3 Juices That Help You Sleep Better

Lettuce – Eat lettuce in the evening and juice some up before you go to bed. Lettuce contains lactucarium, which has sedative properties and affects the brain similarly to opium. You can also try this brew. Simmer three to four large lettuce leaves in a cup of water for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, add a few sprigs of mint, and sip just before you go to bed.
Kale, spinach, and parsley – Dark green leafy vegetables like kale are loaded with calcium, which helps the brain use tryptophan to manufacture melatonin. Spinach and parsley are other good options.
Celery – The minerals and oils in celery juice have a calming effect on the nervous system, making it beneficial for relaxing sleep. Celery is high in magnesium which helps people relax into a soothing, restful sleep. You need to drink 8 oz before bedtime to get sleepy.

Brain Fog and Poor Sleep; They Can Be Related

Do you find yourself forgetting things or feeling just plain fogged in? Has your brain been short-circuiting? Having trouble sleeping? We joke about our forgetfulness at times…our sunglasses on our heads as we search for them…. but the seriousness of the issue is our mental performance and long term brain health. If forgetfulness and brain fog persists, it can signal the beginning of dementia or Alzheimer’s. We can’t let that go. Poor sleep is often involved with development of dementia and Alzheimer’s as well. We can do something about it.

Could You Have Brown Slime in the Brain?

Damaged cells become free radicals, and a chain reaction is set in motion. Free-radicals attack proteins in the brain. This turns them into a “sludge” called lipofuscin—a form of brown slime that can coat neurons. Ronald M. Lawrence M.D., Ph.D., a specialist in neurology and assistant clinical professor at UCLA School of Medicine says, “that slime decreases the ability of the brain to send vital electrochemical messages to other parts of the brain. As the slime thickens, memory declines and senility and dementia begin.”1 Free-radical damage to the hypothalamus and pituitary glands result in a decline in growth hormone (GH). Low GH can contribute to more of the manifestations of aging including problems with sleep. Poor sleep further contributes to mental decline. Free-radical attack on the adrenal glands results in a decline in the hormone DHEA—a hormone essential to the ability to learn and form memories.

Due to a host of modern-industrial pollutants, processed foods, too many sweets, computers and other sources of low-electromagnetic-field toxicity, and other generators of free radicals, many middle-aged and even younger people are suffering declines in memory, ability to learn, cognition, intelligence, and capacity to think clearly, along with sleep challenges. Peak mental performance is a necessity for many people. A good night’s sleep is crucial for not just brain health but overall health. You want to stop any mental decline and get your brain back in top shape.

Your first step? Scavenge free radicals and prevent attacks on brain cells with an abundance of antioxidant nutrients such as you find in fresh vegetable juice and wheatgrass juice. As you feed your body high quality “brain food” every day, you’ll see a difference. You have to also remove substances that contribute to free radical attack leading to brain decline. Sugar and artificial sweeteners are among the top contributors. Artificial sweeteners are neurotoxins that are worse for the brain that even sugar. Bottom Line: Sugar can directly contribute to brain fog. It can also really mess up your sleep. Use only natural low-glycemic sweeteners such as stevia and coconut nectar.

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Notes:

1 http://www.kats-korner.com/health/mdreport.html accessed 9/1/15

Juicy Sleep Aids

To sleep, per chance to dream. . . Shakespeare

It’s midnight and the TV is calling your name. What’s one more hour…right? Turns out, it could mean the difference between a day of eating right or a day of eating—well—everything in sight. Get your pajamas ready. According to a recent study, 62 percent of adults who got an extra 96 minutes of sleep each night reported that their daytime junk food cravings decreased by a whopping 50 percent. Why? As it turns out, sleep deprivation can wreak havoc on your metabolism—particularly your appetite controlling hormones. When you stay up at night, more energy is required later. The next day your body overcompensates by releasing “hunger” hormones that send your appetite skyrocketing. And if you’ve ever been in a meeting stocked with doughnuts after a late night, you’ve probably discovered firsthand that your body isn’t hungry for fruits and vegetables. Focusing on sleep has a profound effect on a healthy lifestyle, providing a 32 percent increase in productivity and focus, and an energy boost for higher fitness performance.

Okay, so you agree to get more sleep. Easier said than done, right? What if you can’t sleep easily. But sometimes the hardest part of getting enough sleep is being able to wind down from a busy day and fall asleep quickly. Here’s where fruits and vegetables come to the rescue! For a quicker, restful night of pleasant dreams, skip counting sheep, and count on these fruits and vegetables to help you sleep.

Kale: Dairy products are well-known calcium-rich foods. But green leafy vegetables, such as kale, chard, and collards, also boast healthy doses of calcium. Research suggests that being calcium deficient may make it difficult to fall asleep. Load up on this trendy veggie before bed and your body will be thanking you in the morning. The easiest way to include it is to juice it up!
Dark Red Cherries: Cherries are one of the few natural sources of melatonin, a sleep-promoting hormone. Have a handful of this fruit an hour before bedtime. If fresh ones aren’t in season and frozen aren’t available, go for cherry juice. I woke up at 4 am a couple of days ago. I was still tired, but couldn’t get back to sleep. I took a tablespoon of cherry juice and went right back to sleep after that. It can also help with gout and supports healthy joint function. Check it out http://juiceladycherie.com/store/#!/Apothe-Cherry/p/54959915/category=4641363
Celery. The minerals and essential oils in celery juice have a calming effect on the nervous system, making it beneficial for insomniacs. Its high magnesium levels help people relax and drift into a soothing, restful sleep. You will need about 8 ounces before bedtime to get sleepy, which will take more than the recipe below calls for. Juice about one bunch of celery.
Tomatoes: Grown on the vine, tomatoes are a natural source of melatonin, a chemical produced by the body during sleep. Although it is recommended to get fresh sources, which you can eat raw or juiced, tomatoes can be found in sauces, tomato paste, and dried tomatoes as well. They are full of antioxidants, which are particularly helpful for your immune system. And they are also rich in lycopene, which has been shown to prevent prostate cancer.
Passion Fruit: If anxiety is what’s keeping you up, you’ll be passionate about passion fruit. Passion fruit contains several medicinal alkaloids, including the sedative compound “harman,” which has traditionally been used to treat anxiety, insomnia and restlessness.

Sources:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/112103-fruits-sleep/

http://www.livestrong.com/article/366526-exercise-lack-of-sleep/

http://www.thefabricator.com/article/safety/how-sleep-deprivation-affects-work-performance

http://www.eatingwell.com/nutrition_health/nutrition_news_information/

sleep

3 Juices That Help You Sleep Better

3 Juices That Help You Sleep Better