A good night’s sleep is incredibly important to relax your body and restore your mind. When you sleep, your brain reboots. Moreover, adequate sleep helps your body to regenerate and rejuvenate.
Yet, for many, sleep can be elusive leaving one exhausted and disoriented the next day, initiating insomnia. All drugs, especially sleeping pills which are normally prescribed to insomniacs are addictive and have side-effects as well.
So, before you rush to the drugstore to buy an over-the-counter sleep medication, check out the natural sleep-aids ‘foods and herbs’ that help improve your quality of sleep and treat transient insomnia.
Which Foods Can Treat Insomnia?
Magnesium apparently plays a key role with sleep. Almond is an excellent source of magnesium, which is a natural muscle relaxant and contains anti-stress properties. Cherries and cherry products have often been said to offer a better sleep to an individual. Bananas are rich in magnesium, potassium, and tryptophan, which are the ‘magic trio’ of sleep boosters. Tryptophan in banana is the precursor to the two neurotransmitters, serotonin, and melatonin, which modulate sleep. The root of the valerian plant, which is usually consumed in tea or tincture form is sedative and anxiolytic. Oatmeal mixed with milk is one of the best-known relaxation drinks.
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Foods Rich In Magnesium For Insomnia Relief
Magnesium is considered as the ‘anti-stress’ mineral. It is a natural tranquilizer which functions to relax skeletal muscles as well as the smooth muscles of blood vessels and the gastrointestinal tract. Organic foods may have more magnesium as most fertilizers used on conventional farms relies heavily on nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium instead of magnesium. Foods like seaweed, flaxseeds, dried pumpkin seeds, almond butter, and unsweetened dry cocoa powder are the best sources for easily absorbable Magnesium (per 100 grams, or just over three ounces).
Insomnia: Foods And Herbs That Can Eliminate The Problem
Herbs like California Poppy (Eschscholzia Californica) promotes sleep, invoking relaxation, and easing mild anxiety. German Chamomile (Matricaria Chamomilla) oil and Hops (Humulus lupulus) pillows have been utilized throughout the history to treat insomnia. Lavender oil can also be added to a bath before bedtime for persons with sleep disorders. Avoid having fried and/or greasy foods, spicy foods, ginger, celery, and grapefruit before bedtime as they may act as a diuretic and wake you up in the night.
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Habits And Herbs To Help You Sleep Well
Establish a regular time for bed. Sleep on your back, minimize lighting and avoid excess mental activity, medications, sleeping pills, caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol. Chamomile and Lavender essential oils in a warm bath before bed can help you relax. Hops, Passion Flower, Skullcap, and Valerian have a calming effect. An hour of sleep before midnight is worth two hours of sleep after midnight.
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Holy Basil For Stress, Anxiety, And Insomnia
Holy basil is an adaptogenic herb that brings the endocrine and hormone system back to balance. People with a high caffeine intake, who are always anxious and stressed out, have trouble shutting off their brain at night, have insomnia or keep waking up often throughout the night should take Holy Basil supplements. It brings down cortisol levels and reverses adrenal fatigue.
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Healthy Pre-Bedtime Snacks For Restful Sleep
Foods that you ingest into the system can affect your sleep patterns, especially the ones consumed around bedtime. Snacks like – A hard boiled egg and ½ a cup sweet potato, 1 cup strawberries with 1 cup low-fat yogurt, 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese and a banana are a good mix of carbohydrates and protein, both of which work well to calm the brain and body.
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Ayurvedic Herbal Medicine For Natural Deep Sleep
According to Ayurveda, chronic or excessive stress depletes Ojas which is said to be the physiological expression of consciousness, in charge of immunity, overall health, and well-being of the individual. When Ojas get depleted, either from stress, lack of sleep, bad food or poor digestion the body breaks down fast. Depleted Ojas can manifest as low sex drive, insomnia, dry skin, stiff joints, accelerated aging and make a person disease prone. In Ayurveda, milk is the main vehicle through which certain herbs and spices can be used to rebuild depleted Ojas. This post covers an effective ayurvedic herbal medicine recipe for a good and deep sleep.
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