[How to] Fall Asleep With No Medications
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If your mother used to give you a cup of warm milk before sending you off to bed, she had the right idea. Dairy foods are a good source of tryptophan, an amino acid that your body converts to melatonin and serotonin ? both of which are thought to induce sleep. Other tryptophan-containing foods include oats, bananas, poultry and peanuts.
To improve your chances for a restful sleep, eat a light bedtime snack that is mostly carbohydrate with a small amount of protein. This high-carbohydrate, low-protein combination is thought to increase the availability of tryptophan to your brain, which helps it make more melatonin and serotonin.
Some examples of bedtime foods that help you sleep include:
A small bowl of oatmeal or cereal with low-fat milk
Yogurt with granola sprinkled on top
Half bagel or crackers with peanut butter, 1 ounce of cheese or a slice of deli turkey on top
Sliced apple with 1 ounce of cheese
However, avoid eating too much protein before bedtime. Protein-rich foods also contain tyrosine, an amino acid that stimulates brain activity.
Other foods to avoid before bedtime:
Heavy, spicy foods, especially if you're prone to heartburn. Eating too much may cause you to feel physically uncomfortable when lying down.
Too much liquid. Drinking lots of fluids before bed can cause you to wake up repeatedly during the night to use the bathroom.
Alcohol. Although it may initially make you feel sleepy, alcohol can cause unrestful sleep and frequent awakenings.
Caffeine. A stimulant, caffeine increases the activity of your nervous system, which makes falling asleep more difficult.
Nearly everyone has occasional sleepless nights. But if you have difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep that occurs on a regular or frequent basis, see your doctor to determine what might be the cause of your sleep problem and how it might be treated.
Source: Mayo Clinic Sleep Center
To improve your chances for a restful sleep, eat a light bedtime snack that is mostly carbohydrate with a small amount of protein. This high-carbohydrate, low-protein combination is thought to increase the availability of tryptophan to your brain, which helps it make more melatonin and serotonin.
Some examples of bedtime foods that help you sleep include:
A small bowl of oatmeal or cereal with low-fat milk
Yogurt with granola sprinkled on top
Half bagel or crackers with peanut butter, 1 ounce of cheese or a slice of deli turkey on top
Sliced apple with 1 ounce of cheese
However, avoid eating too much protein before bedtime. Protein-rich foods also contain tyrosine, an amino acid that stimulates brain activity.
Other foods to avoid before bedtime:
Heavy, spicy foods, especially if you're prone to heartburn. Eating too much may cause you to feel physically uncomfortable when lying down.
Too much liquid. Drinking lots of fluids before bed can cause you to wake up repeatedly during the night to use the bathroom.
Alcohol. Although it may initially make you feel sleepy, alcohol can cause unrestful sleep and frequent awakenings.
Caffeine. A stimulant, caffeine increases the activity of your nervous system, which makes falling asleep more difficult.
Nearly everyone has occasional sleepless nights. But if you have difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep that occurs on a regular or frequent basis, see your doctor to determine what might be the cause of your sleep problem and how it might be treated.
Source: Mayo Clinic Sleep Center
Seraphine
Member
this is amazing....thank you
SilverRaven
Member
I got a question....I was extremely hyperactive as a child and the doctors always told my mom to give me coffee before school and bed...strange I know ...but if caffeine is a stimulant why would he tell her that?....I thought it was helping me to sleep somewhat better but since I cut back from five to six pots a day to half a pot a day I find I cant sleep at all...could my lack of sleep be due to cutting back to fast?.... my brain does not slow down at night constantly running a mile a minute with the restless leg syndrome...so I got the package deal going on...drives my husband nuts lately...but then again he cant sleep either lately...could it be due to weather changes to?...could that make sleeping harder?...I like the information on oatmeal...I have lots of that on hand...that is something worth trying out..thanks for that
Choice83
Member
Dear SilverRaven,
The standard medication for hyperactive children is an agent named Ritalin, which is basically a stimulantand they have have at least five times the potency of caffeine as an invigorant.So, my question would be: Did You took any medication except coffee? As for the coffee, yes, since coffee is containing caffeine it can also performs similarly to Ritalin. Sometime pediatricians are utilizing a cup of coffee before prescribing any other therapy.
Of course, weather, hot and cold temperatures can sometimes affect the quality of sleeping.
Did You talk with a doctor about Your RLS?
The standard medication for hyperactive children is an agent named Ritalin, which is basically a stimulantand they have have at least five times the potency of caffeine as an invigorant.So, my question would be: Did You took any medication except coffee? As for the coffee, yes, since coffee is containing caffeine it can also performs similarly to Ritalin. Sometime pediatricians are utilizing a cup of coffee before prescribing any other therapy.
Of course, weather, hot and cold temperatures can sometimes affect the quality of sleeping.
Did You talk with a doctor about Your RLS?
SilverRaven
Member
I had taken Ritalin and several others as a kid with no luck so the doctors had always tried different things with me including diets like no red dye and no bleached products...so coffee was just one of the things they tried but in the end all that did was make me love it all the more as I got older....as of the past several years they had me on four meds for sleep and several meds for fibromyalgia arthritis and RLS...I cant remember what the name of the med for the RLS I have not been on anything for the past two years now for anything so I am trying to find natural ways to helping my ailments ....I guess my body is in a mind set of its own....I walk everyday...I eat right 90 percent of the time...so when I saw this article I thought I will find something I can try...Is there a time you should not eat before going to bed?....like should one not eat a half hour before bed or is it earlier than that?...or can you eat or dirink up to bed time?...I just thought it weird that back when I was growing up doctors thought differently then they do now with all the studies they've done ..so progress has come along way since the 70's....
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