Insomnia & Sleep-Wake Cycle Disorder

What is Insomnia?

Disturbed sleep-wake cycle; having difficulty in falling asleep or awakening again and again during sleep, has become a routine of daily life. And, this abnormal routine is clinically termed insomnia.

What causes Insomnia?

These sleep disturbances commonly result due to different psychological factors including depression, stress, and anxiety. But there some other variables can also lead to the improper sleep-wake cycle, and those variables include unhealthy dietary habits and abuse of certain drugs.

How diet affects the sleep-wake cycle?

Sleep is induced by the brain in the response to some chemicals secreted by our body, signaling our brain to get some rest. But there are a couple of foods that can interact with this normal mechanism of sleep induction when taken just before bedtime.

1.    Foods to avoid at bedtime

Munching on foods that are rich in caffeine or sugars can be disturbing for proper sleep when taken at bedtime. Foods like coffee, soft drinks, chocolate, tea, and coffee-flavored food products, contain enough amounts of caffeine to disturb a normal person’s sleep.

Whereas, alcohol and other sugar-rich foods; juices, soft drinks, chocolate, confectioneries, etc., stimulate the secretion of several hormones like adrenaline, cortisol, glucagon and growth hormone that can initiate fight and flight mechanism, and the long-term use can also cause insomnia.

2.    Foods that can help

Foods that are rich in protein or tryptophan; an amino acid needed for the production of serotonin and melatonin in the body. Both these chemicals are hormones secreted in our body for the induction of healthy sleep. Beans, meat, milk, and their products are the foods that are abundantly rich in this particular amino acid.

What nutritional supplements should I take for Insomnia?

Supplements for sleep are helpful when a person is not getting enough nutrition from natural foods or having difficulty in utilizing the nutrient content out of those healthy foods.

1.    Nuroton

Nuroton is a drug-free dietary supplement that contains Vitamin B3, Vitamin B6, and 5-HTP (a precursor for the production of serotonin). All these nutrients are involved in making mood better, inducing sound sleep and, reducing oxidative stress.

2.    Sleep Well

Sleep Well is a non-habit-forming dietary supplement that helps in inducing sleep and regulating mood swings like anxiety and stress. This supplement contains extracts of sleep-inducing herbs; Chamomile Flower, Passion Flower, and Valerian Root, along with melatonin which may help to relieve stress and jet lag.

3.    Melatonin and Melatonix

These two supplements are fortified with a certain amount of melatonin, a hormone required for sleep induction. On top of this, both dietary supplements are non-habit-forming in nature and can help in relieving jet lag.

References:

•    https://www.healthline.com/health/type-2-diabetes/smart-living-with-diabetes/diabetes-bed-routines#Eat-a-bedtime-snack

•    https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/5-benefits-of-chamomile-tea#TOC_TITLE_HDR_2

•    https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/insomnia/expert-answers/valerian/faq-20057875

•    https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-871/passionflower

•    https://www.ted.com/talks/matt_walker_how_caffeine_and_alcohol_affect_your_sleep