More than 82 million Americans who routinely have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep are believed to have a condition known as insomnia. Some studies indicate that over 40% of the U.S. population age 15 and older has experienced insomnia.

Sleep is an essential part of human function. During the deepest phases of sleep, certain events take place that are necessary such as the release of growth hormone, energy restoration and the immune system is strengthening. During REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, our brains may be working on consolidating memories through the vivid dreams we may have.

Further, a study published in Nature last week discovered our brain restructures new memories during sleep. As a result, this helps to solve problems better and become more insightful.

Years ago, popular thought suggested that during the time we are asleep, our brains were inactive or dormant. Contrary to that old belief, new research proves that our brains are very active during sleep. However, a complete understanding with regard to the effects of sleep on our physical and mental health is only just beginning to take place.

One aspect of sleep that is known and understood is that lack of it can result in serious consequences to our physical and mental health. Lack of sleep that occurs intermittently or for several days or months at a time, is classified as insomnia.

Insomnia can consist of anyone of these happenings:

Difficulty falling asleep

Waking frequently during the night

Waking too early in the morning and not being able to get back to sleep

Waking feeling un-refreshed

This condition affects hormone levels and even speeds up the aging process. Plus, it has been shown to be the key element in a variety of diseases including:

- Obesity

- Depression

- Diabetes

- Cancer

Here are two things you may not have thought insomnia had a direct correlation to:

Accidents - Did you know an average of 70,000 auto accidents are caused by sleepy drivers each year?

Economy – The nations loses an average of $45 billion every year in lost productivity, health care and motor vehicle accidents due to sleep disorders.

All of this turmoil makes for a great opportunity for the drug companies who spend countless amounts of time and money designing new chemicals in the form of sleeping pills that they push on all of these people in dire need of sleep. Recent studies indicate the market for such drugs will reach $5 billion by 2010. Right now, the market for these chemical time bombs is about half of that. Meaning America is currently spending $2.5 billion a year on drugs that have side effects like addiction, depression, and even suicide!

If you’re suffering from insomnia and are so desperate for a good night’s sleep that you are considering prescription drugs, I urge you to re-consider as these chemicals in a bottle are very likely to cause long-term effects that are significantly worse than those of the insomnia. Instead, try a natural, safe, holistic approach toward getting the rest you need.

Sleep disorders can also be the result of deficiencies in certain vitamins, minerals, amino acids and enzymes. Calcium, magnesium, B vitamins, folic acid and melatonin deficiencies may impair sleep.

Supplementing with the following can help you sleep better naturally:

Calcium- 500 mg daily. Calcium, particularly when contained in food, has a sedative effect on the body and helps relax the nervous system. Calcium deficiencies in the body cause restlessness and wakefulness.

Magnesium - Doses of approximately 250 milligrams can help induce sleep. Nervousness, which can be caused by magnesium deficiency prevents sleep. Some great choices of magnesium-rich foods include kelp, wheat bran, almonds, cashews, blackstrap molasses, and brewer's yeast.

5-HTP - Many studies show that depletion of serotonin levels results in insomnia. Supplementing with 5-HTP reverses the process as 5HTP is a form of trytophan which is an amino acid that makes up serotonin. One study reported that 100 mg of 5-HTP resulted in significant improvement for people who complained of trouble sleeping.
Reference: Soulairac and Lambinet (Ann. Med. Pychol 135:792-798, 1977) I recommend taking 100 to 200 mg before bed.

Valerian - 600 mg a half hour before bedtime. Numerous studies have show valerian to be an effective treatment for insomnia.