Melatonin is a hormone secreted by the pineal gland in the brain that helps regulate other hormones and maintains the body’s circadian rhythm. This hormone also helps control the timing and release of female reproductive hormones. Melatonin has been shown to stimulate cells called osteo-blasts that promote bone growth which may be good for women in menopause.

Research shows that after melatonin is administered to ADHD patients; the time needed to fall asleep is significantly reduced and this suggests that quick-release melatonin may be more effective than sustained-release formulations for sleep related conditions. Researchers believe that melatonin levels diminish as we age. They also theorize that you may be able to help the process along by taking a melatonin supplement at times when it would be released naturally according to your new time zone or work schedule, although this can vary from person to person and from day to day.

It is reported that this hormone could reset the body’s aging clock, turning back the ravages of time. Research on melatonin continues, and with it, knowledge is increasing about the functions of melatonin in the body and the effects of melatonin supplementation.

Insomnia is a sleep disorder characterized by an inability to sleep or to remain asleep for a reasonable period during the night. Insomnia is one of the most common sleep disorders affecting Americans today. Low levels of melatonin in humans have been associated with insomnia and may aid in reversing this sleep disorder. Several human studies report that melatonin taken by mouth before bedtime decreases the amount of time it takes to fall asleep in elderly individuals with insomnia.

The first published evidence that melatonin may be useful in Alzheimer’s disease was the demonstration that this neuro-hormone prevents neuronal death caused by exposure to the amyloid beta protein, a neurotoxin substance that accumulates in the brains of patients with the disorder. This hormone may aid in slowing the aging process as well.

Aging is a complex physiological process that involves a number of biochemical reactions, with molecular changes that are manifested in single cells a by product of day to day operation. Aging is associated with a decline in immune function also affecting the innate immune system. Aging is characterized by disorganization of circadian rhythms caused in part by the progressive decline in the activity of the pineal gland leading ultimately to pineal failure.

Many researchers believe that melatonin levels are related to the aging process. Does melatonin have any effect on aging? Low dose melatonin treatment in mice enhances the body’s natural antioxidant system, and this may have anti-aging properties. Researchers believe there is a link between antioxidants and aging. The decline in the production of a number of hormones associated with aging such as growth hormone (GH), estrogen and DHEA, as well as of the pineal substance melatonin, have been proposed to play a significant role in contributing to the decline of ones immune system and accelerated aging.

Furthermore, melatonin has been studied for the treatment of cancer, immune disorders, cardiovascular diseases, depression, seasonal affective disorder (SAD), circadian rhythm sleep disorders and other dysfunction. Melatonin has been shown to be effective in treating one form of depression, seasonal affective disorder, and is being considered for bipolar and other disorders where circadian disturbances are involved. It is critical to have normal melatonin levels through out ones life.

Anybody can purchase melatonin because it is available without prescription in most cases in the United States and Canada, while it is available only by prescription or not at all in some other countries. Melatonin appears to cause very few side effects in the short term, up to three months, when healthy people take it at low doses.

In conclusion, low doses of melatonin can benefit one greatly not only from better sleep but possibly living long from its antioxidant properties it exhibits. Don’t forget that melatonin should be used with caution in people with depression and should be appropriately timed if one is undergoing light therapy. Have you had your melatonin lately?

Darrell Miller
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/melatonin-can-help-with-sleeping-memory-and-more-711345.html

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Alternative treatments have been efficient in providing solutions for insomnia and its causes. People suffering from insomnia turn to herbal remedies. Some prefer lemon balm and chamomile tea. These are alright because they have proven to be quite harmless. But for medical establishments, they should label these medicines as ‘herbal’ and natural. However, some natural and herbal remedies contain conventional medicines.

Some the herbal medications taken for insomnia include valerian, melatonin and kava, but there insifficient evidence from research to recommend them. A recent study that has been conducted by the University of Alberta shows that melatonin is not as effective as most people think it to be. Researchers have analyzed the studies that involved around 500 people with various sleeping programs like medication, shift work, jet lag and medication. They found no clear evidence that melatonin has a special role to play for people falling asleep faster.

What is recommended though are the relaxation techniques an insomniac can turn to. These have been proven to be the most effective. These activities require at least 20 minutes before bedtime.

Here are some examples:

1. Visualization entails a relaxing scene in your head. Try this before actually falling asleep. Think of how it will be like if you really are in the place you are visualizing yourself to be. The more vivid you visualize the place, the more involved your senses will be.

2. Yoga combines meditation, stretching and deep breathing. Daily yoga for eight weeks can already improve total sleeping time as well as the time needed to fall to sleep.

The traditional cures of insomnia are drinking warm milk before sleeping, taking a warm shower at night, engaging in vigorous exercise for an hour and a half at noon, eating large lunch followed by light dinner three hours before bedtime and avoiding mentally stimulating activities at night.

People with insomnia are also encouraged to get up early in the morning and sleep at a reasonable hour in the evening so that their sleeping habits will improve.

We highly recommend you consider our self-help hypnosis MP3’s and CD’s which have proven effective for many people. A medication-less life can only be better for your body, and if you believe in yourself and your own abilities you will find our self-help hypnosis programs of immense benefit.

Nathalie Fiset
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/remedy-insomnia-the-natural-way-133448.html

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Keywording "sleep cycles" as well as "minimizing melatonin side effects" will bring up some good reading for you to find out more online.

Hope this is clear and has helped, if not email me and I’ll try to clarify, ok? Good luck!

*Edit* btw, I do not know that the side effect is for any specific group, but I highly doubt it! Probably people that didn’t understand what I just told you about timing and sleep cycles.

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Look at it this way. In chemistry, you take some chemicals, mix them together, and you get new chemicals. In the same way, your body does a series of chemical reactions that start with tryptophan and end with melatonin. (In the body, chemical reactions are mediated by enzymes.)

If you make a door, you start with a tree. Then you cut down the tree to make a log. From the log, you cut out a piece of wood roughly in the shape of the door. You sand it down to make it nice. Add a doorknob and some hinges, and you have a door. The door represents melatonin, and the tree is the same thing as tryptophan.

Here is how tryptohan eventually becomes melatonin… I have also included the enzymes that achieve this:

Tryptophan is converted to 5-hydroxyltryptophan by the enzyme Tryptophan Oxidase.

Aromatic Amino Acid Decarboxylase takes 5-hydroxyltryptophan and makes seratonin (as in SSRI medications for depression.)

Seratonin is converted into N-acetyl-5-hydroxytryptamine by the enzyme N-Acetyltransferase.

Finally, N-acetyl-5-hydroxytryptamine is taken to melatonin by the action of the enzyme O-Methyltransferase.

Tryptophan is an important precursor to many, many different kinds of compounds in the body. Like I said, it can make seratonin. Receptors that bind this also bind drugs like mescaline, MDMA, and DMT.

Melatonin is involved in estrus control (AKA the menstrual cycle.) It is also thought to be involved in the natural mediation of sleep. Melatonin affects the circadian rhythm and is potentially a weak sedative-hypnotic.

I hope this clarifies the issue.

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Melatonin

Melatonin, N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine, is an endogenous indolamine hormone that is released by the pineal gland in significant quantities in a circadian pattern.

Uses and Benefits:

Melatonin is most often used for insomnia and jet lag. It is also used by night-shift workers and for blind entrainment (to regulate sleep patterns in those who are blind). It has been researched as an oral contraceptive, antioxidant, and anticancer agent.

Pharmacology:

Regulation of melatonin secretion corresponds to the habitual sleep-wake hours in humans. Thus, melatonin secretion increases during nightfall, 9 PM-4 AM, and levels gradually decline until daylight. Exogenous melatonin has been used to supplement endogenous melatonin production for a number of indications.

Clinical Trials:

. Insomnia-Several randomized, double-blind clinical trials have been conducted evaluating the role of oral melatonin in patients with insomnia. These studies all suggest melatonin im

Steve Mathew
http://www.articlesbase.com/medicine-articles/melatonin-medicinal-uses-interactions-side-effects-dosage-109164.html

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We live in extremely busy times. It seems that everywhere we go, people are never asleep. Businesses undertake 24-hour operations to cater to a more global market, while individuals don’t hesitate to cross time zones and travel to another country either also for business reasons or for personal development. Body clocks are out of synch, schedules are warped, and the concept of night and day is confused.

Because of this, most of us turn to medications to help us get some shut-eye. However, most of these drugs, because of their chemical content, contain toxic side effects—hence, the birth of natural remedies, like melatonin and calming teas, as alternative therapies.

What is melatonin? Basically, it’s the by-product of the pineal gland, which is the small pea-sized part of our neurological system that tells our bodies when it’s time to shut down and rest. During the day, melatonin is weak, but during the night, it works at its peak. That’s why sleep comes in the absence of daylight or any light source.

However, since our lifestyles have altered our sleep-wake cycles, our bodies tend to forget how to differentiate night from day. People who work graveyard shifts, for instance, sleep during the day and feel very alert at night. But when these schedules suddenly turn 180 degrees, they find themselves dozing off in the middle of a task or falling prey to the lure of potentially dangerous energy drinks and other wake-up drugs.

Natural pineal gland melatonin cannot cope with these sudden changes, so treatment makers have come up with a way to mimic the effect of melatonin to create a pharmacy-grade melatonin supplement. This supplement is available over the counter and is commonly used to treat jet lag discomforts.

The recommendations on the use of pharmacy grade melatonin are mixed. Some studies advise against it because it leads to toxicity, but there are other researches that have found no ill results even if the participants have consumed 600 to 3,000 times the usual dosage, or around 6 grams. Common complaints against melatonin use include reaction lags and drowsiness, but this is quite understandable given the supplement’s features.

Doctors advise that melatonin be consumed only when you’re about to go to bed or at night. To combat jet lag, users are told to take the supplement around thirty minutes before boarding the plane. It should be known that melatonin has major body clock resetting functions so it must not be ingested when not really necessary. How much melatonin an individual can take varies, but it usually begins at 1.5 to 3 milligrams and then increased as needed.

In sum, melatonin, while a natural remedy, is still a drug, which should be taken in moderation. Because the Food and Drug Administration does not regulate alternative therapies, it would be prudent for you not to self-medicate but to consult the advice of a natural health expert or a doctor before deciding to take it.

Disclaimer:This is not a substitute for medical advice. This is only for informational purpose. Seek the advice of your doctor before considering any course of treatment.

Cathlen Evans
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/the-nature-of-melatonin-supplements-in-promoting-sleep-108697.html

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The first thing we should be clear about is, what exactly is melatonin? Melatonin is a substance (a hormone) secreted by the pineal gland in the brain that has a rapid, mild sleepiness-inducing effect. For this reason, some people take melatonin for insomnia to help regulate their normal sleep cycle, although some concerns remain about its safety, especially for long-term use.

Circadian Rhythms

Your circadian rhythm can be defined as the normal daily cycles that your body goes through. During each 24-hour cycle, levels of hormones rise and fall depending on the moment of the day; your kidneys produce more urine during the day and less at night; and your body temperature is higher at some times of the day than others (it tends to fall just before we go to sleep, for example). These are normal, rhythmic changes that help us be alert and functioning when we need to be, and to rest and rejuvenate at other times.

Some people believe that taking melatonin for insomnia helps maintain your normal sleep cycle. This belief is based on the fact that melatonin levels increase as it gets dark and peak during the middle of the night, and so melatonin is seen as synchronizing your sleep to the night. In fact, research tends to show that melatonin does not control sleep as such, but most likely is only one of many factors that explain why sleep during the night seems deeper, more refreshing and more restful.

Melatonin For Insomnia Caused By Circadian Rhythm Disorders

There are certain times when your normal sleep cycle gets disrupted – you feel sleepy during the day and can’t sleep at night. One example of this is jet lag, when your body is on one time, and the location where you have just arrived is on another time. Your body continues to produce melatonin on its usual schedule. It may be breakfast time in London, but your body feels that it should be fast asleep and shouldn’t be woken for quite some time yet. In this particular situation, it can indeed be helpful to take melatonin, although it seems that it is much more effective for people traveling eastwards than those going westward.

Another group of people who may benefit from taking melatonin for insomnia is night workers. People who work during the night get their biological clocks really messed up for two reasons. First, they are awake during the dark hours and try to sleep during the light hours. But then, when they have one or more days off work, their natural instinct is to synchronize their timetables again with the family and friends around them and they try to resume a normal sleep schedule. Thus, they are constantly changing their hours of sleep. In these cases, since melatonin production is suppressed by light, it does indeed seem to be helpful to take melatonin for insomnia when you are trying to sleep during daylight hours.

Although much more research remains to be done, it seems clear that taking melatonin for insomnia can be helpful when the insomnia is due to changes in your normal sleep cycle. It can either supplement the melatonin your body produces naturally, so that you can sleep during the day, or it can help reset your biological clock so that you sleep better at night.

In all cases, however, it must be remembered that insomnia is a symptom of many different disorders, including neurological and other medical disorders and psychiatric problems, and as such requires evaluation by a physician. In certain cases, melatonin may not be an appropriate treatment and should never be used except under a physician’s supervision.

Terry Roberts
http://www.articlesbase.com/medicine-articles/should-i-take-melatonin-for-my-insomnia-94985.html

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It’s 4am and you’re wide awake.You could be the one in three who have trouble sleeping. So what are the culprits and remedies for insomnia and how much sleep do you really need to beat the bedtime blues?

The truth: Everyone should sleep from seven to nine hours per night regardless of age, according to Edward L. Schneider, MD, dean of the Leonard Davis School of Gerontology at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. Sleeping less than seven hours weakens immunity and increases the risk for depression, falls and accidents.

N.A.S.A. research shows the effects on driving after being awake for 20 hours is comparable to a blood alcohol level of 0.05.

Lack of sleep can also lead to raised blood pressure, headaches, increased appetite and weight gain due to increased production of cortisol. This hormone has the opposite effect to what you desire,particularly if you are overweight,because it stores fat and burns muscle.

A University of Pennsylvania study showed that getting two fewer hours sleep a night for one week lead to reduced performance in vigilance tests and an increase in inflammatory markers in the blood stream.

SO WHAT CAN YOU DO TO GET MORE SLEEP?

FIRST,YOUR BEDROOM.
Make sure you have a comfortable bed and pillow. Your bedroom should be dark and quiet. It should also be well ventilated.

It should be peaceful.Jasmine, sandalwood or lavender scents can help.

A warm bath or shower before bed or playing tranquil music can also help. The aim is to slow your mind down. Watching TV in bed may not help, if you wish to relax your mind.

AVOID.
Caffeine in the evening. Sleeping tablets can be addictive if used continuously and should be avoided other than for very short time use. Eating heavy meals or drinking alcohol within two hours prior to bedtime can also disrupt sleep.
Bedtime snacks, particularly grains and sugars will raise your blood sugar and inhibit sleep according to Dr Joseph Mercola, author of The Total Health Program.

EXERCISE.
Regular exercise can reduce stress. A walk before bedtime can not only calm you, but the physical activity can aid digestion.
Your dog would also appreciate it!

HERBS AND OTHER SUPPLEMENTS.

Mild herbal supplements like camomile tea, passion flower or valerian may help some people.

VALERIAN.
The extract from the root of this plant is a natural sedative and tranquiliser. It can induce relaxation and is very good at quieting the busy mind. It is also a rich source of calcium, potassium and magnesium, all calming and balancing minerals for the nervous system. This herb also appears to increase brain levels of serotonin, a relaxing neurotransmitter.

MAGNESIUM.
This mineral is particularly important for your general wellbeing. When combined with calcium, it is an important supplement for healthy bones and protection against osteoporis. It is also important for sleep inducement, muscle relaxation and nervous system calming.

ST JOHNS WORT.
This herb is an effective option in helping to relieve mild anxiety and nervous tension. It can aid in the maintenance or improvement of general wellbeing.

A word of caution: St Johns Wort may react with some medications,including warfarin. It is important that you consult with your doctor before using this or any other supplements.

MELATONIN.
Melatonin is a natural sleep hormone produced at night by the brain.
Studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have shown it to be safe, non addictive and virtually free of side effects. It is helpful for those who have light or restless sleep or take some time to fall asleep.

With correct use, it may help you to fall asleep more easily and stay asleep longer. It is an effective cure for jetlag because of its ability to regulate our 24 hour sleep/wake cycle.

Many adults, especially those aged 65 and older have insufficient levels of melatonin to achieve restful sleep, according to Mark A Stengler ND, a naturopathic physician in private practice in La Jolla, California.

APPLE CIDER VINEGAR.
Try 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar mixed with 2 teaspoons of honey in a glass of warm water, before retiring.

FINALLY, NAPPING.
Sleep researchers have widely diverging opinions here. Some state that it can disturb night time sleep, while others say that it can compensate for a night time sleep deficit, especially if below 7 hours. Dr Schneider believes that most people should not nap for more than 20 minutes.

Researchers in the sleep research laboratory at Longborough University, England have found that people are designed for two sleeps a day, the main one at night and a nap in the afternoon.

I have found that an occasional 15 to 20 minute cat nap in the afternoon, particularly if I am feeling tired, can help me sleep better at night.

The bottom line is: What works best for you?

Never start a new treatment before consulting your doctor, especially if you currently are taking medication. The information published in this article is not intended as a substitute for personal medical advice from your physician or other qualified health-care practitioner.

Graeme Lanham
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/beating-insomnia-seven-secrets-to-a-peaceful-sleep-69975.html

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Insomnia, or the inability to fall and stay asleep, affects nearly everyone at some time or another. Occasionally people will get a full night’s sleep and still wake up feeling unrested for one reason or another. While drug companies have worked hard to come up with various over-the-counter, or OTC, and prescription drugs to battle sleeplessness, often these medications include harmful side effects just as bad or worse than the insomnia. Luckily there are natural alternatives to these medications that do not pose the same risks to the patient who suffers from sleeplessness. Throughout this article, these alternatives will be discussed in greater detail in order to prove the benefits of natural insomnia treatments over man-made medications.

There are several naturally occurring chemicals that lead people to feel sleepy. Probably the most common one is the amino acid Tryptophan. This is the ingredient in turkeys that make so many people feel relaxed and sleepy after Thanksgiving dinner. Tryptophan helps the brain create the chemicals serotonin and melatonin, which help the human body feel relaxed, calm and able to sleep. Dairy products, whole grain products and nuts are also good Tryptophan foods, perfect for before-bed snacks. Avoid foods high in protein and focus on high carbohydrate and calcium foods to help fight sleeplessness.

Much as there are foods and drinks (like milk) that will help you get to sleep, there are also foods that can be detrimental to falling and staying asleep throughout the night.

Any food or drink that contains caffeine should be avoided for at least three hours before bed (more if you still have problems getting to sleep).

Be wary of teas since many of them contain caffeine.

Look for the words caffeine-free, if you don’t see them then you should assume the tea is caffeinated.

Another sneaky possessor of caffeine is OTC headache and pain medications, many of which include caffeine to boost the effectiveness of the active ingredients. Carefully read the labels of any medications prior to taking them before trying to sleep.

Phosphatidylserine is an anti-cortisol that helps keep blood sugar stabilized throughout the night. Sudden spikes in blood sugar have been shown to be a contributing factor to frequently waking up during the night. People who are severely stressed sometimes experience racing thoughts while trying to sleep. These thoughts raise the levels of cortisol in the body and make it difficult to relax enough to fall asleep. Phosphatidylserine combats this effect, which can lead to falling asleep and more importantly staying asleep.

Another important ingredient in effective natural sleeplessness solutions is the amino-acid GABA, which helps the body regenerate while asleep and wake up feeling rested. While getting enough sleep is important, the quality of that sleep is even more important (just ask anyone who has an old mattress). GABA helps the release of growth hormone, which aids in the restfulness of the sleep state. It is obvious that natural insomnia solutions are better for the sleep state and the general health of those who suffer from sleeplessness.

Richard Smart
http://www.articlesbase.com/medicine-articles/natural-help-for-those-suffering-with-sleeplessness-219528.html

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trouble sleeping?

Afraid to start taking sleeping pills and other medication? You are correct there is a nautural cure.

However, your body produces a hormone called melatonin, and for a variety of reasons, you may not be getting enough. Your sleep problem may be due to this.

The answer to sleep problems, aging and many more questions may be found in this wonderful hormone called melatonin.

Melatonin is a natural hormone found in ALL living creature, from the plant to animal kingdoms. In higher animal species, it is produced in the pineal gland (in the brain), but also in the eye (retina) and the gastro-intestinal tract.

What is Melatonin?

A naturally occurring hormone (derived from serotonin) that is both endocrine (enters the bloodstream from a pineal gland) and paracrine (signaling cell phenomenon, as from the retina when light is low, when the signal is “time to sleep”).

Melatonin, besides being a sleep hormone, is a very powerful antioxidant, anti-aging agent, immunoregulator, anti-depressant and sexual dysfunction regulator.

Is it Safe to Take?

Actually, the 3mg standard dose has virtually no side effects, and does not also affect the body’s ability to produce its own melatonin.

Rather, in today’s world where we are exposed to great amounts of strong artificial light, our bodies will not produce the melatonin it generally needs.

Melatonin also plays a key role in memory and our ability to learn quickly.

Some very famous studies have been made on melatonin (one by the Nobel Prize laureate Julius Axelrod) where it was proven that melatonin plays a direct role in establishing our sleep cycle and more.

In some mammals with short mating periods (due to hibernation), melatonin also is related to the production of other hormones which control sexual activity.

There are no toxic dangers at all, but it will cause drowsiness, so one must not take it prior to driving or operating mechanical equipment.

It may also react with some medications, so if you are taking any monoamine oxidize inhibitors (MAOIs), you must consult your doctor before taking melatonin

Melatonin and Your Sleep

It seems the very best and easiest solution to restless and un-easy sleep is to take one 3mg melatonin tablet 15 minutes prior to going to bed.

Also for at least 1 hour before going to sleep, make sure the lighting in your environment is progressively less and less, so as to stimulate your body’s own melatonin secretions.

Remember, bright light can block melatonin production completely.

Along with the melatonin and dim lights, try to put on some restful and soothing music to keep your mind from focusing on your problems and not sleeping.

Sleep should come too effortlessly, without dangerous and habit forming drugs.

Some Interesting facts about Melatonin

People who work at night, and have their melatonin blocked by evening bright lights have a significant higher incidence of cancer than day workers.

Melatonin appears to prevent the hyperphosphorylation of the tau protein.

It has been proven that hyperphosphorylation of tau protein results in the formation of neurofibrillary tangles. Neurofibrillary tangles are a pathological occurrence seen in Alzheimer’s, so melatonin may prove a very beneficial treatment as well as preventative for Alzheimer’s disease.

So, instead of getting hooked on sleeping medicines, try melatonin, and remember all the other benefits it may bring to you as well.

Sacha Tarkovsky
http://www.articlesbase.com/diseases-and-conditions-articles/sleeping-problems-solved-melatonin-to-the-rescue-and-more-68636.html

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If you ever find yourself suffering from insomnia, it’s the worst feeling one can get. You could be laying in bed, tossing around and turning. Your eyes are closed but your mind just keeps wandering and you are not able to fall asleep. You keep opening your eyes every few minutes and the later it gets, the more anxious you feel inside. You know that if you don’t get to sleep, you’re not going to function normally the next day, for example, at work. The longer you stay awake in the night, the more anxious you feel and, thus, the less able you are to find proper sleep. Most people, when they find themselves suffering from insomnia, will want to turn to drugs, either prescription or over the counter type, in order to finally be able to fall asleep. However, before you turn to taking those drugs to sleep, try finding a natural remedy for insomnia. There are many natural remedy to cure insomnia out there, you just have to do a little homework.

Find The Cause Of Your Insomnia, Then You Can Find The Cure

The best natural remedy for insomnia is to find out what’s causing those sleeples nights. If you can pin down why you can’t fall asleep, you are one step closer to finding a cure for insomnia. For this natural remedy for insomnia to work, you have to monitor what you do and what you eat and what you drink throughout the day. Keep a journal faithfully and record everything that goes into your mouth. Record how many cigarettes you smoke, how much alcohol you drink, how much food you eat, how much coffee you drink, everything. Once it’s all noted down on paper, you can get a much better picture of what may be causing your insomnia. Then, as a natural remedy for insomnia, try avoiding certain things from your diet. By scientifically eliminating certain things and then noting the results, you can hopefully beat this sleeping disorder for good.

Another natural remedy for insomnia is to get alot of exercise during the day. Exercise wears you out during the day so that you will actually crave to sleep at night. Try finding an exercise program that you love to do so that you can stick with it for as long as you need to. Try picking up a sport you used to do or try doing more outside. Getting fresh air while getting exercise is another great natural remedy for insomnia, and it is free.

If all else fails, there are still a few more natural remedies for insomnia which you can try, such as natural herbs and therapy. There are many herbal supplements that are supposed to help cure insomnia. Ask your local health food store clerk if there are any natural remedies for insomnia you can take to help you find a good sleep. Natural remedies are much better than turning to chemicals and drugs to find sleep but it’s easy to turn to them because they are the easy way out. The above natural remedies, however, will have you feeling better naturally, looking better and you’ll hopefully be able to finally get the sleep you crave for.

Tango Pang
http://www.articlesbase.com/advice-articles/try-natural-remedy-for-insomnia-to-cure-your-sleepless-night-127953.html

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Natural treatments for insomnia are winning over more insomnia sufferers as the public becomes better informed of the benefits of applying natural treatments. People have come to understand that it is not a good long term solution to depend on sleep medications. Even though insomnia could be due to many reasons, however for most people, natural treatments for insomnia could bring great relief to their sleeping woes.

First of all, we need to understand why it is not advisable to rely on commonly prescribed and over-the-counter medications such as sedative-hynoptics, tranquilizers and sedative antidepressants as a long term solution to insomnia. Some patients have complained about suffering from short-term effects like dizziness, blurred vision and abdominal problems. Others have reported longer-lasting effects such as impaired memory, drug addiction and in some cases, their insomnia worsened after regular intake of sleeping medications. While it is true that some of the symptoms can be stopped by stopping the medication, the impact it has caused to your health could be damaging.

Let us see what are some of the natural treatments for insomnia that could help you find back your beauty sleep.

1. Diet Changes as Natural Treatments For Insomnia

Eat two kinds of food – one high in trytophan, and the other kind of foods rich in carbohydrates. Food with high trytophan content helps to increase melatonin production which is responsible for sleep induction. Examples of such foods are eggs, nuts, fish and dairy products like cheese and milk are perfect.

High carbohydrate low protein foods are great in inducing sleep. Our body responds to such food intake by releasing more serotonin. Examples include pasta, breads, cereals, sugar, figs, chocolate, milk, ice cream, fruit tarts and honey.

Remember to eat in moderation. Too much of it daily would lead to other health problems like obesity, heart issues, high blood pressure, etc. Also, make sure you do not sleep with a full stomach as digestion normally takes longer so eat hours before you go to bed. You would not want to be awoken because of heartburn or intestinal rumblings.

2. Relaxation Tips as Natural Treatments For Insomnia

a. Toe wiggling

Toe wiggling is a simple exercise to put our body in a relaxed mode to prepare for sleep. Wiggle your toes while lying on your bed. Repeat that for at least 10 times. You would realize that your body feels less tensed.

b. Reading a Book

Read a book that does not invoke much stimulation and excitement. Depending on your interest, you might want to pick up a simple novel or a story book. The whole idea is to relax your mind and body. So please do yourself a favour by not reading science fiction or intriguing thrillers that arouse too much brain activity.

c. Listening to Soothing Music

Listening to soothing music for 30 minutes before bed would prepare your body to rest. But no heavy metal or rock unless you intend to stay awake till the next morning.

3. Herbal Cures as Natural Treatments For Insomnia

Some common herbal cures like chamomile, lavender, catnip, black cohosh and valerian are great natural treatments for insomnia. Most herbs can be brewed as drinking tea individually or mixed. They are perfect for calming our nerves.

Study more blog to learn more about effective natural treatments for insomnia. This article may be freely reprinted or distributed in its entirety in any ezine, newsletter, blog or website. The author’s name, bio and website links must remain intact and be included with every reproduction.

Davion W
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This post via: Natural Sleep Melatonin Effective Natural Treatments for Insomnia

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