Insomnia

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Sleep Issues Solved by Spinach Powder

Clatterbuck (Beltsville, Md) on 04/01/2023
5 out of 5 stars

I know this will sound strange but I think I accidentally discovered a treatment for my inability to get back to sleep when I wake up in the middle of the night. Like a lot of people my age sleeping straight thru the night became a rare occurrence. Recently I read about spinach powder helping to control your appetite so I bought some. It tastes really disgusting so I mixed a spoonful in a glass of orange juice and held my nose while drinking it. That night I slept through the night without waking up. I drank this concoction for a couple of days and continued to sleep well. Sometimes I would wake up but I fell back asleep immediately. I stopped drinking the concoction because I got busy and didn't think about it and within a day or two my night time waking issue returned. I started drinking the disgusting concoction and once again I started sleeping through the night. I don't know if this is just a fluke but it's working for me.
REPLY   3      

Papaya for Better Sleep

Clatterbuck (Beltsville, Md) on 03/22/2023
5 out of 5 stars

You're right!!! Quite by accident, I discovered papaya helps me get back to sleep when I wake up in the middle of the night. My grocery store had a sale on papayas and I decided to buy a couple. I had first tasted papaya when I went to Vietnam a few years ago and I liked them. I ate a small papaya before going to bed and slept through the night. That was incredible. I didn't have a papaya the next night and when I woke up in the middle of the night I had trouble getting back to sleep like I usually do. The next night I had a papaya before bed and once again slept through the night. These things are like a magic sleeping potion.
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Thyme Essential Oil for Insomnia

Brad (Ontario) on 01/23/2023
5 out of 5 stars

Thyme is great for stress and anxiety, which contribute to insomnia. Can be taken internally and externally, do research first before taking internally or if your on medications. Mix some thyme oil with a carrier because its a HOT oil and a mucous membrane irritant, mix with almond or jojoba or a good quality carrier oil and rub on chest and neck and shoulders before going to bed. Can be brewed into a tea with the dried herb and used in cooking.
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St Johns Wort for Insomnia

Brad (Ontario) on 12/08/2022
5 out of 5 stars

St Johns Wort is good for anxiety and depression, also a calmative. I found it helps with restless sleep when taken on an empty stomach. However be cautious when taking it because, similar to grapefruit, it will interact with other medications and supplements.
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Cannabis Tea for Insomnia

Brad (Ontario) on 11/26/2022
5 out of 5 stars

Cannabis tea seems to work for getting back to sleep. I heard indica strain is better for relaxing than sativa. Put like 1/2 grams of dried herb into 8oz boiling water let steep and cover to infuse for as long as you can. Keep in mind this can have side effects such as racing thoughts, anxiety, dry mouth and increased heart rate, keep this in mind as everybody is different, so use caution if you're on any medications.
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High Vitamin D Can Cause Insomnia

Mister (EUSSR) on 11/18/2022
0 out of 5 stars

High vitamin D can lead to terrible insomnia and, secondary to that, exacerbate all your symptoms.
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Bone Broth for Insomnia

Maureen (MD) on 11/13/2022
5 out of 5 stars

Bone Broth for Insomnia

I've posted before regarding insomnia cures, but I have a new one I'd like to share. My sleep has improved dramatically since I started taking calcium/magnesium supplements at night and increasing the amount of potassium I consume each day. I accidentally discovered another tool to add to my arsenal of sleeping enhancements, bone broth. I've been trying to lose weight and have been increasing the amount of water and other low calorie liquids I consume during the day. I decided to try bone broth since it's low calorie and I like chicken soup. I drank a cup of warmed up chicken bone broth one afternoon and shortly thereafter fell asleep on the couch. I felt like I'd been drugged but I didn't think it was caused by the bone broth. A couple of days later I drank a cup after dinner because I was still hungry, once again I fell asleep. Now I was intrigued so I started drinking a cup about a half an hour before bed. Man, I fall asleep almost instantly and have slept through the night several times (which rarely happens since I've gotten older.) I don't know if this will work for everyone but it couldn't hurt to give it a try.

REPLY   4      

Vitamin B Complex for Stress and Insomnia

Brad (Cobourg, Ontario) on 11/02/2022
5 out of 5 stars

Vitamin B complex for insomnia and stress

Take B complex vitamins to help with insomnia. Sleep disturbances can be the result of B vitamin deficiency. B vitamins are really good for stress relief, too. I take a quality brand from Genestra that has all the B vitamins and find I sleep better when I take it during the day.

When I stop taking the B vitamins the sleep problems seems to return, hope this helps.

REPLY   4      

Melatonin for Insomnia

RB (Somewhere in Europe) on 09/07/2022
1 out of 5 stars

On the positive side, for insomnia, I can always rely on Melatonin, or its precursors (5-HTP and or L-Tryptophan), for one day, and one day only, on day 1.

However, on the negative side, when, on day 2, I attempt to use the same supplement at the same dose, I have insomnia on day 2. Then when, on day 3, I double my initial dose, then it works for me again, but only on day 3. It does not work for me on day 4. On day 4 I have insomnia again. Then when, on day 5, I quadruple my initial dose, then it works for me again, but only on day 5. On day 6, I have insomnia again, because my quadrupled initial dose is not high enough for me on day 6. Now, this kind of inconsistent and erratic performance motivates me to dump my supply of Melatonin, 5-HTP and L-Tryptophan, and start taking something else (for insomnia). Because, as to Melatonin and or its precursors, it is a tremendous challenge for me to try to determine what the proper dose should be for me.

All in all, based on the many books that have been written about Melatonin, I find it amazing how overrated and overpraised Melatonin is, when in reality Melatonin and its precursors perform unreliably and inconsistently.

REPLY   4      

Dried Figs for Insomnia

Junebug (East Earl, PA) on 05/31/2022
5 out of 5 stars

I have noticed that my trouble sleeping vanished when I started snacking on dried figs (maybe about a cup a day). An eye twitch that I had been suffering with for over a year also disappeared. I noticed the improvement less than a week after starting to eat the figs. I skipped one day, and that night the sleeplessness returned. I resumed eating figs the next day and my sleep improved. It?s been about a month now and I am so impressed by the results! I have read that figs are a good source of various vitamins and minerals, so I think it might be the combination that works for me. I had tried eliminating caffeine and taking magnesium supplements with no effect. I also tried mag-rich foods like hemp and pumpkin seeds with no effect. Potassium-rich bananas and avocados never helped me either.
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Insomnia a Sign of Your Liver and Kidney Detoxing

Faith (Unalaska) on 03/30/2022
5 out of 5 stars

For Insomnia and waking up at 2-3AM in the morning thats the liver and kidneys trying to detox.
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Calcium as a Sleep Aid

Connie (Utah) on 03/16/2022
5 out of 5 stars

Agree on Calcium as top sleep aid. I believe I've tried it all, including medications, but especially nutrition.

It seems obvious now, but I'd always tried calcium with other supplements.

I've gone so long with this deficiency, that I need calcium chelate without co-factors. It's something genetic because family members had other signs, such as heart arrhythmias, anxiety, so on. I'm taking a lot so I think it's an individualized thing.

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Multiple Remedies for Insomnia Cause RLS!

lucy (nashville, tn) on 03/14/2022
0 out of 5 stars

some of the herbal remedies for sleep all make my legs so restless!! I've tried valerian, hops, 5http, chamomile, melatonin, and some antihistamines. jump like frog legs, I am so tired..
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Zinc for Better Sleep

KS (IL) on 02/04/2022
5 out of 5 stars

I starting adding 30mg of zinc for Covid prevention, besides D3. Couple of weeks later I realized I had been sleeping much better; deeper, remembering dreams, less frequently getting up and only in the first couple of hours. (I take meds with a lot of water before bedtime.) And the zinc was the only new addition. After a little research I found out that yes, indeed, zinc does help with sleep disorders.
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D3 for Insomnia

Kathi (New Brunswick, NJ) on 02/07/2009
5 out of 5 stars

I developed severe insomnia last winter (nov 07) and went through quite a trial for months, with none of the many things I tried helping much except some tips on how to improve sleep habits through cognitive behavioral therapy. I was doing better May-Oct 08 then all of a sudden the same severe insomnia symptom was back in full force. Last month I decided to try vitamin D3 2000 IU/day, after reading so many recent articles about the importance of this sunshine vitamin. I chose tablets with D3 source from lanolin, since I am allergic to fish. Within a week I was sleeping soundly at night, and I am continuing to sleep well. In retrospect, it is likely that I became more susceptible to vit. D deficiency after I became lactose intolerant and stopped drinking milk.
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Honey for Sweet Dreams

Bwhiskered (ON) on 10/17/2021
5 out of 5 stars

A spoonful of Honey before bedtime. If you waken though the night a spoonful will usually get yo back to sleep,
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Apple Cider Vinegar Helps Insomnia

RM (Missoula Mt) on 10/06/2021
5 out of 5 stars

Apple Cider Vinegar

Helps you go to sleep. Pills (Nature's Bounty) work well, take 2-3. And stop eating wheat gluten which is the cause of so many ailments including insomnia in myself. 50 year old male.

REPLY   2      

Serpina for Insomnia

Joseph A. (Stockton, Ca ) on 08/16/2021
5 out of 5 stars

Insomnia, my best tablets are called Serpina (Indian Snakeroot) an Ayurvedic tablet that is excellent, plus has many other positive things, I can?t write everything now but send me a message and I will try. Serpina tablets $7 at Amazon, or Distacart sells them. Dosage if can?t sleep at all take 3 tablets in am and 3 tablets at nite. Once you're sleeping then reduce dosage if you want. They are completely safe, however will interact with Antipsychotics, cold, flu medicines. Non habit forming, stopping cold turkey is fine.

You can take OTC Benadryl 50 or 100mg if you wake up in middle of night then just take another 1 of those and fall back asleep. Since they can cause memory loss in long-term use I advise to take for 3-4 weeks maximum.

Never take sleeping pills, habit forming and dangerous. A Valium is fine a few days but they are habit forming and dangerous after 4-5 weeks maximum. Jujube fruit(Chinese dates)fight insomnia, Anxiety, buy at Amazon.

Last one for sleep: try L-Theanine pills (only must have: Suntheanine, highest quality) take 200mg twice daily or increase to 400mg 2X daily, they are safe and can be taken at 3,000mg safely, but rarely done. Best of luck to anyone who tries them. If you're happy & sleeping send me a message.

REPLY   5      

Motherwort Tincture for Improved Sleep

Mama To Many (Tennessee) on 08/12/2021
5 out of 5 stars

Last week I started taking some Motherwort twice a day. (2 droppers of the tincture twice daily - once in the morning and once before bed)

After a few days, I noticed that my sleep was better. I have a fitbit and each morning take note of how my sleep was the night before. It has been interesting to see what helps my sleep. Definitely, 15 mg of melatonin at night has improved the ratio of deep sleep and REM sleep to light sleep. After a few days of the Motherwort, I realized that my deep sleep is improved further. I wasn't taking it for sleep and it took me a little bit to even realize what in my routine had changed.

Motherwort is a relaxing herb. It is sometimes used for racing heart or for anxiety - I guess often the two go together. And apparently, it can help improve sleep!

I make my own motherwort tincture. I have used Herb Pharm's Motherwort tincture in the past and find it to be a quality brand if you are looking for Motherwort!

~Mama to Many~

REPLY   9      

D3, B3, B12 and B Complex for Severe Insomnia

Ivanka (Nevada) on 07/12/2021
5 out of 5 stars

The supplements that I had the most success with for my severe insomnia were:

  • Vitamin D3 5000IU every night for a couple of weeks and then one every other night.
  • Vitamin B3 (niacin) 500mg every night plus
  • B12 5000mcg
  • and B complex in liquid form.

I hope this helps you too.

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