[infoshare] TDS 20 - Sleep well!
- From: "Lynne" <superlynne@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <infoshare@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2009 22:07:58 -0500
Evening, All.
As I've been experieincing sleep problems, thought I'd share some thoughts on
the subject, courtesy of WebMD.
6 Remedies for Sleep Problems
WebMD Commentary from "EatingWell"
By Rachel Johnson, Ph.D., M.P.H., R.D.
Can anything we eat or drink help? Here's what the science says.
Unrelenting insomnia has become a part of my life. Colleagues joke about my 3
a.m. e-mails; my husband groans at my late-night online shopping. (He knows
I've had a bad stretch when packages pile up at the door.) There are weeks when
I'd give just about anything for a good night's sleep. I also know that I'm not
alone.
Fifty million to 70 million Americans suffer from insomnia. It's more common
among women (I know the hot flashes keeping me awake are caused by declining
estrogen and hopefully will pass as my hormones even out). It is also common
among people who are obese or have high blood pressure, anxiety or depression.
And more and more studies are linking weight gain with sleep loss. A new study
in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine suggests that adults should sleep
eight to nine hours per night to help maintain a healthy weight. One theory is
that lack of sleep disrupts hormones, such as leptin and insulin, which
regulate appetite and body weight. Another explanation is that sleep
deprivation leaves us too tired for exercise. And since losing sleep can also
make us moody, we may turn to food to cheer us up.
I could take one of the many sleep medications touted on TV, but I'd rather
not; their long-term use can lead to headaches and possible dependency.
Instead, I'm channeling my late-night energy into researching the science
behind some common advice.
"Drink some warm milk before bedtime." Decades ago, scientists looked into this
folk remedy and posited that tryptophan, an amino acid in milk (and turkey),
might be responsible for its supposed sleep-inducing effects. Earlier research
had shown that when tryptophan is released into the brain, it produces
serotonin-a serenity-boosting neurotransmitter. But when milk (and other
tryptophan-rich foods) were tested, they failed to affect sleep patterns.
"Tryptophan-containing foods don't produce the hypnotic effects pure tryptophan
does, because other amino acids in those foods compete to get into the brain,"
explains Art Spielman, M.D., an insomnia expert and professor of psychology at
the City University of New York. Warm milk at bedtime may be comforting, but it
won't boost sleep-promoting serotonin.
"Have a bedtime snack." A light bedtime snack can stave off hunger, a known
sleep robber. But eating high-glycemic-index (GI) carbohydrates-hours earlier
at dinner-might also help. (High-GI foods cause a greater rise in blood sugar
and insulin than do lower-GI foods.) A recent paper in the American Journal of
Clinical Nutrition found that when healthy sleepers ate carbohydrate-rich
suppers of veggies and tomato sauce over rice, they fell asleep significantly
faster at bedtime if the meal included high-GI jasmine rice rather than
lower-GI long-grain rice. While the authors aren't sure how it happened, they
speculated that the greater amounts of insulin triggered by the high-GI meals
increased the ratio of tryptophan relative to other amino acids in the blood,
allowing proportionately more to get into the brain. Save high-GI carbs for
dinnertime, when their side effect-drowsiness-is a plus.
If you'd like to read more...visit
http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/6-remedies-sleep-problems
'Nighty night!
Lynne--and Happy Inauguration Day!
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