Healthy feet, healthy body with Lizelle

You probably know that poor sleep can have a terrible effect on your health. It raises your risk for many chronic conditions.

To solve your sleep problems, you may have tried popular natural sleep remedies like melatonin or valerian. Melatonin doesn’t work consistently for everyone. It can cause daytime drowsiness, headaches, anxiety and mood swings. As for valerian, it gives some people a morning “hangover” and has the added concern of potential liver toxicity.

Very often, the real reason you can’t fall asleep is because your body’s natural “excitement” and “calming” mechanism are out of whack.

Your body produces chemicals that excite your brain and nervous system. Your body also makes chemicals to calm down your brain and nervous system and help it relax.

If you have an imbalance in this system, chances are your body’s not going to be able to calm down enough to fall asleep quickly or stay asleep all night.

Different imbalances:

1. Stress and anxiety

We constantly have to deal with stress. You may find it hard to switch off at the end of the day.

This constant stress causes your body to release cortisol, the “fight or flight” hormone. But cortisol doesn’t just get you ready to slay a wild animal, it can also cause sleep problems.

Cortisol is your body’s “wake up” hormone. Your cortisol levels jump by 50% to 60% within minutes of waking up. Your cortisol levels should gradually decrease during the day, reaching the lowest point just before bedtime. If you’re constantly stressed or over stimulated during the day, your cortisol levels get stuck in high gear. High cortisol can make it difficult to fall asleep. Studies show that people with sleeping problems have the highest amount of cortisol in their bloodstream, especially in the evening.

Regular exercise helps to reduce cortisol levels. Try stress-reducing activities like yoga or meditation.

You don’t have to sedate yourself with drugs. What I prefer to do with my patients is to give them the nutrients the body needs to manufacture its own “natural sleep medicine.”

It supports your body’s own ability to regulate your excitatory and calming mechanism.

One of the best ways is with niacinamide, also known as vitamin B3. Niacinamide is a potent sleep inducer. It directly affects the “benzodiazepine” receptors in your brain. These are the same receptors that are targeted by a well-known anti-anxiety medicine. Niacinamide has been shown to induce a feeling of calmness. Niacinamide can help you relax, sleep better and lower the anxiety and stress.

2. Aching muscles and cramps

Many people take calcium to help maintain strong bones. Some people take it at bedtime. That may sound like a good idea, since your body loses calcium at night, but it’s not. That’s because calcium can make you feel anxious, and it causes your muscles to contract.

Calcium can also contribute to restless leg syndrome and leg cramps that can wake you up in the middle of the night and keep you up.

There’s a simple solution for aching muscles and cramps. Magnesium is a natural muscle relaxer and sedative. In fact, magnesium often reverses restless leg syndrome and cramping in legs and feet.