Sleep Aids

[Aveld]

I had originally posted a few days ago about "Sleeping Terrible"...

 

Has anyone ever tried Unisom or know if it's Whole30 approved? 

 

I take the Natural Calm, eat a Whole30 diet, low stressed life, yet still have issues... I'm thinking it's hormones, but until I can get tested heard Unisom was an option.

 

Thoughts?

[Tom Denham]

I would not take Unisom. It is outside the range of aids recommended around here. Meds like that tend to keep the problem dragging along instead of getting you to a better place.

 

Basic sleep practices include avoiding screens for at least one hour before bed. The blue light from computer monitors, iPads, televisions, etc. interfere with sleep hormones.

 

It is also important to wind down. Being busy before sleep causes problems.

 

Another point is sleeping in a totally dark room. Our bodies respond to light. Sleep quality improves in full darkness. 

 

We need to finish eating 1-2 hours before sleep so that digestion does not have much influence on sleep.

 

Most people sleep better in a cool room.

 

Personally, I take timed-release melatonin just before bed (5 mg). The non-timed-release wore off for me in the middle of the night, but the timed-release stuff seems to keep working through the night.

 

Natural Calm is good. It's sedative effect helps you get to sleep, but does not have much influence on staying asleep.

 

One really important key to sleeping at night is eating a big breakfast within one hour of waking in the morning. You start getting your hormones into their proper rhythm first thing in the morning. If you are not sleeping well, it is especially important that you get up in the morning and eat. 

 

You may need to avoid caffeine after lunch time and it wouldn't hurt to cut it out altogether.