Natural Remedies for Insomnia 3

There is an amino acid called tryptophan, which is helpful as a natural remedy for insomnia. It is one of the essential amino acids, meaning it must be added to the body through the diet, because the body does not produce it. (Amino acids are the building blocks of protein.)

Tryptophan received some very bad press as a result of some contaminated supplements which caused a blood disorder, and was banned by the FDA. The ban has been lifted and supplemental tryptophan is again available as an amino acid and as 5-HTP (5-Hydroxy L-trytophan).

There are some foods which are good sources of tryptophan, and I would add some of these to my diet in the evening before I purchased a supplement. ( I don't think there is anything wrong with using supplements, but I prefer to use whole foods when possible. Taking an essential amino acid supplement for an extended period may cause an imbalance in the body; it may help to take a complete amino acid supplement at a separate time.)

Turkey is the most well known source of tryptophan. Tryptophan is one reason many people feel the need for a nap after Thanksgiving dinner.

Other food sources of tryptophan include: bananas, dates, figs, milk and yogurt, tuna and walnuts.

If you are suffering from insomnia, try adding a light snack of one or several of these foods in the evening before going to bed. (Don't overdo it, though; it's hard to sleep if you have to digest a large amount of food. Moderation is the key.)

Natural Remedies for Insomnia 2

I mentioned some natural remedies for insomnia in my last post.

I failed to mention the natural remedy I always try first if I have trouble sleeping: Deep Breathing and Progressive Relaxation.

Don't worry, it's not as complicated as that may sound, I will explain what I do if I am having trouble falling asleep, or if I awaken at night and have trouble sleeping.

I start by lying in a comfortable position, and just easily stretch my arms and legs out, trying to tense every muscle in my body, as I breathe in. Then, as I breathe out, I let go of all the tension with one big sigh. Then, I start to become aware of my right foot, and imagine that foot becoming very warm and heavy, and very relaxed. Then I let my awareness move slowly into my leg, imagining that same warm, heavy, relaxed feeling filling my leg,up to the knee, then through the thigh and up to the hip. Then I repeat the exact same steps for the other foot and leg.

After relaxing both legs, I move to the fingers of my right hand, again imagining them becoming warm, heavy and relaxed; and just like the legs, I imagine that same feeling spreading through my hands and forearms and upper arms to the shoulder. I repeat the same steps for the other hand and arm.

After relaxing both legs and arms, I imagine that same warm relaxed feeling pouring down through my spine, and filling my abdomen, relaxing all the muscles and organs of my abdomen and lower back. Then I imagine that warm , heavy feeling spreading up my torso to my chest and upper back making everything feel very warm, heavy and relaxed. Then i imagine the relaxing feeling moving up through my neck, relaxing the muscles as it goes. I imagine the feeling of relaxation flowing across my head and scalp and down through my face.

I almost always fall asleep before I get through relaxing my abdomen and lower back.

If you try this and don't fall asleep immediately, don't give up. I have been practicing these techniques for many years, and respond very rapidly to the images of warmth and relaxation. If you have never done any kind of progressive relaxation technique before, you may need to repeat the steps a few times before you fall asleep.

This is one case where practice will improve your results very quickly.

Natural Remedies for Insomnia

I recently read a newspaper article discussing natural remedies for insomnia.

The article included several different recommendations: melatonin, valerian and hops. It went on to discuss each of the recommendations individually. I had no problem with the actual recommendations, although I have no personal experience with melatonin, so I do not recommend it's use. I use and recommend valerian and hops for occasional insomnia, and find them quite helpful. See my post at The Herbal List for more about Valerian and Hops.

I did have a problem when the article writer described melatonin as an" herbal remedy." While both valerian and hops are herbal remedies, melatonin is not. Melatonin is in fact a hormone, naturally produced in the pineal gland, which regulates the wake/sleep cycle, among other things. This is what makes it helpful in cases of insomnia. It is generally available as a synthetic supplement, sometimes derived from pineal glands of beef cattle.

While melatonin may be found in plants, it is at very low concentrations. There is no melatonin herb.