Re: Sleep

[Guest guest]

Mercola's newsletter today offers this:

29 Secrets to a Good Night's Sleep

By Dr. Mercola

If you are having sleep problems, whether you are not able to fall

asleep, wake up too often, don't feel well-rested when you wake up in

the morning, or simply want to improve the quality and quantity of

your sleep, try as many of the following techniques below as possible:

My current favorite for insomnia is Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT).

This is a very popular energy psychology too. Most people can learn

this gentle tapping technique in several minutes.

EFT can help balance your body's bioenergy system and resolve some of

the emotional stresses that are contributing to the insomnia at a very

deep level. The results are typically long lasting and the improvement

is remarkably rapid.

Listen to White Noise or Relaxation CDs. Some people find the sound of

white noise or nature sounds, such as the ocean or forest, to be

soothing for sleep. An excellent relaxation/meditation option to

listen to before bed is the Insight audio CD.

Avoid before-bed snacks, particularly grains and sugars. This will

raise blood sugar and inhibit sleep. Later, when blood sugar drops too

low (hypoglycemia), you might wake up and not be able to fall back

asleep.

Sleep in complete darkness or as close as possible. If there is even

the tiniest bit of light in the room it can disrupt your circadian

rhythm and your pineal gland's production of melatonin and seratonin.

There also should be as little light in the bathroom as possible if

you get up in the middle of the night. Please whatever you do, keep

the light off when you go to the bathroom at night. As soon as you

turn on that light you will for that night immediately cease all

production of the important sleep aid melatonin.

Avoid TV right before bed. Even better, get the TV out of your bedroom

or even out of your house, completely. It is too stimulating to your

brain and it will take longer to fall asleep. It also disrupts your

pineal gland function for the same reason as above.

Wear socks to bed. Due to the fact that they have the poorest

circulation, the feet often feel cold before the rest of your body. A

study has shown that this reduces night wakings.

Read something spiritual or religious. This will help you to relax.

Avoid reading anything stimulating, such as a mystery or suspense

novels, as they may have the opposite effect. In addition, if you are

really enjoying a suspenseful book, you might wind up unintentionally

reading for hours, instead of going to sleep.

Avoid using loud alarm clocks. It is very stressful on the body to be

awoken suddenly. If you are regularly getting enough sleep, they

should be unnecessary. I gave up my alarm clock years ago and now use

a sun alarm clock. The Sun Alarm™ SA-2002 provides an ideal way to

wake up each morning if you can't wake up with the REAL sun. Combining

the features of a traditional alarm clock (digital display, AM/FM

radio, beeper, snooze button, etc) with a special built-in light that

gradually increases in intensity, this amazing clock simulates a

natural sunrise. It also includes a sunset feature where the light

fades to darkness over time -- ideal for anyone who has trouble

falling asleep.

Journaling. If you often lay in bed with your mind racing, it might be

helpful to keep a journal and write down your thoughts before bed.

This is a powerful tool to help you recover from the effects of

stress.

Melatonin and its precursors. If behavioral changes do not work, it

may be possible to improve sleep by supplementing with the hormone

melatonin. However, I would exercise extreme caution in using it, and

only as a last resort, as it is a powerful hormone. Ideally, it is

best to increase levels naturally with exposure to bright sunlight in

the daytime (along with full-spectrum fluorescent bulbs in the winter)

and absolute complete darkness at night. You can also use one of

melatonin's precursors, L-tryptophan or 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP).

L-tryptophan is the safest and my preference, but must be obtained by

prescription only. However, don't be afraid or intimidated by its

prescription status. It is just a simple amino acid.

Get Blackout Drapes for Your Bedroom. This will prevent light from

coming in from the outside. Even very tiny levels of light are

sufficient to completely shut down your body's production of

melatonin. Sleeping in complete darkness and having bright light

exposure in the daytime is a powerful natural method to increase your

melatonin levels and decrease your risk of cancer.

Get to bed as early as possible. Your body, particularly your

adrenals, do a majority of their recharging or recovering during the

hours of 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. In addition, your gallbladder dumps toxins

during this same period. If you are awake, the toxins back up into

your liver, which then secondarily back up into your entire system and

cause further disruption of your health. Prior to the widespread use

of electricity, people would go to bed shortly after sundown, as most

animals do, and which nature intended for humans as well.

Check your bedroom for electro-magnetic fields (EMFs). These can

disrupt the pineal gland and the production of melatonin and

seratonin, and may have other negative effects as well. To purchase a

gauss meter to measure EMFs try Cutcat at . They have a

model for around $40. Some experts even recommend that you pull your

circuit breaker before bed to kill all power in your bedroom.

Keep the temperature in your bedroom no higher than 70 degrees F. Many

people keep their homes, and particularly the upstairs bedrooms, too

hot. This is especially important to do. Make sure you the thermostat

is turned down two hours before you go to bed to give your bedroom

time to cool down. With the increased price of heating fuel, this will

also save you money.

Eat a high-protein snack several hours before bed. This can provide

the L-tryptophan need to produce melatonin and serotonin.

Also eat a small piece of fruit. This can help the tryptophan cross

your blood-brain barrier.

Reduce or avoid as many drugs as possible. Many medications, both

prescription and over-the-counter, may have effects on sleep New drugs

like Lunestra don't treat the cause and may actually cause a

dependency or addiction. In most cases, the condition, which caused

the drugs to be taken in the first place, can be addressed by

following the Total Health Program.

Avoid caffeine. A recent study showed that in some people, caffeine is

not metabolized efficiently and therefore they can feel the effects

long after consuming it. So an afternoon cup of coffee (or even tea)

will keep many people from falling asleep. Also, some medications,

particularly diet pills, contain caffeine.

Alarm clocks and other electrical devices. If these devices must be

used, keep them as far away from the bed as possible, preferably at

least three feet from your body. This will minimize potentially

hazardous electromagnetic fields.

Avoid alcohol. Although alcohol will make people drowsy, the effect is

short lived and people will often wake up several hours later, unable

to fall back asleep. Alcohol will also keep you from falling into the

deeper stages of sleep, where the body does most of its healing.

Lose weight. Being overweight can increase the risk of sleep apnea,

which will prevent a restful night's sleep. Follow an effective

program to help you lose weight.

Avoid foods that you may be sensitive to. This is particularly true

for dairy and wheat products, as they may have an effect on sleep,

such as causing apnea, excess congestion, gastrointestinal upset, and

gas, among others.

Don't drink any fluids within two hours of going to bed. This will

reduce the likelihood of needing to get up and go to the bathroom or

at least minimize the frequency.

Take a hot bath, shower or sauna before bed. When body temperature is

raised in the late evening, it will fall at bedtime, facilitating

sleep,

Remove the clock from view. It will only add to your worry when

constantly staring at it ... 2 a.m. ... 3 a.m. ... 4:30 a.m. ...

Keep your bed for sleeping. If you are used to watching TV or doing

work in bed, you may find it harder to relax and to think of the bed

as a place to sleep.

If you are menopausal or perimenopausal, get checked out by a good

natural medicine physician. The hormonal changes at this time may

cause problems if not properly addressed.

Don't change your bedtime. You should go to bed, and wake up, at the

same times each day, even on the weekends. This will help your body to

get into a sleep rhythm and make it easier to fall asleep and get up

in the morning.

Make certain you are exercising regularly. Exercising for at least 30

minutes everyday can help you fall asleep. However, don't exercise too

close to bedtime or it may keep you awake. Studies show exercising in

the morning is the best if you can do it.

--

Regards,

[Guest guest]

Have you tried giving him some vitamin B6 during the day and magnesium and zinc

in the evening? I have heard that helps and in fact tried it on myself and feel

like it helped me sleep better and have more and remember more dreams (assuming

this means more normal sleep cycles).

The only thing is I had to take the B6 in the morning and at lunch time and not

in the evening.

>

> Does anyone have any suggestions for getting my 3 year old to sleep?

> We are already using 3mg melatonin per night. We have treated him for

> yeast, several times, but maybe haven't killed it. He is up for 4-5

> hours in the middle of the night, running around like a crazy man. I

> can go a few nights with no sleep, but it has been weeks and I feel

> like I'm going to die. Any help is appreciated

>

[Guest guest]

We also have a little man who wakes for hours during the night He is now 5 ..It

has gotten much better and i feel it is parasites that are the cause. We give a

homeopathy remedy at new moon and full moon also when things are bad we treat

with veramox at full moon.. The last few months have been great i pray the night

waking is behind us it is soo hard to have to deal with Autism during the day

and then to be up all night to..Good luck Try treating parasites . i worked on

the yeast theory too long..Caroline

[Guest guest]

What is veramox...supplement or rx? Where do you get it?

Re: Sleep

We also have a little man who wakes for hours during the night He is now 5 ..It has gotten much better and i feel it is parasites that are the cause. We give a homeopathy remedy at new moon and full moon also when things are bad we treat with veramox at full moon.. The last few months have been great i pray the night waking is behind us it is soo hard to have to deal with Autism during the day and then to be up all night to..Good luck Try treating parasites . i worked on the yeast theory too long..Caroline