Magnesium taurate as a sleep aid
Lars
last year
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Lars
last yearRelated Discussions
Valerian for sleep aid/antidepressant?
Comments (3)First, let me remind you that there is really very little difference between a conventional medication and a herbal one. When using either of them, you need to consider that both can have unwanted side-effects, both have contraindications, interactions with other herbs/drugs etc. One is not necessarily safer than the other. I strongly suggest you consult a professional herbalist. Which does NOT mean a person standing on the other side of a serving counter handing out commercially-produced bottles of this and that! As with conventional medication, you need a herb and a dosage that suits YOU! The usual dosage for Valerian is: 300-500mg in capsule or tablet form one hour before bedtime for insomnia. 30g root per 600ml water as infusion. Take up to 3 cups per day. Tincture: 5ml taken before bedtime. Warning: Unpleasant side-effects (headaches, muscular spasms and palpitations) can occur with long-term use or with excessive doses. In extreme cases, it has been known to cause coma or even death. Poisoning may result if large amounts of the tea are taken for more than 2-3 weeks. Do not boil the root. Consuming large amounts of valerian may cause headache, giddiness, blurred vision, restlessness, nausea. It can act as a narcotic in large doses and can become addictive. Seek expert advice before using and use ONLY under expert supervision. I suspect that Valerian is not the herb you need for your anxiety and stress. I doubt it will do you any favours. Before you start popping pills (herbal or otherwise) consider other aspects of your life. Are you eating a good, healthy, balanced diet? Are you getting enough physical exercise? Are you getting enough natural sunlight on your skin? All these things (or lack of them) can affect both your mind and your body. Perhaps you could discuss with a herbalist safer and gentler herbs such as Hops, or Scullcap, or Catnip, or Passionflower, or Rose, or Lavender, or Chamomile. If using Lavender, drink a cup of the tea every second day, but you can always use it (fresh, dried or the essential oil) as aromatherapy. Try to increase your intake of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium. These are valuable minerals that can be depleted by stress. (Foods high in these minerals include Apricots, Asparagus, Avocados, Bananas, Broccoli, brewer's yeast, Brown Rice, dried Fruits, Figs, Fish (especially salmon), Garlic, green leafy vegetables, legumes, raw nuts and seeds, Soy products, whole grains, and yoghurt. Avoid foods that contain caffeine such as coffee, strong tea, chocolate, colas and other soft drinks that contain caffeine. You could also take vitamin B6 and thiamine daily. I sympathise with your situation. For 10 years I worked a full-time job, raised 2 children, and spent my evenings as a student at university. In between times, I had housework/lawn-mowing, and assignments and parental duties to attend to. I know how hard it can be. I survived on an average of 3-4 hours of sleep per night - but I think what kept me going was eating properly, and keeping physically active....See MoreAddicted to OTC Sleep Aids - Any Alternatives?
Comments (23)I am a diagnosed insomniac - have been to a sleep disorder clinic. I can't take over the counter sleep aids because they all seem to contain the same ingredient that is used in anti-histamines and decongestants - and I am allergic to said cold meds. I can't take codeine either. The "happy" shot before surgery doesn't take and a local that should keep an area numb for a couple of hours will burn off in 5 minutes - so procedures don't scare me, it is the knowing that I will feel the pain that does it. So I count to 3 and wait for it. I woke up still in the operating room after the surgeons yanked out a kidney stone and remembered the names of all of the nurses and doctors. I tried the Cdn. equivalent of Ambien - 5 days later I was still up. When I wake up - usually after 3 or 4 hours sleep I am instantly alert - should have been a brain surgeon. My husband has witnessed it - he wakes up and then goes back to sleep - but not me. And I have tried everything. The tapes knocked my husband and aunt out - all they did was irritate the heck out of me. I am in quite in good health for a 63 year old but as my doctor said I have these issues that make life miserable. I don't take pain killers either. Re Vioxx - I get migraines and zip worked - except Vioxx had the side effect of working on migraines. I only took one when desperate - so if I had 30 pills I would have 26 three years later. I was about to pop one when the recall notice came on the news so I didn't. I don't have a condition that would be aggravated by Vioxx, but no point in risking it. Good thing that I have perfect blood pressure even when I appear to be bouncing off the walls - the gold standard. It makes life hard though because it was hard enough when I was younger when people were constantly telling me how tired I looked - and at 63 well I do look older and tired. It is really hard to make plans not knowing how I will feel. I eat nothing from a can/box or anything that has been preserved to the best of my ability. I only eat anti-biotic free meat - which in Canada means our food bills are high....See MoreI would love a good night' sleep~~
Comments (38)Phoggie - your symptoms sound a lot like mine. I have/had arthritis and was on medication but they would always stop working or I would start to react to them. I wasn't ready to move on to the new medications and when I reacted to the last one I looked into the natural route. Two years later, after mastering my diet (for me, no gluten, no dairy (although I can handle whip cream (no additives) in my coffee and a bit of parmesan cheese), pea protein, soy, and recently just eliminated nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, all pepper including chili powders and paprika or any derivative) and officially, this past week I have no indication of anything! Before eliminating nightshades I had a lingering tightness but full use of my body which I was happy with but I know nightshades cause problems so I got rid of them. My joint issue is the last to resolve buy everything else resolved rather quickly - my heartbeat is normal (unless I cheat then it gets a little rapid for a couple of hours) but it was like yours, very slow (in the 50s) now it is good at 65, blood pressure, skin conditions (psoriasis and rosacea), hair grew back (it has been thinning for years now), no more sleepless nights (well, sometimes I have a few days where I get limited sleep but I'm not tired during this time, I just have less sleep?), regular periods and no more signs of endo., no fatigue, no aches (I would always get a feeling on my skin that it hurts, like I was at the beginning stage of a flu). I has been remarkable. I noticed things like canker sores and I asked my GP if my food had something to do with my conditions (before doing this diet) and he said no. I tested anyways:). Glad I did. My Rheumy is much more supportive and says "great" and is a bit curious. And my bloodwork shows no sign of inflammation or anything indicative of autoimmune conditions. Just google results of elimination diets and you will see so many personal stories of success. There are so many resources and support groups on line....See MoreWhat helped your sleep? mattress, foods, supplements, exercise?
Comments (42)While looking at the above government link, I notice San Jose, CA, has high sodium (Na) in their tap. My sister there has high blood pressure, while my blood pressure is low. But my risk of heart attack is higher than her, see below excerpt from WebMD "Higher doses of calcium increase the chance of having serious side effects. Some recent research also suggests that doses over the recommended daily requirement of 1000-1300 mg daily for most adults might increase the chance of heart attack. " http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-781-CALCIUM.aspx?activeIngredientId=781&activeIngredientName=CALCIUM Also see http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/256791.php "The finding came from a new study by a team of experts led by Qian Xiao, from the National Institutes of Health, and supports prior research from last year which indicated that calcium supplements are linked to a higher risk of heart attack." UPDATE: Bought 3 different brands of cherry juice to see if they help with sleep. Trader's Joe cherry juice is too sour & bitter. Indian Summer cherry juice is too watery. Neither of these help with my sleep. The cherry juice that helped was one from nearby Wisconsin (1 hour away) ... its FRESHNESS was what worked. In my experience, FRESH grapefruit works better than STALE cherry juice that was cooked (pasteurized), which destroyed the enzymes. Here's an excerpt from below link: http://bembu.com/foods-to-help-you-sleep 2. Grapefruit Eating grapefruit before bed has been an old wives’ tale for years, but as it turns out there’s a reason why this has been known to help sleep. It contains lycopene, an antioxidant in the body that has been shown to improve the way you sleep. Grapefruit can also help you lose weight if needed." I also notice that fish oil is very effective for good sleep. I took NOW fish oil, since it's the cheapest & best rated on Amazon, only 14 cents. I'm switching to NOW liquid fish oil, lemon flavor, since I get more Omega-3 per price-unit. Fish oil works when magnesium and cherry juice failed. There's days that I could not sleep, and fish oil did the job when nothing worked. I'm going to try cod-liver oil, to see if that helps with sleep & better skin & my vitamin D deficiency. Will report the result later. Both vitamin A and D is known to help with hormonal imbalance....See MoreLars
last yearLars
last year
daisychain Zn3b
last yearThanks for the reminder about magnesium. I have taken it in the past, but stopped when I was feeling like I was doing supplement overload. I've been having trouble sleeping so should try this in the evening rather than morning like I was doing.
I've found these charts helpful. There are others out there. I just grabbed these two as an example.
Lars thanked daisychain Zn3b
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