Is Your Insomnia Caused By A Mineral Deficiency?
Nov 20, 2007 Insomnia
Here's some more interesting research under the Watch What You Eat post.
According to a study done by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, there are several mineral deficiencies which MAY contribute to insomnia and sleeping problems.
Copper Deficiency Contributes To Sleep Problems - in some pre-menopausal women. Generally, those women who had a low copper intake took longer to fall asleep and felt less rested in the morning. Copper? Really? Geez, that's one of the LAST nutrients/minerals I would be thinking about.
So, what do you eat to get more copper? I found this list of Dietary Sources of Copper. Lobster and oysters seem to be high on the list (as evidenced by the little + symbols after them). I wonder how well that would fly next time I'm eating out and insist I have to eat more lobster in order to sleep well.
Of course, if you want a cheaper source of copper, you could go the supplement route. I would check with a doctor first to see if you're actually deficient first. Here's the supplement: Copper Supplement
Iron Deficiency- is another culprit for poor sleeping patterns. There's plenty of women that seem to have a problem in this area. Although I've read that combining iron with your multivitamin is NOT a good thing, here some food sources of iron: Dietary Sources of Iron
Too Much Aluminum - typically not a problem for most people, but if you take quite antacids in the liquid form, you may be getting too much aluminum. Try switching to the tablet kind.
Low Magnesium Levels - can contribute to shallow sleep and waking up more during the night. This can happen if you are on a calorie restricted diet or taking diuretics. Here's some dietary sources of magnesium: Food Sources of Magnesium .
You should definitely check with a doctor before taking magnesium supplements, especially if you have heart or kidney problems.
Here's a supplement source if you have a Magnesium Deficiency: Magnesium Supplement
GiGi
Tags: copper deficiency, Insomnia, magnesium supplements, mineral deficiencies
Preventing Insomnia - Watch What You Eat
Nov 8, 2007 Insomnia
There are many causes of insomnia and some of them are diet related. People that suffer from eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia and even obesity also often have insomnia or other problems sleeping. Obviously, those disorders require more care than tips on what to eat to prevent insomnia. Disruptive sleep patterns may be a sign that you are deficient in certain nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, copper, iron, zinc, and many B vitamins. For the rest of us , there are foods to avoid and dietary advice for preventing insomnia:
- Avoid caffeine late in the day. This includes coffee, tea, sodas, and chocolate.
- Cut back on alcohol consumption. It may seem relaxing at first, but usually causes sleep problems later
- Eat a lighter meal in the evening. Keep it healthy!
- Don't go to bed hungry.
Certain herbs are beneficial in promoting sleep and can be used in making bed-time teas. Some of these are valerian root, camomile, lemon balm and lavender. Of course, many of these herbs are available in ready-made teas you can buy in any grocery store.
