Smarter Sleeping 101

Archive for March, 2008

Health Canada is advising consumers not to use a product called Eden Herbal Formulations Serenity Pills II because it contains the undeclared drug estazolam, which can be habit-forming when used for as little as a few months. Consumers who may still have this product in their homes are advised to consult with a health care professional before they stop taking the pills, because of the risk of withdrawal symptoms. Eden Herbal Formulations Serenity Pills II is promoted as a herbal product to relieve sleeping difficulty.

Estazolam belongs in the class of drugs known as benzodiazepines, which should only be prescribed by a health care professional.  The side-effects associated with the use of products containing estazolam vary according to the individual and can include dizziness, drowsiness, confusion, depression, loss of memory and hallucinations.

Health Canada has issued three advisories on similar products since August 2006. Salt Spring Herbals Sleep Well Dietary Supplement, Sleepees and Eden Herbal Formulations Sleep Ease Dietary Supplement were also advertised as herbal health products to relieve sleeping difficulty, and were found to contain the undeclared drug estazolam.

Eden Herbal Formulations Serenity Pills II were distributed by the Evergreen Acupuncture Clinic in Calgary, Alberta.  The clinic has stopped sale of this product, however consumers may still have the product in their homes.

Consumers who have purchased the product should return it to the place of purchase.  To date, no adverse reactions suspected to be associated with the use of Eden Herbal Formulations Serenity Pills II have been reported in Canada.

This is scary stuff.  Those who may be using the Serenity Pills are probably addicted and don’t even know it.  It’s always a wise choice to use drug-free formulas when taking OTC medications.  SleepSmart is 100% drug free.

Below is a list of 10 useful tips to help you obtain a better night’s rest with the use of SleepSmart.  I’ve compiled these from various sources and feedback from those with sleeping troubles.  Try them out this weekend and get some sleep!

14 Tips For Smarter Sleeping:

• Don’t nap for more than 15-20 minutes per day. It can throw off your sleep cycle and make it harder for you to get good sleep at night.
• Try removing your socks for an hour before you go to bed and putting them on right before you go to sleep—the shock of warmth and comfort may help you get to sleep.
• Wear appropriate clothing that reflects the weather. Don’t forget your feet—cold feet can keep you awake! Keep a sweatshirt or an extra blanket right next to the bed, just in case you get too cold at night.
• Avoid leaving your TV or other distractions on overnight. If you need it to fall asleep, use the timer feature to make sure that it turns off by the time you fall asleep.  If you need sounds to help you doze, try a fan or a CD of soothing sounds (waves crashing, rain falling, etc.)
• Keep your eyes closed! It may sound intuitive, but it is hard to fall asleep when you are staring at the ceiling.
• If you can’t fall asleep within the first 40 minutes of going to bed, get up and do something else until you feel sleepy. Lying in bed awake for long periods of time will cause you to associate your bed with not sleeping.
• You may try using a particular ritual before you go to bed that will make you sleepy. For example, you might try taking a warm bath, reading a book, or drinking a glass of warm milk.
• Try using lavender. The scent may help you to calm yourself down and may make you feel a little sleepy. If you have lavender scented body splash or perfume, you can try scenting your pillow with it.
• Feeling too hot? Learn how to sleep comfortably on a hot night. Feeling too cold? Learn how to sleep when it’s cold.
• Try taking a cool shower before going to bed. You’ll wash off a good deal of what might make you itchy, especially if you’ve been outdoors and have a bug bite or two.
• Keep bedroom clutter to a minimum so the last thing you see at night is your bed, rather than all the little things that need to be taken care of.
• Here is how you can find the optimal thickness for a pillow: Stand comfortably with your back against a wall. The distance between the wall and your head is the ideal compressed pillow thickness.
• Try to keep your bedroom quiet. Having distracting noises that startle you can keep you awake.
• Try sleeping with an open window. Fresh air on a cool night can help you to relax.

Insomnia Cookies. It’s the latest sweet treats buzz going around
the New York City area. Started by a couple UPenn grads in 2003, it’s initial purpose was to satiate the late night cravings college students get by offering cookies & milk delivery on campus between the hours of 8pm-2:30am.

Now it’s a store open to the public. You can buy insomnia cookies at any hour of the day.

This is bad for two reasons. First, the name sounds like the cookies contain a sedative and if I eat them I will no longer have insomnia. Unfortunately for insomniacs these cookies will not only keep you awake but also increase your chances of becoming obese (which is already high for those of us with sleep troubles). Second, cookies are the last thing you should be eating just before bed. A full stomach, not to mention a stomach full of sugar and fat, can be damaging to your sleep. Sleeping is for regeneration, healing, and organizing your thoughts, not digesting.

If you must have a late night snack, keep it light and healthy. Insomnia Cookies does offer milk however, which is a great way to get some tryptophan in your system. Skip the cookies, order the milk. Or just go to the store and buy some milk.

They also sell gift boxes for your loved ones. For what? “Congratulations on your insomnia?”

What do you think of this new business venture?

Passion flower is a flower plant found worldwide aside from Europe and Antarctica. Passiflora Incarnata, or Maypop, is a species of Passionflower (there are many) located primarily in the southeastern United States. It is a key ingredient in the SleepSmart complex.

There is a misconception that Passion flower gets its name for having qualities of an aphrodisiac. The name actually derives from the Passion of Christ on the cross. In the 15th and 16th centuries, Spanish Christian missionaries discovered this flower and adopted its unique physical structures as symbols of Crucifixion. For example: the radial filaments which can number more than a hundred and vary from flower to flower represent the Crown of Thorns. The ten petals and sepals represent the ten faithful apostles. The top 3 stigmata represent the 3 nails and the lower 5 anthers represent the 5 wounds.

Passion flower has a tranquilizing effect, including mild sedative and anti-anxiety effects. It is non-addictive and promotes relaxation. The sedative effect of Passion flower has made it popular for treating a variety of ailments, including nervousness and insomnia. Research had indicated that passion flower has a complex activity on the central nervous system which is responsible for its overall tranquilizing effects.

This week’s insomnia story comes from Jenny Lim of Island Packet.  Her take on the Nation Sleep Foundation’s games and quizzes created for The Great American Sleep Challenge.  Check out the excerpt below:

“My lack of sleep is frequently the result of my own choices, most of which revolve around my love of to-do lists, or more specifically, my love of checking stuff off my to-do list. I’ll stay up late for the bizarre joy of knowing I’ve finished all the laundry. I’ll get up early for the freakish satisfaction of thinking I didn’t waste over-ripe bananas because I was able to bake them into a loaf of freshly made banana bread. (Sometimes, I’ll write down tasks I’ve finished, just so I can check them off. Yes, I’m that girl.)”

Read the rest.