L-Tryptophan
★★★☆☆
WORKED TEMPORARILY
Tryptophan is metabolized into melatonin. I have taken melatonin as a sleep aid and it has helped, but the effect is not always lasting so I have gotten in the habit of taking one capsule about two hours before I plan to go to bed and then one more capsule an hour later and then one capsule at bedtime. It is harder to take this way than just three capsules at bedtime, but it seems more effective for me this way because I am quite drowsy by the time I go to bed and I sleep without waking, unless I have to go the bathroom, but I fall right back to sleep after the bathroom.
I imagine that taking it this way would be similar to timed release melatonin, but I have tried timed release melatonin and it didn't work as well as taking the melatonin as above in a one, two, three fashion.
I've never tried it with tryptophan, so I don't know if it would work the same.
I only use this method when I know I want or need to get a good night's rest and it has been fairly reliable toward that end.
Art
(Anonymous)
01/06/2015
I can't use melatonin, it triggers migraines. Maybe I'll do the tryp in that way, small dose an hour before the main dose. Thanks
L-Tryptophan
★★★☆☆
BETTER BUT WITH SIDE EFFECTS
L-Tryptophan
★★★★★
(Houston, TX, USA)
10/01/2014
★☆☆☆☆
I tried L-Tryptophan several nights, thought one of the other substances was what kept me alert-awake. (I was taking several things at once - B3, herbs, etc, in desperate effort to get some sleep! Bad idea for figuring what is causing a worse problem instead of helping) I was having strange feelings in my chest which I now know to be heart palpitations.
Thinking no sleep meant I wasn't taking enough L-Triptophan (and that one of the other tools was causing the strange chest thumps), I upped from 500 mg to 1000 mg (2 pills) and took only L-Tryptophan (to eliminating, I thought, whatever was causing the chest spasms). But an hour after I got to bed wow was my heartbeat crazy! Like my whole chest was throbbing! Felt like a superslow beat 5 times the usual strength, but wrist pulse revealed a weak pulse beat in between the super big ones, so the rate was normal but the strength unusual. Really scary to have a resting heartbeat that intrudes on your awareness! Got up and searched for the half life - 1-2 hours. That was reassuring. An hour later my heartbeat was still too strong but far less so. (Food based L-Triptophan has a 10-12 hour half life because it's bound to protein; the pure supplement has a short half life.)
BTW, L-Triptophan supplement wearing off fast means it might be good for helping some people get to sleep but not keeping them asleep.
Lavender Oil
★★★★★
(Anon)
05/09/2013
★☆☆☆☆
Not me, I was up all night thinking of how bad the smell was. Tried again after a week, put some on a cotton ball, same thing. Moved it farther away so no smell, but still no sleep.
(Nm)
04/16/2014
The last distillation of lavender produces a "water". There is term for it which I have forgotten. We found it in CA, but anyone distilling the plant should have it. Sprayed on the face and pillow, it induces sleep. Gentle enough for the babies, and tho fragrant, does not have the intense scent of the oil. Works as well as warm milk or chamomile, but not well enough to overcome the intense pain of neuropathy.
Lavender Tea
★★★★★
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.
Lemon Water
★★★★★
I learned this from my husband as he loves to read about health issues.
He told me to try this for insomnia:
1. Fill a pitcher or container full of clean water.
2. Take a fresh lemon and slice it across in a few slices.
3. Place the slices of lemon in the water and allow this to sit for awhile.
4. Throughout the day drink a few glasses for this lemon/water. I try to drink at least 5 or 6 glasses of the lemon water.
This helps me sleep like a baby! Don't give up if it doesn't work for a few days. Keep drinking this solution.
What the lemons do is Alkaline the water! My husband read that our drinking water is too acidity. He read that this solution is similar to using baking soda. This has helped me so much in getting sleep.
I hope it works for those with insomnia. It works for my husband, my sister in law, and it works for me!
Once more thing if you use sugar in this water the sugar will only make the water acid again. Please do not use sugar in it.
(Ontario)
11/04/2022
★★★★★
I know this is an old post, but a calcified pineal gland will contribute to sleep problems, and lemon water will help decalcify pineal gland.
Lettuce Tea
★★★★★
I found this recipe from a lady I buy plants from. She said that her baby grandaughter was very troublesome so he said she rubbed the baby with lettuce leaves and placed a few underneath her pilllow as well and the baby went right to sleep! I found the recipe on the computer here it is:
How to Make Lettuce Leaf Tea
If you are wondering what else to do with all that lettuce laying around the house - try making a great cup of tea for insomnia. This simple recipe for lettuce tea will help you with insomnia and also acts as a mild sedative. The recipe was found in a 40 year old herbal medicine book - and I have tried it. It works ever so gently.
After the basic recipe there is more information about the particular lettuce that I chose, romaine, which is by far more nutritious than iceberg. I always recommend that lettuce be bought organic only.
Recipe for Lettuce Leaf Tea:
- 2 outer leaves of organic romaine lettuce
- 8 ounces of water
Thoroughly wash the leaves and then simmer for 20 minutes in the 1/2 pint of water.
Strain and drink before bedtime
How often should I drink it? - While it is recommended as a nightly drink - I'd suggest trying it first on the weekend when you don't have to get up for work and see how you feel. It is supposed to have sedative effects and I found the next day that I wanted to lay around and read a book. I didn't feel tired but wanted to lay around - it felt quite good. Perhaps that is the sedative effect.
Read the full article: https://hubpages.com/food/Make-Lettuce-Tea-for-Insomnia
(Tn)
02/22/2018
Mary,
This is great!
100 years ago, Beatrix Potter wrote about the "soporific effect of lettuce on the Flopsy Bunnies" in a children book! The bunnies were sound asleep from eating too much lettuce.
I guess she knew what she was talking about!
Thanks!
~Mama to Many~
Light Therapy
(Nevada)
08/02/2013
(Middletown, Delaware)
08/03/2013
(Va)
08/04/2013
I have tried everything (sleep formula) that has been suggested on earth clinic. That's why I'm asking about the light therapy. I've tried sounds, herbs, finger-dcounting, pillow method, mag oil---the only thing I've seen so far that I haven't tried is what someone just suggested--poppy oil capsules. Never heard of that one. Will get some and try it. I need relief. The onlyh sleep I get is with ambien, and it's not restorative. Other than that when I take an imitrex and hydrocodone for chronic migraine. Thank everyone for the suggestions, I jsut wish I'd get something new to try as nothing has worked and ted has not responded. I think I have something very basic going on that has not been addressed, but can't think of what. I have never been a good sleeper and have always had ibs-D (over 50 years).
(Va)
08/05/2013
My question was 'does light therapy work'. Thank you for your reply, but I am not willing to go vegan. I have free range, pastured hens for eggs. I grow a garden. I buy a side of pastured, grass fed beef for my freezer. Yes, I'm sure I eat gmo food--it's near impossible not to, but I do my best to avoid it. My diet is very good--home-grown foods for the vast majority. Also, one cup of coffee in the morning then only water. I can't be outside b/c I work, so that's my question--do light boxed help with insomnia?
(Ottawa, Ontario, Canada)
08/05/2013
Due to IBS you may have a vitamin/ mineral imbalance. See this link for deficiencies in Vitamins B: http://www.longevinst.org/nlt/newsletter19.htm. You should get a book describing the vitamins and minerals required by the body.
If you do not have enough sun exposure, you may be vitamin D deficient.
For IBS you should try to eat green bananas -the starch from these bananas can heal the intestines. Do you eat raw garlic/ onion? Do you avoid gluten? Do you drink spring water?
Read about calamus roots-it is a good way to heal the digestive system.
(Colorado)
08/06/2013
Yes, light therapy can help but you have to be careful because there are all sorts of light therapy and some can be pretty startling. I would look for they light therapy that uses a moving bed along with gradually using all spectrums of light. Some light therapy abruptly flashes light and can be very startling and more harmful than good. There is a great place in Niwot, CO.
The other thing you may want to try is healthy probiotics. If you have taken antibiotics or eaten a bunch of meat with antibiotics, this can cause a lack of healthy enzymes in your stomach which can cause problems with sleep. It could have been a long time ago that you consumed the antibiotics, but if you never replaced them with healthy antibiotics, it can still be a huge problem You want to get the best possible probiotics you can, because if you only take mediocre ones, that will not help. I took 2 at least 20 minutes before I ate in the morning and 2 at least 20 minutes after I ate before I went to sleep and within 3 doses, I slept great. I finished a bottle of 90 and was fine for a while.
Linen
★★★★★
Along with the sleep issue, I've come across reports of linen pillow cases doing tremendous things for other issues before but, apparently linen sheets, pajamas and other clothing are useful for all sorts of issues.
I was looking at this because I got some new yoga pants for sleeping and was having "bursitis" (undiagnosed) pains in my thighs and someone suggested wearing my old pj pants, instead. So, last night, I slept in my old pj pants and NO PAIN!
I've always known of the magical properties of linen and that it can prevent bedsores but NEVER heard of it helping with so many things like this. But it actually makes sense, just due to the electromagnetic "frequency" of linen but still, WOW! I've always said linen was like a "mother", providing precisely what's needed to stay either warm or cool, as opposed to cotton, but apparently it does much more than that.
Liver and Kidney Detoxing
★★★★★
Magnesium
| 5 star (6) | 67% | |
| 3 star (2) | 22% | |
 (1) |
11% |
★★★★★
The thing that I have found most helpful is Magnesium Glycinate, it is the most highly absorbable form of magnesium for our bodies. I am amazed at how much better I have been sleeping. Have been taking 3/4 teaspoon at night, typically able to sleep through the night now, I used to wake up around 3 and toss and turn due to aches and pains. I have used this also when feeling sore or whenever I feel too many aches and pains. It works great.
Magnesium
★★★☆☆
BETTER BUT WITH SIDE EFFECTS
Magnesium
★★★★★
Before I took magnesium, I would wake up at the slightest sound and then be awake for 2-3 hours.
I started at 1/2 teaspoon of magnesium poweder in 1/2 glass of warm water and have slowly worked my way up to 1 teaspoon because of the loose stools effect. I did get a series of stomach aches and a few rounds of diarrhea when I started taking magnesium but now I can tolerate larger and larger doses. It did take a few weeks to go from 1/2 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon.
(Fort Worth, Texas)
09/24/2013
Wendy: Thank you for that great post on the use of magnesium and insomnia. I have insomnia problems that herbals haven't seemed to help. (Worry about work I think.) But I'll try the mag at night as you recommended.
(Hayward, Ca)
09/25/2013
(Westport, Ct)
10/01/2013
(Chicago, Illinois)
04/10/2014
Liquid forms of magnesium chloride or magnesium citrate are great, and there is also a pill form of Magnesium Glycinate that's also very effective. Magnesium definitely helps to cure insomnia, that's for sure! Best, too, if you take small doses throughout the day, not just at night when you want to go to sleep. Take it throughout the day so it can build up in your system. A lot of times people (and people in general) with insomnia are deficient in magnesium.
(Usa)
04/11/2014
Compelled to provide this warning: according to a nutrition almanac, high levels of magnesium can cause skeletal paralysis, respiratory depression, coma and death. Magnesium is generally well tolerated but there are exceptions and when in doubt, a physician should be consulted. Sometimes less is better.
(Los Angeles, Ca)
04/16/2014
Magnesium Chloride, liquid form 2 teaspoons 3 X a day. Magnesium Glycinate (tablets), and liquid Magnesium Citrate all have been very effective for me in helping me relax and having a good, sound night's sleep.
(Virginia)
01/17/2017
I took 400 mg magnesium glycerinate an hour before bed for 2 nights and had severe insomnia both nights. Does that mean I am not MG deficient? Or should I take them during the day? I have been having menopause based insomnia, I think, for over 5 years, and so eager to find something that can help me sleep.
(Us)
04/15/2018
I don't doubt what you're saying, but magnesium has what's called 'bowel tolerance' where your body shunts any excess to the GI tract washing it out. When you've reached the amount your body needs, you develop loose stools and/or diarrhea that washes the excess out of your system. Look at the magnesium citrate given for bowel cleanses and colonoscopies that are at least 12,000 mg, and are considered to be safe.
Magnesium
★★★☆☆
BETTER BUT WITH SIDE EFFECTS
I tried Epsom salt foot bath a few nights ago (1 cup of ES in hot water and soaked my feet for an hour) and it relaxed me somewhat, but I didn't get the same deep state of relaxation the internal magnesium provides. I will next try magnesium chloride oil foot baths and report back. Hope this helps someone.
