Diet Cure for Insomnia - Home remedies, symptom, cause, treatment of Insomnia

What is Insomnia?

The term insomnia literally denotes a complete lack of sleep. It is, however, used to indicate a relative inability to sleep that consists of difficulty in falling asleep, difficulty in staying asleep, early awakening or a combination of any of these complaints. Insomnia deprives the person of mental rest and thereby interferes with his activities in the day time. It constitutes a severe health hazard when it becomes a habit.

Insomnia is common among the elderly for a variety of reasons. The sleep of the elderly is often punctuated by brief periods of wakefulness during the night. IN such cases it is the quality rather than the quantity which is most affected. With age, there is a gradual reduction of period of deep sleep. Sleep requirements also diminish with ageing. From nine hours of sleep per night at the age of 12 the average sleep needs decrease to eight hours at the age of 20 , seven hours at 40, 6 1/2 hours at 60 and 6 hours at 80.

What are the symptom of Insomnia?

Although difficulty in staying asleep is the most common type of insomnia, the single symptom that most frequently makes the onset of insomnia is the difficulty in falling asleep. The signs of pathological insomnia are dramatic changes in the duration and quality of sleep, persistent changes in sleep patterns, lapses of memory and lack of concentration during the day. Other symptoms are emotional instability, loss of coordination, confusion and a lingering feeling of indifference.

What are the causes of Insomnia?

The most common cause of sleeplessness is mental tension brought about by anxiety, worries, overwork and overexcitment. Suppressed feelings of resentment, anger and bitterness may also cause insomnia. Constipation, dyspepsia, overeating at night, excessive intake of starches, sweets, tea or coffee and going to bed hungry are among the other causes. Smoking is another unsuspected cause of insomnia as it irritates the nervous system, especially the nerves of the digestive system. Environment factors such as overcrowding, excessive noise and poor bedding or housing conditions may also lead to transient sleep difficulties. Often, worrying about falling asleep is enough to keep one awake.

Dietary Treatment of Insomnia and home remedies

Sleeping pills are no remedy for sleeplessness. They are habit-forming and become less effective when taken continuously. The side-effects of sleeping pills include indigestion, skin rashes, lowered resistance to infection, circulatory and respiratory problems, poor appetite, high blood pressure , kidney and liver problems and mental confusion.

Diet is an important factor in the treatment of insomnia. Research has shown that people with chronic insomnia almost have marked deficiencies of such key nutrients as B-complex vitamins and vitamin C and D as also calcium, magnesium , manganese, potassium and zinc. The sleep mechanism is unable to function efficiently unless each of these nutrients is present in adequate amounts in the diet.

The patient may adopt an all-fruit diet for three or four days at the beginning of the treatment. In this regimen, he should have three meals a day of fresh juicy fruits such as oranges, grapes, apples, pears, peaches, and pineapples .This will help cleanse the blood stream and relieve possible digestive and intestinal disturbances. The bowels should be cleansed daily with a warm water enema during this period.

After the all-fruit diet, the patient may follow a modified eating pattern in which breakfast should consist of fresh and dried fruits, seeds and yogurt. Of the two main meals, one should consist of a large mixed salad and the other should be protein based. A cup of milk sweetened with honey at bedtime is helpful as the amino acid tryptophan contained in the milk induces sleep. Celery is also considered beneficial in the treatment of insomnia. Its characteristic small arising from the concentration of plant hormones and essential oils induce sleep.