Skip to main content

Health notes: How do I break the cycle of insomnia?

0

View comments

How do I break the cycle of insomnia?

Like many of my 40-something friends, I have difficulty sleeping.

I don’t want to take drugs. Many of us suffer with insomnia, either long term or for short ‘acute’ periods. The key hormone involved in sleep is melatonin, which is – like all hormones – often affected by other life factors. Melatonin is stimulated by darkness and inhibited by light. It is also affected by stress, illness and hormonal flurries such as menopause. So it’s a volatile little beast, but there is a raft of non-drug solutions to help.

The Sleep Council is offering a free booklet called Get a Good Night’s Sleep, which offers seven practical steps. All the basic ideas are there, such as using blackout curtains, banning technology from your bedroom and taking exercise. Additionally, there are some interesting recent findings.

Swap to low-blue lightbulbs. Many indoor bulbs contain a high proportion of blue light, which can suppress melatonin production and leave us more alert. Increasing red and yellow wavelengths can help, along with glasses that reduce blue light exposure from screens. Try Low Blue Energy Saving Lamps, £19.95, Low Blue Lamps, £9.95 and Low Blue Lights Glasses, £29.99, from ronfellshop.com.

Eat a turkey sandwich before bed. The amino acid tryptophan, found in turkey, chicken and steak, helps you sleep better by increasing levels of the hormone serotonin, which turns into melatonin. But tryptophan needs some high glycaemic carbohydrate to help it work, thus the bread. Consider taking the food supplement Zenbev, derived from tryptophan-rich pumpkin seeds. Zenbev needs the dark to metabolise into melatonin so you will need a totally dark bedroom. Zenbev, £25.99, in lemon flavour, from Victoria Health (victoriahealth.com).

Montmorency cherry juice contains natural melatonin, and has been shown to help sleep. Sip diluted CherryActive Concentrate, £15.95, from Victoria Health, as above.

Download your free Get A Good Night’s Sleep guide and Sleep Well app, with a questionnaire, sleep solutions, relaxation exercises plus music, from sleepcouncil.org.uk, or tel: 0800 018 7923

Red T7 Straight on Glass of water.jpg

Tap into pure H2O

My colleague Victoria and her family are such converts to the Virgin Pure WaterBar that I am about to order one too. She reports: ‘I don’t like hard London water, bottled water is expensive, and filter jugs can be bacteria magnets.

'The Virgin Pure WaterBar is a counter-top unit which filters for chlorine, rust and dirt particles but leaves behind useful minerals, and zaps bacteria and viruses with a UV lamp.

'It does double duty as a kettle, giving (child-locked) boiling water for drinking and cooking. It costs 41p a day for unlimited, pure water – both cool and boiling – and there are energy-saving modes too. Filters last six months and UV lamps 12, which are replaced by a technician on your monthly subscription. Our family drinks much more water now, so it is worth the investment.’

The T6 WaterBar Pack costs £239, and them faster-flowing T7 £299, plus an £11.95 monthly subscription, from virgin-pure.com, tel: 0845 051 7919

One for your smile file

Here’s a nifty New Year health resolution. Use a tongue scraper regularly to remove the bugs that cluster there, causing bad breath and gum disease. Our tester says: ‘The DenTek Comfort Clean Tongue Cleaner has a curved plastic surface, which you run gently over your tongue to remove any yucky stuff. My tongue looks better and my mouth feels fresher.’ £3.99, amazon.co.uk.

Free skincare: from mio to you!

Try gorgeous Mama Mio skincare for free, plus receive a personalised report on how to love your skin. Simply fill in the Fit Skin test by visiting fitskinforlife.com/you, and Mama Mio will send the first 1,000 YOU readers to fill out the questionnaire a Try Me Trio of High Protein Face Care, worth £23, along with your own Fit Skin report.

Email your questions to s.stacey@you.co.uk

All products mentioned, unless otherwise specified, are available by mail order from Victoria Health, tel: 0800 3898 195; victoriahealth.com

&


Popular posts from this blog

Study Abroad USA, College of Charleston, Popular Courses, Alumni

Thinking for Study Abroad USA. School of Charleston, the wonderful grounds is situated in the actual middle of a verifiable city - Charleston. Get snatched up by the wonderful and customary engineering, beautiful pathways, or look at the advanced steel and glass building which houses the School of Business. The grounds additionally gives students simple admittance to a few major tech organizations like Amazon's CreateSpace, Google, TwitPic, and so on. The school offers students nearby as well as off-grounds convenience going from completely outfitted home lobbies to memorable homes. It is prepared to offer different types of assistance and facilities like clubs, associations, sporting exercises, support administrations, etc. To put it plainly, the school grounds is rising with energy and there will never be a dull second for students at the College of Charleston. Concentrate on Abroad USA is improving and remunerating for your future. The energetic grounds likewise houses various

Best MBA Online Colleges in the USA

“Opportunities never open, instead we create them for us”. Beginning with this amazing saying, let’s unbox today’s knowledge. Love Business and marketing? Want to make a high-paid career in business administration? Well, if yes, then mate, we have got you something amazing to do!   We all imagine an effortless future with a cozy house and a laptop. Well, well! You can make this happen. Today, with this guide, we will be exploring some of the top-notch online MBA universities and institutes in the USA. Let’s get started! Why learn Online MBA from the USA? Access to More Options This online era has given a second chance to children who want to reflect on their careers while managing their hectic schedules. In this, the internet has played a very crucial in rejuvenating schools, institutes, and colleges to give the best education to students across the globe. Graduating with Less Debt Regular classes from high reputed institutes often charge heavy tuition fees. However onl

Sickening moment maskless 'Karen' COUGHS in the face of grocery store customer, then claims she doesn't have to wear a mask because she 'isn't sick'

A woman was captured on camera following a customer through a supermarket as she coughs on her after claiming she does not need a mask because she is not sick.  Video of the incident, which has garnered hundreds of thousands of views on Twitter alone, allegedly took place in a Su per Saver in Lincoln, Nebraska according to Twitter user @davenewworld_2. In it, an unidentified woman was captured dramatically coughing as she smiles saying 'Excuse me! I'm coming through' in the direction of the customer recording her. Scroll down for video An unidentified woman was captured dramatically coughing as she smiles saying 'Excuse me! I'm coming through' in the direction of a woman recording her A woman was captured on camera following a customer as she coughs on her in a supermarket without a mask on claiming she does not need one because she is not sick @chaiteabugz #karen #covid #karens #karensgonewild #karensalert #masks we were just wearing a mask at the store. ¿ o