Six natural remedies for a restful night

1. Tryptophan: Better than a glass of warm milk
The body uses the amino acid tryptophan to produce serotonin and melatonin, both hormones that are essential for sleep. Serotonin is required to transmit nerve impulses from the brain and regulate mood in general. If you have trouble staying asleep, or wake frequently throughout the night, you’re likely low in these two hormones. The good news is certain seeds have high tryptophan numbers, which will not only help you sleep, but relax you overall.<!– BEGIN JS TAG – Chatelaine.CPGWomens-300×250

Bottom line: Reach for 100 grams of sesame seeds to get more than 1000 mg of tryptophan. The same amount of chia seeds have more than 700 grams of tryptophan, while pumpkin seeds have almost 600 mg. Pumpkin seeds also contain zinc, which can assist the brain in converting tryptophan into serotonin. In fact, pumpkin seed powder is the new ‘warm glass of milk’ when it comes to sleep remedies.

For a powerful evening snack mix ¼ cup of pumpkin seeds (or powder) with 1-2 tablespoon chia seeds and ¾ cup of unsweetened Greek yogurt.

2. Grab some walnuts
Like seeds, certain nuts will not only help balance your blood sugar levels but are also high in both melatonin and tryptophan. Raw nuts such as almonds and walnuts are an excellent choice for healthful, filling snacks. Research from the University of Texas Health Science Center found that walnuts are a source of melatonin. Melatonin not only improves our sleep but it also offers antioxidant protection. So walnuts just might be your secret weapon against sleeplessness nights, as well as cancer, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and cardiovascular illness.

Read more here

http://www.chatelaine.com/health/wellness/how-to-sleep-better-natural-recommendations/?DFIX

Foods to stimulate foods to calm

According to an article in Alternet Online Magazine, the information in which I trust , here are some foods to help you to sleep and to keep you awake:

Foods that promote sleep and calm:

pumpkin seeds, cottage cheese, sesame seeds, brown rice and spinach

Foods that promotes insomnia

refined carbs, MSG (monosodium glutamate), bacon, alcohol and chocolate.

Read more below:

http://www.alternet.org/module/printversion/149722

Old fashioned cold remedy turns out to be the best

Researchers are finding out what our grandmothers bet on that honey is soothing and much better for your cold than expensive cough syrups with all that sugar and additives.

that children who received a small dose of buckwheat honey before bedtime slept better and coughed less than those who received either a common over-the-counter cough suppressant (dextromethorphan) or nothing at all.

“This is the first time honey has been actually proven as a treatment,” says lead study author Dr. Ian Paul, a researcher at Penn State College of Medicine. He adds that honey has been recommended for ages by grandparents in certain cultures.

  Honey has certain healing properties that is missed in the  over the counter cough medicines.  It is also high in antioxidant properties.

  The research discovered that children when given a teaspoon of honey at night before going to bed slept a lot better than children who were not given honey for their cold.

The moral of this is that our grandparents had the right idea.