Sleep is an essential aspect of our lives, yet it's often overlooked or undervalued. We spend approximately a third of our lives asleep, and the quality of our sleep can have a significant impact on our physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Unfortunately, many of us struggle with sleep-related issues such as insomnia, sleep apnea, or even just poor sleep quality.
Whether you're looking to improve your sleep hygiene, overcome sleep disorders, or simply learn more about the science of sleep, you've come to the right place. So, let's dive in and discover the secrets of a good night's sleep!
As usual, I'll break it down into four parts:
1. How to Sleep Deeply and Wake Up Refreshed?
It is recommended to take long walks when you have sleeping problems. Potassium, Magnesium, and Phosphorus are the key minerals for sleep and you can get it from leafy greens, vegetables and meat. Phosphorus is an accelerator of the nervous system, and consuming too much protein and not enough vegetables could also cause problems with sleep.
Let us discuss the things that could interfere with your sleep.
Reasons for Not Being Able to Sleep:
1. Coffee and tea as it has too much caffeine
2. Chocolate as it has stimulants.
3. Overtraining could cause a high pulse rate at night.
4. Sitting on the computer all-day
5. Consuming too many refined carbs and sugar
6. Consuming too much protein and not enough vegetables.
7. Consuming too much fat at night
8. Excessive Thinking
9. Muscle Cramps
10. Digestion problems like SIBO, Bloating, Gas, and Disruption in the Bowels
11. Overactive Adrenal Glands because Adrenal helps regulate stress.
12. Stress
13. Bladder problems like Prostate, Menopause, and Insulin Resistance
Possible Causes of High Pulse Rate:
1. Acidic pH
2. Potassium Deficiency since Potassium is a physiological tranquillizer that calms the nervous system down.
Things that Prevent You from Going to Sleep:
• Watching TV before going to bed
• EMF – Electromagnetic Field
• Light – Darkness stimulates a sleep hormone called melatonin.
• Breathing – Slow down your inhalation and exhalation in 5 seconds to calm down your nervous system.
Key Minerals for Sleep:
• Potassium
• Magnesium
• Phosphorus from Meat, fish, and eggs
2. What are the Eight Different Reasons for Poor Sleep?
I want to cover the different reasons why you can’t sleep. Sleep is very important for the body, for everything from memory to metabolism.
8 reasons for poor sleep:
1. Cramping
Remedies:
• Calcium
• Magnesium
2. Hot flashes
Remedies:
• Iodine (sea kelp)
• Vitamin E (tocotrienols)
• Calcium D-Glucarate
3. Sinus congestion
Remedies:
• Avoid dairy
• Oregano
• Garlic
4. Excessive urination
Remedies:
• Lower your insulin (healthy low-carb diet and intermittent fasting)
5. Restless leg syndrome
Remedies:
• Vitamin B1 (nutritional yeast)
• Omega-3 fatty acids
• Don’t overtrain.
6. Sleep apnea
Remedies:
• Lower your insulin (healthy low-carb diet and intermittent fasting)
7. High cortisol
Remedies:
• Decrease stimulants (caffeine, coffee, tea, chocolate, etc.)
• Walk
• Do physical work
• Don’t have bright lights on right before you go to bed.
• Reduce your exposure to EMFs.
8. You just can’t fall asleep.
Reasons why you can’t fall asleep:
• High pulse rate (lack of potassium or your pH is too acidic)
• Too much caffeine
• Bloating
• Not consuming enough potassium (vegetables)
• Not relaxing
• Consuming restaurant foods
3. Eat These Seven Foods if You Want to Sleep Quickly, Deeply, and Without Anxiety
Let's talk about the seven foods that will help you sleep better and get to sleep faster.
Foods for better sleep:
1. Celery
Celery contains a chemical that lowers blood pressure and affects the central nervous system, giving it a calming effect. Just three celery stalks could help you relax.
2. Cheese
Cheese contains calcium, which relaxes the muscles and nervous system.
3. Green peppers
Green peppers are high in vitamin C. Vitamin C increases oxygen in the blood and supports the adrenals.
4. Apple cider vinegar
Apple cider vinegar supports healthy pH and oxygen levels.
5. Molasses
Molasses has a lot of potassium, magnesium, calcium, and iron. These minerals help calm the nervous system. Only try molasses if you’re not trying to lose weight.
6. Almonds
Almonds are loaded with magnesium. Magnesium helps keep the heart in rhythm and helps the muscles and nervous system relax.
7. 7–10 cups of salad or vegetables every day
This gives you a lot of potassium, magnesium, and other minerals, some of which are physiological tranquillizers.
4. How do You Get More REM Sleep?
REM sleep is vital to a healthy mind and mood.
During a good night’s sleep, you will go through four to six 90-minute cycles of sleep. There are four stages in each cycle. These are broken up into NREM (non-REM) and REM.
NREM is the deeper form of sleep that helps with body repair, detoxification, rejuvenation, and an increase in growth hormone. NREM sleep typically happens earlier in the cycle, and REM sleep happens later in each cycle.
REM sleep is more superficial. This is where most people have a problem. REM sleep is where you get your mental repair—it’s important for memory and learning. Many people don’t get the full REM sleep they need to support their minds. REM sleep is very similar to being awake. In fact, it can use up even more energy than you use while you’re awake. In REM sleep, you are more sensitive to temperature. So if your environment is too cool or warm, it can inhibit REM sleep.
In summary, NREM sleep is for physical rejuvenation, and REM sleep is for mental rejuvenation.
The question is, "What can you do to improve your REM sleep?"
I have five remedies you can use. Take a look.
1. Relax the muscles around your brainstem.
2. Get your breathing balanced.
3. Adjust your blanket.
4. Increase acetylcholine (vitamin B1/nutritional yeast)
5. Reduce stress, as this is the biggest barrier to sleep.
Let me know your thoughts below.
References:
The effect of magnesium supplementation on primary insomnia in elderly: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3703169/
Sleep and Nutrition Interactions: Implications for Athletes: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30979048/
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