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Are Eating Habits Affecting Your Sleep? from Natural News

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By Helen Thomas, an independent writer who writes about the natural health benefits of food, alternative medicine and natural home remedies | Courtesy of NaturalNews.com

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Shared by Nutrition Breakthroughs,
maker of the effective calcium and magnesium based sleep aid Sleep Minerals II *********************************************

The best and worst foods to promote sleep

Let me ask you a question, when was the last time you enjoyed a really good night’s rest? For many, they may need to really think about that answer. The reason is according to the National Sleep Foundation found that almost 40 million Americans suffer from some sort of sleep disorder. In addition, lack of sleep affects women more than men. However at this time it is unclear why females experience more sleepless nights than their male counterparts.

Nonetheless, lack of sleep is a very serious issue that can lead to depression, increased stress levels, irritability, mood swings, weight gain and slowness of response time. So let’s take a closer look at what can be done to prevent you from becoming one of the 40 million sleep-deprived individuals.

The first step is the make the decision that you will avoid taking medications to get more sleep. The reason is simple, you don’t want to rely on, either physically or mentally, a drug or OTC (over the counter) medicine. Instead let’s focus on making simple eating changes to help you restore your sleep.

Avoid Certain Foods

It’s true that certain types of food can keep you awake at night. These include:

  • Alcohol
  • Coffee, pop or soda
  • Spicy foods
  • Dark chocolate
  • Fried foods (French fries, fried chicken, etc.)

These types of foods place stress on your body and when your body is stressed it can’t function properly. In addition, if your body begins to function improperly, it not only increases the stress level but the imbalance will also increase.

The foods on the above list should be consumed at least five hours before you go to bed. This gives your body enough time to absorb and then eliminate any remaining components.  Also, the consumption of spicy foods should be done either at breakfast or lunch. This will allow enough time for complete digestion. In addition, fried foods also need time to be fully digested and eliminated, too.

Foods to Consume

Here are some of the top food choices to add to your diet to help improve your sleep patterns and avoid insomnia.

  • Plain ole drinking water
  • Protein-based foods (egg, meat, etc.)
  • Greens and vegetables
  • Tart Cherry Juice

In regards to the last one, tart cherry juice, this is one drink you should enjoy on a regular cherry juice sleep basis. Not only is it a good source of water, it is a natural source of melatonin. The best way to make tart cherry juice is to mix one ounce of tart cherry juice concentrate with seven ounces of water to make one eight ounce glass. One glass provides a good amount of water. However, in addition to the water the one ounce of the concentrate is packed with almost 150 nanograms (15% of a gram) of naturally occurring melatonin.

The presence of the melatonin will help you sleep better, but it is also a powerful antioxidant that will help to fight free radicals in the body.  (Definition from Nutrition Breakthroughs: an antioxidant can protect tissues from the damage caused by oxygen in the body.  The natural processes of digestion, as well as consuming unhealthy foods and drinks, can create excess oxygen.  A free radical is an unstable molecule that attacks other molecules and plays a major role in the aging process and degenerative diseases).

So, with the diluted tart cherry juice you’ll be getting a triple dose of benefits. You’ll be getting more water into your diet. You’ll be enjoying a better night’s sleep and will fight insomnia — while also giving your body the added antioxidants to free the disease causing free-radicals.

Regarding protein, a recently published study indicated that individuals who experienced less sleep ate less protein, were overweight, and didn’t take a daily dose of vitamins and minerals. This information was compared to people with normal sleeping patterns.

Also, another study revealed that people who usually got five to six hours of sleep per night drink less water and ate more fatty foods than a normal sleeper.

Finally, a normal sleeper with the longer sleep time, consumed more protein, drank more water and was not overweight. This simply means that taking care of yourself, drinking water and watching what you eat will have a positive impact on your overall length and quality of sleep. Also, adding a glass of tart cherry juice concentrate probably can’t hurt either.

magnesium benefitsComments from Nutrition Breakthroughs: Other minerals and foods proven to help with better sleep include magnesium, calcium, potassium, walnuts, almonds, bananas, fish oils and salmon.

Eating more vegetables can also increase melatonin levels in the body.  One Japanese study tracked consumption of vegetables such as tomato, pumpkin, spinach, Japanese radish, cabbage, carrot, etc., and discovered there was 16% more melatonin in the women with the highest vegetable intakes.

This health news is shared by Nutrition Breakthroughs, a publisher of nutrition articles and supplier of effective natural remedies since 2002. Nutrition Breakthroughs makes the original calcium and magnesium based sleep aid Sleep Minerals II.

Article source: http://blogs.naturalnews.com/eating-habits-affecting-sleep/

News on Reducing Holiday Stress, Remedying Insomnia and Saving Money

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christmas-lights‘Tis the season for holiday stress. From last minute shopping, to getting less sleep, to making ends meet financially, to consuming more sweets and drinks at holiday get-togethers. Americans are faced with many more physical and emotional pressures during the holidays. Recent research studies and surveys in the areas of sleep, eating, and finances are shedding some light on actions one can take to lessen the stress load.

The market research firm Harris Interactive recently conducted a “Holiday Stress Index” study. The poll was based on a nationwide sample of 2,173 adults in the U.S. eighteen years and over. Ninety percent of the respondents said they experience some level of stress and/or anxiety about the holiday season. However this year, more than a third (38 percent) said they expect to feel more stress and anxiety in this holiday season due to the current economy.

One interesting aspect of this study is that people feel there is too much emphasis on gift giving and not enough on communication and connection with loved-ones. The study indicates that, given a choice, most people would prefer having good family relationships as opposed to gifts or material goods. Here are some ideas: If the wallet or purse isn’t full enough, write a poem for someone and frame it, bake something special, or give gift certificates for outings, walks, or simple things a friend or family member enjoys.

For those who love food yet want to watch their calories, a study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism found that people who rapidly bolt down their food are more likely to overeat than those who dine at a more leisurely rate. The scientists discovered that rapid eating stops the release of a hormone that tells the brain when the stomach is full.

On one day of the new study, volunteers wolfed down 2 1/2 scoops of ice cream in five minutes flat. On another, they made the treat last for 30 minutes. The Athens University scientists measured blood levels of two types of appetite-lowering hormones before and after, and discovered that when people savored their ice cream very slowly, the appetite-suppressant hormone levels were 25 percent to 30 percent higher. Enjoy those holiday parties – just take time with eating and chew, chew, chew.

Financial stress is causing Americans to lose sleep this holiday season. According to a recent study done by SleepBetter, almost half of the nation’s moms and dads (44%) say they are worried about being able to afford the holidays this year, with one in six Americans (17%) expecting to lose sleep due to holiday-induced stress.

Not only do the anxieties and excitement of the season have an impact on many people’s ability to fall asleep, but added obligations and busyness at this time of year mean trying to fit more into our days and nights. To sleep well, SleepBetter recommends keeping one’s regular sleep schedule as best as possible during the holidays, and going to bed and getting up the same time as usual. In addition, while alcohol may help with falling asleep, it will interfere with the quality of sleep during the night as it creates a lighter, less sound sleep.

Calcium is directly related to the cycles of sleep. One study found that calcium levels were higher during some of the deepest levels of sleep, such as the rapid eye movement (REM) phase. Calcium is one of the few minerals that acts as a natural sedative, because it causes the release of the sleep-inducing amino acid tryptophan. The science-based nutritionist Adelle Davis says: “A calcium deficiency often shows itself by insomnia, another form of an inability to relax. The harm done by sleeping tablets, to say nothing of the thousands of dollars spent on them, could largely be avoided if the calcium intake were adequate.”

Good nutrition can help stabilize the effects of eating sugary or fattening holiday foods. Eat fresh vegetables and fruits daily, drink lots of water, do some walking daily and take nutritional supplements. A natural sleep remedy containing highly absorbable, quick acting forms of calcium and magnesium such as Sleep Minerals II from www.Nutrition Breakthroughs.com, is a great help for anxiety and insomnia. This sleep aid also contains vitamin D and zinc and is delivered in a softgel form with healthy carrier oils, making it better assimilated than tablets or capsules and providing a deeper, longer-lasting sleep.

L.R.C. of Massachusetts says: “Due to some stressful issues in my life, I was prescribed sleeping drugs to take. I had become dependent on the medication and couldn’t sleep without it. Now I take the Sleep Minerals before bed and I can sleep through the night without drugs. I’m also able to easily fall back to sleep if I do have to get up. Another benefit is this helps alleviate my chronic fatigue and aches and pains.”

Here’s to a healthful holiday season. And to one with stress conquered, good sleep, money saved, and conversations enjoyed with family and friends.

For more information on Sleep Minerals II, visit this info page.