn't believe it," says Wood. "I started looking all around the house—I even looked under the bed. I thought for sure someone came into the house during the night and ate them." But she was alone.
A few weeks later, Wood awoke to find a near-full box of chocolates gone again. "I just don't remember eating all that candy," she says.
Complex Sleep-related Behaviors
Wood and her doctor determined that she had been getting up during the night and "sleep eating," an occurrence known as a complex sleep-related behavior. Other behaviors include making phone calls, having sex, and getting into the car and driving while not fully awake. Most people do not remember these events later.
Complex behaviors are a potential side effect of sedative-hypnotic products—a class of drugs used to help a person fall asleep and stay asleep.
"Complex behaviors, such as sleep-driving, could be potentially dangerous to both the patients and to others," says Russell Katz, M.D., Director of the Food and Drug Administration's Division of Neurology Products.
One of my clients won a lawsuit against the manufacturer of the sleep aid Halcion. His client was a 52 year old woman that killed her mother while on the drug. It was proven that the manufacturer, the Upjohn Co., hid data that the drug was dangerous. Other countries took the drug off of the market.
The Food and Drug Administration has asked for stronger warnings on the following sedative-hypnotic drugs. (Oh yea, like that will change things.)
Ambien, Ambien CR (zolpidem tartrate)
Butisol sodium
Carbrital (pentobarbital and carbromal)
Dalmane (flurazepam hydrochloride)
Doral (quazepam)
Halcion (triazolam)
Lunesta (eszopiclone)
Placidyl (ethchlorvynol)
Prosom (estazolam)
Restoril (temazepam)
Rozerem (ramelteon)
Seconal (secobarbital sodium)
Sonata (zaleplon)
The problem is not just prescription medications. Although an over the counter sleeping pill has been given the green light does not necessarily make it safe. These sleeping pills have a "longer life" and make you sleepy for long periods of time. Daytime forgetfulness, drowsiness and the need for more of the over the counter sleeping pill, are side effects that can have disastrous consequences.
If you take sleeping pills or know some who does be sure to watch the video of Dr. Daniel Kripke, on sleeping pills.
Probably the most valuable data I have found in my research on sleeplessness, has been from Dr. Daniel Kripke. One of the first to set up a sleep clinic in 1973 and a professor at the University of California, Dr Kripke has studied sleep for the last 37 years.
Dr. Kripke has researched the value and effects of sleeping pills. You will be so amazed at what he has found!
The video is quite long and a little technical, but well worth it for anyone taking sleeping pills. Also for anyone that is interested in getting a good nights sleep.
Shocked? I was.
Sheila
P.S. I hope this video helps your with your sleeplessness.
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