The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Ear Plugs
Posted by Joella (Newport Beach, CA)
★★★★★
I had been suffering for months from restless sleep. Couldn't figure out why I was waking up so often in the middle of the night. And then, even if I slept through the night, I would awaken feeling like I hadn't slept at all. Then I went on vacation and brought some soft foam ear plugs with me in case of a loud hotel neighbor. Even though it was a quiet hotel, I decided to try to sleep with the ear plugs anyway. I noticed a difference in the quality of sleep immediately. It was unbelievable. I awoke feeling deeply rested. What a relief! At any rate, I decided to try this at home in Los Angeles and see if my restful sleep continued. Sure enough, it did. After a few months of this, I went back to sleeping without ear plugs and haven't had a problem since. I highly recommend this simple and inexpensive tool for people suffering from lack of quality sleep. I think the reason this works so well is because all but two sounds are blocked: the sound of your own breath and the thump thump of your heart beat. Doesn't get any more peaceful than that! No dogs barking, airplanes flying overhead, husband snoring beside you... I think that outside sounds wake us up far more than we realize, contributing to a restless night of sleep.
Ear Plugs
Posted by Becky (Louisville, KY)
★★★★★
I have suffered with chronic insomnia and am a strong believer in using earplugs (plus my husband has a breathing machine for his sleep apnea) but make sure they are a high enough level. I got my sister in law to try sleeping with them but she didn't give it enough time. It can be bothersome at first and you need to know that earplugs won't block out all sound. You can hear the clock radio, you can hear your child cry from their bedroom, you can hear your partner speak to you but you'll probably want to take the earplugs out for a conversation!
Elderberry Extract
Posted by Samuel (Seattle, Wa) on 09/22/2009
★★★★★
I have discovered that elderberry extract is great for insomnia-2 tablespoons. Plus it really does get rid of flu or cold fast.
Electrical Devices
Posted by Ann (Brevard, N.c.) on 06/03/2014
Insomniacs need to try moving the head of their bed 1-2 ft. from the wall since electrical wiring in the walls emanate electrical fields that affect our brains/body. google: Electromagnetic Sensitivity for increasingly more info. The increase of cell phones, cell towers, computers, cordless phones, smart meters, etc. etc. is making our world population sick and sicker with time and most people aren't aware of the cause. a great site: ElectricSense (Lloyd Burrell in France) is loaded with knowledgeable blogs. This is nothing to ignore as I almost died from it 3 years ago before becoming aware. Let me know any questions out there. (Sweden so far is the only country that's determined ES (electric sensitivity) a disability , but all other countries are being controlled by the high tech and utility company big boys - it's all about money.)
Eliminate EMFs
Posted by Michele (Los Angeles, California) on 07/15/2013
★★★★★
I read recently about the dangers of WIFI and we put a timer to turn it off automatically at night. In one night, I went from extremely poor sleep to very good sleep.
Replied by Mary
(Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada)
07/15/2013
Eliminate EMFs
Posted by Juliana (Albuquerque, NM) on 01/15/2009
★★★★★
I have suffered from insomnia since childhood (I am now in my 30s), and it has been crippling to my life, to say the least. About a month ago, my husband and I decided to try turning off all breakers in our house at night, except for the one attached to the refrigerator. Since doing so, I have slept very well, even experiencing deep REM sleep. I have vivid dreams every night. My husband has experienced the same thing -- deep sleep, many dreams. It's worth a try if you have trouble sleeping. As I understand it, the EMFs interfere with hormones in the body. Some people are very sensitive to EMFs. I believe somebody else on this site suggested not using the computer or cell phone before bed, but my suggestion takes the idea a bit further.
Replied by Kaz
(Boston, Ma)
02/29/2012
Eliminating Wheat
Posted by Carrie (Livonia, Mi) on 12/31/2014
★★★★★
Since giving up wheat my insomnia has completely subsided. I'm not fully gluten free, just giving up wheat has made an incredible difference in my quality of sleep and life!
Flax Seeds
Posted by Lily (Los Angeles) on 08/06/2015
★★★★★
Whenever I can't sleep, I take about 3 tablespoons of ground flaxseeds at night in rice or almond milk or cottage cheese and I instantly feel calm and can have the best night's sleep!
GABA
Posted by jake (Chicago) on 10/15/2022
★★★★★
Tracy: I used to have sleeping issues. I cured myself and now am regularly soundly asleep within minutes after taking a third of a teaspoon of GABA powder. It is tasteless. I am 78 years old and have among other issues, prostate issues. When I awaken every 2,3 or 4 hours to go to the bathroom, I just take another dose. Of the many people I have turned on to GABA, I've heard many rave reviews and no failures. The same goes for the people turned on to it from those my friends and family forwarded the remedy. I take high doses of melatonin and other herbs for health reasons, but the GABA works like a charm by itself. My son btw takes it in a capsule, and it works as well for him - his comment the first night he tried it the the next morning was - it is intense -LOL. Try it - I think it will change your life, maybe dramatically.
Gelatin
Posted by Beryl M. (Nottingham UK) on 03/17/2019
★★★★★
I came across this remedy quite by accident. At the time I couldn't lose weight and wondered if it had anything to do with my thyroid (it didn't) but a particular website recommended taking a tablespoonful of gelatine in orange juice before going to bed. I tried this and discovered that it helped me sleep. I now get between seven to eight hours sleep a night, apart from one trip to the loo! The gelatine is readily available from your local superstore, and mine come in individual packets containing one tablespoonful. It does not dissolve easily, but keep stirring. I have mine mixed with a small amount of milk. Worth a try, and it certainly will not harm you.
Ginger Tea
Posted by Famcoll (Tennessee) on 10/23/2017
★★★★★
I discovered quite accidentally that a strong cup of ginger tea brewed from fresh ginger slices taken one hour before bedtime makes me sleep. After years of using medications, both prescription and over-the-counter, to induce sleep I found that ginger tea, for me, has a soporific effect. Since I couldn't find anything on the web explaining this phenomenon, I looked up information on some Chinese language websites. Only one explained the use of ginger as a sleep agent. Apparently, it works only for people who are "pa leng" or "afraid of cold." This means, if you have the tendency to have cold fingers and toes you may benefit from ginger tea as a sleep agent. Anyway, it works for me.
Replied by Jean H.
(Us)
04/14/2018
Gluten-Free Diet
Posted by BBHE (NYC) on 10/26/2019
★★★★★
I had insomnia for about 10 years and it nearly killed me.
I finally realized that whenever I had any gluten at all, even a micro dose, it would pop my eyes awake in the middle of the night, reliably. I think it's really weird. I always thought, yeah yeah cut back on gluten dairy etc. and try to eat healthy. But that's not what's going on. I can eat unhealthfully but as long as I don't get ANY gluten, I sleep like a baby. I don't know why it took me so long to figure it out, Maybe it was that I was sleep deprived. Also it seems like whey in whey protein shakes sometimes hurts my sleep and I've given that up as well. But gluten does seem to be the big culprit.
Herb Tea
Posted by Nicholas (Edison, Nj Usa) on 09/01/2011
I've not been getting good sleep for a couple of weeks. I had no problem falling asleep, but slept only a couple hour, on and off. Very dissatisfying... left me weary.
I checked this fabulous website and saw it recommended different teas to help sleep. I found I had two ... Yoga brand "Bedtime" tea and Sunrider brand Calli "night" tea. I boiled both of them separately... 3 cups of water each pot. I slowly sipped a full cup of the Yoga tea after my evening meal, and then slowly sipped a full cup of the Sunrider during the hour before sleep.
I had a good night's sleep, had great dreams and awoke in a positive mood. Tonight I will drink only one of them to see if it's sufficient to the task.
Replied by Jc
(Boston, Ma)
09/22/2011
Honey
Posted by Bwhiskered (ON) on 10/17/2021
★★★★★
A spoonful of Honey before bedtime. If you waken though the night a spoonful will usually get yo back to sleep,
Honey and Cinnamon
Posted by Bonnie (Long Beach, US) on 12/13/2007
★★★★★
I was looking on your site a couple days ago and saw a remedy with honey to help lose weight. I tried it and found that i had more energy during the day, had less of an appetite, and fell asleep faster at night!! i love it! the remedy i found was every morning, a half hour before breakfast, as well as right before bed at night, drink a tablespoon of honey in one cup of boiling water with a teaspoon of cinnamon. It has only been four days, but man, what a difference!!!
Replied by T.Srikantharajah
(Wimbledon, England)
12/04/2007
★★★★★
Replied by
Kimmi (Park City, Ks)
06/14/2011
12 posts
★☆☆☆☆
