Four folk remedies will help you sleep till dawn

Insomnia is a chronic problem that causes headaches for many people. Here are a few "home remedies" that can help people with insomnia sleep until dawn without eating.

Four home remedies will help you sleep till dawn

　1. Turn the bedroom into a sleeping paradise

The bedroom should be quiet and dark enough, because darkness can help the pineal gland in the brain produce pineal gland, a hormone that promotes sleep. Heavy curtains can keep out light, fans or machine noise. A slightly cooler room temperature is helpful for sleeping, so you should adjust the temperature of your room to the appropriate temperature. To allow better air circulation, open a window. If the air in your room is too dry, invest in a humidifier.

2. Only use the bed as a place to sleep

Some people like to lie in bed knitting, reading, eating, and watching TV. This is a bad habit. If you only associate your bed with sleeping, it will be easier to fall asleep when you crawl under the covers.

3. Develop fixed habits

Good nighttime habits can effectively let your body tell you when it is time to go to bed. You can use some small habitual actions to prepare for bed. For example, read a few pages of a novel, spend 5 to 10 minutes doing some meditation, or stretch. It's also important to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day - even on weekends.

4. Control your appetite

Being too hungry or too full will affect your sleep. Don't eat too much when you're about to go to bed, or the digestive process will make you more likely to wake up. In addition, if you lie down in bed after eating too much, you will have regurgitation, and stomach acid will back up into your esophagus. If you're hungry, eat some carbohydrate-rich snacks, which can help your body release the chemical serotonin, which can help you relax. You can also eat a few cookies or drink a bowl of oatmeal with some milk or a piece of turkey. The latter two are rich in amino acids and tryptophan, and they have a hypnotic effect.

Foods that are prone to insomnia

　1. Celery

Don’t eat 90 minutes before going to bed. Dr. Helen Rasmussen, a nutritionist at Tufts University, said that celery has the same high water content as cucumbers, watermelons, radishes and other foods and is a natural diuretic. Eating too much before bedtime will increase the frequency of waking up at night and interfere with sleep.

　2. High-fat fried foods

Don’t eat 3 hours before going to bed. Dr. Alan Avidan, a neurologist and director of the Sleep Disorders Research Center at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine, said that high-fat foods and fried foods take longer to digest and can easily cause abdominal discomfort and affect sleep. These foods can also affect the effectiveness of certain medications taken at night.

3. Legumes

Don’t eat dinner. Dr. Rasmussen said that soy foods can easily lead to sluggish digestion and abdominal bloating, which can reduce sleep quality.

4. Tomatoes

Don’t eat after dinner. Tomatoes are rich in tyramine, an amino acid that triggers the brain to produce stimulants, which can easily lead to brain excitement and delayed sleep. Other foods rich in tyramine include eggplant, soy sauce, red wine and cheese.

5. Wine

Do not drink 2 to 4 hours before going to bed. Although a glass of red wine before bed can help you fall asleep faster, it can later affect the quality of your sleep during deep sleep.