Insomnia blues

[ilovemyjoggler]

Mevi, I was intrigued by your post so had a quick look at the tablets. One of the possible side effects is insomnia.

...end of March and no spring in sight. Thankfully very little snow where we are. These were hanging outside the entrance of my youngest's class. Hopefully they won't break off and fall on the kids!

[qwerty]

Tempted to try these natural'ish' tablets.

[Mevi]

The reason I think the tablets are expensive is that they are just dietary supplements. If you want to increase the amount of 5-HTP in your diet, simply increase the amount of Tryptophan (one of the essential amino acids) in your diet..... Tryptophan is found in nearly everything we eat, but in high amounts in grains, poultry, dairy, etc. and that metabolises into 5-HTP.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tryptophan

Scoffing down peanuts isnt a long term solution, but try a tin of rice pudding (rice and milk are high in tryptophan) before bedtime. On my last visit, ASDA had Ambrosia rice pudding on special offer, 50p a tin.

EDIT: here's another link.

http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-000 ... 00000.html

I wonder if Inuit people suffer from insomnia as Sea Lion is super high in Tryptophan!!! Seems a bit of a carnivore's playground. If anyone's a vegetarian, then Soya, spinach, pulses and seeds are a good source of tryptophan. Don't forget to eat a good and varied diet as other vitamins and minerals are needed to metabolise tryptophan, like vit c, b vitamins, etc.

[ilovemyjoggler]

I've added audio books to my arsenal in fighting insomnia. Doctors orders are to keep away from exercise for a month (gegs I did add some to my daily routine and felt great for it) and sleep has been more elusive since surgery.

I've been a massive fan of audio books for our children for years - they all go to bed listening to stories - and i've listened to them in the car or while cooking but i never considered it for my bedtime before. But as there have been nights when i've felt too bad to read but needed a distraction i tried it. Have to say it works for me. Not instant sleep but it's been really relaxing and i have found myself just drifting off. I'm listening to books i know really well, not new stuff which would require more concentration. It also means i don't mind missing chunks when i fall asleep!

[pete]

Good to see you on the forum! Hoping the best for a swift recovery!