Millions Affected by Insomnia

May 8, 2005

LOS ANGELES, March 17, 2005 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the National

Sleep Foundation: Approximately 70 million people in the United States are

affected by a sleep problem. Approximately 12 million Americans have

restless legs syndrome, a sleep and movement disorder characterized by

unpleasant (tingling, crawling, creeping and/or pulling) feelings in the legs,

which cause an urge to move in order to relieve the symptoms. As many as 47

million adults may be putting themselves at risk for injury, health and behavior

problems because they aren't meeting their minimum sleep need in order to

be fully alert the next day. And, sleep deprivation and sleep disorders are

estimated to cost Americans over $100 billion annually.

Many experts agree on common sense sleeping tips such as avoiding

caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine before bedtime, getting proper exercise, setting

up a regular bedtime routine, and setting up a quiet, comfortable bedroom

environment for proper sleeping conditions. But other experts disagree on

what to do, if those suggestions do not work. Some physicians advocate the

use of sleep inducing drugs, some of which come with a laundry list of side

affects. And other experts in the field of nutrition, oppose drug use,

recommending nutritional supplementation to counter what they say may be

at the root of some of the many sleeping associated problems. They agree

that people need to consult a physician, if they are having health related

problems, but they also suggest becoming informed on nutritional

deficiencies and the resulting symptoms associated with them.

Dr. Carolyn Dean, M.D. and certified clinical nutritionist, lists anxious

behavior, nervousness, insomnia, and muscle cramps (including leg cramps),

among symptoms of chronic magnesium deficiency. Gillham, leading

nutritional researcher, states, " The simplicity of the situation is that the

modern

American diet is not sufficient in the nutrients that the body needs to function

properly, and one of the most fundamental of them, for muscle relaxation and

sleep, is magnesium. I give my clients a powdered magnesium citrate formula

that dissolves in hot water. I have found in my own trials that this formula

assimilates into the body the best, which has resulted in higher positive

outcomes for my trial subjects than other magnesium compounds and other

forms such as pills or capsules. "

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