I have struggled with insomnia many years. I have tried many things, to no avail. I would like to share what has become my perfect recipe for good sleep. 

I know EVERYONE IS SO DIFFERENT but I share these tips in case they would help you or a loved one.  I have 2 other blog posts to help people sleep at night found: HERE

and HERE

The first ingredient is to follow a low carb, high healthy fat, moderate protein ketogenic diet. It is not necessary for all people to do this to sleep well. (maybe it is only needed for the really hard core insomniac)  Author Pamela Ellgen writes that many people on the keto diet report sleeping much deeper than those who aren’t keto. I feel the high fat foods help sedate me. A study published by the International League Against Epilpesy found that the ketogenic diet can improve the quality of one’s sleep as it increases REM sleep.

The second ingredient is to take more magnesium through the day (total of 200 mg magnesium glyinate and magnesium gluconate, Biotics brand) and then half hour before I go to bed I take 2 tablets of Biotics CMP, which has Calcium, Magnesium and Potassium in it. Some people may need to take higher doses for maximum results. I feel this is one the most important ingredients. Some people I have recommended these supplements to said they  helped them go to sleep and sleep more deeply (without doing the other ideas presented here). There was about 6 months when all I did was take 3 Biotics CMP half hour before bed and my sleep was good most nights. After that it seemed to lose effectiveness.

The third ingredient is to meditate 10 to 20 minutes two times a day. This is an optional ingredient in that it is not always necessary but it can only help and perhaps on hectic days it is necessary to calm the adrenalin stress response that can last up to 6 hours in the body.

The fourth ingredient it to tape one’s mouth at night. Sounds strange, right? Taping one’s mouth forces one to breathe through your nose which increases nitric oxide production in the sinuses. The nitric oxide is linked to reduction of inflammation, improved memory, improved immune system and best of all, improved sleep! Family and sleep medicine dentist Mark Burhenne, believes taping one’s mouth at night is as helpful as brushing one’s teeth for dental health. Some people report that taping their mouths at night was enough to help them sleep well. Here is a link to a 54 minute interview with Dr Mark Burhenne about mouth taping: HERE. I use 3M micropore surgical tape.

The fifth ingredient is to use a black sleeping mask. This keeps out all unwanted light. I thought it would be highly uncomfortable to wear such a mask but when my sister gave me a sleep mask to try, I found it to be comfortable. Now I don’t like sleeping without one. I keep an extra in my car, my back pack, and at work.

Last but not least is once I am bed I listen to music designed to slow the brain waves. For over 10 years I would take turns listening to Steven Halpern’s Pryamid Power or Dr Jeffrey’s Thompson’s Gamma Meditation System on my Sony MP3 player. But this month I discovered a youtube video of crystal singing bowls that I feel out performs my top favorite sound tracks for sleeping. Link to the video: HERE. The you tube channel Healing Vibrations write that in this video they compiled the best of their singing bowl performances in a massive 3 hour video. There is something about the sound these crystal bowls make that resonate in my brain like nothing else. Often after I turn it on, before I know it I have fallen asleep.

If I feel more alert than usual while listening to these singing bowls, I also add the practice of counting backwards from 300 to 1. Once I did get down as far as 249 but don’t ask me what happened after that. If the counting is not enough, I add imagining that I am writing the numbers slowly on a chalkboard or that I am walking down stairs as I am counting.

If this recipe does not work there are 2 possibilities that need to be addressed. One is too much emotional disturbance that needs more support. The other is having heavy metal toxicity. I have been listening to Dr Mindy Pelz’s play list on this topic. She has had thousands of clients use a provoked heavy metal test that has found almost everyone has too much mercury and lead. Mercury is a excitotoxin that over stimulates neuron receptors which contributes to anxiety, insomnia, hyperactivity and inability to relax.

Mercury is found in fish, vaccines (including the flu shot), and mercury dental fillings. Lead tends to slow the system down, and can contribute to depression and feeling tired. The test Dr Pelz recommends is expensive, about a total of $360. If you want to learn more about this, Dr Pelz has a playlist on you tube where she explains in detail the effects of heavy metal toxicity and how it can be cleared from one’s body, found HERE 

Now as a therapist I know if something really upsetting or stressful is happening in one’s life, that all of these methods may not be enough. I specialize in using EMDR to clear out stress and painful memories. For a free 15 minute phone consultation, please call 586-799-2399. Or email me at suzanneenergy@gmail.com