Insomnia
How Vitamins & Nutritional Supplements May Help
 

9 percent of Americans have chronic sleep problems, and up to 30% occasional have a bad night.  Insomnia is not really a disease, but an indicator that something has gone wrong in your body that you need to fix.  Although many people use them, sleep medications tend to interrupt your natural sleep patterns, and lose their effectiveness in a few as 3-5 days.  Natural methods are not only non-addictive, but they are often effective.
 

Common Symptoms of Insomnia
 

Inability to get a good nights sleep.  You wake up tired.  Having difficulty getting to sleep or waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to go right back to sleep.
 

Common Causes of Insomnia
 

Sometimes it is a psychological problem that keeps you from sleeping, or due to chronic pain or allergies, but often there are some nutritional factors involved.  Too much caffeine, alcohol, sugar or food can also cause insomnia, as well as indigestion and a toxic liver overload.  Insomnia can be caused by many other things as well:  adrenal exhaustion or insufficiency, depression, medications, and more.  Excessive copper in your diet may also over excite your nerves and hence cause poor sleep.

One reason why those with depression have problems sleeping is that the neurotransmitter serotonin is important for good quality sleep, and those with depression are often lacking in serotonin.
 

Vitamins, Minerals and Other Nutritional Supplements
 

Calcium and magnesium are minerals that often can affect the quality of our sleep.  They help serotonin do its job of calming the central nervous system.  B vitamins are very influential for our nervous system and also help to make serotonin and hence can also affect our sleep.  Carbohydrates (we recommend whole food / whole grain carbs) can also boost serotonin production.  If you think that your liver is overloaded, herbal remedies like milk thistle seed and reishi mushroom can help with cleaning it out.*

Some herbs that can help you sleep better include valerian, chamomile, catnip and lemon balm, ginseng and St. John's Wort.

Recommended Vitamins & Nutritional Supplements*

1. Coral Calcium (with calcium & magnesium in a 2:1 ratio, plus trace minerals)
2. B Complex Vitamins
3. Liver Complex (cleansing formula)
4. Milk Thistle Seeds
5. Reishi Mushroom

Food Choices
 

As usual, a good diet overall can help promote your good health in all ways, including helping you to have a good night's sleep.  Bananas, milk, and yogurt all have tryptophan in them, an amino acid that is important for a good night's sleep, and some people find that helpful before they go to bed.  Some other foods that have been used successfully to help boost the quality of sleep include honey (we recommend Really Raw Honey), whole grains, brown rice, nutritional yeast and nuts.  Try not to eat too heavily right before you go to bed, (try to eat dinner before 6 pm) and eliminate all caffeine starting in the early afternoon if you have insomnia.  Drinking alcohol at night can also cause nighttime awakenings.
 

Other Ideas for Insomnia
 

Get some exercise every day, especially in the am to set your circadian rhythm and a short walk before bed may help too.  Some people have been amazed how their long standing insomnia disappeared when they finally got an all natural, non-toxic bedding and mattress.  Anything you can do to increase the nutrients like vitamins and minerals in your foods, especially the B vitamins and calcium and magnesium, whether it involves a change in your diet or nutritional supplements, may be helpful.*

* This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA.  This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Healthy Vitamins & Nutritional Supplements