Sleep Assistance Supplement Program
Geoff D’Arcy, Lic. Ac., D.O.M.
One in every two Americans experienced some difficulty falling asleep last year; one in three experienced insomnia on a regular basis. Some turn to over-the-counter medicines to help them sleep, while 10 million rely on prescription medicine. Many drugs that help induce sleep are not designed for long-term use, having serious side effects, leaving a hung-over feeling in the morning and further disrupting sleep patterns. Other surveys have found that 27% of Americans reported using complementary medicines for fatigue, and 26% have used them for insomnia. Close to 40% of American adults say that daytime sleepiness interferes with their daily activities for at least a few days a month, and about 20% say it affects their daily activities a few days a week, according to a 1998 poll cited in the study. The two main causes being psychological, or stress induced and interaction of foods, drinks, medications.
Insomnia Relief Program that can help you track learn new tools to cultivate a good night’s sleep.
Stress Relief Program: Balancing the Sympathetic (fight or flight) and Parasympathetic (relaxation response) Nervous Systems, can have a profound impact on sleep. Learning how to produce a ‘relaxation response’, helps to turn off ‘fight or flight’ response and bring the body back to balanced pre-stress levels.
Sleep Ease Formula: This formula is widely used for insomnia in Traditional Chinese Medicine. It helps to calm nervous tension, promote mental alertness, and relieves sleeplessness - so you can sleep really well.
Ingredients: Rehmannia, Scrophularia Root, Salvia Root, Chinese Angelica Root, Codonopsis Root, Poria, Licorice Root, Arborvitae Seed, Acorus Root, Spiny Jujube Kernel (Processed), Polygala Root (Processed), Asparagus Root, Ophiopogon Root, Schisandra Berry (Processed), Platycodon Root.Tranquil Formula: Anxiety is defined as "an unpleasant emotional state ranging from mild unease to intense fear." Anxiety, however, differs from fear in that fear is a rational response to a real danger. Anxiety often lacks a clear realistic cause, resulting in a constant, free-floating feeling of fear and worry. Tranquil Formula is an herbal calming formula that includes a used as a spirit calming and anxiety calming formula. Often used to anxiety related Insomnia.
Ingredients: Spiny Jujube Kernel (Processed), Chuanxiong Rhizome, Poria, Anemarrhena Rhizome, Licorice Root.
Food to Avoid
Avoid caffeine, soft drinks, chocolate, coffee flavored ice cream, hot cocoa, and tea these are stimulants to be avoided.
Alcohol also can inhibit sleep by causing the release of adrenaline and impairing tryptophan transport to the brain. Avoid refined sugar products.
Recommended Menus and Recipes
If there is a history of hypoglycemia or diabetes, then nocturnal hypoglycemia maybe an important cause. A drop in blood sugar levels may cause sleep maintenance problems. Faulty glucose metabolism can be caused by overeating of refined carbohydrates. Good bedtime snacks would include whole grain cereal, oatmeal, wholegrain muffins or breads. These foods help promote sleep by increasing serotonin levels.
References
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