What are some things I can do or eat to help me sleep better?

Question

I seem to have a hard time falling asleep. Any suggestions besides medication?

Answer 1

i find fluid much more helpful than food. hydration can make it much easier to fall asleep. personally, i love a hot cup of Sleepytime tea with a lot of milk and just a bit of sugar. also fried foods will keep you up. i heard that a grilled cheese sandwich about the same amount of 'waking power' as a cup of coffee...

Answer 2

i always read before i go to bed. It works! So when u put ur book down, you'll lay there for a couple of minutes THEN fall right to sleep. I swear....it should work. Or if that doesn't work for u, there is this Sleep Number bed on TV and it lets u adjust the firmness or softness of the side ur on. It says on TV that u sleep through the whole night and have more stamina the next day. I hope i helped u, and sleep tight!

Answer 3

Sleep may be as natural as breathing and eating, but many of us find ourselves tossing and turning instead. Sleepless nights can be caused by a wide variety of factors, especially stress and your sleep environment.

Avoid drinking coffee or other caffeinated beverages after noon.
Eat dinner at least 3 hours before you go to bed, especially if it's a large meal. For a before-bed snack, try warm milk, yogurt or a banana.
Relax. If you're tense at bedtime, take a warm bath with aromatherapy soaps, stretch, listen to music, meditate - whatever works for you.
Stay away from the evening news right before bed. Stories of disasters and corruption can be stimulating and disruptive to sleep.
Avoid the nightcap. Alcohol may help you fall asleep faster, but it can interfere with the quality of sleep.
Don't drink any fluids right before going to bed. A full bladder may awaken you.
Try to go to sleep at the same time every night to get your body into a routine.

Napping can interfere with nighttime sleep. If you're very tired, take a short nap before 2 p.m., but don't sleep for more than 30 minutes.
Even though vigorous exercise should be avoided before bedtime, mild exercise, such as an after-dinner walk, may help you sleep better.
If you're feeling very tense, try drinking herbal teas made from valerian, chamomile, oats, passionflower or balm, which are said to be natural sleep aids.

Answer 4

I find the old "warm milk" technique works great. You don't need to drink much....just maybe a half a cup. And it doesn't have to be hot...just warm, like if you nuke it maybe 30 seconds. I've heard that the reason it really works is that the process of warming the milk releases tryptophan, the same ingredient in turkey that makes you sleepy after Thanksgiving dinner.

Also, don't do anything too energetic too close to bedtime....let your body relax and unwind before you get in the bed. Your brain, too. Do something mindless before you go to bed so your brain won't be buzzing with mental activity.

Answer 5

Warm cookies and milk or pizza and krispy kreme donuts mmmm. Ask someone to rub your back till you fall asleep or till your dozing off. Get a blanket watch a movie and get confortable, or turn on the news. HA HA the news is boring.

My sister-in-law takes xanax but thats a pill but it works for her.

I turn on a small fan by my night stand and it helps me sleep and stay asleep. It blocks out all other noises and its soothing.

Answer 6

Warm Milk. I work out _ kickboxing, weight training and stretching 3 - 4 days a week 2hrs each time. This helps me,maybe you.
Also watching a lite hearted comedy like Gilligan Island. I work -out at night.

Good luck, Good Sleep.

Answer 7

In the food suppliment section with vitamins etc.
3mg tablets of Melatonin - take one about 30 minutes before bed. If that doesn't work, try 2 the NEXT day. 6 mg is the maximum dosage. If it is going to help you then 6 mg will do it.

Answer 8

Make sure you don't eat anything past 6:00 in the evening. Don't have caffeine at all and try Valerian Root (it is a natural sleep medication). Good luck and good nite!

Answer 9

I have had that problem too lately. Check your 'sleep hygiene'. Is the room a moderate temperature? Are your feet covered if it is cold? How is the noise? Are you taking naps during the day? What is your caffeine intake? Alcohol intake? Some people think that alcohol relaxes them, but in reality it prevents REM sleep (rapid eye movement sleep) that rejuvenates them.

Answer 10

What is the secret to getting a solid 7 to 8 hours of sleep? Head for the kitchen and enjoy one or two of these 10 foods. They relax tense muscles, quiet buzzing minds, and/or get calming, sleep-inducing hormones - serotonin and melatonin - flowing. Yawning yet?

Bananas. They're practically a sleeping pill in a peel. In addition to a bit of soothing melatonin and serotonin, bananas contain magnesium, a muscle relaxant.

Chamomile tea. The reason chamomile is such a staple of bedtime tea blends is its mild sedating effect - it's the perfect natural antidote for restless minds/bodies.

Warm milk. It's not a myth. Milk has some tryptophan - an amino acid that has a sedative - like effect - and calcium, which helps the brain use tryptophan. Plus there's the psychological throw-back to infancy, when a warm bottle meant "relax, everything's fine."

Honey. Drizzle a little in your warm milk or herb tea. Lots of sugar is stimulating, but a little glucose tells your brain to turn off orexin, a recently discovered neurotransmitter that's linked to alertness.

Potatoes. A small baked spud won't overwhelm your GI tract, and it clears away acids that can interfere with yawn-inducing tryptophan. To up the soothing effects, mash it with warm milk.

Oatmeal. Oats are a rich source of sleep - inviting melatonin, and a small bowl of warm cereal with a splash of maple syrup is cozy - plus if you've got the munchies, it's filling too.

Almonds. A handful of these heart-healthy nuts can be snooze-inducing, as they contain both tryptophan and a nice dose of muscle-relaxing magnesium.

Flaxseeds. When life goes awry and feeling down is keeping you up, try sprinkling 2 tablespoons of these healthy little seeds on your bedtime oatmeal. They're rich in omega-3 fatty acids, a natural mood lifter.

Whole-wheat bread. A slice of toast with your tea and honey will release insulin, which helps tryptophan get to your brain, where it's converted to serotonin and quietly murmurs "time to sleep."

Turkey. It's the most famous source of tryptophan, credited with all those Thanksgiving naps. But that's actually modern folklore. Tryptophan works when your stomach's basically empty, not overstuffed, and when there are some carbs around, not tons of protein. But put a lean slice or two on some whole-wheat bread mid-evening, and you've got one of the best sleep inducers in your kitchen.

What if none of these foods help you get your zzz's? Check out your sleep habits with this quick RealAge test to find out what?s keeping you up at night. http://www.realage.com/health_guides/RLS/intro.aspx

For an extra treat, here's the ultimate sleep-inducing snack...

Lullaby Muffins
Makes 12 low-fat muffins
Between the bananas, the whole wheat, and the honeyed touch of sweetness, these muffins are practically an edible lullaby.
· 2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
· 1/2 teaspoon salt
· 1 tablespoon baking powder
· 2 large, very ripe bananas
· 1/3 cup applesauce
· 1/4 cup honey
· 1/2 cup milk or soymilk

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, combine the flour (make sure it's whole-wheat pastry flour or you'll produce golf balls, not muffins), salt, and baking powder. In a blender, puree the bananas; add the applesauce, honey, and milk. Blend well. Pour the banana mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until just moistened. Line muffin tins with paper muffin cups, pour in batter, and bake 30 minutes or until tops are lightly brown and slightly springy.

Nutrition Facts
Per serving: 119 calories; 1g fat; 2.5g protein; 27g carbohydrates; 10g sugars; 133mg sodium; 3g fiber; 35mg magnesium