A short one on two new things I'm doing for sleep...

I have a full-blown on-going blog about sleep on the sidebar if you'd like more on sleep hacks, tips, things to try. These are my two latest additions and thus far both seem to be helping. 

Addition #1 - Ashwagandha 

I make a cup of herbal tea at night. I do it about 3 hours or so before I go to sleep to mitigate the mid-night or 2a.m. bathroom trip. Kinda silly to go through all these hoops for good quality sleep and have it interrupted by a full bladder, right? :-)

I mix my own teas and the one I drink at night is one blended for my specific needs so I won't bore you with the ingredients. However, one thing I do that you may want to try is adding turmeric and ginger. I use ginger and turmeric root, readily available at most grocery stores, and pop thin slices in the tea. I'm working on a turmeric blog will try to remember to pop back on here and link when I get finished. I also add my nightly Calm (magnesium) to the cup (leg cramps, brain, pooping...it's not the only magnesium I take, each type has different benefits...guess I need to do a magnesium blog?). 

The NEW addition is ashwaghanda root. 

I was out and about on-line doing some research and came across the tidbit that it helped with sleep. I use the powder in my smoothies and it is also in a few of the brain supplements I take but it's probably all out of my system by the time I go to bed. Guessing on that one. Could be that just giving it a boost at night is what does the trick.

I started experimenting with it, adding it for a few nights running to my tea bag, missed it off and on. I noticed that my deep sleep improved when I added it to my night tea. I'm still tracking to see if it holds true but so far it's a winner. I work more on my deep sleep than I do on length of sleep. Dave Asprey has a lot on deep sleep, need to get back over and read some more of his "stuff". 

Addition #2 - Quinine (in Tonic Water) 

I recently had my veins done (hereditary issue, thanks mom :-)). I asked the vascular surgeon about the leg cramps I suffer through fairly often. He said that while he couldn't, as a doctor, tell me to do it many of his patients swore by tonic water. 

The magnesium I take doesn't seem to do much for my particular type of leg cramps...then again, maybe they'd be horrific if I didn't take it every night! I don't plan to find out.

So...I went out and did some reading and then went on a hunt for some tonic water that I'd drink at the local grocery stores. Bleh. They all had sugars, sucrolose, a variety of additions that I would never put in my body.

I finally found one at my local Kroger. Their Diet Tonic Water doesn't have a sweetener in it. I bought a 99 cent bottle to see if it helped. 

Wow. I haven't had leg cramps since I started drinking it. I have no idea if it's a placebo effect -- don't believe it is as I've "believed" in other things that supposedly worked on leg cramps that didn't for yours truly. I do think that everyone's body is different and maybe this is the thing that works on my particular type of leg cramp but maybe not yours. It's a cheap thing to try and if it works I will expect a hug if we ever meet. 

I use it in the tea mix I mentioned in Addition #1 to cool my tea. I leave space in the top of the tea cup and add it. I'll also put a little in my daily drink mix off and on but not consistently. 

Note: I gather that quinine is also known as cinchoa or Countess powder. Guess who's off to do some research? Could be that I can just buy some of the powder and use it, or maybe the root for my tea. It's very bitter so maybe I'll just stick to the tonic water.

Have you tried either of these? Doing something I've missed? Experimenting? Figured out ways to improve your deep sleep? Check out my blog on the sidebar and let me know if I should add anything to my list. Thanks! 

Hope you have a healthy, restful, 2021.

Side tip re: Calm --- I buy it on Amazon, have it on their Subscribe and Save program. I was at Costco recently and they had a much larger container (20 oz vs 16 oz) for a dollar more than Amazon's smaller container. I grabbed one. I just popped over to Amazon and noticed they've dropped the price for the 16 oz container by $2. Ha. Keep an eye on it if it's something you use as there may be more price changes!

GERD, Acid Reflux, Heartburn, Oh My! Oh No!

Many years back I started having heartburn after almost every meal. I chewed antacids, had bottles scattered around the house, in the car and never packed a suitcase without some. I talked with my doctor and she sent me to a specialist.

They knocked me out, looked down my throat, esophagus and checked everything out. I was given a prescription for Prilosec and told that I would be on it the rest of my life. If I left my acid reflux unchecked it could lead to cancer. When I asked about alternatives I was told that I could have an operation to fix the weak valve that wasn't keeping all the acid where it belonged.

That was it. And yes, that's a very over-simplified version of the diagnosis and treatment.

I took the prescription-strength Prilosec. Then my insurance stopped covering it and switched me to another type of proton pump inhibitors...which didn't work. Then they switched me to another. Then Prilosec became their drug of choice and I was back on it again... All of them basically stopped my stomach from producing acid. Therefore, none could travel upwards as it didn't exist.

I was so happy not to be staring at cancer and to be able to eat and sleep without heartburn, a sore throat, and other related agonies that I didn't delve into how the drugs worked and what the long-term impact to my health could be. That was not like yours truly!

At some point, the "what are you doing to yourself taking this drug?" part of my brain woke up! I started doing some research. Around that same time, I was losing weight. I wasn't obese, but I was moving on up and had passed the line between feel good about yourself and hide what you can with baggy clothes.

I didn't intend to lose weight...the loss happened when I changed my way of eating...which will be another blog or two or ten another day.

Common sense says that your digestive is designed perfectly and that the acid in your stomach has a purpose. As I learned how drugs like Prilosec and other proton pump inhibitors worked I figured out that, like many drugs on the market, it worked in one area but really screwed up other areas. It was more of a pick your poison. Or maybe more of a feel good now, pay later drug.

I'll link to side effects and how they work at the end of this post. Most of you probably already know!

I started looking into how to get off the drugs. I tried. I really tried. I downed apple cider vinegar, picked up some DGL (deglycyrrhizinated licorice root extract), ate small meals, cut out foods that triggered heartburn in anyone on the planet, raised the head of my bed and tried all the things listed out in Google-Land.

The problem with trying to get off acid reducers is that there is a rebound effect. You produce WAY more acid...you over-produce. It is painful, potential cancer looms in your mind, so back on the drugs you go... I did that yo-yo twice before breaking down and going to the doctor.

He said, after looking at my chart, noting my great weight-loss and hearing about my dietary changes that "if anyone can get off the medication you can". Wow, what a great bit of encouragement. He didn't give me any great ideas on HOW to do it...mentioned some of the easy ones anyone can find on the Internet.

I tried again. And finally succeeded. It wasn't easy.

I have been off the drugs for years now.

I continued to sleep with the head of my bed raised as a prevention method --- and subsequently learned that it's also good for your sleep and your brain!

Recently, after all these years, I started having some minor issues again.

I think it's due to a number of factors, the main one being stress. I've had a lot of angst lately. And even though I usually roll easily it still impacts me. Family issues, the passing of a family member I love dearly, my Dad having surgery, the kids moving, my Mom going off the only known treatment to work for slowing her dementia, and on and on. Lots of little and big hits.

Plus, I have moved to a timed window of eating --- which is good for my brain and not a bad thing --- but I stopped eating a number of small meals and have a tendency to eat two large meals. Not good if one has digestive issues. I am changing that one. I didn't even think of it in relation to my acid reflux until I started having issues again. When I stood back and looked at everything I realized the large meals, in combination with stress, could easily be part of the reason.

So I'm cutting my meals in half. I'm drinking two tablespoons of Bragg Organic Apple Cider Vinegar in a little water about 20 minutes before a meal. Sometimes I do it afterward. I am taking Betaine HCI + Pepsin prior to eating any meal that I think might be heartburn inducing. I am drinking aloe juice. I already add ginger root into my smoothies so I'm good on that one.

Yes, I am being aggressive.

All of those things seem to be working. We'll see. I'll keep you posted.

Have you ever dealt with acid reflux? Tried getting off proton pump inhibitors? Have any great heartburn fighters? Love to get your thoughts!

https://kresserinstitute.com/dangers-proton-pump-inhibitors/
https://www.drugwatch.com/proton-pump-inhibitors/side-effects/
https://www.medicinenet.com/proton-pump_inhibitors/article.htm
https://www.drugjustice.com/ppi-side-effects/