Sleep Tips
Medicines
Patients on steroids (prednisone, dexamethisone. . .) may have difficulty getting sufficient sleep.
Review: could Dexamethasone cause Insomnia? some statistics from eHealthMe
Dexamethasone and Insomnia from the Myeloma Beacon Forum
Melatonin
There are people who should not take melatonin. These include women seeking to become pregnant or who are already pregnant and people suffering from immune system cancers such as leukemia, Iymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease, multiple myeloma, etc.
Over the counter medicines
Active ingredients are acetaminophen and diphenhydramine
Long term use and high dosage of acetaminophen can cause liver
damage (information from Drugs.com)
Cautions
about angle-closure glaucoma, or uncontrolled primary open-angle glaucoma
Tylenol PM without the Tylenol
(herbal, may not be able to take with treatment)
From Herbs, Etc.
Prescription
Check with your doctor if you are having trouble sleeping.
Yoga Techniques
Turning the eyes gently downward may help to sleep.
Yoga Recipe for insomnia
A yogic recipe for insomnia: ½Teaspoon pepper stirred into a glass of scalding milk and drunk as hot as possible
Foods That Can Help Sleep
Food That Helps You Sleep (from No Sleepless Nights)
Sleep Hygiene: 20 Healthy Sleep Habits
Almonds contain magnesium, a muscle-relaxing mineral that plays a key role
in regulating sleep.
Bananas contain tryptophan that has been linked to sleep quality.
Milk contains the sleep-promoting tryptophan, which the brain uses to make
serotonin and melatonin, hormones that promote relaxation and control sleep
and wake cycles. The carbohydrates in cereal make tryptophan more available
to the brain, according to the National Sleep Foundation. For the best nutritional
bang, choose a small bowl of whole-grain, low-sugar cereal.
Cherries, especially the tart varieties, are one of the few food sources of
melatonin, the sleep hormone that regulates your internal clock. Recent studies
have found that volunteers who drank tart cherry juice daily fell asleep sooner
and slept better and longer.
The protein in cheese provides sleep-inducing tryptophan, while the carbs
in crackers may help you fall asleep faster. Gram for gram, cheddar cheese
contains more tryptophan than turkey.
Green tea contains theanine, an amino acid that helps to reduce stress and
promote relaxation. Just make sure that the green tea you enjoy at night is
decaffeinated, because the caffeine in regular green tea might keep you awake.
Chickpeas (garbanzo beans), the main ingredient in hummus, are not only rich
in tryptophan, but also in folate and vitamin B-6. Folate helps to regulate
sleep patterns, especially in older people, and vitamin B-6 helps to regulate
your body clock. So spread some hummus on a small slice of bread for your
before-bed snack.
Tea made from the herb lemon balm contains naturally occurring oils with terpenes,
organic compounds that can promote relaxation and better sleep. To brew your
own soothing lemon-balm tea, add 1 to 3 teaspoons of dried leaves to a cup
of freshly boiled water. Cover and let steep for 10 minutes, then strain.
America's favorite nutty spread is rich in tryptophan, which the body uses
to build hormones essential for sleep. Spread some peanut butter on a few
whole-grain crackers, which provide carbs to help the tryptophan reach the
brain more easily.
Certain fruits can significantly boost natural levels of melatonin, which
tend to decline as we age. Researchers found that levels of a melatonin marker
were raised by more than 266 percent after eating pineapples, 180 percent
after eating bananas and 47 percent after eating oranges.
Pumpkin seeds are packed with a variety of essential nutrients, including
substantial amounts of tryptophan. Pair a small piece of carb-rich fruit with
your pumpkin seed snack to help the sleep-inducing nutrients reach your brain.
In addition to being a natural source of melatonin, walnuts help your body
respond better to stress. For extra flavor, toast them briefly on top of the
stove in a dry skillet until they're golden brown.