Health On The Blog

An insomnia cure. Hmm… Before we go for a cure it may be a good idea to try and know our enemy. What are our signs and symptons. What type of Insomnia do we have. Perhaps a working definition would be helpful.

The experts seem to agree that something along these lines would suit.

“Insomnia” is any episode of unrefreshing sleep,  difficulty falling asleep, frequent awakenings, or waking  up too early in the morning and not being able to drop  back off. Women and the elderly seem to be the most  frequent sufferers. We can divide these episodes into  three collective groups and label them Short-term  Transient or Chronic.

A quick explanation of these three would be as follows;

Transient, a simple disturbance in sleeping patterns.  A  short illness, a sudden change in lifestyle, stress,  isomething that leads to a short term change

Short-term insomnia is is less fun. It lastsfor about 2-3  weeks. Causes could be something like a new job,  divorce, serious illness, financial problems, or a family  berevement.

Chronic as the name suggests is the real thing. Chronic  insomnia is the rarest and most serious type, with  Insomnia lasting longer than a few weeks. I’ve just been  reading a learned article that says Chronic Insomnia is  fairly rare. That may be so but if 10 percent of the US  population suffers from it thats over 20 Million people  leading a life of misery.

While it would be nice to blame insomnia on things outside our control , many cases of insomnia are self inflicted by such things as caffeine,  smoking, poor eating habits,  alcohol and lack of exercise.

Caffeine is one the most widely blamed  causes of insomnia.  An ingredient in coffee, tea, colas, chocolate,  and some medications, caffeine is a stimulant . We insomniacs DO NOT NEED stimulants. Quite the reverse. Insomnia solution number one - Cut out the caffine.

Alcohol is often reccomended as a nightcap. Forget it. Thats only beacuse your Doctor drinks it.  Alcohol actually lightens and fragments sleep, causing  you to wake up as your body metabolizes it. You may  think you’re in a deep sleep, but your not getting the deep sleep  that Insomniacs need for a cure.  Insomnia solution number two - No Alcohol with a couple or four hours of bedtime.

Eating. Yes, I know I can’t ban you from eating but I can jump on the slimmers bandwaggon. Eat a light last meal a couple of hours before going to bed.  Avoid spicy and fatty foods that   cause indigestion.  Lets hear it for MILK. Milk has an amino acid that the  body converts to a sleep-enhancing compound in the  brain. Calcium is a natural relaxing agent along with  several other vitamins such as the B vitamins and  magnesium. Have a look at the bottom of the page for details on how to find others. If you get hungry at night, have a light snack before  bedtime. Some foods are helpful and actually promote production of  melatonin, a hormone associated  sleep. Try  cheese, soy nuts, chicken, pumpkinseeds, and turkey. High-carbohydrate foods such as bread act  upon another  hormone, serotonin, which  helps to reduce anxiety and contribute toan insomnia solution. Insomnia solution no three. Be careful what you eat.

Nicotine products are universally bad for you.  For the  Insomniac nicotine has to go. It’s a stimulant that  increases blood pressure, speeds up the heart rate, and  stimulates brain activity. Insomniacs do not need increased blood pressure, a fast heart rate and a stimulant. Insomnia solution number four. No more ciggies!

Regular exercise is good in fact its excellent, (here comes the but) but, not just before bed. If you work out  too close to bedtime, the increase in your heart rate and  metabolism will make your body too excitable to sleep.  Exercise earlier in the day and give the body a chance to produce that warm rosy glow and relax as the body reacts by producing  melatonin to take your temperature down to normal. Exercise for an insomnia solution!

Make your bed as comfortable as possible. Experiment with what works best for you. Choose a position conducive to sleep.  If your partner is the source of your insomnia consider a change of rooms for a while. Get rid of the alarm clock . It only acts as a stressful reminder that you aren’t sleeping.

Control the amount of light in your bedroom. Excessive brightness not only affects your eyes, but it also influences the hormone production that helps to establish a healthy sleep cycle. Wear a sleep mask if necessary. Dark is usually good for an insomnia solution.

When it comes to noise, many people find repetitive sounds easier to sleep through than intermittent and abrupt ones. Ear plugs or a continuous background sound such as a fan can help mask disturbing noise (the next- door neighbors barking dog in my case). Consider is a white noise machine.

Control the thermostat. Temperature extremes, whether too hot or too cold, are no fun for the light sleeper. Cool is usually good for an insomnia solution.

Hope some of these help. Drop us a line and let us know,

Sleep well.

Philip

Author Bio
Philip Jubb
THE Insomnia Solution

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For Diabetes food Therapy should be followed under the supervision from your doctor. Check your sugar level frequently so that sugar levels do not go beyond the recommended level.

Foods to avoid
It is always advisable to avoid some foods if you are diabetic such as refined sugar, sweets, syrups, glucose, jam, molasses, fruit sugar, ice-cream, cakes, pastries, sweet biscuits, chocolates, soft drinks, condensed milk, cream and fried foods. Fats like butter, ghee and hydrogenated vegetable oil should also be avoided. White sugar and white flour should be reduced drastically. Avoid all processed foods, junk food, pastries, cookies, canned and preserved foods. They contain harmful preservatives and lot of salt. Avoid soft drinks since these have a lot of sugar. Try to avoid fried foods from your diet.

Smoking results in the using up of oxygen in the body. It will result in less of oxygen needed by the body to metabolize glucose. So smoking should be avoided.

Foods to be limited
Salt consumption should be reduced to a minimum. You will get enough salt form the vegetables and fruits you eat. Reduce animal foods especially red meats. Reduce poultry and egg. Reduce caffeine and alcohol. Do not drink tea and coffee more than 2 cups a day. Try to replace it with green tea or herbal teas like Parsley tea, Blueberry leaf, Tea made of tender walnut tree leaves, Water in which kidney bean pods have been cooked is good diabetes.

Do not consume alcohol in empty stomach. Alcohol on an empty stomach can cause low blood glucose or hypoglycemia.Foods that should be consumed in moderation are honey and other natural sugars like palm sugar, dates which can be used instead of white sugar. Remember these should be consumed in very little quantity only.Pasta, coconut, other nuts, unsweetened juices, eggs should be limited. You can replace it with whole grain, unpolished rice and Soya products. Try to eat whole grain bread instead of white flour. Fats like olive oil and peanut oil are more advisable that hydrogenated fats. Low fat food like skimmed milk and low fat home made cottage cheese can be taken in moderation. You can also substitute it with yoghurt. Sea food and fish also can be taken in moderation.

Foods to be taken
Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day.

An alkaline diet with natural food is recommended. Wholegrain, fruits, nuts, vegetables, and dairy products form a good diet for the diabetic.

Raw vegetables can be taken in high quantities. It has been found that cooked foods raise blood glucose higher than raw, unpeeled foods. Cooking destroys many of the enzymes and some vitamins and minerals.

Eat at least five fruits every day. Fruits like grape fruit, pomegranate juice, Indian blackberry, banana, granny smith apples, fig, cranberries, black berry, kiwi fruits, and citrus fruits are highly recommended. It can be taken as a snack. Cucumber, Lettuce, onion garlic string beans cucumber radish, tomato, carrot, leaves; spinach turnip, cabbage and Jerusalem artichoke are good for diabetes. Colorful vegetables are good for the functioning of pancreas. Drink Fruit juices without sugar. Brewer’s yeast and sprouted alfalfa and mung beans are good for the body. Unripe banana also can be cooked and eaten.

The most important of all is eating high fiber diet which lowers need for insulin. It releases energy into the body slowly. It has also been found that diabetes decreases and may even disappear in people eating a high fiber or whole food diet. High fiber diet has more chromium and chromium is very good for people with diabetes.

Eat lot of potassium rich foods like raw peanuts, tomato, bananas, melons, dried peas, potatoes, apple cider vinegar, skimmed milk powder, wheat but do not take potassium supplements.

Include soluble fiber in your meals like barley, oatmeal, almond meal, dried beans, kidney beans, cooked black beans, peas, cereals, chickpeas, Bengal gram which has low glycemic index, Black gram, lentils and corn or garbanzo beans to helps considerably in reducing blood sugar levels. Soy products like tofu, tempeh, soymilk, soya powder, soy bean sprouts, nuggets etc are also very good in containing neurological complications in diabetes. You can make bread out of any of the whole grains. Get a lot of soluble fiber into your diet. When you eat lots of bread, cereal and starchy vegetables you will get enough of starches which is very helpful for diabetes.

Insoluble fibers, found in bran (oat bran, wheat bran), whole grain breads, whole grains and nuts, act as intestinal scrubbers by cleaning out the lower gastrointestinal tract. Fiber cleans your intestinal tract by moving out the food so that it wouldn’t stay there and putrefy. Butter milk and yoghurt diet are very beneficial.

Helpful herbs and vegetables

1. Bitter Gourd (Karela):
Bitter gourd Momordica-charantia or bitter melon juice contains plant insulin and should be taken 2 ounce 2 times daily on an empty stomach. It is found to be very effective for diabetes.

Or
It can be cooked as any vegetable and eaten.

Or
The bitter melon powder can be made by drying. Take bitter gourd powder I teaspoon daily in empty stomach.

2. Taking half a teaspoon of cinnamon a day may help prevent the onset of diabetes. Even soaking a cinnamon sticks in your tea, could also benefit non-diabetics who have blood sugar problem but are unaware of it.

3. 30 gram fenugreek seeds can be soaked in a glass of water at night and after 12 hours take it and grind it into a paste with the soaked water and drink it on a empty stomach.

Or
2 teaspoon if powdered seeds can be taken with water or milk.

Or
You can add fenugreek into anything you cook.

4. Eating upto 3 grapefruits a day has also been helpful

5. 1 tablespoon of amla (Emblica officinalis) after removing the seeds extract the juice and mix with a cup of bitter gourd juice and take daily for 2months in a empty stomach.

6. Gymnema Sylvestre a traditional ayurvedic herb the leaf of which is to be taken up to 4 grams per day.

7. Indian blackberry seeds or Jamun seed powder (scientific name of Jamun is Eugenia jambolana or Syzygium cumini L and) is very good for diabetes. Take 1/4th teaspoon with 1 teasoon honey for 50 days.

8. Eating freshly crushed raw garlic 3-4 grams a day lowers blood sugar. You can wash it down with a glass of water.

9. Neem seeds daily 2 times a pinch. Taking a gram of neem leaf daily helps in diabetes.

10. Bael (Aegle marmelos) : The leave of the bael tree when chewed are very useful in diabetes. Pulp of this fruit could be dried and taken in doses of 5 to 10 gms a day

11. A pinch of pure turmeric powders mixed in amla juice (Indian goose berry) and eat daily in empty stomach.

12. Use of turmeric and gooseberry in equal quantities in powder form taken with warm water is very useful in this behalf. These activate the pancreatic cells and more insulin is produced.

13. Wild jeerakam cumin seeds black colored 60 gm in 1 liter and boil a reduce it to 1/4th liter and take half divide it into two equal parts and drink one part in the morning and one in the evening 2 times daily

14. Grind (Bacopa monnieri )Bhrahmi and add a teaspoon of it to milk and drink

Vitamins that help
Supplements in natural forms are more conducive to the body.

Magnesium supplementation has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity .

Vitamin C: 500 mg is recommended. Vitamin E: This vitamin is very valuable for diabetes. A daily dose of 200 i.u. of Vitamin E is recommended for a fortnight at a time.

Chromium:. Whole grains, seeds, mushrooms, corn oil and brewer’s yeast are relatively good sources of biologically valuable chromium.

Vitamin A: Take A dose of 15,000i.u. on alternate days.

Vitamin B: Avoid large dosage of vitamin B because this vitamin interferes with the absorption of insulin by cells.

Things to do
Controlling your Weight is the best way to treat diabetes. Exercise improves the body’s response to insulin. An exercise program should be started only with the advice of a doctor to avoid unnecessary complications. Walking, light games, jogging and swimming are also good.

Yoga can help a lot.
To relieve stress do meditation once a day for 10 to 40 minutes. Yogic asanas like Siddhasana, Vajrasana, Talasana, Yastikasana,, like Yogamudra, Hastapadasana, Paschimottanasana, Chakrasana, Ustrasana, Bhujangasana, Sarvangasana and Viparitakarani, as halasana, shalabhasana, dhanurasana, Pratipaksabhavana and shavasana will also be beneficial.

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About the Author: Anita cherry is a health enthusiast who offers informative tips on certified organic products. For more information on health visit www.healthinfoforyou.com/an/natural-cure-for-diabetes.htm.