Monthly Archives: January 2019

Healthy Fruits to Eat Plus Banana a Top Sleep Food

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Greetings to you,

Below is a chart with all of the healthy vitamins and minerals in bananas. There are truly many health advantages to eating raw, healthy fruits and vegetables that are bursting with life.

For example, a study from Harvard University found that eating blueberries helps to prevent diabetes.  Another thing scientists have found is that fresh fruits and vegetables reduce inflammation and stress in the body and can add years to one’s life.

Many of the scientific studies on cherries are done with tart cherries or Montmorency cherries — usually sold as juice, dried, frozen, and in powdered supplement capsules. For those seeking a food-based remedy for sleeplessness and insomnia, the tart Montmorency cherry is known to contain high levels of melatonin, the hormone made in the brain that regulates the sleep-wake cycle.

The European Journal of Nutrition presented a placebo-controlled study that proved drinking tart cherry juice is a great sleep food as it increases melatonin and improves sleep quality. Drinking the juice resulted in longer sleep times, less daytime napping and greater overall sleep efficiency (the ratio of the time spent in bed to the time actually spent sleeping).

Another recent study on the use of melatonin-rich foods for sleep appeared in the journal “Nutrients”.  The study was called “Dietary Sources of Melatonin.”  Many nuts are known as “drupe fruits”.

These are fruits with pits or stones inside.  The researchers for the study in “Nutrients” noted that nuts contain some of the highest quantities of melatonin.  Topping the list are almonds and walnuts.  Almonds deliver a two-part punch as they are also high in magnesium, a mineral known to induce sleep.

Bananas are high in both magnesium and potassium, and each of these minerals are proven to be a good sleep food in research studies.  The Journal “Sleep” recently reported that the use of potassium for sleep results in significant improvements in quality of sleep and less waking up during the night.

Warm milk is perhaps the most famous natural sleep aid.  James F. Balch, M.D., author of Prescription for Nutritional Healing, writes that: “A lack of the nutrients calcium and magnesium will cause you to wake up after a few hours and not be able to return to sleep.”  The European Neurology Journal supports this with their study showing that the normal course of sleep is achieved by increasing calcium levels in the body.

One natural insomnia remedy showing good results is Sleep Minerals II from Nutrition Breakthroughs.  This natural sleep aid contains powerful forms of calcium and magnesium, the best known minerals for relaxation and sleep, as well as for restless leg syndrome, stomach health, teenage insomnia and menopause insomnia.

The ingredients are formulated in a softgel with healthy oils, making them more quickly absorbed than tablets or capsules and providing a deeper, longer-lasting sleep.

Richard P. of Parkville, Maryland says: “The ‘Sleep Minerals are making quite a difference.  I was regularly waking at around 3:00 a.m. and after a few days use my sleep improved quite a lot.  I wake once a night to go to the bathroom, but the great thing is, I then fall back asleep and sleep several more hours.  This has been a great improvement.”

Sleep inducing fruits and minerals are a healthy alternative to taking sleeping drugs, and fruits and vegetables in general are among the healthiest foods in existence.  For more information on natural minerals for sleep, visit the Sleep Minerals II page.


sleep food

Magnesium for Sleep – Proven Research

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magnesium for sleep

Magnesium for Sleep

The magnificent mineral magnesium is the second most abundant mineral in our cells.

It is known to be effective for strengthening heart health, reducing diabetes, and treating migraines, insomnia, depression, and insomnia.

With increasing age, the risk factor for developing magnesium deficiency grows larger.  A National Institutes of Health fact sheet says that adults are at increased risk of magnesium deficiency due to a decreased ability to absorb the mineral.

And according to the Journal “Sleep”, nearly 50% of older adults are experiencing insomnia and having with difficulties with falling asleep, staying asleep, and waking up early.

Several reports have come out regarding the role of magnesium deficiency in insomnia.  The journal “Magnesium Research” writes that magnesium deficiency contributes to sleep disorders and interrupts sleep by reducing melatonin levels in the body.

According to the Human Nutrition Research Center in North Dakota, a high magnesium diet has been found to be associated with deeper, less interrupted sleep. Good sources of magnesium in foods include fish, whole grains and green leafy vegetables.

The most recently released study on magnesium for sleep comes from the University of Medical Sciences in Iran.  Its subjects were 46 older adults, aged 60 to 75, who were experiencing insomnia.  However, it’s interesting to note the researchers recommend their results be extended as a helpful aid to all ages of the general population.

In the University study, the subjects were divided into two groups.  One group received placebos, while the other received magnesium oxide tablets twice a day (250 milligrams each) for eight weeks.  In the group that was given magnesium, the subjects experienced significant increases in sleep time and sleep efficiency, with less night time interruptions and fewer early morning awakenings.

From blood samples taken, the researchers found that magnesium significantly reduced cortisol levels in the body, which is a stress hormone that can keep people awake.  Magnesium also brought about a statistically important increase in melatonin, the hormone involved with sleep-wake cycles.

Their conclusion: Supplementation with magnesium improves subjective and objective measures of insomnia in elderly people and is a useful natural remedy to manage sleep disorders – not only in the elderly but as an effective sleep aid for people of all ages.

Regarding supplements containing magnesium that are taken as an insomnia remedy, the combination of minerals included and the presence of complementary vitamins (such as calcium and vitamin D) are vital. Formulas should contain a 2 to 1 ratio of calcium to magnesium for the best utilization in the body.

The original research on this recommended ratio appeared in 1935 in the Journal of Physiological Reviews.  In addition, softgels that mix the minerals with natural carrier oils allow them to be more fully absorbed than with tablets or capsules.

One formula that has these qualities and is gaining in popularity is Sleep Minerals II from Nutrition Breakthroughs.  Sleep Minerals II contains highly absorbable forms of calcium and magnesium, the best minerals for sleeplessness and insomnia, as well as for restless legs syndrome, bone strength, teenage insomnia and menopause insomnia.

The formula also includes vitamin D and zinc and is delivered in a softgel form with healthy rice bran oil, making it quickly absorbable and allowing it to provide a deeper, longer-lasting sleep.

Sadie D. from The Netherlands says: “I am ever so grateful that I discovered Sleep Minerals II after suffering with premenopause and now the real menopausal insomnia.  I felt like I was slowly losing my mind due to the continual lack of sleep.  I can’t express the relief of getting a good night’s sleep and being able to function properly.”

Richard P. of Parkville, Maryland says: “The Sleep Minerals are making quite a difference.  I was regularly waking at around 3:00 a.m. and after a few days use my sleep improved quite a lot.  I wake once a night to go to the bathroom, but the great thing is, I then fall back asleep and sleep several more hours. This has been a great improvement.”

Minerals have come to the forefront as some of the most effective natural remedies for insomnia.  For more information on Sleep Minerals II, visit this page.

Study on Puberty in Girls, Teen Insomnia, Calcium Deficiency

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                                 teen insomnia
A study in the Journal of Pediatrics has found that the hormonal changes of puberty in girls can create a time of substantial risk for the development of insomnia.

The researcher’s data came from a random sample of 1,014 adolescents who were 13 to 16 years of age in the city of Detroit Michigan. The study was conducted with adolescents who had a history of insomnia, and who also reported they currently had insomnia.

In an exploratory analysis between insomnia and puberty development, the onset of menstruation (menses) was associated with an increased risk for insomnia that was three times greater. There was no difference in the risk for insomnia among girls before menses onset.

The researchers concluded that Insomnia seems to be common and chronic among adolescents. The study found that there is often a gender difference in risk for insomnia, and it seems to emerge in association with the onset of menses.

Teenagers are a special breed, having to face all the challenges of being in an in-between stage of life; not quite a child anymore and not yet an adult.  Along with an acceleration of social interests and activities, they also sustain accelerated physical growth and increased nutritional needs.

Given the consequences of sleep deprivation among teenagers, including blunted mental acuity, poorer school performance, and even poorer physical and emotional health, prevention and treatment may need to become “important priorities”, the study researchers say.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 90% of teen girls and 70% of teen boys are not getting enough calcium.  Their bones are growing the fastest during the teen years and they need more calcium than at any other time of life.  This calcium deficiency can translate into irritability, nervous tension, hyperactivity, and teen insomnia.

Due to a deficiency of crucial minerals at the teenage time of life, calcium and magnesium supplements can be an effective sleep remedy.  One natural insomnia remedy that’s gaining in popularity for all ages is Sleep Minerals II from Nutrition Breakthroughs.   It contains potent forms of calcium, magnesium and vitamin D, all combined with heart-healthy rice bran oil in a rapidly absorbed softgel formula.  Softgels that combine oils with the minerals are digested more thoroughly than tablets or capsules.

Wendy R. of Honolulu, Hawaii says: “My friends know that I’ve had chronic insomnia for a long time.  I was surprised — I received the Sleep Minerals II and began taking it and I actually slept.  In the past if I ever got a good nights sleep I’d say “I slept like a baby”, but that’s the wrong comparison. Those little guys get up every two hours, but I don’t anymore.”

With insomnia being common and chronic among teenagers, let’s help them get the nutrition and sleep that they need.

For more information on Sleep Minerals II visit this web page.

Related article:

Teenage Insomnia: Studies, Remedies and Tips

5 New Years Health Tips from Nutrition Breakthroughs

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new year health tipsNew Years Greetings to you! Here are five New Year health tips for increasing your good health in the New Year:

1. Choose healthy foods: Increase salads, cooked vegetables and raw fruits.  Eat healthy, preferably organic proteins such as grass-fed meat, wild Alaskan salmon, organic poultry, sardines, and organic eggs.  For carbs, the healthiest ones are veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds, yams, squash and potatoes.  Drink lots of pure water in between meals.

2. Take a walk each day, or a couple of short walks.  This supports virtually every organ and system in your body to stay strong.  It also detoxifies impurities and ease aches and pains.

Walking is also proven to help good sleep and remedy insomnia.  Scientists suspect that walking helps to set our biological clock into a consistent sleep pattern.

Walking can also help increase “endorphins”, which are protein-like chemicals made in the brain that can have a relaxing effect, a pain-relieving effect, and also reduce stress and increase well-being.

Exercise such as walking may also be one of the most effective ways to reduce menopause symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia and heart symptoms, according to a study from the Annals (Journal) of Behavioral Medicine.

3. Take supplements:  Fish oil helps reduce inflammation and supports the eyes and brain; digestive enzymes increase absorption of foods and reduce gas; MSM remedies joint stiffness and arthritis, and Sleep Minerals II provides calcium, magnesium, and vitamin D in some highly usable forms to support good sleep.

4. Reduce stress.  Take breaks to do artistic or creative things that you enjoy.  When communicating with others, express things, and receive communications from people in a positive, upbeat way.

Support for stress can be found in certain vitamins.  The adrenal glands are known as the “stress glands”.  Vitamin B-5, also known as pantothenic acid, is used by the adrenal gland as a key component to manufacture its hormones.   A deficiency of B-5 can result in impaired adrenal function and more physical and mental stress.

Regarding vitamin C, the highest amounts of vitamin C in the body are found in the adrenals and this vitamin is used to make all of the various adrenal hormones. When one is faced with stress, vitamin C is rapidly used up.

5. Look to the future.  We’ve all done some great things in this year just past.  Let’s acknowledge our best achievements and take pride in them, and then turn our sights toward the year to come.  It’s a new canvas to paint our dreams on, so take out those brushes and create some masterpieces worthy of your signature!

Yours in good health,

Jobee Knight
Nutrition Breakthroughs
Maker of Sleep Minerals II