Insomnia Relief, Headache Stoppers and No-Medicine First Aid
Can’t sleep? Join the other 43 percent of Americans who have trouble. Though the standard treatments usually combine behavioral therapy with medication, says doctor, director of the Stanford Center for Human Sleep Research, there are several nondrug alternatives that may also help.
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YOUR BEST BETS
Clean sleeping: This is the sleep equivalent of a good diet. It means making all the simple changes you can before doing anything more drastic. The guidelines: Eliminate caffeine (as much as possible); limit bedroom activities to sleep and sex; avoid naps; go to bed and wake up at the same time every day; don’t exercise or eat heavy meals less than three hours before bed; adjust the temperature and noise level in your room; and control your light exposure (expose yourself to bright light for 15 minutes after waking, but keep the lights low in the evening).
ALSO WORTH A TRY
Valerian: A few German studies suggest that this herb can help insomniacs sleep. However, most American scientists say more research is needed. If you’d like to try valerian, take 260 to 350 mg. an hour before bed. Warning: Avoid valerian if you’ve been drinking alcohol.
Melatonin: This hormone, usually secreted by the brain’s pineal gland, helps regulate your sleep cycles. Though the research has been mixed, one of the most recent studies found that taking exactly 0.2 mg. a few hours before bed does the trick.
Relaxation: No surprises here. Another tip: “Writing a worry list a few hours before bed can help you deal with troublesome issues while you’re awake — not when you’re trying to sleep,” says doctor.
