The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Eliminate EMFs
Posted by Michele (Los Angeles, California) on 07/15/2013
★★★★★
I read recently about the dangers of WIFI and we put a timer to turn it off automatically at night. In one night, I went from extremely poor sleep to very good sleep.
Niacinamide
Posted by Joy (Battleground, Wash) on 05/13/2013
★★★★★
Niacinamide stops the chatter of the mind but take it with other B's they work together... It also helps sleep. First time I took it my mind went blank, freaked me out.
Theanine, Taurine
Posted by Steven (Jersey City, Nj, Usa) on 10/04/2012
UPDATE: I found the last ingredient that is allowing me to sleep solidly throught the night with no awakenings - L-glutamine (1/4 tsp[1 gm] in the morning)! It has been working for two weeks now. The only catch is I guess I'm sleeping so soundly I have no recall of dreams anymore. Taurine and Theanine seemed to increase dream recall for awhile. I reduced my dose of b-12 also which I believe was contributing to an increase of dream recall, so that is something to play around with, but for now I'm happy with solid sleep so I can live during the day instead of dreams.
Castor Oil
Posted by Jean H. (Us) on 04/14/2018
Be careful giving melatonin to children as my research indicates it can cause seizures in children. I researched it for an article for my blog which is how I came across this. Plus, taking it can cause your body to stop producing it.
Sea Salt
Posted by Sarah (Melbourne, Australia) on 03/18/2011
★★★★★
I had developed insomnia and always felt awake till late in the night. Ltely I came to know about sea salt water cure. I take pinch of sea salt in water and also mix Apple Cider Vinegar in the water to make it tasty and now my sleep pattern has changed. I sleep easily. Yesterday I tried pinch of salt on tongue and later flushed it inside with water and could sleep like a baby. This method has worked for me. All of you can also try.
Castor Oil
Posted by Mel (Katy, Tx) on 01/17/2010
Kay, I just use a q-tip and dip in the Castor oil bottle and have just a drop fall on the tip of my finger and quickly apply to my eyelid. Do the same for the other eye. Rub it in very well and get in bed. It works very fast. I am more excited about my pterygium diminishing and maybe possibly going away for good. Keeping my fingers crossed. So, for me it has helped in two ways and I hope that it helps someone else with insomnia and a pterygium.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Cathy (Picayune, Ms) on 02/08/2010
I am confused about the properties of ACV. It states that for a boost of energy in the day to drink acv. Then you guys state that to sleep better, drink acv. It sounds like an oxy moron to me. I have been using acv for a long time and it does have great benefits. I take it for my stomach, great for gas pains. I just don't believe in the help you sleep and help you energize. It can only do one of the 2. It does not help me sleep nor does it energize me. I have noticed that if I take it to late before I go to bed that I don't sleep as well.
Borax
Posted by Leelannee (Sussex, Nj) on 09/02/2013
Timh--In my post yesterday, I mentioned diabetes only because that's how I came across some of this information, but I hope I didn't imply that this remedy could only be used by diabetics. Even non-diabetics can experience low blood sugar at some point during the sleep cycle, and may have nightmares as a result.
I have Type 2 diabetes, but I learned the "raw cornstarch trick" from people with Type 1.
Also, I double-checked my internet search suggestion and it doesn't bring up what I intended; "blood sugar nutrition crisps" works better!
Magnesium
Posted by Anna (Dayton, OH) on 07/10/2009
★★★★★
I take two 200 or 250 mgs of magnesium every night to help me sleep. I have tried other products to help me sleep like phosphorus and melatonin. Phosporus is also very good but makes me too groggy when I wake up. Melatonin also makes me too groggy. I take Melatonin when I have had caffiene before bed and it knocks me out. I get the tablets and nibble the tiniest bit off of the edge and it works everytime but seems to be too strong for me and makes me tired during the day. For me magnesium is gentle and when I wake up I feel relaxed but not tired. We stayed overnight in New York City at my daughters boyfriends apt on a busy, noisy, avenue. I took my two magnesiums as usual but woke up in the middle of the night because of the terrible street noises. The next few nights I took 3 magnesiums (200 or 250mg's)and slept thru it all. At home I take two every night. Thank you so much for this website!! People helping People!! YaY people power!
Basil
Posted by Kate (Atlanta, GA) on 06/27/2009
★★★★★
Basil has been by far the best remedy for my insomnia. I bring about 2 cups of water to a simmer, add 1/2 of a tablespoon of dried basil, turn the stove off, and let it sit, covered, for about twenty minutes. I've substituted a bruised sprig of fresh basil on occasion with the same wonderful effects. I start sipping on this tea about two hours before bed, and it knocks me out every time. I've upped the ammount of basil in the tea or the ammount of the tea I drink on occasion but the above measurements are the average ammounts that work best for me.
Horlicks
Posted by Lorayne (Sun City, Az) on 01/23/2012
I wouldn't use Horlicks, since it contains milk which means it probably contains rBGH (genetically modified bovine growth hormone). Go to
www.mercola.com to read up on the dangers of GMOs. They are in dairy, soy, corn, canola, zucchini, yellow squash, Hawaiian papaya, cottonseed and alfalfa at present. Organic food cannot be GMO. So if you want to eat these things, choose organic. The Environmental Working Group has a petition of it's website to force labeling of products that contain these poisonous GMOs. Go to
www.ewg.org to sign the petition.
5 HTP
Posted by Stefanie (Minden, Louisiana) on 07/17/2008
★★★★★
I found this remedy when I was looking for herbal remedies for my daily headaches. I found 5-HTP. According to the article, some of the things it helped with are insomnia, headaches, anxiety & depression. I thought could it be? I immediately went to my husband to show him what I had found because he had problems sleeping at night as well. We went a few days later to our local drug store and picked up a bottle of 50mg. 5-HTP. We had decided on the lowest dosage available in our area, upping the dosage as we went along if it was necessary. We have only been on it for a few days now but there is a very noticeable difference. We both have been sleeping through the night and feeling more refreshed when we wake. My anxiety attacks are gone as well as my headaches. We both are much less snappish than what we were before. We haven't noticed any side effects so far. We are taking them with a meal or a small snack and so far we have stayed at 50mg. Thanks for the very useful information that lead to this discovery!
EC: Read more about 5-HTP here.
ACV, Baking Soda and Cayenne
Posted by Clayton (Willamina, Oregon, USA) on 12/05/2007
★★★★★
I have been using ACV for a couple of months now. I started off with one Tbls in a glass of cold water. Now I am using 2 Tbls of ACV, 2Tbls Raw Honey, 1/4 tsp of baking soda, 1/2 tsp of Cayenne Pepper. I mix the ingrediants in a large mug, add hot water from a tea pot. This concoction tastes pretty good, is not very spicy (the pepper is hardly noticable). I have had more energy, felt better, sleep MUCH better. And like others I have noticed my dreams to be very vivid & clear.
Acidophilus
Posted by Yasir (Stockton, CA) on 09/16/2007
★★★★★
I found acidophilus to be very helpful with insomnia.
Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc
Posted by Sasha (Sav, Jamaica) on 09/14/2009
★★★★★
This really works. I took it one evening and i was trying to remember what i ate or drank why i slept so calm and peaceful. Now that i saw this post, i realized that it was the calcium, magnesium and zinc combo. Thanks for sharing!
Cold Showers
Posted by Leon (Wichita, Ks) on 08/11/2007
★★★★★
I like taking cold showers at night. It helps to sleep and I feel confident getting up in the morning. I encourage everybody to take a cold shower at night. It really helps with insomnia.
Amino Acids
Posted by James Wallace (Seattle , Washington) on 05/19/2007
★★★★★
Recently I wanted to increase my body's growth hormone production to repair stressed muscles. I read in a book on physiology that people who don't sleep well do no release enough growth hormone in the first few hours of sleep to repair the stress of muscles caused during the day. The book pointed to studies of taking the amino acids L-Arginine and L-Glutamine an hour or less before going to bed.
So I bought the two amino acids (500 mg strength each) and took one of each. I got the muscle repair I wanted. But something else happened - I SLEPT THE WHOLE NIGHT THROUGH! And I have been sleeping soundly since.
I think this works like a two way street. Insomniacs don't release enough growth hormone: Increased growth hormone release causes sounder sleep.
Also you don't have to take Arginine and glutamine every night. Just 3 to 4 nights a week (I know this because I sometimes forget to take the capsules). So it works in a Ted kind of minimalist sort of way. I appreciate that Ted from Thailand is a minimalist in supplement taking. It's refreshing advice.
Sleep Pointing North in Absolute Darkness
Posted by Ricardo (CA) on 02/07/2006
★★★★★
Total darkness allows the iris of the eye to completely relax. Eyes are the only place your nervous system is exposed to the world directly. If you are resting in a partially darkened room, cup your palms over your eyes for a while until it seems totally black. Remove your palms and keep your eyes closed. You will perceive some light or lessening of the black through your eyelids. Closing your eyes to sleep, in any illumination, does not allow complete relaxation. Always use a sleep mask or soft cap pulled over your eyes, doubled if needed, and test with palms over mask to be absolutely sure of total darkness.
Sleep Pointing North in Absolute Darkness
Posted by Brad (Wisconsin) on 08/01/2005
★★★★★
Sleeping with your head pointing North can improve the quality of your sleep. Also sleeping in absolute total darkness(no alarm clock lights, no light from the door jam) can have a huge impact on your over all health. It will allow more melatonin release by your body and for a longer period of time during the night, which is vital to living longer and healthier. This kind of sleep quality lifts your levels of attention, energy and motivation, awareness and helps keeping aging down to a minimum.
Ear Plugs
Posted by Diane (Magnolia Springs, AL)
★★★★★
20 years ago I had moved from the country to the city in a townhouse. I began waking all hours of the night I tried everything and nothing seem to work. I visited my doctor and thank goodness he did not believe in medications instead he tested my hearing. Well, I have exceptional hearing and all the busy city noises were waking me so he suggested ear plugs and I have been wearing them for 20 years. I change them often and clean my ears with peroxide. Many people ask aren't you afraid someone will break in and I tell them that I can still hear very well with them, it just blocks out the high pitch noices of A/C and cars, etc
Avoid Sugar
Posted by brad (Ontario) on 11/09/2023
★★★★★
Consuming any types of sugar will greatly impact your quality of sleep, regardless if its organic cane sugar or processed sugar. If you crave sweets try keto snacks like (stevia/malitol/xylitol, etc.) sweetened chocolate or make your own. Honey and pure maple syrup are considered sugars, as well, keep it to a minimum.
Papaya
Posted by Clatterbuck (Beltsville, Md) on 03/22/2023
★★★★★
You're right!!! Quite by accident, I discovered papaya helps me get back to sleep when I wake up in the middle of the night. My grocery store had a sale on papayas and I decided to buy a couple. I had first tasted papaya when I went to Vietnam a few years ago and I liked them. I ate a small papaya before going to bed and slept through the night. That was incredible. I didn't have a papaya the next night and when I woke up in the middle of the night I had trouble getting back to sleep like I usually do. The next night I had a papaya before bed and once again slept through the night. These things are like a magic sleeping potion.
