Dr. HingHau Tsang's Crusade on Nutrition

• Keep your bedroom cool, dark and quite. Sleep at the same times every night. Light exposure during the night disrupts melatonin production and interferes with sleep. Research suggests that you don't even have to see the light to be affected by it. This bodes poorly for people who fall asleep with the TV or lights on. A low-watt night-light in an adjacent bathroom is acceptable, but otherwise keep the lights off and the shades drawn at night. Use a firm mattress and warm comforter.
• Avoid excessive sugar, alcohol, tea and coffee (with caffeine). Don't use stimulants such as caffeine and nicotine 8 hours before sleeping. Drink non-stimulating herbal teas such as chamomile tea-caffeine free - a centuries-old sleep tonic, before retiring. This soothing herb will aid your digestion, too.
• Avoid taking OTC painkillers, cold and allergy medicine which contain caffeine and ephedrine causing insomnia (e.g. anacin, excedrin, midol, sudafed etc).
• Exercise: It is one of the best sleep aids around. Exercise literally changes your brain chemistry. Exercise helps relieve sleep-disrupting anxiety and depression by activating the endorphin system and generating a sense of well-being. Twenty to 30 minutes daily of moderately vigorous exercise is probably the single most powerful and effective antidote for insomnia.
• If necessary, take Melatonin lozenge 20-30 min before bedtime. It is a natural hormone which gives us the signal to sleep. It is also very useful for banishing jet lag. This sleep-inducing hormone is produced by the pineal gland in response to changes in light. When darkness falls, levels of this hormone rise. Unfortunately, melatonin production drops as we age, and for many older people, the quality of sleep also deteriorates. Valerian, used as a natural sedative, is another effective regimen for insomnia. Valerian contains a powerful sleep-inducing compound called valeric acid, is the most widely used sleep aid in Europe.
• Reduce muscle tension with 1,000 mg of Magnesium daily. Insomnia is often a sign of a magnesium deficiency. Magnesium is a known muscle and nerve relaxant.
• 5 HTP is a brain serotonin precursor. 5-HTP is safe and effective in reducing symptoms of fibromyalgia, Insomnia, Depression and Migraine headaches. It is safe, effective in appetite reduction and weight loss. For insomnia, a single 100-mg nighttime dose of 5-HTP was sufficient to improve the duration and depth of sleep in one placebo-controlled trial.
• Stress-induced sleeplessness - Increased or prolonged exposure to stress can lead to elevated cortisol levels. Research has shown that maintaining healthy cortisol levels can reduce stress, relieve sleeplessness and fatigue, optimize immune system and neurological function. Cortisol Manager decreased salivary cortisol levels in relation to baseline study. (Please read Newsletter #128 --- Update on stress and Cortisol control). Cortisol Manager is a safe and natural formula to increase the ability to fall asleep, stay asleep, while also providing all-day stress reduction. Long-term use supports healthy cortisol levels, which in turn can help reduce stress, relieve ocasional sleeplessness and fatigue, optimize immune system and neurological function.

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