Video above: In the movie Fight Club, Edward Norton’s character explains the pains and stresses of dealing with insomnia.
I dealt with insomnia for several years and it was, pun intended, a total nightmare. I was constantly irritable, exhausted, anxiety ridden, and felt like I was performing only at Air Jordan 2010 a fraction of what I was really capable of. My ability to sleep drastically improved once I started practicing good sleeping habits (also known as sleep hygiene), cleaned up my diet, and committed to exercising every single day.
However, I still experienced sleeplessness more often than I liked. I don’t like relying on pills or OTC medicines since most of them leave me groggy and hungover the next day. And while there are Air Jordan Future several food based methods that can help alleviate insomnia, there’s one sure fire method that works for me every night, without fail.
Almonds Will Help You Get Your ZzzsIf, like me, you’re the type of person who gets into bed and just can’t fall asleep or get a truly restful deep night of sleep no matter how active you KOBE 9 were during the day, eat an ounce of almonds about half an hour before bedtime. Raw almonds are best, but lightly roasted and salted work fine, although they may make you thirsty.
A couple of tablespoons of pure almond butter will aOlernKienOP Air Jordan 23s How To Convert a Garage Into a Game Room work, too, if you don’t have the whole nuts handy. I’ve heard almond milk will do in a pinch, but I haven’t tried it out. Almond milk has undergone a lot of processing unless you make it yourself, and I prefer to stick with the whole food. Hands down, having a pre bedtime snack of almonds is the most reliable method I’ve found for relieving insomnia.
From top to bottom: shelled and unshelled almonds.
Image via Shutterstock Almonds are little, aOlernKienOP Air Jordan 4s The History of Keeneland er, almond shaped nutritional powerhouses. One ounce, or about 23 whole kernels, have 76 mg of magnesium. (The general RDA is 300 mg/women and 400 mg/men, although it varies depending on age and pregnancy).
Could Magnesium Relieve Sleeplessness?Magnesium is a crucial element that most Americans don’t get enough of. It’s vital for helping smooth muscles relax and has been studied for its ability to help alleviate insomnia in the elderly and restless leg syndrome.
In Magnesium and the Central Nervous System edited by Robert Vink and Mihai Nechifor, the researchers write that adults who have chronic sleep deprivation usually have very low levels of magnesium. They also note that magnesium is crucial for activating GABA receptors, which help your nervous system deal with fear and anxiety if your neurons aOlernKienOP Jordan Retro 5 How to Customize My Own Nike Low Dunks are overstimulated.
Aside from magnesium, almonds also have copper, manganese, calcium, and potassium!
Image via Shutterstock The Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon aOlernKienOP Air Jordan 13s Designer Clothing For Celebrities State University states most Americans are magnesium deficient. If you eat a Air Jordan Women Size diet high in processed foods, are elderly, or drink heavily, those may all contribute to possible magnesium deficiency. Leafy greens, nuts, and legumes are great sources of magnesium.
If you can’t eat almonds or don’t want to eat so close to bed, magnesium capsules work, too. 500 mg (the standard dosage in a single caplet) for mild aOlernKienOP Air Jordan 3s running shoes in under 30 seconds insomnia is pretty effective. I’ve used them when I didn’t have almonds handy or if I need a break from eating before bedtime.
These magnesium capsules are good to have around as a standby if you run out of almonds.
Image by Karen Ahn/Food Hacks If you’re a hard case, I’d suggest going to up 1,000 mg, but be warned some people say they’ve experienced diarrhea with higher doses. I myself prefer aOlernKienOP Air Jordan Fusion 5 Foot Fixers for sexy summer feet to eat almonds instead of taking capsules, mainly because I believe that eating whole Air Jordan 9s foods makes the nutritional elements within them much more bioavailable.
Almonds Have Other Elements That Could Relieve AnxietyHowever, while aOlernKienOP Nike LeBron 11 Penalties for Health and Safety breaches almonds are high in magnesium, they aren’t the highest magnesium food around (pumpkin seeds most likely take that honor). Yet almonds are noted for being aOlernKienOP Nike KD 7 Tips For Finding Camping Showers a superfood that cultivates calm, alleviates anxiety, and promotes relaxation and sleep.
Along with being a good source of magnesium, almonds contain a whole host of other crucial nutrients, like vitamin B12 aOlernKienOP Jordan 5 Retro Recommended Shoes for Kids (essential for regulating the brain and nervous system, copper (important for immune and nervous systems), and vitamin E (a powerful antioxidant that is crucial for immunity and protects cells from environmental damage and possibly aging).
Alternatives to Almonds Magnesium CapsulesYou can also make sure your diet is filled with other magnesium rich foods to ensure a calm attitude during the day and an easy, restful sleep at night. Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, black beans, and dark, leafy greens like spinach and Swiss chard Air Jordan 20s are chock Air Jordan 5s full of magnesium and other incredible nutrients.
Confusingly, this variety of Swiss chard is named “perpetual spinach.” Don worry: either way, it still tasty and good for you.
Image via Suburban Tomato In fact, if you don’t like almonds, Air Jordan DMP why not try pumpkin or sunflower seeds before bed instead? Their magnesium content is even higher than that of almonds so much so that I’m contemplating switching up my pre bedtime snack routine.
Nothing beats fresh roasted pumpkin seeds.
Image by WordRidden/Flickr Some sources suggest that magnesium is better absorbed into your system when applied topically rather than taken orally. If you prefer that method, you can take an Epsom salts bath (Epsom salts are magnesium sulfate), but make sure Air Jordan 12s you really soak in it for at least an hour to make sure you get the full effect, and air dry rather than towel dry, too.
If you don’t want to take a bath, you can also buy magnesium oil (don’t let the name fool you it’s really just dissolved magnesium in water, but it’s labeled as oil) and spray that on your skin. You can also make your own if you’re the DIY type.
More Sleep Related IdeasNeed more help? Then be sure to check out Yumi’s guides for eight tips (and eight more tips) for falling asleep, tips for falling back asleep in the middle of the night, and other snacks that can help make you sleepy. Also be sure to check out Heather’s roundup of sleep hacks for some interesting nighttime reading.
Cover image via Alyssa L. Miller/Flickr
It seems like its hard to get as much sleep as we Air Jordan 7s need, doesn it? Sleep is important and effects how you function throughout the entire day. Follow these tips aOlernKienOP Air Jordan 16s Adventure Time Shoes and you will be on your way to a good night rest.
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