★★★★★
Nine months ago I started taking Zinc Picolinate 30 mg one a day and Vitamin B Complex capsules 82 mg one a day. From the very first day, my sleeping went back to normal and has stayed normal to this day. I just make sure I take them religiously, usually early evening.
Hope this might be of some help to you.
Lecithin
★★★★★
Lecithin has lots of phosphatidylcholine which relaxes the nervous system.
Eating chocolate can for two nights keeps me from getting back to sleep in the night, but chocolate flavonols are good for the brain.
I buy lecithin powder by the pound at BulkFoods, but they have been out of stock for months. Nuts.com has it, though.
Brewer's Yeast
Is this Brewer's yeast (slightly bitter) or Nutritional yeast (Nutty/Cheesy tasting)?
There seem to be two different things and I am not sure which one would help.
Thank you
Multiple Remedies
★★★★★
Calcium
Calcium
Melatonin
Melatonin
EC: IBSD = Irritable Bowel Syndrome Disease
Melatonin
I've been taking a lot of things (ashwaghanda, valerian, etc) for sleep. I had read that melatonin for sleep was best if taken in low doses, but here you say large doses helped you. So, if I want to take only melatonin for my insomnia, how much would you take to start?
I've been taking 3 mg along with my other herbs and sleeping fitfully. I had surgery and the tramadol plus my other stuff has made me sleep wonderfully but, taking the tramadol at night only for pain (and I don't have pain anymore) I only have 4 left.
So I'm now stressing about not getting good sleep anymore. I need to be awake for work, but have a long weekend coming up and could start a high dose to see how it affects me. Any suggestions? I really don't like taking a whole concoction of stuff, it tastes terrible and doesn't really work all that well anyway.
Watch the Sunrise
★★★★★
Gluten-Free Diet
★★★★★
I finally realized that whenever I had any gluten at all, even a micro dose, it would pop my eyes awake in the middle of the night, reliably. I think it's really weird. I always thought, yeah yeah cut back on gluten dairy etc. and try to eat healthy. But that's not what's going on. I can eat unhealthfully but as long as I don't get ANY gluten, I sleep like a baby. I don't know why it took me so long to figure it out, Maybe it was that I was sleep deprived. Also it seems like whey in whey protein shakes sometimes hurts my sleep and I've given that up as well. But gluten does seem to be the big culprit.
Ted's Alkalizing Remedy
When I look on amazon, it doesn't have it and wikipedia says it's the rotten egg smell but nothing about where to get it. I'm trying all his suggestions for insomnia and this is the next one in the list (still no success, really). I can fall asleep and even sleep 3 hours at a time, but never feel rested. I'm doing epsom salt baths, alkalyzing (my ph is 7.3 this morning), passion flower, valerian, lemon balm in sleepy tea (yogi brand), kava and so much else I cant remember. Melatonin 2 mg. And benadryl......sure want to eliminate the benadryl.
Multiple Remedies
★★★☆☆
I got ph strips and, wow, my morning urine was down around 4. I've started the acv + baking soda (1Tbs ACV + 1/2 tsp BS in 8 oz water, 3X/day) and have done this several days now with no real change. I have ordered Potassium citrate and will use it instead of the acv when it arrives.
Additionally, I will watch my diet more than I have been. I've been so intent on getting probiotics to fix my ibs-d that maybe I'm getting too much yogurt. Is there a form of probiotic that would be better for the ibs as well as the insomnia/acid issue? I've tried dairy kefir and really couldn't stand it, the store bought kefir is great but full of sugar. I'm open to suggestions. Carbs don't bother my belly, so that's what I tend to eat. I will make more effort to get greens, but cannot do anything raw besides carrot.
Please, if you have any other suggestions for me let me know. My ibs makes it hard to get adequate minerals (even mag oil topically gives me diarrhea if I do more than 3 sprays/day) and lack of minerals can sure wreck your sleep. I hope the potassium doesn't upset the bowels, but my reading hasn't indicated that it would so it's worth a try.
I am also doing a hypnosis app (Glenn Harrold) for sleep that helps me go to sleep fast but I wake up within 20 minutes of it ending. It says do it faithfully for 21 days before deciding it won't work and I'm only on day 9, so we'll see. I looked into acupuncture, but the guy near me charges $70/session and wants 3 sessions a week for at least 6 weeks so I can't afford that.
I am currently doing a mix of seriphos, ashwagandha, passion flower, l-theanine, glycine, gaba and melatonin. Works some days and not others. I tried adding valerian to this and it bothered the belly and have lemon balm that I”m willing to try but will do the alkalizing first. I seriously need help sleeping, 60+ y.o. female.
had a similar situation several years ago when I tested my morning urine PH and found it to be less than 5. What worked for me to improve PH was to drink 8 -- 8 oz. glasses of freshly squeezed orange juice throughout each day while gradually trying to modify my diet to be more healthy. I was more intent on finding a food mix that would work and forgot the PH issue for a while. The fresh juice was taken in 8 oz. glasses and the 8 glassfuls were spaced at least an hour apart.
About 3 months later I thought of checking my morning urine PH and it was spot on 6.2 (which is the medical standard). Needless to say, I continued the juice drinking. You also need to look up foods to see how to correct your food intake to create an acid/alkaline balance that matches your personal digestive system...examples of alkalizing foods: potatoes,, green veg (raw or cooked), etc.
A useful book is called The Acid-Alkaline Diet for optimum health by Christopher Vasey.
Multiple Remedies
I'm wondering if, in addition to everything else you are taking, you try sleeping in a completely dark room (no light emitted from anything - including around the windows or from electronic devices). Speaking of electronic devices, remove them from the room. Let your bedroom be an oasis of tranquility - no clutter, clean and quiet. In the evening, wear blue-blocking glasses if you watch TV, use the computer/tablet/smartphone - at least a few hours before bedtime. Get enough physical exercise during the day, fresh air, sunshine (or use a light therapy device for 20 minutes in the morning if you live in a cloudy/rainy place). Stay properly hydrated. Ensure your Vitamin D levels are where they should be (do an Internet search for Vitamin D and insomnia - it's an incredibly important hormone). If you take Vitamin D supplements, take them in the morning. Write down your worries, thoughts, etc. in a journal - get them out of your head. Have a fan going to circulate the air - also, a fan can have a soothing "white noise" effect that helps people sleep. The room should be comfortably cool. What about your bedding and mattress? These are some of the "sleep hygiene" tips that help many people. Do an Internet search for sleep hygiene - there are lots of studies on how it can help - along with a clean diet (which I'm sure you have if you suffer from ibs), limited caffeine, etc.
A good night's sleep is crucial to good health. I wish you the best of luck. Take care.
Multiple Remedies
The only time I sleep is like every 4th day and then I'm taking Passion Flower & other sleep herbs and a benadryl. I'd like to stop the Benadryl, but how? Would taking 2 mg melatonin instead of the 1 mg I currently take make a difference? I really think this is the menopause thing (the major event part) that never got resolved. I took hormone replacement for several years and then stopped, which is when the insomnia took over. I already do the sleep hygiene, no devices, exercise, early morning sun, eat clean, no processed foods. But, I have pain and need help easing it if anyone has a suggestion. If I take a pain pill I tend to sleep well, stopped doing that after advil gave me an ulcer.
Thanks for letting me whine.
Multiple Remedies
I know you have tried so many things....so I hesitate to suggest anything - I am sure you have studied this way more than me! A couple of things in your post sort of popped to me, though.
First you mention that the sleep got worse when you stopped hormone replacement, implying that menopause is likely related. I know so many ladies whose sleep becomes more difficult during the change of life, including my own. For me, I will fall asleep and then "startle" awake. Sometimes a noise does thing but sometimes I think it is just me. Then I can't get back to sleep. My heart races and it won't settle. Who can sleep with a racing heart? I have found that Motherwort tincture helps me with this a lot. If I take a dropperful of Motherwort twice a day, I don't have hot flashes and sleep well. I don't need it so often now, but if I have trouble sleeping, I take a dropperful of Motherwort and a dropperful of Chamomile and am usually able to get back to sleep. Another thing to look in to is Dr. Shultze's Female Formula, which is used to naturally balance hormones. If you haven't had bloodwork done it might be something to check in to. One thing out of whack can cause a cascade of problems that often seem unrelated.
A friend of mine with severe sleep difficulties has eaten a near "perfect diet" for years. One night she did eat salty snack food and found she slept well. She wondered if it was because she had a salt insufficiency related to her insomnia. Have you tried bromelain for pain? I hope you can figure this out and get some desperately needed rest soon.
~Mama to Many~
Multiple Remedies
Multiple Remedies
Multiple Remedies
Multiple Remedies
I find that if I have any dairy, I cannot sleep. My body doesn't digest it well. Often inflammation is the cause of insomnia, and that was the case for me. So I get my probiotics in a pill (PB8 is my fave). JS from Portland
Multiple Remedies
★★★★★
Multiple Remedies
My cortisol was checked once in a hospital when I had Bigeminy tachycardia for several days and it was normal back then. I see that seriphos is sold over the counter. I'll certainly try it.
Multiple Remedies
Multiple Remedies
Borax
★☆☆☆☆
Borax
Try baking soda in water before bedtime. Also, some nighttime teas from T J.
Borax
★★★★★
Try quitting gluten. Totally cured my insomnia. Dramatically. Now if I even get secretly fed a tiny bit of gluten, I pop awake at midnight and can't get back to sleep. Good luck and God bless.
Borax
Borax
Calcium, K2 + Holy Basil Tea
Reduce Cortisol Levels
Reduce Cortisol Levels
Ashwagandha
★★★★★
Multiple Remedies
★★★★★
Supplements
Now, after a week of doing this at night, I have a pain in my back (slightly lower than kidney) that radiates over to my hip and on to my groin. Almost like a kidney stone? Never had one, so no idea what causes this. It aches during the day unless I'm moving and is what I notice most when trying to go to sleep. Any ideas what it could be? Almost like a pulled muscle, except I haven't done anything to pull a muscle.
Niacin
Anyway, can I take both types? Should I take the flush in the morning and the non-flush in the evening? I don't want to screw up my liver.
There are 2 sleep protocols: 1) niacinamide + extended release melatonin or 2) seriphos + glycine+ taurine+ gaba + l-theanine + timed release melatonin. I am desperate for sleep. This #2 formula seemed to let me sleep but it was like being awake until I realized that I had dreamed something that couldn't be possilbe since I was at home in bed. I have all these things already, so just need guidance on the niacin.
Also, mama to many mentioned nettle tea so I tried it some time ago and didn't see that it helped. But recently I purchased a large bag of nettle loose tea and have been drinking a quart of it per day--it does seem to make me sleepy at this dose.
My problem is that I get so so very sleepy but don't drift off to sleep. Then I get weak and take an ambien--which is awful, but I've gotten so desperate for sleep. I just want to be unconcious for a time and feel rested.
- ER
Nettle Tea
Nettle Tea
What a great post about the nettle tea helping with insomnia! I have enjoyed your posts on how it helps with allergies, but this is a very welcome observation for many of us.
My question is this - I looked it up on several sites and noticed that it may raise iron levels, which would be helpful for those with anemia. Have you ever read in any of your herbal books if it also increases serum iron in those with already high levels? If not, this may be very helpful to me, and if it does, it may be very helpful to those with low iron levels, in addition to all it's other benefits. Thanks for posting this.
5 HTP
Magnesium
★★★☆☆
BETTER BUT WITH SIDE EFFECTS
Dead Sea Salts Bath
Slow Breathing
★★★★★
I often have trouble falling asleep, recently I found out about the the "4-7-8" breathing trick, and it seems to work for me.
"You breathe in through your nose for four seconds, hold it for seven seconds, and exhale through your mouth for eight seconds. She explained to me that it slows down your heart rate and it also releases chemicals in our brains that soothe you".
Article about it on Dr Weil's site here.
Inositol
L-Tryptophan
Old Pine Vinegar
Apple Cider Vinegar
Niacinamide
Niacinamide
Using all three forms of Niacin must produce a more broadspectuim effect which may be necessary for some folks that don't get such a positive response w/ only Nicinamde as yourself.
Speaking of "broad spectrum", Chromium and Ribose synergize w/ Niacin to produce benefits like lowering blood lipids & sugars, as well as needed weight loss.
Niacinamide
I read your post on the niacin. Thanks, as always! Does taking a low dose several times a day help with your sleep without making you too tired during the day? I'm not too fond of the flush and this sounds like a good option. Good for the heart, too. I didn't realize it came in 25-50mg until you mentioned it. Thanks!
Niacinamide
Additional B-6 may also prove beneficial w/ Niacin especially for heart health by reducing Homocystein.
I haven't found any Niacin below 100mg and split these w/ a pair of scissors to 50mg.
Niacinamide
After reading your post on niacin, I started to look around for a low dose option and found that Dr. Clark has a 25mg capsule at a good price. I am going to try it. Thanks!
For neuropathy caused by statins, there is new research on the use of dolichols that looks encouraging. For more info, look at the Stopped our Statins Yahoo site.
Niacinamide
Dr. Sinatra has found that women are much more sensitive to the side effects of statins than men. speaking of Dr Sinatra, he has a new publication out on the big cholesterol myth and did a lengthy interview w/ Pat Robertson tonight. Here is a link http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/healthscience/2015/February/Heart-Disease-Cholesterol-Is-Not-the-Real-Enemy/
Niacinamide
Dr. Sinatra seems to be one of a few doctors who have an honest understanding of heart disease. I have read other articles he has written and often take his recommendation of CoQ10, d-Ribose and Carnitine. I found a carnitine product that has L-Carnitine, Acetyl-L-Carnitine, Arginate and Taurinate and GlycoCarn-GPLCto to cover all the bases. This combination helps relieve symptoms in congestive heart failure and with hearts in general. Ironically, one person got a snapshot of a warning on the British National Socialized medicine site saying there is an epidemic of CHF expected due to the use of statins because of the muscle damage they can cause, which of course includes our largest muscle, the heart. It has since been removed. Dr. Graveline, Space Doc, astronaut and MD, has had a difficult time after taking statins, but is doing very well after using dolichols for the muscle damage. There is hope!
