For a wonderful refreshing sleep try PowerSleep,

Sleep Disorders

Sleep is important when faced with stress and anxiety.  Sleep is an essential part of our daily lives and well-being, yet insomnia and sleep disorders affect almost one out of every three people in the United States during the course of a year. 

Sleep disorders rob us of the opportunity to restore ourselves physically, emotionally  Here are some tips from the National Sleep Foundation 

Effective treatments for sleep disorders

Involves identifying and addressing causative factors for sleep disorders and elimination factors that can disrupt sleep.  The two major classifications of  insomnia are sleep-onset and sleep-maintenance. (see serotonin levels and 5htp information below)

Causes of insomnia and sleep disorders:

• Depression (see depression treatments)

• Anxiety (see stress management)

• Tension

• There are numerous compounds in foods and drink that can cause insomnia. Avoid these:

  • stimulants in: coffee, soft drinks, chocolate, coffee-flavored ice cream, hot cocoa, and tea

  • alcohol (releases adrenaline and impairs transport of tryptophan into the brain, thus disrupting serotonin levels.

• Over three hundred drugs can interfere with normal sleep

• Low nighttime blood glucose level (nocturnal hypoglycemia)

  • try a snack of oatmeal or whole grain cereal or breads --but avoid refined carbohydrates.

How to have a better night's sleep

• 5-htp provides better results than those achieved with L-tryptophan

• Melatonin is only effective as a sedative when body melatonin levels are low

• Restless-legs syndrome and myoclonus may respond to folic acid therapy, iron supplementation, and other nutritional therapies

• Valerian and passionflower can promote improved sleep quality and relief of insomnia.

Note: our PowerSleep covers all bases by including 5-htp, melatonin, valerian and passionflower as well as other helpful nutrients.  We are told by our customers that with PowerSleep, they also experience colorful dreams and reduced cravings resulting in loss of weight where this was a problem..

• Men who frequently work long hours or get little sleep double their risk of having a non fatal heart attack,  sleep disorder risks heart attack study  

• Your ability to learn motor skills increases when you've had a good night's sleep, (Harvard sleep disorders and learning study )

• Melatonin may limit risk of Alzheimer's:  (read about Melatonin sleep disorders study)

• According to a recent poll conducted by the Pew Research Center, 7 out of 10 people have felt depressed since the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11; (terrorist sleep disorders study)

• A recent study suggests that shift work may lead to an increased risk of heart disease.

• Diabetes sleep connection: inadequate sleep may prompt development of insulin-resistance

Serotonin Levels

Serotonin is an important initiator of sleep.  Serotonin is made from the amino acid tryptophan.  Taking tryptophan will raise serotonin levels and promote sleep.  Tryptophan is more effective for sleep-onset insomnia, since its greatest effect is to shorten the time required to get to sleep. More effective than tryptophan is 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-htp), a form of tryptophan that is one step closer to serotonin administration. 

5HTP Information and how it affects your sleep

Here is some 5htp information that will help you understand the relationship between 5htp and melatonin and serotonin levels.

Many studies have shown that depletion of serotonin levels results in insomnia.  This is reversed by taking 5-HTP (5-Hydroxytryptophan).  Soulairac and Lambinet reported (Ann. Med. Pychol 135:792-798, 1977) that 100 mg of 5-htp resulted in significant improvement for people who complained of trouble sleeping.  Furthermore, serotonin is metabolized to the hormone melatonin, which is known to help regulate the sleep cycle; by increasing serotonin levels with 5-HTP.  Melatonin levels are also increased.

Note that melatonin is only effective as a sedative when body melatonin levels are low. 

Nutritional Recommendations:
We have Just What you Need!

For a wonderful refreshing sleep try PowerSleep, packed with sleep enhancing nutrients. 

If your sleep problems stem from stress, we invite you to try Sunnie.  Sunnie, is a nutritional supplement that treats stress like water off a duck's back.  Lack of sleep from stress can also be hard on the immune system.

Take PowerSleep and Sunnie along with a good multi vitamin nutritional supplement.  They contain a proprietary base with the good lactobacillus acidophilus bacteria.

You will also want some omega oils to support your nervous system.

Lack of sleep can aggravate ADHD and dyslexia.

For more 5htp information see brain functioning.