Natural Remedies for Insomnia: A Comprehensive Guide

l have taken melatonin for years for insomnia that came on during menopause. The first time l took it l took a large dose (5 tabs of 5 mg each). It took 3 days before l got a full nights sleep but it worked mostly. I was able to cut back to 10 mg a night after 3 days. The only times it didn't work were because l had drunk some kind of caffeinated beverage after 6 pm at night.

I have been using earplugs every night for at least a year. Yes, you become dependant. I even have to use one or two during the day if I need a nap. However if you do become dependant on them I'd like to give a few tips that will change your life.

#1 is baby oil. Swab lightly with it every night/every other night before bed. Also drop in into your ears several times a week during the day. You'll want to leave a small piece of cotton in your ears so the oil doesn't drain out onto your face (causing blemishes) for a few hours after using baby oil as a drop. The baby oil softens the ear wax and will sooth your sensitive ears.

#2 don't allow water in your ear. It may cause infections because the earplugs don't allow your ears to dry out after a shower. Use baby oil to keep the water out.

#3 use peroxide once or twice a month to get rid of earwax unless you have a ruptured eardrum. It will be shockingly cold and make some crazy noise, but unless it hurts leave it in for as long as tolerated. DO NOT do this often as it will agitate your ears. I've also stopped ear infections from coming on by using peroxide. So... Never put anything deep into your ear (ei a cotton swab) except baby oil and peroxide. Let them dry out on their own.

My herbalist friend Bonnie Rogers suggested this treatment for insomnia. It works GREAT. 7 parts of Apple Cider Vinegar to 2 parts of Milk of Magnesia (MOM). Doing 3 parts ACV to 1 part of MOM means that the mixture is more basic and taste pretty bad. If you increase the ACV then it becomes more acidic and tastes better. And anyway, ACV is just plain good for the body. Adding water is fine. I sip a large cup of watered down ACV MOM through out my day and I sleep fine. Of course, if you get too much magnesium, then your stools tend to fall apart; this tells you to pull back on so much magnesium.

Also, yogi types have suggested inverted poses for insomnia. I added the plow and the shoulder stand to my usual yoga regime, and it greatly helped my insomnia.

So the combination of the ACV MOM and the inverted poses have completely solved my insomnia problem.

I have also discovered that a lack of sleep is inflammatory.

I see that many people are combining ACV with baking soda (or bicarbonate of soda). This means that they are adding sodium to their diet. This is either bad or neutral, depending upon the person. But if one adds magnesium hydroxide (Milk of Magnesia) to ACV, one is adding magnesium to one's diet, which is either good or neutral. And the MOM helps to neutralize the ACV. Adding Milk of Magnesia to ACV works much better than adding baking soda. Magnesium is a part of about 800 different reactions in the body, in particular enzyme reactions.

i tried this last night for my insomnia.... And nothing... How disappointing... Sigh... But I may still try it for weight loss.. ;-)

Hi L, I either put a drop of Castor Oil straight in each eye, or take a drop on the tip of my finger and apply it onto each lid. I don't do this every night now since my body seems to have adjusted to a certain time to sleep. It does do the trick though.

I've used melatonin, as Merryanne has suggested, but I don't like to use animal hormones unless it was a dire situation. Instead of melatonin, I use the herb Valerian. It doesn't taste the best, but I got used to it. Buy the tincture and most instructions say to use 30-60 drops in a glass of water. When I take it, I usually do so before dinner at home.

If you need help to sleep take Melatonin, it is marvalous, read up on it, it does a lot of good for the body, it is given to children also to help sleep, and it is not a narcotic.

I put castor oil on my upper eyelids before I go to bed and it helps me to go to sleep and sleep deep (except for nature calls)

You say that the Castor Oil is helping you to sleep, how are you using it, are you taking it by mouth, or just applying it to your eyes? Its would be nice to know of something else natural to help people sleep.

Hi, I'm responding to those of you who had a question regarding which magnesium I was taking to treat insomnia. I posted this on 10/24/2010.

Insomnia DESTROYED my life, beginning 6 years ago. I had to drop out of one of the best PhD programs in the world in my field. Sleeping pills didn't even work. I was put on an antidepressant, just for the insomnia, that is normally given to Alzheimers patients in order to sedate and calm them down. It D*E*S*T*R*O*Y*E*D my life. And now look.

First let me sum up, 5 months on after my magnesium discovery, and I still sleep like a rock. But I've discovered an even better magnesium. Let me tell you the exact experience.

I initially began taking a regular pill form of "magnesium carbonate", and it clearly helped a lot but I would still wake up a few times with these awful hypnic jerks. I did this for a few days while I was waiting for my order of this magnesium powder that people rave about on various sites.

I can't reveal the brand name because I think it will be deleted by Earthclinic. I totally respect that since the non-commercial integrity of this site makes it so trustworthy. If I tell you the following, then you'll be able to track it down: this particular brand of magnesium is in "magnesium carbonate" form and was developed by a leading nutritional researcher named Peter Gillham. Now you can google that and find the name of the brand. I'll take a shot at revealing the name as I have found it so helpful and I hope that Earthclinic will post it to help people. It's called: Calm Natural.

I take the magnesium only, but they sell a calcium-magnesium blend as well.

So I got the order of this powder and I had done enough research to know that, unless you have an existing kidney or liver problem, it is pretty much impossible to overdose on magnesium. I was in a state of panic because I did not want this awful insomnia to keep wrecking my life, so the first night I took 1200 mg of this stuff. Fell alseep instantly. Not one hypnic jerk. Nothing. Slept! Slept! Slept! I took this dose every night without getting a loose stool (which is an indication that you take too much). Day 4 I woke up with loose stool. But I didn't flipping care, it's better than taking sleeping pills or not sleeping at all. But at this point I reduced the dose a bit, still slept like a baby.

I kept thinking that it must be too good to be true since sleeping pills had not even worked for my insomnia/hypnic jerks in the past. But oh no, I kept sleeping, adjusting the dose so that I would take just the amount that my stomach could handle - sometimes diarrhea and sometimes not. With time I needed less and less and after a few weeks I could even skip a few nights here and there.

Now to the other big discovery. I tried magnesium oil. EVEN BETTER! Some points on my experience with magnesium oil. 1) I am using a magnesium oil derived from the ancient Zechstein seabed (google it) - many brands of magnesium oil get their oil from this place. It's the gold standard source. 2) Magnsium oil is better since it does not go through your intestine you can apply as much as is needed without getting a loose stool. 3) I began using this in conjunction with drinking the magnesium powder, not risking insomnia. Bloody h***ll, this works wonders! 4) Initially I rubbed this stuff all over my body, 20 minutes before bedtime. One must be prepared that initially it feels as if you have been stung by a swarm of bees, but it gets better with time, believe me, like 4 weeks or so of applying it daily and it will no longer sting. I did this combo for 4 weeks, every single night. After 4 weeks my magnesium levels seemed to have been built up enough so I only needed to rub it on my belly before bedtime. 5) Yes, it's a bit oily, but again, I don't flipping care, I want to sleep after 6 years without sleeping.

So where am I now? I no longer drink the magnesium powder and fall alseep without a problem just by rubbing the magnesium oil on my belly. If I have a feeling that sleep is a bit more rocky I simply rub my entire body with the oil.

One point to be made here is that the magnesium has helped me with the hypnic jerks that prevented me from falling asleep. I would have these hypnic jerks, what felt like, one thousand times per night. They drove me crazy! Now they are GONE! GONE! GONE! 6 years of hell is gone!!! I don't know if magnesium helps with regular insomnia when you just lie awake starring, perhaps calcium in combination with magnesium is a better option then.

In treating my adrenal glands I began taking a high potency (OBSERVE, VERY IMPORTANT: HIGH POTENCY) vitamin B complex, which I noticed made me feel much much calmer in general. I still take that.

There are other minerals and vitamins that can cause insomnia. I read about that somewhere. I remember one of them being Folate.

I cannot describe in words how it feels to sleep without any problem. And after taking sea salt for the past one week I never have trouble in sleeping. Salt should be unrefined to be effective. One other thing I have included and that is oil pulling with mustard oil. It stings a little but in ayurveda mustard oil is highly placed for improving dental and gum problems with a pinch of salt and turmeric. But I do not add turmeric to my oil pulling. Every day before sleeping I take a pinch of sea salt and then water. You can also take it by dissolving in water. And it also reduced my cramps and painful joint condition. I have tried many things like acv, omega 3, wheatgrass etc but sea salt made the effect very quickly.

Earlier I was doing oil pulling with sunflower oil. I have also included green smoothies in my diet and also apply urine on my face and my face glows now. I was always weak and my face never glowed but these things have made the difference.

I had developed insomnia and always felt awake till late in the night. Ltely I came to know about sea salt water cure. I take pinch of sea salt in water and also mix Apple Cider Vinegar in the water to make it tasty and now my sleep pattern has changed. I sleep easily. Yesterday I tried pinch of salt on tongue and later flushed it inside with water and could sleep like a baby. This method has worked for me. All of you can also try.

Regarding 5htp for insomnia: Dr. Roger Murphree recommends up to 300mg at bedtime on an empty stomach with grape juice. I found that this helped me (I started at 50mg and worked up) quite a bit. Sleep was more restful, although still broken. Daytime anxiety and tremours really subsided.

I wonder if those whose 'acid reflux' was helped by ACV actually had low stomach acid? The symptoms of the two are often confused. Doctor's seem to assume all stomach reflux issues are from too much acid when often they are not.

How does this work for insomnia? I'd be a little nervous as pyrethrum is also used as a pesticide.

Don't take your iodine late in the day, as that can worsen sleep.

If you use kelp you 1) don't get a lot of iodine and 2) may be getting heavy metals along with it. Check your source

Lugol's or Iodoral are sources of both Iodine and Potassium iodide, both forms of iodine that the body uses. You can make Lugol's yourself. Iodoral is the same proportions in tablet form.

I have suffered from insomnia since I was a teenager (I'm 34 now), going to bed has always been my least favorite time of the day because I would roll over for hours, it was horrible. I have tried many things such as melatonin, prescription drugs, Cannabis (illegal where I live, not good), certain teas, alcohol, etc. All were either Not effective, or created other problems in the long run. I also tried common sense approaches such as reading, warm milk, warm baths, skin brushing, etc etc etc... Nothing worked.

However for a month now I have been sleeping like a baby and the solution came in as a surprise since I'm taking it for something else other than insomnia: niacin (vitamin B3), in the form if nicotinic acid (B3 in the Niacinamide Form didn't work). Wow! Now I take it and I get that heavy feeling on my eye lids, and after a while I start yawning. Once that happens I just go to bed and voila!

Be careful though: nicotinic acid will make you flush, and if you don't know what that is it can be scary. So please do your homework and Research Doses and possible side effects so you know what to expect. Start on the low side until you get a nice flush (after awhile you will enjoy the warm feeling, and your skin won't itch as badly). As an extra bonus my skin feels and looks amazing, everybody comments on my Complexion Now! I'm also much calmer and no longer depressed (reason why I tool it in the first place). Very interesting positive side effects! I hear it will also lower bad Cholesterol and increase the good kind. Beware of side effects of you have liver issues, or is on medication. Amazing! But again, do you homework first.

Best part: this stuff is cheap, over the counter, and needed by the body anyway (without it you develop pellagra. Some bread is enriched with it, but not in orthomolecular amounts). I'm taking about 3 grams a day.

Maria, what you describe is exactly how I had to live for 15 years. I hardly could cope with my two babies with that terrible insomnia. Please tell us what magnesium to take. There is many different magnesium. Which one? I found this info in the web. www.relieve-migraine-headache.com/magnesium-migraines

So just what is the magnesium migraines connection? Researchers have been investigating the magnesium migraines connection because of magnesium's role in stabilizing blood vessels walls. Magnesium is also an important mineral when it comes to helping you get to sleep. Regular sleeping patterns are also very important to migraine sufferers. Magnesium also helps in protein synthesis, and keeps your bones strong and helps maintain normal nerve and muscle function. It was first suggested that a deficiency in magnesium could cause headaches over 70 years ago. It makes sense, because a lot of the things that cause the body to run short of magnesium also either trigger migraines or lower your resistance. For example alcohol, stress, and menstruation. Today we know that about half of the people who get migraines are also short of a certain type of magnesium (serum ionized). When faced with a migraine that won't respond to treatment, many headache specialists will give an injection of magnesium. You should be able to get benefits from long term (2-3 months or more) regular magnesium supplements.

The magnesium migraines link may make a big difference to many people. Certain types of magnesium are not well absorbed by the body. Too much magnesium, particularly the wrong kinds of magnesium, can cause diarrhea and simply make your mineral deficiency worse. Also, remember to take magnesium for at least 60-90 days to see if it makes a difference. If your body isn't absorbing magnesium well, try avoid these types of magnesium: Oxide, hydroxide, and chloride. Instead, look for magnesium types that end in "ate", particularly glycinate, but also gluconate, lactate and orotate.

Note: Very often two or more types of magnesium are combined, such as oxide and citrate. The best thing is to simply talk to your doctor and then try one kind and see how your body handles it. A note about calcium: Magnesium and calcium balance each other out in the body. If you have too much of one and not enough of another, it can cause problems. That's one reason why it's important not to take too much of one or the other. However, when taking magnesium for migraine don't buy a calcium/magnesium blend. If you're taking a calcium supplement, take it at another time of day. It can interfere with the benefits of the magnesium for migraine.

Maria, can you kindly email the name of the brand your are using to solve the insomnia issue. Surulere(at)gmail(dot)com

I have found this site for describing food with highest Magnesium content www.vaughns-1-pagers.com/food/magnesium-foods.htm

Maria, your post is exactly what this site is all about!!! I to have suffered from insomnia for many years and would have never guessed that it was magnesium related. That is why this site is so valuable for curing illnesses because it tends to promote the idea that "NATURAL PRODUCTS ARE THE BEST WAY TO CURE ALL MINOR ILLNESS THAT POTENTIALLY CAN LEAD TO IRREPARABLE SERIOUS ILLNESSES IN THE LONG RUN".

Thanks Earth Clinic since this is not the first illness I was able to treat just by reading from the experience of others. Perfect example how Prescription and Over The Counter Drugs once again has no place in the human body! You might Google to find out which food has the highest magnesium content and change your eating habit accordingly. Mike

Magnesium that has the best absorption is magnesium citrate. Be sure to always check labels.

I have heard and read about people on the net that cannot get to sleep, they don't want to go down the tablet route and ask advice? For years now I have used Lavendar Oil. It's safe and none addictive. Just a couple of drops on your pillow and you will get a good nights sleep. Regards

Hi, I have had trouble sleeping for quite a while, and also have the twitching problem so bad sometimes that I feel like I want to run around the block. It doesn't happen every night but, I would sure like to sleep like you are I am going to give it a try. Thanks Pam

Oh my god! I have suffered ruthless episodes of insomnia the last 6 years. This has destroyed my life. As a result I had to withdraw from my PhD program, for example. I simply would not be able to sleep at all, for months at a time. Finally a doctor put me on a very sedating antidepressant. It made me sleep but made me drowsy all day and I lost my short term memory. I got off that 2 years ago and have since had poor sleep but I have slept for a few hours. Anyway, 2 weeks ago I got a new episode. I would lay awake for hours and when I finally began to dose off my body would jerk and twitch so I would wake up again. And so it went on the entire night.

Finally I googled "insomnia and twitching" and got thousands of hits saying "magnesium deficiency". One site in particular said "if you suffer from insomnia, body jerks and twitches, chest and back pain and cannot take deep breaths, then you should take magnesium. " So I read thousands of sites and found one particular brand of magnesium that seemed to help the best. I assume I cannot mention the brand here but it's a powder form and you must mix it with hot water. Given the severity of my insomnia I didn't think a mineral would ever do the trick, but what could I loose? So I ordered it as a last resort before going to the doctor to get sleeping pills. I am not kidding you, day 1 was better, day 2 even better and since day 3 I have slept like a rock for 8.5 hours straight. My chest and back pain are almost gone and I can breath properly.

I have read countless of anecdotes by people discussing insomnia and magnesium. It seems as if absorption is a big problem. Please don't give up if the first attempt doesn't work. Go to the health food store and ask for the brand that has the best absorption. If you do get a good intake of calcium you may be magnesium deficient and may do better on magnesium alone. Otherwise magnesium and calcium is recommended. Personally I take 800 mg/night. Google it! Given my severity of insomnia I am blown away that it all came down to a mineral. WOW!!!

I'm wondering if red chrysanthemums will work. I googled mum tea and only saw white and yellow mentioned for tea, but all I have is red. Any idea why red would not be edible?

My husband has suffered with insomnia his entire life. As anyone who has or has lived with someone who has insomnia, it is life impacting. Through some research I found that Chrysanthemums can reduce anxiety and help you to relax. I initially got the idea to help his anxiety, however, it has proven to be a huge aid in helping him sleep. Put 2 or more flower heads from a living Chrysanthemum (Mum)plant per large coffee cup of boiling/steaming water. Cover and steep for 5-8 mins. I also have been adding 1-2 bruised Mum plant leaves. He is yawning by the time he finishes the tea. This in place of the WIDE variety of medications he has taken is such a relief. He had been taking chemical medications like: seroquel, lunesta, ambient, restoril along with many others to work in conjunction. This has been heaven sent with NO SIDE EFFECTS.

To Bob I have never heard of cow brain, can u plz explain what it is :)

For two years now, I've been taking 400mg of Magnesium Citrate every night before bed and I sleep like a baby! My boyfriend takes it too, completely relaxes you and makes it easier to fall and stay asleep. I read somewhere it is the most 'relaxing mineral' and people need higher amounts of it as we age as it becomes depleted with stress. Major side benefit--it also just happens to eliminate PMS symptoms, fyi. Oh, and migraines! Also, make sure you are drinking at least 4-6 glasses of water per day if you suffer from any ailments whatsoever as most people are chronically dehydrated and have no idea why their body is deteriorating with age. Aging is a process of dehydration!

I don't know if this will help... but, I started taking L-Tyrosine awhile back. I would take 100mg at night, usually with dinner (I weigh around 180lbs). It really helped me sleep... Within a couple hours I would begin to feel really relaxed. Once in bed, I would fall asleep fast. I actually fell into deep sleep faster than I ever have in my entire life. However, it wasn't as easy waking up either. I felt so relaxed in the morning I didn't want to get out of bed. Which is why I stopped taking it. But, it really helped me through a tough time. I would also try some camomille tea... I have a comomille, mint, lavender tea that really helps me to relax before bed. Something warm in my stomach always helps.

I have been taking L glutamine before go to sleep for the past few days. And I cant sleep the whole night. My eyes are wide opening. And alert through the night.

I cant think of the reason why I cant sleep. I have stopped already but still not yet can sleep. Is it because I didnt take L arginine together?

Can you please advice me? I hope I can survive in these few days without sleep.

thank you

Hi again, I hadn't seen your earlier post..... I also wear earpluggs and I have gotten dependent on them. I suppose that my sleep is very light therefore without them I wake up easily. I have worn them for a number of years now with no side effects (even thought we live in a very peaceful place, at least at night....). I do pannic a bit if we go away and I forget them...... Other than that no problems!

hi, thank you for this warning! i just tried it for the last week and though it has worked very well for a week (though it`s slipping back now...well 4 years insomnia is a tough one to beat i guess), i was wondering about the possibility of getting dependent on them, and also noticed that my ears are already a bit sensitive. it`s good, but ill be wary of that, thanks!

I have been able to sleep less and less over the last few years. I have tried so many things to help get past my insomnia (I have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep). I heard about your website and searched for things to help me sleep. The only thing I had in the house that night was 5htp. I take it for mood but have always taken it in the mornings. I didn't think it would help but felt desperate so i tried it. I have been taking it for 9 nights and have only had trouble sleeping 2 of those nights; a HUGE improvement! Thank you!!!

I'm currently using kelp, two teaspoons twice a day, I saw the post about potassium iodide and found it interesting because I just ordered some potassium iodide. I'll keep your post in mind in terms of the number of drops that you started with. The kelp hasn't helped with sleep so far, iodide is much stronger so that may be the issue. Another consideration is that there are various types of kelp, bladderwheck is the strongest, so that one may work. I've only taken it once so far, was using dulse, and I noticed the difference, it certainly is stronger!

Flying Frog...How much Kelp do you take a day? Do you take it every day? Thanks

Hello! I want to suggest you look into/try kelp tablets for your hypothyroidism--I prefer it to other sources of iodine because, of course, kelp is "found in nature" & contains many nutrients in a form that I feel is more compatible with the body than a synthesized form. Peace!

For 30 years I suffered from ever-worsening insomnia. The cause was never found, but it was suggested slyly that I was neurotic. Ultimately I developed short-term memory loss and my exhaustion was profound.

One winter I developed a craving for clams and could not seem to get enough of them. I noticed that occasionally I had short periods of normal sleep. Then it hit me - iodine! I had myself tested for hypothyroidism. The result was positive. And I was furious. I never got help from the medical profession, lived for years as a zombie, and had to find the cure all by myself! Thanks to potassium iodide I sleep just fine. Although I started at a higher dosage, I currently take only four drops of 5 per cent solution a week. Now if I could get a refund of all the money I wasted on doctors who resorted to facile psychology instead of medicine . . . .

If you get constipation from taking ACV you may need to add baking soda to your ACV. This is why I believe Ted recommends to add the baking soda to ACV. Some of us are just too acidic and therefore do not have enough "buffers" in order to drink the ACV alone. This method has eliminated the constipation issues for me.

hi, sorry for the very late reply..i took 150mg of 5HTP after my evening meals. I think that may be relatively high, as I was taking it for depression too. Other people here seem to be having good results with a dose of 50mg.

I am confused about the properties of ACV. It states that for a boost of energy in the day to drink acv. Then you guys state that to sleep better, drink acv. It sounds like an oxy moron to me. I have been using acv for a long time and it does have great benefits. I take it for my stomach, great for gas pains. I just don't believe in the help you sleep and help you energize. It can only do one of the 2. It does not help me sleep nor does it energize me. I have noticed that if I take it to late before I go to bed that I don't sleep as well.

Kay, I just use a q-tip and dip in the Castor oil bottle and have just a drop fall on the tip of my finger and quickly apply to my eyelid. Do the same for the other eye. Rub it in very well and get in bed. It works very fast. I am more excited about my pterygium diminishing and maybe possibly going away for good. Keeping my fingers crossed. So, for me it has helped in two ways and I hope that it helps someone else with insomnia and a pterygium.

Mel, could you tell us exactly how you used the castor oil? Thanks

Castor Oil cured my insomnia and a Pterygium on my left eye. A pterigium is fatty deposit from wind/dust that affects one or both eyes. There is no pain, but it looks gross. I first got this while living in West Texas and was diagnosed by an Ophthalmologist. My doctor told me that it is not serious unless it starts growing towards the pupil and therefore, should be removed because it will affect my eye sight. My pterigium over the years was getting closer and closer to my pupil as the years have gone by. I knew that very soon I would have to have surgery to have it removed. I started the castor oil therapy about 2 weeks ago for my insomnia and just about 2 days ago I was looking in the mirror and look at my eyes and had to do a double take. The pterygium is almost gone! It is very thin and is not noticeable at all. I am so happy! I started using castor oil for insomnia and that was successful and at the same time cured my pterygium. Thank you so much. :D

A drop of Castor Oil on each eyelid makes you reach REM sleep and stay asleep. It's the best cure I've found for waking up often in the night.

Celery stick before bedtime takes care of sleep disorder. I have tried and it worked for me.

For sleep disorder

Please try a pinch of ground nutmeg in a cup of warm milk. Worked wonders for me.

Last night I was reading on ACV/Honey, ACV/baking soda for sleep disorders. Decided to give it a try. I took ACV/Honey one teaspoon each in a cup of warm water at 9.09pm. By 9.30pm I started winding down and by 10pm, I was fast asleep. I had FEWER disturbance. My problem earlier was to get back to sleep if i am disturbed and that happened frequently. This seemed to work pretty good and I woke up real fresh.

Please tell me the proportions in baking soda and ACV for the insomnia

Coconut oil for good sleep...when I oil pull in the night with coconut oil, I feel sleepy after that, and get good sleep that night.

You can do oil pulling with coconut oil. Place 1 tbsp. coconut oil in your mouth; It will desove from your body tempurature. Start swishing it around in your mouth, around your gums for 15 min. Poke your index finger into your cheeks. Spit it into the toilet, when you are done, and rinse several times. No more irritating itches and sinus congestions.

I have a question for Victoria. I am very interested in the HGH at night product but I cannot find it sold anywhere. If you still have a bottle could you please post the ingredients here?

I have tried everything just about to help me get to sleep. I have just started taking GABA and it helps me get a better sleep but does not help me to get to sleep. A lot of suplements help at first but over time quit working so I cannot rate the GABA just yet. I do think you must be right about having a good bowel movement helping to make a better sleep at night. I notice when I have a good early bowel movement I can get to sleep better at night. I also have IBS so I want to work on that as well.

WARNING!

Cow brain is a major source of melatonin. Buyer beware!

I really have no idea what causes the nightmares--I guess it's stress or a nutritional deficiency, but these probably vary over time. The nightmares became worse for a couple of years after my boyfriend died in 2006, but I've had them and/or the sleeplessness for at least a decade...then sometimes I'll sleep better for a while, but I have no idea why. I also have bi-polar disorder, and sometimes would barely sleep for 3 days during a manic episode; however, I haven't had a severe episode in almost 3 years, since being on medication.