How to Sleep Naturally

Getting a good night sleep is essential for health. Having insomnia or trouble falling asleep can greatly decrease your quality of life. It’s estimated that 27% of adults struggle with insomnia and women tend to suffer greater numbers than men. Lack of a good night sleep can result in daytime sleepiness, reduced cognitive performance, and potentially dangerous inattentiveness.

I started struggling with insomnia as a teenager. I couldn’t fall asleep at night, but I could sleep like a rock during the day, if allowed. I was groggy all of the time and I would get in trouble for falling asleep in class. According to my doctor it was just part of being a teenager. I depended on other people to wake me in the morning because I would shut it off my alarm clock and not realize it. As I entered my 20’s I struggled to stay awake riding in the car for more than 10 minutes. My family and friends had to drive me around because I didn’t want to risk falling asleep at the wheel.

It would take me about 2-3 hours to fall asleep each night and on the weekends I would sleep 10-12 hours. I began to think maybe I had some disorder I inherited. My grandfather sleeps all day and mows the lawn with a flash light at night (his neighbors love him). Maybe my body doesn’t want to sleep at night – maybe I’m doomed to be forever groggy. I knew something was wrong with me, but according to my doctor, I was in good health.

My doctor offered sleeping pills or it was recommended I try Melatonin. I opted for Melatonin since it was the natural option. Melatonin is a hormone released by the pineal gland in response to the absence of light. Its release into the bloodstream triggers a chain of events that promote sleep. It’s used to retrain the sleep cycle with situations such as jet lag. The melatonin worked for a little while but eventually my body stopped responding to it.

As time went on, the sleeping problems got worse. In my early 30’s a new symptom started – Restless Leg Syndrome. The constant movement was now keeping my partner awake too. Then something really frightening happened, I was found sleep walking by hotel security while on vacation.

I had to make changes, I couldn’t take it anymore. I continued to research natural alternatives and tried a few detoxification kits but nothing seemed to work. Then I found Dr. Hyman’s books and detox box, I followed his recommendations for a few months and found myself sleeping through the night. I discovered the restless legs and excessive sleep were caused by my diet and my insomnia was caused by vitamin and mineral deficiencies. I always took vitamins, but I guess the quality or the dosages were not enough to correct my deficiency.

Magnesium is the relaxation mineral and it’s required for over 325 biochemical reactions in the body. It’s estimated that over 68% of the population is magnesium deficient. Some of us aren’t getting it in our diets and it’s forced out of our bodies from stress, excessive sweating, parasites, caffeine, phosphates, sugar, alcohol, smoking, diuretics, antibiotics, steroids, birth control, and several prescription and illegal drugs.

Even if you have a healthy diet and lifestyle, you need about 300 mg a day just to offset the loss of magnesium. Most people will benefit from 500-1000mg per day and some need more. I take it every day and I keep a bottle of 500 mg of magnesium in my nightstand. I found taking it right before bed time relaxes me and helps me to fall asleep in 20 minutes. After 20 years, my battle with insomnia is finally over. Sure occasionally I have a night when my mind is racing and I can’t seem to shut it off -but those nights are rare. Usually a 2^nd dose of magnesium will do the trick.

If you suffer from insomnia or have trouble falling asleep, I highly recommend magnesium. I’ve seen it work for a lot of people and it’s very inexpensive.

 Some other natural sleep aids to consider if magnesium doesn’t do the trick:

·         Vitamin A

·         Vitamin C

·         Vitamin D

·         Vitamin E

·         B-12 (methycobalin)

·         Niacin

·         Zinc

·         5-HTP

·         Melatonin

·         GABA

·         Valerian and Lemon Balm

Try taking a hot bath with 1 cup of Epsom salts and 10 drops of lavender oil. You’ll absorb the magnesium from the Epsom salts to relax your body and the lavender will help to relax your mind. If you don’t have a bath tub, plug the drain in the shower and add the Epsom salt and lavender. A nice hot shower with your feet soaking in Epsom will work well too.

Remove all soda and caffeinated beverages from your diet. Most people think it’s the caffeine that prevents them from sleeping. The caffeine actually causes you to excrete all your magnesium and that will keep you from falling asleep long after the caffeine has worn off.

Only eat healthy whole foods. Processed or inflammation foods can keep you from having a good night sleep – especially too much sugar. Consider an allergen/inflammation elimination diet to see if certain foods may be interfering with a good night sleep. After all, sleep is much more delicious than the desert you ate before bed.

To read more about Magnesium, read this article here.

To purchase the brand of Magnesium I use and recommend, click here. I choose Life Extension products because they are a non-profit organization and they do extensive research into health, anti-aging and weight loss.

Magnesium – The Spark of Life

Magnesium is the bodies most important mineral. It’s normally found in foods grown in mineral rich soils such as leafy greens, nuts, seeds, beans and in fish that are high in Omega 3’s such as salmon.  Over the past 100 years, magnesium has become the most depleted mineral on earth. It’s required for over 325 biochemical reactions in your body and is found in all of your tissues, mainly your bones, muscles and brain. A deficiency can affect every aspect of life and cause a score of symptoms. It’s estimated that over 68% of the population is magnesium deficient.

Think of magnesium as the relaxation mineral. Anything that is tight, irritable, crampy, and stiff – whether it is a body part or even a mood – is a sign of magnesium deficiency. Here are some of the symptoms:

ADD Angina Anxiety & panic attacks Asthma Autism Back pain Blood clots Chronic fatigue Constipation Cystitis (bladder spasms) Depression Diabetes Fatigue Food cravings Fibromyalgia

Heart disease Headaches High blood pressure High cholesterol Hypoglycemia Infertility (both men and women) Inflammation Insomnia Irritability Irritable bladder Irritable bowel syndrome Kidney stones Menstrual cramps

Migraines Muscle cramps or twitches Muscle weakness Obesity Osteoporosis Palpitations PMS Reflux Restlessness Sensitivity to loud noises Tooth decay Trouble swallowing Type A personality

If you are like most Americans, you’re not getting enough magnesium in your diet. Magnesium is forced out of your body from stress, excessive sweating, parasites, caffeine, phosphates, sugar, alcohol, smoking, illegal drugs and many medications: digitalis, diuretics, antibiotics, steroids, birth control, indomethacin, cisplatin, amphotercin B, cholestyramine and  synthetic estrogen.

Even a seemingly healthy athlete can become deficient in magnesium. They lose magnesium from sweating and consumption of protein bars and energy drinks/gels with phosphates, caffeine and sugar.

Magnesium plays an important role in our brain health. It protects the brain from toxic effects from chemicals in foods such as aspartame and MSG. Particular brain receptors important for learning and memory depend on magnesium for their regulation and to keep the learning and memory receptors active.

Magnesium is rarely recommended by doctors yet every emergency room in the country has magnesium IV to treat life threatening arrhythmia. It’s also used to stop seizures and to lower high blood pressure in expecting mothers without hurting the fetus.

How much magnesium do I need?

If you eat a healthy diet, you need about 300 mg a day just to offset the loss of magnesium. Most people will benefit from 400mg to 1000mg per day – some may need more.  While magnesium is very safe, higher doses may cause gastrointestinal distress.  The most absorbable forms of magnesium are citrate, gylcinate, taurate or aspartate. Magnesium can also be absorbed through the skin as magnesium sulfate (Epsom salts) and chloride (magnesium oil).  If you live near clean ocean water, a daily swim will provide you with all the magnesium your body needs. Please consult your doctor is you have kidney disease, Myasthenia gravis, excessively slow heart rate or bowel obstruction.

Magnesium is best taken with other vitamins and minerals. It assists in converting vitamin D into a usable form in the body. Without magnesium, calcium can wreak havoc on the body causing cell death and calcification. Magnesium helps to dissolve calcium and keep it where it belongs. Magnesium enters the cells with the support of B1 (Thiamin). Without it, magnesium won’t get to its destination. Selenium helps magnesium stay inside the cells where it belongs.

If you are magnesium deficient, it can take up to 1 year of daily doses to get your body to normal levels. Some people may notice the benefits of magnesium within a few days and for some it may take a few months.

Magnesium is truly a miracle mineral and is beneficial to our health at all ages.  To read more about how magnesium can help insomnia, click here to read this post.

To order the magnesium I use and recommend, visit http://www.thehealingblossom.com/

Do you have a home garden? Would you like to know how you can add magnesium to your soils for  bigger, healthier vegetables? Check out this article here - gardening with epsom salt.


Resources:

www.lef.org

www.drhyman.com

The Magnesium Miracle by Carolyn Dean, M.D.

The products and the claims made about specific products on or through this site have not been evaluated by the United States Food and Drug Administration and are not approved to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease. The information provided on this site is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from your physician or other health care professional or any information contained on or in any product label or packaging. You should not use the information on this site for diagnosis or treatment of any health problem or for prescription of any medication or other treatment. You should consult with a health care professional before starting any diet, exercise or supplementation program, before taking any medication, or if you have or suspect you might have a health problem.