What You Eat Affects How You Sleep

Getting sufficient sleep always makes your day much better. You are more well-rested, you have more energy, your mind is sharper. If you are one of the many people who suffer from insomnia, you understand how tough your day can be after a night of bad sleep.

However, sleep is also vital for maintaining good health. Those who suffer from chronic insomnia have an elevated risk of obesity, heart disease, and diabetes.

Many who don't get an adequate amount of sleep at night often use caffeine to help keep them awake throughout the day. Caffeine is probably the most popular stimulant there is - found in coffee, tea, chocolate, sodas, and energy drinks. However, taking in too much caffeine can result in feeling jittery, and if consumed late in the day or evening, caffeine can make it quite difficult to fall asleep.

Reducing caffeine intake can be difficult. Many actually have caffeine withdrawal symptoms including headaches, tiredness, irritability and lack of focus. These can generally be avoided by gradually reducing your intake.

This is just one example of how your diet can directly affect your ability to get a good night's sleep. Here are a number of other diet tips that might help you sleep better:

1) Try to limit how many heavy or spicy foods you eat. Also limit your intake of any foods that cause you to have heartburn, which can make falling asleep extremely difficult.

2) Have a light snack before going to sleep. Eat something that includes both carbohydrates and dairy, such as a bowl of cereal with low-fat milk. Carbohydrates can help make it easier to fall sleep, and dairy contains tryptophan, which can help promote feelings of drowsiness. Some other foods that have tryptophan include turkey, oats, bananas, and honey.

3) Do not eat an excessive amount of fat. Those who consume excessive quantities of fat often have difficulty in falling asleep. Ensure that you are getting adquate omega-3 fatty acids every day, however, since eicosapentaenoic acid (a type of omega-3) plays an important part in inducing sleep.

4) Eat some cherries. They are not only full of vitamins, but also contain melatonin, another compound that is vital in regulating sleep. Eating some cherries before bed time could help you fall asleep more easily.

5) People who are over-tired have a tendency to overeat, particularly through including sugary and carbohydrate-filled snacks to their diet. These excessive amounts of extra calories often lead to obesity. This shows that not only does your diet affect how well you sleep, but the amount and quality of your sleep can also affect what food you eat.

6) Avoid drinking excessive amounts of alcohol. Even though drinking alcohol may initially result in feelings of drowsiness, excessive drinking often results in a restless, uncomfortable night.

Habits to Help you Sleep

Sleep hygiene are habits that help you be able to maintain a consistent sleep schedule and regularly get a good night's sleep. Just like developing the habits of brushing, flossing, and going to the dentist, you should create and maintain a routine of good habits to help improve your sleep hygiene. Following these tips can help you to make sure you always get a good night’s sleep.

1) Try to wait until you are feeling sleepy before you go to bed. If you still feel awake at the time you usually go to bed, do something to help relax your body and/or calm your mind by reading or some other relaxing activity.

2) Pre-bedtime rituals can help you to feel more relaxed at night before going to bed. Taking a warm bath, eating a light snack, or taking several minutes to read or listen to music can help to prepare you for a good night's sleep. Always avoid ingesting heavy meals to close to bedtime.

3) If you are still awake after 20 minutes, getup. Leave the bedroom and try to do something that can help calm and relax you enough to make you drowsy.

4) Keep a consitent schedule of sleeping and waking. Get up at about the same time every day, even when you have the option of sleeping in.

5) Maintain a consistent daily schedule. Keeping a consistent schedule for eating, taking medications, doing chores, and other activities can help to keep your internal clock regular.

6) Try to get a full night's sleep regularly. Get sufficient sleep each night so that you are well-rested.

7) Avoid taking naps. If you need to nap, keep it shorter than an hour and don't take a nap after 4pm or so.

8) Only use your bed for sleep. Do not do other activities in bed, such as reading, eating, or watching TV.

9) Try not to ingest caffeine after lunchtime.

10) Do not drink alcohol within 5 or 6 hours of going to bed.

11) Don't smoke cigarettes within a coule of hours of going to bed.

12) Get regular exercise, but do not take part in overly-strenuous activities within a few hours of going to bed. Getting exercise regularly is healthy, but try to get it done earlier in the day.

13) Do not take sleeping pills, or take them sparingly. Only use sleeping pills as instructed by your doctor.

14) Empty your mind of things that are making your worry or stress. Find ways to reduce stress before going to bed. Your bed is a place to relax, not a place to stress over your concerns.

15) Keep a quiet, dark environment in your bedroom. Extremes or warmth or coolness should be avoided. If you sleep better with some type of noise, use white noise or very quiet music.

Natural Remedies for Grinding Your Teeth (Bruxism)

Grinding your teeth at night can result in damaging effects to not just your gums and teeth, but also to your entire body. Those who grind their teeth at night generally do not get the an adequate amount of sleep. Because of this, it is essential that teeth grinding is treated as soon as you realize that you suffer from it. Ignoring teeth grinding can only make the problem much worse. Go to the dentist to get your teeth and mouth checked out. Also, following are some natural home remedies and treatments for teeth grinding (bruxism) that you can try.

1. Before bedtime, eat on an apple, carrot, or another crunchy fruit or vegetable. Chewing exercises the mouth and is healthy for the gums. It may be able to help calm your mouth before going to sleep. A calmer mouth can result in a reduction of teeth grinding at night.

2. Apply a warm washcloth to help relax your jaw muscles. Simply place a washcloth soaked in warm water to your face. This can help stop your jaws from clenching. Pain in the head can also be reduced.

3. Get a massage or take a warm bath. Teeth grinding is often triggered by stress. Stress caused by work can be a primary reason of why people grind their teeth at night. To relieve this stress, take a nice warm bath before bedtime or get a massage.

4. Trying sleeping on your back. There's no better position for helping to reduce teeth grinding than sleeping flat on the back. Sleeping on one's sides can only increase the incidence of teeth grinding. Try not to sleep on your stomach or side.

5. Have a cup of warm milk or herbal tea before sleep. If you need to drink something before bedtime, make it milk or tea. Also, the warmer their temperature, the better. Always avoid drinking alcohol before going to sleep. Drinking alchohol can contribute to teeth grinding.

6. Take a calcium and magnesium supplement. These minerals can contribute to lessening the amount of teeth grinding at night. Try taking these supplements each day.

7. Practice deep breathing. Deep breathing methods can help relax tight, tired muscles. If the body is completely relaxed before bedtime, teeth grinding is less likely. Perform breathing exercises for several minutes before bedtime each night.

These are some of the natural home remedies and treatments for teeth grinding that you can try. Practicing these each night can slowly help you to reduce your teeth grinding and clenching.

Vitamins and Supplements for Better Sleep

For a good night's sleep, your body needs sufficient nutrients. A number of nutrients act to relax the nervous system and can aid in promoting better sleep. Whole foods often have many of these natural sleep remedies, but supplementation is also available to help make sure that you get adequate dietary amounts.

Calcium is often referred to as nature's tranquilizer. Some people think that calcium is better absorbed during the evening, and suggest that the folk remedy of drinking milk before going to bed could be an excellent idea. Natural sources of calcium include dairy foods and green vegetables, such as spinach. Also, a spoonfull of sesame seeds contains 10 times the amount of calcium as an equivalent amount of milk.

Magnesium is required in order to absorb calcium. Most calcium supplements also include magnesium. Magnesium acts as a muscle relaxant and is vital for maintaining blood sugar and pressure levels. Dietary sources of magnesium include halibut, whole grains, spinach, seeds, bananas, avocadoes, and nuts, such as peanuts. Diabetics and people taking diuretics need to make sure they are getting sufficient magnesium, as a lot of magnesium is lost through urine. Symptoms of magnesium deficiency include muscle spasms, low appetite, and nausea.

Vitamin D is also required to support calcium absorption by the body. Dairy products are often fortified with vitamin D. Research has discovered that it is hard to get adequate vitamin D from sun exposure, particularly during the winter, so supplementation is often needed.

L-theanine is a primary component of green tea. It is an amino acid that has calming properties. R-glutamylethylamide is the whole name of this compound. Research shows that theanine can calm the brain by inducing alpha waves. Apart from its ability to calm, theanine can also help to reduce blood pressure.

5-HTP is short for L-5-hydroxlytryptophan. L-Tryptophan is one of the amino acids. This nutrient is found in high amounts in turkey and many say that it is what causes post-Thanksgiving dinner sleepiness. Some people have used tryptophan in order to help lift mood, as it is thought to aid with the serotonin mechanisms of the brain.

GABA is a neurotransmitter. It's whole name is gamma-Aminobutyric acid. It is often used to treat depression. It functions to help regulate muscle tone and nervous response.

Separate Beds, Bedding May Help Couples Get a Better Night's Sleep

Many couples have sleep habits which keep each other awake at night, such as snoring. The Better Sleep Council, which gets funding from the mattress industry, performed a survey of about 1,000 Americans and discoverd that about one-third reported that their partner's sleep habits had a negative effect on their sleep. However, there are a number of creative and effective solutions to these types of problems.

Snoring is a very common problem among couples, and some have found relief by using an anti-snoring pillow. Several manufacturers offer pillows which are designed to help reduce snoring by helping to keep open a sleeper's airway.

Also, it can be a good idea to use bedsheets that have a high thread count in order to maximize comfort, a mid-weight comforter to account for different temperature preferences, and beds that specifically address partners' different requirements.

That could mean using two mattresses, placed side by side. Some companies offer similar types of solutions where each person has a separate mattress and they are able to select its firmness.

Sleeping apart is often a less than ideal solution. It can contribute to a feeling of being disconnected. Getting sufficient sleep is very important, but so is maintaining the emotional connection from sleeping together. Many couples beging the night sleeping next to each other, then move away if one person starts moving, snoring, etc.

Also, things like using separate blankets and alarm clocks can help make a difference. Many copules prefer different temperatures at night and have different sleep schedules. If one person prefers to be warmer, that person can sleep with an electric blanket on their side of the bed, while the other partner can sleep cooler. If one partner sleeps later, the other person can uses a soothing alarm clock that doesn't wake the other person.

Snoring can not only disturb the other partner, also keep the snorer from getting a good night's sleep. Getting fitted with a mouthpiece designed to open the snorer's throat is a common solution.

Excessive Sweating at Night - Sleep Hyperhidrosis

Sleep hyperhidrosis is defined as periods of significant sweating at night that soaks your bedding or bed clothes. It is a common occurrence that affects most people at some point.

The disorder is characterized by profuse sweating that happens while sleeping, and may not happen while awake. The heavy sweating while sleeping can cause a person to wake up due to discomfort.

Although it may be somewhat uncomfortable, night sweats are not typically a symptom of a serious medical condition. It is often brought on by something simple like being in to warm of a room, or having too many blankets.

The sympathetic nervous system regulates our sweat glands which are located all over the body. When night sweats (sleep hyperhidrosis) do happen, it is usually due to thermal (heat-related) sweating.

Excessive sleep hyperhidrosis can sometimes be caused by a chronic or febrile illness. Some patients appear healthy but may suffer from a subtle and undiagnosed autonomic disorder. This could occur at any age, but is most likely to occur in young adults. An imbalance of hormones could cause hot flashes and night sweating.

Women who are smokers experience it twice as often.

See a physician if you suffer from night sweats on a regular basis and it is interrupting your sleep. Treatment is focused on the underlying cause, once it is determined.

Occasionally, night sweats are a sign of a serious condition, like cancer — particularly lymphoma — or an infection. However, in these cases, sleep hyperhidrosis is often accompanied by a fever as well as sudden weight loss.

Five Herbs to Help You Fall Asleep

You've no doubt seen the ads for various sleeping aids. They are advertised constantly on TV and in magazines. However, if you don't like the idea of taking a prescribed chemical to fall asleep, there are some effective, natural alternatives.

Herbs are one of the most widespread and popular alternatives to prescription sleep medications. There are various natural herbal supplements that help you relax and get a better night's sleep. Many of these treatments have not been scientifically proven to help sleep, however most of them have been used for centuries by people around the world.

Here are five of the most effective natural herbal treatments for helping you to fall, and stay, asleep:

1. German Chamomile

This is one of the most popular natural herbal sleep remedies available. Simply brew a cup of chamomile tea drink before bedtime. Also, drink it during daytime to help relax - a benefit that few prescription medications can offer.

2. Catnip

This may sound kind of unusual, but the herb that makes cats hyper can actually help people relax. It has compounds similar to those found in valerian root, another popular and effective herbal remedy for sleep. It is often brewed in a tea or ingested as a liquid extract.

3. Valerian Root

One of the most well-established and widely-used herbal sleep remedies, valerian root has actually been the subject of a number of clinical trials that have suggested that it does help people sleep better. It is avaible in a variety of forms including pill, liquid or tea.

4. Lavendar

Lavendar has powerful calming effects. It has actually been shown to lower or even reverse the effects associated with taking caffeine in some people. Lavendar is available in the form of tea or an essential oil that can be dispersed in a bath, potpourri or used for massage oil.

5. Lemon Balm

Lemon balm is popularly grown in gardens because of its pleasant lemon scent, but it can also be very effective at helping to calm the nerves. It comes as tea, in supplement capsules, and as liquid extract.

Treating Sleepwalking

Many times, it is a sleep partner who informs a sleepwalker about his or her condition. Some sleepwalkers may have the sense that they have been walking at night, but they aren't certain. Sometimes, sleepwalkers have claimed that their suspicions about sleepwalking were confirmed by the appearance of bruises on their limbs that resulted from colliding with furniture and walls.

Treating and Managing Sleepwalking

Much of the time, treating sleepwalking is not necessary, particularly if sleepwalking episodes are infrequent and cause no complications. Safety concerns are of primary importance when it comes to sleepwalkers and to those who are involved with helping to manage the condition. The following steps are usually the most recommended:

1) Sleep in a bedroom on the first floor, if possible.
2) Attach some type of alarm or a bell to the bedroom door.
3) Lock all windows and conceal them with large, heavy drapes.
4) Clear the floors of all potentially harmful objects.
5) Remove all hazardous products and any sharp or dangerous objects from the bedroom and put them in a secure location.
6) Sleep on the first floor when visiting someone else's hom and when staying at a motel or hotel.

Prescribed medication may be recommended in situations where episodes can be violent, injurious, frequent, or otherwise disruptive. Sleepwalking treatments usually consist of either a benzodiazepine, like Diazepam® or Alprazolam®, or a tricyclic anti-depressant. These medications serve to inhibit chemical processes that are connected to sleep regulation, which, depending on the individual, may or may not result in a reduction in the number of sleepwalking episodes. Biofeedback and hypnosis have also been known to be effective at treating some sleepwalking patients.

Many people who suffer from sleepwalking have claimed that the first step in being able to manageme the condition is to recognize that sleepwalking is not a sign of insanity. Since sleepwalking is a completely involuntary behavior, it separates sufferers from the majority of people and can often be wrongly associated with mental illness. As puzzling as its occurrence can be, it is not an indication of mental illness and shouldn't be treated as such.

The Effect of Exercise on Sleep

Getting regular exercise can help you get a better night's sleep and feel more refreshed throughout the day. However, the key is in what type of exercise you get as well as what time of day you do it.

Doing vigorous exercise immediately before going to bed or even within a few hours of bedtime may actually make it more difficult to fall asleep. Many people find this surprising; it's generally thought that activity before bedtime makes you feel more tired. Actually, exercising immediately before bed stimulates your heart, brain and muscles - the exact opposite of what you need before bed. Exercise also increases your body temperature, which is also not something desired before going to bed.

Getting exercise in the morning can help reduce stress and improve mood. These things can indirectly improve sleep. To achieve a direct sleep-promoting benefit from morning activity, however, you should combine it with exposure to sunlight. Being exposed to sunlight first thing in the morning, whether exercising or not, can help improve your sleep by reinforcing the body's natural circadian cycle.

Regarding having a direct effect on improving sleep, vigorous activity late in the afternoon or in the early evening seems to be the most beneficial. This is because it increases body temperature a few hours before bedtime, allowing your body to start cooling just as you're going to bed. This lowering of body temperature seems to be a trigger that aids in falling asleep.

The type of activity which is most beneficial for sleep is cardiovascular exercise - An activity which keeps your heart rate up and your muscles moving continuously for 20-30 minuts. Although resistance training, core exercise, yoga, and other types of activities have health benefits, none can match the sleep-promoting benefits of cardiovascular activity.

Try to do at least twenty minutes of cardiovascular exercise 3-4 times a week. Choose an exercise or activity that you enjoy - try to make it part of your regular routine.

Research into the Circadian Rhythm

The mechanism which regulates the internal 24 hour cycle of all life from the cells of human beings to algae has been identified by researchers.

Two recent research studies from the journal Nature from the Universities of Cambridge and Edinburgh give some insight regarding the circadian rhythm which regulates daily and seasonal activity patterns, from sleeping cycles to migrations to flower blossoming.

One research study, from the University of Cambridge's Institute of Metabolic Science, has observed 24 hour rhythms within red blood cells. This is important since circadian rhythms have always been thought to be linked to DNA, but - different from most other cells in the body - red blood cells do not contain any DNA.

For the study, the researchers, funded by the Wellcome Trust, incubated pure red blood cells from volunteers in darkness and at normal body temperature, and continued to take samples at regular intervals for a period of several days. Then they observed the levels of biochemical markers which are created in high levels in blood and discovered that they underwent a 24 hour cycle. Peroxiredoxins are located in almost every known organism.

Another study, by researchers collaborating at the Universities of Edinburgh and Cambridge, and the Observatoire Oceanologique in Banyuls, France, observed a similar 24 hour clock in marine algae, suggesting that circadian rhythms have always been significant, even for primitive forms of life.

The scientists in this study located the rhythms by sampling the peroxiredoxins from algae at defined intervals over the course of several days. When the algae was kept in the dark, its DNA became inactive, but the algae kept its circadian rhythm ticking without active DNA. Scientists had previously thought that the circadian rhythm was controlled by DNA activity, but both the algae and the human red blood cells kept to their cycles without it.

Common Causes of Insomnia

Following is a list of some of the most common causes of insomnia:

Stress - Stresses regarding work, health and/or family may keep your mind overly active at night, making it hard to fall asleep. Stressful occurrences, such as the death or illness of a family member, divorce, or losing your job, may result in insomnia.

Anxiety - Day-to-day anxieties as well as more significant anxiety disorders may result in disrupted sleep.

Depression - You may either sleep too much or have difficulties with sleeping if you are suffering from depression. This could be caused by chemical imbalances in the brain or because the worries that come with depression may inhibit you from relaxing enough to fall asleep. Insomnia can accompany other mental health problems also.

Medications - Some prescription drugs may cause problems with sleep, including some anti-depressants, heart medications, allergy medicines, stimulants, and steroids. Many over-the-counter medicines, including pain relievers, decongestants and weight loss products, have caffeine or other stimulants. Anti-histamines may make you sleep at first, but they can exacerbate urinary problems, causing you to wak up to urinate more frequenty during the night.

Caffeine, nicotine and alcohol - Coffee, tea, colas and other caffeinated beverages are popular stimulants. Drinking coffee late in the afternoon and evening can stop you from falling asleep at night. The nicotine found in tobacco products is also a stimulant that could cause insomnia. Alcohol has a sedative effect that may help you fall asleep, however it inhibits deeper stages of sleep and can cause you to waken frequently during the night.

Learned insomnia - This could happen when you worry excessively regarding not being able to sleep well and then try too hard to fall asleep. Most with this condition have better sleep when they are apart from their usual sleep environment or when they aren't trying to fall asleep, such as when they are reading.

Eating too much before bed - A light snack before bed is okay, but eating too much could result in feeling physically uncomfortable while lying down, resulting in difficulty with falling asleep. Many may also suffer from heartburn, a backflow of stomach acid into the esophagus after ingesting food. This painful or uncomfortable feeling keeps many from falling asleep.

Picking the Best Mattress for Good Sleep

There's no doubt that your choice of mattress greatly matters when it comes to sleeping well. However, with the variety of choices - traditional coil, air, latex, and memory foam - purchasing a new mattress can be daunting.

An overly expensive price tag doesn't necessarily indicate that it is a better mattress. The most important thing is that the mattress should be firm enough to provide support to your back, neck, and legs, but still provide enough cushioning and recoil to be comfortable. You need a mattress firm enough to be able to distribute your body weight or else you can wake up sore due to sagging shoulders or hips. But, on the other hand, you don't want to feel like you're sleeping on a plank.

In general, most people tend to find firm mattresses more comfortable. However, there is a lot of variation between people's preferences.

You should look for a mattress which is comfortable enough to allow you to relax, but that is also supportive of the normal S curve of your back.

You should spend some time actually testing the various mattresses before making a decision. Lie on your back, on your belly, and on your side. If you have a partner, they should also be there.

Lie on your side. If either your hips or shoulders sink, or if your spine doesn't feel aligned, then the mattress is probably too soft. If you feel either pain or discomfort, then it is most likely too firm.

You should shop for a mattress later in the day. In the morning, mattresses may tend to feel good although later on they might not. Also, purchase a mattress from a store with a 1 month refund policy so that you can give the mattress a chance at home.

Lifestyle Changes to Treat Sleep Apnea

The primary ways to treat sleep apnea are instituting changes in lifestyle, using mouthpieces or breathing devices, and surgery. Medications are really used in the treatment of this condition.

The main goals of sleep apnea treatment are to:

- Restore normal breathing while sleeping
- Reduce symptoms such as snoring and daytime sleepiness
- Treating sleep apnea may also improve other medical problems related to sleep apnea, including high blood pressure.
- Treatment may also lower the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.

If one suffers from mild sleep apnea, a few changes in their daily activities or modifying habits may be all that is required.

You should avoid consuming alcohol and taking medications that make you sleepy. They make it more difficult for your throat to remain open during sleep.

If you are overweight or obese, start a weight loss program. Even losing a moderate amount of weight can result in reduced symptoms.

Try to sleep on your side, instead of on your back. This can aid in keeping your throat open. There are special pillows and shirts that can help keep you from sleeping on your back.

Use nasal sprays and/or allergy medications to aid in keeping nasal passages open while sleeping. Discuss these products with your doctor to determine whether these types of treatments might help you.

If you are a smoker, quit smoking. Discuss the various options avaialbe to you, including programs and products, that are designed to help you quit smoking.