Nutrition question for Shelshula or Kathryn

janie1234

janie1234

Cathlete
Hello. I don't mean to single either of you out from this forum and this question is open to anyone who may have an answer. I've just noticed that you both seem to be very knowledgable with regards to nutrition and supplements and I was hoping to see if I could get your advice on something. I pretty much each clean. You know the basics, whole grains, lean protein, veggies, and fruit and I exercise 6 days a week in 1 hour sessions. I have terrible insomnia. I'm looking for a natural energy boost and stumbled upon this all in one supplement called Burn 60
Guarana Seed Extract 495 mg
Black Tea Leaves Extract 272 mg
MegaNatural Grape Skin and Seed Extract 210 mg
Ginger Root Extract 200 mg
MegaNatural 125 mg
Dill Weed Extract 5 mg
I know this may sound silly but I fear supplements. Natural or not and I'm nervous about taking something that may have some weird side affect. My Dr. prescribed ambien to help me sleep and I kept it for a month before trying it because I was scared of how my body would react. So my problem is that I need sleep but I also need to function in the day and maybe you can reccomend a specific diet or supplement that has worked for you? I'd appreciate any info.
Many thanks,
Sleepless in California
 
Not Shelshula or Kathryn here, but I would be more inclined to not take prescription medications because of the side effects. When my husband and I cannot sleep we take L-tryptophan along with some vitamin B6.
 
You may be very surprised to learn that certain meds/supplements do not mix well and you would be well advised to speak with a professional (i.e. your doctor(s) and pharmacist).
 
>I have terrible insomnia. I'm looking for
>a natural energy boost and stumbled upon this all in one
>supplement called Burn 60
>Guarana Seed Extract 495 mg
>Black Tea Leaves Extract 272 mg
>MegaNatural Grape Skin and Seed Extract 210 mg
>Ginger Root Extract 200 mg
>MegaNatural 125 mg
>Dill Weed Extract 5 mg


My first question is why are you looking for a stimulant (which this is) when you already have insomnia? It seems to be counterproductive. Sure, it might give you a boost of energy, seemingly compensating for lack of sleep, but it's a bit like robbing Peter to pay Paul: getting a boost of 'artificial' (even though from 'natural' ingredients...though I wonder what that "Mega Natural" is?) energy without giving real energy. I hesitate to give recommendations for energy boosters when clearly the insomnia needs to be dealth with first. (there is a current thread on energy boosters on this forum, where you can find some info).

I'd work on getting more sleep.
For insomnia, some helps could be (depending on the reasons for the insomnia--first figure out WHY you can't sleep--the solution will come from knowing the cause, and won't involve just treating the symptoms):

Get a new bed! (I have recently discovered how much this can help. I had been sleeping on a ---cringes--20+-year-old futon, and just changed to a sleep-number bed. I sleep straight through the night, except if I have to get up and pee!)

Get a new pillow (different types work for different people, but in general, one with a neck support is best).

Play with timing of workouts. Working out too late (individual) can interfere with sleep. Morning through late afternoon are the best bets.

Make sure your bedroom is dark enough. Try a sleep mask (look in the luggage section of Walmart, where they carry a nice shaped one that doesn't put pressure on the eyelids, and allows for REM).

Try ear plugs.

If your insomnia can be due to sinus congestion and drainage, try elevating the head of your bed a few inches (use wood blocks). This helps the sinuses drain during the night rather than congest.

If you are woken up by having to go to the bathroom several times a night, try stopping fluid intake at least 2 hours before bedtime.

If you take calcium supplements, take them before bedtime (about an hour, to allow them to go through your system a bit before you lie down). Calcium is a natural calmative, and you might as well do something that you already do (take calcium) at a time that is most beneficial for your insomnia.

>I know this may sound silly but I fear supplements. Natural or
>not and I'm nervous about taking something that may have some
>weird side affect.

It doesn't sound silly at all. Americans are over-drugged (A very good book on the subject "Overdosed America"), and many doctors are too influenced by the pharmaceutical industry and too eager to prescribe drugs. I avoid medication unless absolutely necessary (ie: antibiotics to deal with infection). I don't even have aspirin or ibuprofen in the house!

There is no drug without side effects (though giving things like "kidney failure", "liver damage" or "death" the benigh-sounding term "side effects" seems a bit odd, doesn't it?). I believe 100% in figuring out the cause of problems and dealing with them, rather than just taking a drug to treat symptoms (drugs which can cause OTHER symptoms).

I agree with avoiding Ambien (the side effects of which can include sleep-eating or sleep-DRIVING:eek: )

HTH!
 
Thanks Beaves, . . . I do worry about this. I have an appointment Friday and I'll be sure to ask but in the past Dr.'s tend to poo-poo supplements that are not approved by the FDA.
 
Hey Kathryn. Trust me I've tried all of the above, room darkness, bed, pillows, yoga, soft music, and I don't have allergies or sleep apnea. I've talked to my Doc about the whole robbing Peter to pay Paul thing. She actually said the same thing, but here is my problem, I can't sleep, I've established that, but with little sleep functioning in the day is really hard. I have 2 little ones, one of them is autistic. I work part time from home but that also requires me to be alert I deal with numbers. So in order to function in the day I need the caffine boost. I'm also afraid to drive especially with my kids in the car because I am so tired so I just don't drive. Here is the weird thing, I can't take naps. I just can't. I try as hard as I can but I can't take a nap, therefore I'm sorta in this desprate cycle or 3-4 hours of sleep at night and fatigue in the day. I agree that I need to fix the sleeping problem though. I think I'll try that route. Thanks for the advice everyone!!
 
> I don't have
>allergies or sleep apnea.
Are you sure?
Many people with sleep apnea don't know they have it.

If there is any way you can go to a sleep clinic (if your doctor refers you, will your insurance pay for it), they may be able to figure out what is going on and find something that helps.

I don't often have insomnia, but the rare times I do (usually under stress), I know how aweful it is to try to function the next day. I can't imagine what it would be like on a continual basis!
 
I've thought about a sleep clinic. My insurance may pay for it if I keep bugging my GP practictioner. We pay $850 a month for medical insurance you would think that they would pay for a referral to a sleep clinic. I don't know if it is a genetic thing, my Dad a retired US Naval Officer got a job working graveyard with the US Post office for the past 10 years and never slept more than 5 hours a day. He's now retired from the Post Office and he still can only sleep for up to 5 hours. After a while you get used to it but I don't know if its the hormones or turning 33 that has been making it much harder to function with little sleep. Workouts are harder to do and keeping up with kids is no walk in the park either. You may be right about the sleep apnea. Is there a way of checking? Could it be some sort of hormonal imbalance thing. Thanks Kathryn for the input. It always helps to hear what others have to say and I truly appreciate your suggestions as well as the opinions of everyone else on this forum.
 
Janie, were you tested for food allergies, by any chance? I used to feel like I OD'd on Tylenol PM all day long, I was so tired. It turned out I was highly allergic to certain foods - had no idea!

I started seeing a naturopath because no specialist I saw could nail it down. The first thing she said when she met me was that almost any chronic symptom can be traced back to some sort of allergy, it's just a matter of finding out what it is.
 
> You may
>be right about the sleep apnea. Is there a way of checking?

The sleep clinic would be able to diagnose it with their monitoring and observation. I still think this is the way to go.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top