Sleeplessness-insomnia- sleep patterns
Sleeplessness
I want to start by discussing the most commonly, and erroneously, used method for inducing sleep: It is such a shame because, while they may work in the short term, they cause more problems that just insomnia in the long term.
Rarely do orthodox doctors tell us that 65 prescription drugs and more than 100 over-the-counter medicines contain sleep-discouraging caffeine. In the case of prescriptions, ask the pharmacist. In the case of over-the-counter medications, read the label-or you will be counting sheep until the cows come home!
No doctor can truly evaluate insomnia in a patient until the patient is drug-free. Sleeping pills prescribed by doctors (which add up to about 25 million prescriptions annually) interfere with normal sleep patterns and can actually cause the disorder.
Although there are hundreds of tranquilizers and many kinds of sedatives on the market, we have just begun to learn that many of these drugs do not offer natural sleep; instead they change the quality of sleep. Such interference can wreak havoc with a patient's health, a matter that we should seriously consider when orthodox doctors offer us prescriptions for them.
At what was probably the high point of America's craze for prescription drugs, in 1967 Americans spent about $300 million on tranquilizers and drugs to combat mild anxiety. Prescription sedatives were running about $70 million and would have been higher if the Drug Abuse Control Law of 1966 had not cut down on the indiscriminate refilling of old prescriptions.
Time-honored folk medicine tells us that a banana, a medium-sized tomato, or a handful of walnuts can beat sleeplessness.
Modern biochemists tell us why. They contribute to the making of serotonin, a brain neurotransmitter which produces a calming effect.
Some people I know follow the folklore method of luring sleep by eating lettuce. One friend puts a whole head of lettuce at her bedside and tears off chunks to nibble on. Soon she is fast asleep. If she wakes up during the night, she eats more lettuce and usually gets desired results.
Imagine lying in a field of daisies, the sun shining down on you. Make you sleep? NO? Well, the next best thing is a tea made of the daisies, camomile.
Camomile tea is a marvelous nerve soother and sleep gatherer.
It is also easily found, either fresh or in tea bags, in your supermarket.
A hops pillow, as strange as that sounds, will help you relax and fall asleep. Use a generous amount of dried hops and sprinkle with a little alcohol to charge the active properties of the herb. Envelope the greenery in a small cloth pillow and tuck it inside the pillowcase along with your regular pillow. It works!
