Curing Insomnia – From Natural Remedies to Prescription Medication

Posted by lack of sleep on March 13th, 2011 filed in Insomnia Remedies

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The inability to get a good night’s sleep can be a true nuisance, especially when you belong to the working class and you must have a very well organized schedule during the day. Putting up with all your tasks at work, and respecting your schedule at home can be difficult if you do not sleep at least 6 or 7 hours per night. Therefore, here are a few suggestions that will help you to finally get a restful sleep.

The problem might be right in front of you…

 

 

If you are addicted to caffeinated drinks to help you keep fresh throughout the day, this habit will not be rewarding you at night. Even if you cannot totally cut off your daily coffee, coke or black tea intakes, at least try to reduce it significantly. It is better to cope with a few hours of tiredness during the day until your body gets used to receiving less “energetic” material, than tossing and turning all night long because your brain cannot disconnect. Therefore, less coffee, no smoking before bed time, and trying to avoid those afternoon naps will raise your chances to get a good night’s sleep.

Natural sleep inducing foods

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Acute insomnia patients should definitely try a few natural remedies to fight insomnia. There are several foods available that have a high content of melatonin, which is the natural antioxidant hormone that induces healthy sleep:

• Cherries, grapes and bananas – the cherries and the grapes contain melatonin, while the bananas have a high content of potassium which is very important mineral for regulating the chemical reactions in your system. Eat healthy before bedtime, and get a nice deep sleep.
• High protein foods –such as beans, eggs, poultry meat and fish – they are all a good resource of the compound known as tryptophan which is an important amino acid in the production of melatonin. Just make sure you eat tiny portions of any of these high protein foods during bed time, because too much tryptophan intake can actually favor the insomnia syndrome.
• Pure honey- make a habit of eating a few spoons of honey every night; if you do not tolerate pure honey, just add a few spoons to a warm glass of milk and drink that.

Medicine for curing insomnia

Do not just buy yourself any sleeping pills that you heard about on the TV or read in about in the morning newspaper. You should definitely look for medicines that have in their composition of the following compounds:

• The Valerian – a natural herb extract that will induce a state of relaxation, preparing your body and mind for a good night’s sleep. It is a mild compound, and it does not give addiction.
• Kava – officially known as “piper methysticum” is a natural compound that can be found in many over the counter medications destined to fight insomnia. It is protective to your liver, and it does not give addiction.
• Melatonin – the natural “sleep hormone” – used as a dietary supplement, will help induce waves of relaxation and prepare your mind and body for a restful night.

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