If you are one of the many people who is dealing with occasional sleeplessness or the inability to stay asleep all night, then you know that getting a full night’s rest is vitally important.  There can be many causes for disruptions in our sleep patterns. 

For some, the reason can be traced back to simply what you’re putting in your body before you head off to bed. In particular is the consumption of caffeine too late in the day.  Eating a heavy meal that may be harder to digest keeps the body more preoccupied than it needs to be. Of course, there are always those who can do both and immediately fall off to sleep. We all will have unique and particular challenges to getting a full night’s restful sleep.

Other considerations are food additives, such as artificial colors, flavorings and sweeteners, even MSG, that can all be chemically toxic to some individuals. One of the key negative effects of these toxins is that the liver and other elimination organs have to work overtime to clean your system out and possibly interfere with restful sleep. And there is evidence noted in earlier studies that these additives could be implicated in hyperactivity in children.

The more natural and organic your diet the happier your body will be and the better you will feel. (Eating calcium and mineral-rich foods before bed, such as almonds, figs, sesame seeds or tahini butter are great late night snacks that will not keep you up.)

One of the main causes of sleeplessness is STRESS.  Stress can be caused by worry, overwork, and physical and emotional exhaustion. This can have a number of different repercussions in the body.  There is no question that stress uses up nutrients. (Notably, utilization of calcium, an important nervous system nutrient, can be reduced by emotional stress.) Once those levels of nutrients are compromised, you may find that the muscles cannot relax and remain tense, even spasmodic. Restlessness, the inability to get comfortable, even pain, can be the end result. Stress also creates anxiety and, oftentimes its own vicious cycle. An overactive mind keeps rehashing those things that we are most stressed or anxious about, while at the same time trying to come up with resolutions to alleviate those same stresses from our lives.

There are many natural ways to induce sleep that will carry you through the night. Homeopathic remedies are one of the best alternatives you have to the over-the-counter (OTC) pharmaceutical drugs that can have unfortunate side effects.

Calcium is essential to the function of nerves, muscle mobility and relaxation and the body’s ability to communicate with itself.

Magnesium plays much the same vital role as calcium and the two need each other.

Niacin is essential to cellular reactions; at least 200 enzymes are dependent on its co-enzyme forms, Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide (NAD) and Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide Phosphate (NADP). Niacin is so important that the amino acid tryptophan is converted to niacin in the liver. Tryptophan is important to the process of sleep because it is a precursor to serotonin, the neurotransmitter that helps the body regulate sleep patterns. Providing niacin could have the potential for more tryptophan to be converted to serotonin because the tryptophan does not have to be converted into niacin. 

Inositol is another essential nutrient that helps manage some of the body’s complex systems.

Passion Flower and Hops have a long, historical use for calming the nervous system.

● Eat calcium and mineral rich foods.

● Avoid a heavy meal in the morning.

● Drink mineral water before bed.

● Avoid additives, artificial colors, flavoring, sweeteners, and MSG.

● Avoid caffeine, drinks before bedtime.

● Avoid stress.

● Try Yoga.

● Do night time stretches.

● Avoid nicotine before bed, it's a stimulant.

● Find a quiet place to sleep.

● Meditate for 3-5 minutes right before bedtime.