Re: Let Us Figure Out A Way For Us To Get A Good Night's Sleep

[Guest guest]

Here is an article about foods the help you sleep. Hope it helps.

N.

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FOODS THAT HELP YOU SLEEP

What you eat affects how you sleep. One of the keys to a restful

night's sleep is to get your brain calmed rather than revved up. Some

foods contribute to restful sleep; other foods keep you awake. We

call them sleepers and wakers. Sleepers are tryptophan-containing

foods, because tryptophan is the amino acid that the body uses to

make serotonin, the neurotransmitter that slows down nerve traffic so

your brain isn't so busy. Wakers are foods that stimulate

neurochemicals that perk up the brain.

Tryptophan is a precursor of the sleep-inducing substances serotonin

and melatonin. This means tryptophan is the raw material that the

brain uses to build these relaxing neurotransmitters. Making more

tryptophan available, either by eating foods that contain this

substance or by seeing to it that more tryptophan gets to the brain,

will help to make you sleepy. On the other hand, nutrients that make

tryptophan less available can disturb sleep.

Eating carbohydrates with tryptophan-containing foods makes this

calming amino acid more available to the brain. A high carbohydrate

meal stimulates the release of insulin, which helps clear from the

bloodstream those amino acids that compete with tryptophan, allowing

more of this natural sleep-inducing amino acid to enter the brain and

manufacture sleep- inducing substances, such as serotonin and

melatonin. Eating a high-protein meal without accompanying

carbohydrates may keep you awake, since protein-rich foods also

contain the amino acid, tyrosine, which perks up the brain.

To understand how tryptophan and carbohydrates work together to relax

you, picture the various amino acids from protein foods as passengers

on a bus. A busload containing tryptophan and tyrosine arrives at the

brain cells. If more tyrosine " passengers " get off the bus and enter

the brain cells, neuroactivity will rev up. If more tryptophan amino

acids get off the bus, the brain will calm down. Along comes some

insulin which has been stalking carbohydrates in the bloodstream.

Insulin keeps the tyrosine amino acids on the bus, allowing the brain-

calming tryptophan effect to be higher than the effect of the brain-

revving tyrosine.

You can take advantage of this biochemical quirk by choosing protein

or carbohydrate-rich meals, depending on whether you want to perk up

or slow down your brain. For students and working adults, high

protein, medium-carbohydrate meals are best eaten for breakfast and

lunch. For dinner and bedtime snacks, eat a meal or snack that is

high in complex carbohydrates, with a small amount of protein that

contains just enough tryptophan to relax the brain. An all-

carbohydrate snack, especially one high in junk sugars, is less

likely to help you sleep. You'll miss out on the sleep-inducing

effects of tryptophan, and you may set off the roller-coaster effect

of plummeting blood sugar followed by the release of stress hormones

that will keep you awake. The best bedtime snack is one that has both

complex carbohydrates and protein, and perhaps some calcium. Calcium

helps the brain use the tryptophan to manufacture melatonin. This

explains why dairy products, which contain both tryptophan and

calcium, are one of the top sleep-inducing foods.

SNOOZE FOODS

These are foods high in the sleep-inducing amino acid tryptophan:

Dairy products: cottage cheese, cheese, milk

Soy products: soy milk, tofu, soybean nuts

Seafood

Meats

Poultry

Whole grains

Beans

Rice

Hummus

Lentils

Hazelnuts, Peanuts

Eggs

Sesame seeds, sunflower seeds

BEST BEDTIME SNACKS

Foods that are high in carbohydrates and calcium, and medium-to-low

in protein also make ideal sleep-inducing bedtime snacks. Some

examples:

apple pie and ice cream

whole-grain cereal with milk

hazelnuts and tofu

oatmeal and raisin cookies, and a glass of milk

peanut butter sandwich, ground sesame seeds

(It takes around one hour for the tryptophan in the foods to reach

the brain, so don't wait until right before bedtime to have your

snack.)

BEST DINNERS FOR SLEEP

Meals that are high in carbohydrates and low-to-medium in protein

will help you relax in the evening and set you up for a good night's

sleep. Try the following " dinners for sleep " :

pasta with parmesan cheese

scrambled eggs and cheese

tofu stirfry

hummus with whole wheat pita bread

seafood, pasta, and cottage cheese

meats and poultry with veggies

tuna salad sandwich

chili with beans, not spicy

sesame seeds (rich in tryptophan) sprinkled on salad with tuna

chunks, and whole wheat crackers

Lighter meals are more likely to give you a restful night's sleep.

High-fat meals and large servings prolong the work your digestive

system needs to do, and all the gas production and rumblings may keep

you awake. Some people find that highly-seasoned foods (e.g., hot

peppers and garlic) interfere with sleep, especially if you suffer

from heartburn. Going to bed with a full stomach does not, for most

people, promote a restful night's sleep. While you may fall asleep

faster, all the intestinal work required to digest a big meal is

likely to cause frequent waking and a poorer quality of sleep. Eat

your evening meal early.

[Guest guest]

I think a lot of us have trouble sleeping. Nothing ever worked for

me nothing until my psych gave me Seraquel 100 mg. It didn't make

me sleepy I thought but when I closed my eyes I didn't awake for 16

hours.

That is the only medication that has enabled me to sleep. This

medication is usually given for psychotic episodes but hey it

works. I could probably take 50 mg and sleep the normal 8 hours. I

had to quit taking it when I got the baby.

When he gets bigger I may start it again when I know my husband is

going to be home in the morning.

Diane

>

> Dear All;

> There are enough of us for us to put our heads together and

figure

> out what works and what doesn't to help ALL of us sleep and get

> started on the track to better health.

> My Doctor says that recouperation of any illness starts with

rest

> and relaxtion. He also says that the body regenerates if laaying

in

> bed from 10pm to 2am. It is so hard to sleep when your whole body

> aches so bad that ir reminds you of a toothe ache in your body.

> Personally I have tried Lunesta, Ambein, Ambein Cr, Elavil,

> Benadryl,Pain meds two hours before bed, cutting off caffiene two

> hours before bed, soaks in hot bath tubs without any soap, back

> rubs, warm milk, and on good days walking a block or two before

> sleep. As you see I am sleep deprived at present and desperate.

> If I manage to go to sleep then I will wake up about 3-4am in

> pain. Too much stress in my everydat life I will Grant you that,

but

> how can I get a couple of uninterrupted sleep?

> Any anyone had any success with anything? Please Help I am

> exhausted to the oint I am afraid to drive my own cars.

>

> Love & Prayer

> Ann

> PS Thanks in advance for any and all ideas!!!!!!

>

[Guest guest]

Morning All Members;

Gountback here.

I myself take the medication Seroquel 100mgs for sleep or lack of.

It has worked wonders for me.

I fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.

People talk with your Doctors and see if it might work for you

also.

Later,

Gountback.

> >

> > Dear All;

> > There are enough of us for us to put our heads together and

> figure

> > out what works and what doesn't to help ALL of us sleep and get

> > started on the track to better health.

> > My Doctor says that recouperation of any illness starts with

> rest

> > and relaxtion. He also says that the body regenerates if laaying

> in

> > bed from 10pm to 2am. It is so hard to sleep when your whole

body

> > aches so bad that ir reminds you of a toothe ache in your body.

> > Personally I have tried Lunesta, Ambein, Ambein Cr, Elavil,

> > Benadryl,Pain meds two hours before bed, cutting off caffiene

two

> > hours before bed, soaks in hot bath tubs without any soap, back

> > rubs, warm milk, and on good days walking a block or two before

> > sleep. As you see I am sleep deprived at present and desperate.

> > If I manage to go to sleep then I will wake up about 3-4am in

> > pain. Too much stress in my everydat life I will Grant you that,

> but

> > how can I get a couple of uninterrupted sleep?

> > Any anyone had any success with anything? Please Help I am

> > exhausted to the oint I am afraid to drive my own cars.

> >

> > Love & Prayer

> > Ann

> > PS Thanks in advance for any and all ideas!!!!!!

> >

>