How Diet and Excercise Play A Role

Much of the following information is adapted from No More Sleepless Nights, a Proven Program to Conquer Insomnia by Dr. Peter Hauri and Dr. Shirley Linde. It's a valuable resource for anyone looking for more information on treating insomnia.

Healthy diet and exercise are two keys to good health - and they also play important roles in helping you sleep better. Regardless of other factors, you'll sleep better if you're healthy. Benefits of regular exercise and a good diet include reducing the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, obesity, and a host of other problems.

A Good Sleeper's Diet

Following the rules below should help improve your sleep:

• Eat lots of salads and vegetables. The fresher they are, the more nutrients they have and the more benefit you'll get.
• Eat lots of whole grains and fibre-rich foods. Potatoes, fruits, salads and veggies, whole-grain breads, and unsweetened cereals should become part or your everyday diet. Remember to eat at least 5 helpings of fruit and vegetables each day.
• Eat a variety of foods. Your body needs more than 50 nutrients for optimal health, and not all of them can be found in a single food. So the wider variety you eat, the greater the chances that you'll get those vitamins and minerals.
• Limit fat. An important health tip for general health, fat content should not exceed 30 percent of the total calories in your diet. Avoid rich sauces, breading, deep fried foods, and a lot of red meat.
• Limit alcohol and caffeine. Cutting down on alcohol and caffeine is one of the most important things you can do to improve your sleep, especially if you suffer from insomnia. And drink 6 to 8 glasses of water every day.
• Eat your dinner about four hours before bedtime. Dinners should be on the light side. If you're going to have a large meal, make it breakfast. Lunches should be moderate. Research suggests that calories consumed early in the day are burned more efficiently than calories taken in at dinnertime.
• Look for foods rich in B vitamins, calcium, magnesium, zinc, copper, and iron. These nutrients have been shown to help some people sleep better.

Does Melatonin Work?

You may have read about melatonin, the hormone related to the body's 24-hour circadian rhythm. Although not all the facts are in about melatonin, we do know that melatonin signals to the brain that it's time to go to bed. For some people, low doses of melatonin (around 0.3 mg) can influence their brain's "perception" of bedtime and gradually help them sleep at night and wake in the morning. Larger doses (3 to 5 mg) may have a sedative effect and induce sleep in some people.

It should be noted, however, that melatonin is a powerful hormone and has other regulating effects. Animal studies have shown that melatonin decreases sex-hormone production. It is also involved in the regulation of blood flow and has other possible coronary effects. Melatonin may even increase depression in some people. The best bet is to consult your doctor before taking melatonin. If you do decide to take it, use it infrequently at low doses.

Exercise Helps Sleep, Too

Exercise helps to tire the body and increases your fitness, helping to facilitate good sleep. Exercise even helps you sleep more deeply. Working out during the late afternoon and early evening hours has a greater effect on sleep than exercise in the morning or late evening.

Exercise also produces mood elevators called endorphins. Endorphins are naturally occurring brain chemicals that relieve depression and produce a sense of well-being. Most mild forms of depression and anxiety that involve insomnia are directly influenced by exercise. Even walking briskly for 20 minutes three to four times per week can increase endorphin levels and help some people sleep better.