Sleep Tips, curing sleeplessness or insomnia with natural remedies

Top Tip One: EXERCISE - Do some regular aerobic exercise like walking or jogging and get some fresh air. However avoid exercising within three hours of going to bed as this may have the opposite effect.

Top Tip Two: RESET YOUR BODY CLOCK - Spend at least 15 to 20 mins in the sunshine to rest your body clock. The sunshine or bright light burns of the melatonin and lets your body know its daytime, and this allows a more efficient production of melatonin at night. If you don't get much sunshine where you live, use a special lamp for SAD (seasonal affective disorder).

Top Tip Three: BACK UP PLAN - Have some sort of contingency plan for when you just can't go to sleep. Try the different remedies and see what works for you. Then make sure you have that remedy or method ready to use should you need it. That way you won't feel anxious when you can't go to sleep because you'll know you have a back up plan.

For more tips on insomnia, visit the Sleep Tips website.

Some remedies:

Valerian standardised tincture or capsules - this works very well. Try 2 x 450mg valerian root capsules half an hour before bed. Or about 30 drops of tincture.

Melatonin - between 0.25 and 5mg of melatonin 30 to 60 mins before bed. Start with a lower dose and increase if needed.
Higher doses can cause vivid nightmares in some people. Reduce dose if that happens or try another remedy.

Homeopathic Remedies - homeopathic remedies work great, but are taken according to tha accompanying symptoms. For the list of remedies visit Homeopathic Remedies.

Sometimes some calcium, either in tablet form or from milk, cheese, yoghurt or any other dietary calcium can help you go to sleep if taken before bedtime.

L-theanine can also help stop the "brain chatter" and help sleep.

Snoring can be the most annoying for your partner, can cause them insomnia and in some instances can even end up in divorce.

Here's an article that gives you some excellent suggestions on how to stop snoring.

Hypnosis works very well for insomnia. I use a hypnosis track that I have downloaded onto a CD and listen.

That, with the valerian, is my back up solution that works almost every time I need it.

The hypnosis track that I use is Glenn Harrold's Deep Sleep Every Night which I find excellent.

......before reaching for the prescription medication, try some Nytol.

Nytol contains diphenhydramine, which is a type of medicine called a sedating antihistamine and is an over the counter medication used for short term sleep problems.

Try the smallest dose first and take about 20 mins before going to bed. Some people do find that it makes them drowsy the next day.

Radiation from mobile phones delays and reduces sleep, and causes headaches and confusion, according to a new study.

The research, sponsored by the mobile phone companies themselves, shows that using the handsets before bed causes people to take longer to reach the deeper stages of sleep and to spend less time in them, interfering with the body's ability to repair damage suffered during the day.

Source: The Independent (20th January 2008)