Natural Treatments for Insomnia

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Not included in this article but important is niacin. If the person has a high

requirement for niacin and it is not met by diet or suppimentation, the

tryptophan in the diet will be converted to niacin first and used so there may

not be much left to produce serotonin and for that to be converted further to

melatonin.

 

Also not mentioned in this article in causes is that a number of prescription

drugs or other toxic substances can cause major sleep problems and cause damage

to the delicate sleep mechanism in the brain.

 

Frank

 

http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/conditionsitoq/a/Insomnia_p.htm

 

Natural Treatments for Insomnia

From Cathy Wong,Your Guide to Alternative Medicine.

Sleep is as important to promoting optimal health as diet and exercise. It

restores and repairs the damage done during the course of the day. However, many

of us have difficulty getting a good night’s sleep. Either we’re too busy to

sleep or when we try to go to bed, we stay awake thinking or wake in the middle

of the night.

 

Insomnia refers to difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep throughout the

night. It is a common condition. About 10% of the population has chronic

insomnia and about 50% have significant insomnia at some time. It can be traced

to a number of physical, mental, behavioral, and environmental factors

 

Types of Insomnia:

 

Sleep-onset insomnia refers to difficulty falling asleep. It can be associated

with pain, breathing difficulties, stimulant drugs, withdrawal from sleeping

pills, irregular sleep schedules, excess alcohol consumption, or emotional

disturbances, such as anxiety, phobia, or depression. It can also be associated

with sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, a condition in which there is

intermittent disruption of breathing during sleep, or delayed sleep phase

syndrome, a circadian rhythm disturbance in which the person has delayed sleep

and waking times and cannot move to an earlier bedtime without an earlier waking

time.

 

With early morning awakening, there is no difficulty falling asleep but there

the person awakens too early. Sleep maintenance insomnia refers to awakening

several times throughout the night with either difficulty falling back to sleep

or drifting into a restless, unsatisfying sleep.

 

As a person ages, total sleep time tends to decrease and sleep may become

disrupted. The amount of stage 4 (very deep sleep) may decrease. There may be

early morning awakening or sleep maintenance insomnia. These two types of

insomnia are sometimes associated with depression.

 

Tendencies to anxiety, self-reproach, and self-punishing thinking are often

magnified in the morning and may contribute to early morning insomnia, causing

awakening between 3 and 5 am for no apparent reason.

 

Reversal of sleep rhythm usually reflects a circadian disorder such as jet lag.

It may also occur after a head injury. Misusing sedatives or working irregular

night shift hours can sometimes cause reversals, as can sleep apnea. With sleep

apnea, a person may become drowsy in the morning, sleep or doze much of the day,

and have a fitful, uninterrupted sleep at night.

 

Rebound wakefulness commonly occurs when sleeping pills are discontinued in a

person who normally takes heavy doses. This is often wrongly interpreted as a

recurrence of chronic insomnia.

 

Diagnosing Insomnia

 

A doctor will evaluate sleep pattern, intake of alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine,

drug use, degree of psychological stress, work and travel schedule, and level of

physical activity. A physical examination and lab tests are usually conducted to

identify any underlying medical conditions.

 

Drugs that contribute to insomnia are oral contraceptives, thyroid medicine,

beta blockers, alcohol, nicotine, and marijuana.

 

Holistic doctors may assess hormone levels. Shifting levels of estrogen and

progesterone in women and testosterone in men can result in changes in sleep.

Women in menopause often notice sleep disruption due to a decline in estrogen

and/or progesterone levels. Women who are taking the drug tamoxifen for breast

cancer often experience severe insomnia. They should not take herbs and

supplements with an estrogenic effect because they can interfere with the cancer

treatment.

 

Adrenal stress can cause elevated cortisol levels. High night-time cortisol

levels have been associated with insomnia.

 

Difficulty falling asleep can be due to anxiety. Early morning awakening or

sleep maintenance insomnia may be related to emotional disturbances such as

depression or to a physical disorder such as pain or breathing disturbance

during sleep. If there is persistent unexplained insomnia, referral to a sleep

lab may help.

 

Natural Treatments for Insomnia

 

Prescription drugs such as Valium, Ambien, Restoril, Xanax, Ativan, and chloral

hydrate are often prescribed for sleeping difficulty but they can promote

tolerance, dependency, and even addiction. Antidepressants are sometimes

prescribed for insomnia.

 

Diet

 

Cut out caffeine – Caffeine consumption can have a pronounced effect on sleep,

causing insomnia and restlessness. In addition to coffee, tea, and soft drinks,

look for hidden sources of caffeine such as cough and cold medicine and other

over-the-counter medicine and chocolate.

 

Avoid added sugar – Although sugar can give a burst of energy, it is short-lived

and can cause uneven blood sugar levels. This can disrupt sleep in the middle of

the night as blood sugar levels fall.

 

Eat tryptophan-rich foods – Tryptophan is an amino acid that is a precursor to

serotonin, which is then converted to melatonin. Tryptophan occurs naturally in

turkey and other meat, milk, cheese, bananas, pumpkin seeds, and legumes.

 

 

 

Diet, cont'd Eat magnesium-rich foods – Magnesium is a natural sedative.

Deficiency of magnesium can result in difficulty sleeping, constipation, muscle

tremors or cramps, anxiety, irritability, and pain. Foods that are rich in

magnesium are kelp, wheat bran, almonds, cashews, blackstrap molasses, and

brewer’s yeast.

 

Nutritional Supplements

 

Calcium and Magnesium – Calcium and magnesium act as sedatives. A typical dose

is 600 mg calcium and 250-500 mg magnesium. If you take a daily calcium

supplement to meet your nutritional requirements, look for a calcium-magnesium

combined supplement in a 2:1 ratio and take it in the evening.

 

Multivitamin – There are a number of vitamins and minerals that can help improve

sleep quality. Vitamin B6 is required for the conversion of the amino acid

tryptophan into serotonin, which helps with sleep. A food source of B vitamins,

especially vitamin B6 is 1-2 teaspoons of nutritional yeast. It can be stirred

into a glass of juice. Other sources of B vitamins are liver, whole grains,

tuna, wheat germ, blackstrap molasses, bananas, and sunflower seeds. Deficiency

of iron has been associated with restless leg syndrome. Chromium is often

effective when there is waking at night due to blood sugar imbalance.

 

Melatonin – Melatonin is a hormone that is produced naturally by the body. The

pineal gland in the brain makes serotonin which is then converted into melatonin

when exposure to light decreases. Melatonin can help people fall asleep when the

bedtime rhythm has been disturbed. In studies, people taking melatonin sleep

better, take less time to fall asleep, and feel more energetic and awake during

the day. One study found that melatonin may be effective for jet lag, especially

long-distance travel. Melatonin has also been suggested for re-establishing

regular sleeping in shift workers.

 

There is no typical dose of melatonin. It is typically taken about 30 minutes

before the desired bedtime. Some experts caution that melatonin should not be

used in depression, schizophrenia, autoimmune diseases, and other serious

illness. Pregnant and nursing women should not use melatonin. Melatonin should

not be taken before driving or operating machinery. While melatonin is often

recommended for short-term use, the long-term effect of melatonin

supplementation is unknown.

 

Herbs

 

Valerian – Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) is a herb that has been long used as

a remedy for insomnia. As early as second century A.D., valerian was recommended

for insomnia. There are rumors that the name Valium was created to sound like

the word valerian. In 1985, it was approved by Germany’s Commision E and is now

an accepted over-the-counter insomnia remedy in Germany, France, Switzerland,

Belgium, and Italy..

 

Just how valerian works in the body is still not well understood. Some studies

suggest that like conventional sleeping pills, valerian may affect levels of the

neurotransmitter GABA. The effects of valerian take between 2 and 4 weeks to

become noticeable. A typical dosage of valerian is 2 to 3 g of the dried root,

270 to 450 mg of a 3-6:1 water-based extract, or 600 mg of an alcohol based

extract (4-7:1). Valerian is usually taken between 30 to 60 minutes before

bedtime. Side effects of valerian may include mild digestive distress. There

have been a few cases of mild stimulant effect from valerian use. Valerian

usually does not impair driving ability or cause morning drowsiness.

Consultation with a qualified health practitioner is recommended to ensure

adequate dose and prescription.

 

St. John’s Wort – The herb St. John’s wort may help insomnia related to

depression. For proper diagnosis and assessment of depression, please see your

family doctor.

 

Kava - Kava is an anti-anxiety herb that may be helpful for anxiety-related

insomnia. A typical dose is standardized to contain 210 mg of kavalactones,

taken 1 hour before bed. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently

issued an advisory to consumers about the potential risk of severe liver injury

resulting from the use of dietary supplements containing kava. To date, there

have been more than 25 reports of serious adverse effects from kava use in other

countries, including four patients who required liver transplants.

 

Other herbs - Chamomile, hops, passionflower, skullcap, and ashwagandha are

other herbs that are often used for insomnia. Some people may find benefit from

simply taking chamomile tea 1 hour prior to bed. Chamomile can reduce anxiety,

calm the digestive system, and relieve muscle tension.

 

 

 

Traditional

 

In traditional Chinese medicine, insomnia often stems from kidney energy

weakness. This syndrome is not necessarily related to kidney disease in Western

medicine. A few signs of kidney energy weakness are low back ache, tiredness and

fatigue, and a burst of energy at about 11 pm in the evening. Herbal remedies

such as the six-herb formula liu wei di huang are often recommended. Women in

menopause often experience this type of insomnia. People who are taking

anti-estrogenic drugs such as tamoxifen also experience this type of insomnia,

however, they should not take herbal combinations such as liu wei di huang that

may have an estrogenic effect.

 

Ayurvedic Medicine

 

In Ayurvedic medicine, insomnia is often associated with a vata imbalance. Vata

regulates breathing and circulation. People with a vata imbalance often notice

irritability, anxiety, and fear with insomnia. One Ayurvedic treatment is the

application of oil on the head and feet. For the pitta type, room temperature

coconut oil is used, for the vata type, warm sesame oil is applied, and for the

kapha type, warm mustard oil is often applied.

 

Exercise

 

Lack of exercise can contribute to poor sleep. Muscle tension and stress build

in the body. Exercise in the late afternoon or early evening can promote deep

sleep that night. However, exercising too close to bed can increase adrenaline

levels, leading to insomnia.

 

Lifestyle

 

Sleep in a completely darkened room – Melatonin production is slowed in the

presence of light. A completely dark room increases the amount of melatonin made

more than a partially dark room. If it is not possible to make the room

completely dark, consider using an eye mask at night.

 

Mind/Body Therapies

 

Meditation, yoga, breathing techniques and other forms of mind-body therapies

may promote deep sleep. Some preliminary studies have found that meditation and

yoga for 15 to 30 minutes prior to bed may increase melatonin levels that

evening.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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