A recent symposium on brain health noted that while losing a night of sleep, can have as much detrimental effect on our brain as getting drunk, regular adequate sleep may be the quickest, least expensive, and most important tool for rapidly enhancing brain function that we have. So what can a person do to get the sleep they need?
If we look at the links between good nutrition and sleep we see that there are a variety of nutrients that are natural sleep remedies, including magnesium, tryptophan, 5-HTP, theanine, and various herbs like valerian, lemon balm, ashwagandha, and even the sleep hormone melatonin, that are much safer, and often more effective, and readily available at any health food store. (See Boost Serotonin Naturally and 9 Stress Nutrients under Step 4 Stress Management above, for a more comprehensive review of various nutrients shown to help calm our nervous system, and facilitate a deeper night’s sleep.)
For another good review of the risks of sleep deprivation, 4 common causes with solutions, as well as the benefits of quality sleep click here. This is from the website of the popular PBS expert Daniel Amen, MD.
At least you should know the following (from the above noted article).
“Sleep helps all the cells in the body repair and renew. It gives the brain a chance to wash away toxins that build up during the day and helps keep the nerve cell connections and pathways active and constantly self-renewing.”
p.s. As you read through these articles we suggest you take a minute to note down any issue or recommendations that seem relevant or potentially helpful for you. Each of these articles come with a pitch for a product, but we suggest holding off on buying these until you have read all 3 of the following, Then you can make a more informed choice. Keep in mind that most local health food stores also carry products that contain most if not all of the ingredients that will be noted here.
If you are not getting at least 7 good hours of sleep in every night do you know why that is? This article, contains a fairly comprehensive review of “sleep stealers,” i.e. various things that can rob you of a good night’s sleep. With 7 ways to get a better night’s sleep.
The following article provides a more extensive review of additional remedies, for the above noted and other issues. Click here. And again we would encourage you to make note of any remedies for issues relevant to you.
For a really indepth dive into the causes and possible remedies for the inability to sleep deep through the night, here is a link to the Life Extension Protocol on insomnia, See especially # 10 for a good review of the science behind the various nutrients noted in the articles above for sleep. (For related supplements that they have developed, simply put ‘Sleep’ in the search window and return, and it will pull those up.)
