1. Over-thinking and overheating at night. If you find that your chattering mind won’t turn off at night, 3 grams of glycine (a non-essential amino acid) taken at bedtime has been shown in studies to help alleviate this problem. “Glycine undergoes passive diffusion through the blood-brain barrier and acts primarily on N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDA). Its actions on the NMDA receptor are believed responsible for inhibiting muscle activity during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, and for lowering core body temperature to facilitate sleep. Oral glycine administration also increases serotonin levels without increasing dopamine levels to help normalize circadian rhythms. In addition to helping objectively normalize the physiology of sleep, oral glycine supplementation was shown to ameliorate the subjective symptoms of sleep deprivation] On testing, subjects report improved sleep satisfaction and decreased daytime sleepiness and cognitive impairment.” Additionally, if you wake up in the night with “spinning thoughts,” a pinch of glycine under the tongue can help.
2. Get to sleep and stay asleep. Bone broth can make a huge difference in your sleep. If you wake up in the middle of the night, mix up a cup of warm bone broth. It should help you get back to sleep. Drink one cup before bed to help you fall asleep. Glycine (see above) deficiency, which can be caused from overeating muscle meats and not eating glycine-rich bone broth or organ meats, can affect your serotonin production. Serotonin is required for melatonin production) and thus impacts sleep.
So how can you avoid being deficient in glycine? Consume bone broth, bone marrow and organ meats (and take glycine) while reducing your intake of muscle meats. A great sleep-enhancer is to have a cup of bone broth a couple hours before bed. Try it and see how you sleep!
3. Insomnia caused by adrenal fatigue. Feed your adrenals with Vitality Renew. Also, see my book The Juice Lady’s Remedies for Stress and Adrenal Fatigue. You could also try the recipe below before bed.
4. Stress-induced insomnia. Stress can cause many a sleepless night. It is important to use deep breathing to help you release stress throughout the day. The emWave2 comes with game programs for your computer. I have a couple of favorites among the game options. Stress me—it really does help.
- 1/2 cup orange juice (or add powdered vitamin C to a different juice such as veggie juice)
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
Mix and drink.
Note: Cream of tartar is high in potassium, an element that is essential for the sodium/potassium balance in cells, vital organs (liver), muscles, nerves and the digestive system.
Himalayan salt contains 84 essential minerals and elements found in the human body, helping feed the adrenals and refresh the body’s sodium/potassium pump. {eoa}
Cherie Calbom, MSN, is known as The Juice Lady, TV chef and celebrity nutritionist, and has helped in pioneering the fresh-juice movement around the world. A graduate of Bastyr University with a Master of Science in whole-foods nutrition, Calbom is the author of 31 books. She has worked as a nutritionist with George Foreman and Richard Simmons and has appeared on numerous radio and TV shows and in scores of magazine articles. She and her husband offer Health and Wellness Juice and Raw-Foods Retreats throughout the year.
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