Insomnia help??

[Mara]

I have chronic insomnia. It takes me up to two hours, sometimes three to fall asleep, and I wake up several times during the night; I'm always tired and not very happy. I eat a mostly macrobiotic,whole foods diet (but am not very particular about it) & I take Bcomplex and calcium/magnesium supplements. I have a lot of respect for the macrobiotic approach to healing and I was wondering if anyone knows what exactly I should do with my diet to help this condition. Is insomnia considered an overly yang or yin condition? I would very much appreciate suggestions and comments. Thank you. Sincerely,
Mara

[Roy Collins]

Hi Mara. Because chronic insomnia can be caused by a number of different factors, such as past and present use of medication, amount of salt and animal food intake, alcohol use, psychologic stress, level of physical activity, caffeine use, time in front of computer, etc. it is important that you can provide a little more information for us to evaluate before we can make dietary and other suggestions to you.

In GENERAL, however, insomnia can be from too much yang OR too much yin in the diet. Under normal circumstances
yang is in dominance during the day and it begins to be depleted as physical activity gets exhausted. Then sleep comes and under influence of big night time yin body gets rest and is recharged with yang. Exposure to yin creates need to become yang, and vice versa.

So kidneys control level of activity and water/salt balance. When they are weak from too much yin (and sometimes this is cause bytoo much salt in the body that needs yin to balance) then yang kidney chi is weakened. So is sex drive, and other physical activities. All this requires yang to be raised to a higher
level. Therefore, more wholegrains are preferred to broken down flour products, dairy (especially parmesian cheese) simple sugars, too much liquid, alcohol, pot, raw fruits, salads, coffee, spices, etc. Wholegrains are slow burning and calming – other stuff makes high level of brain agitation.

If you can reveal a little more information about your diet and type of environment you are in, plus work habits, I’m sure we can help you to a higher degree. Quite frequently too much animal fat and salt will hamper release of serotonin neurotransmitter in the brain and this also will cause agitated states. Remember that when there is yin dominance thinking capacity increases as body energy lulls, and when yang is in dominance thinking is decreased and physical actions increase. when you are in front
of a computer this polarity reverses.

I look forward to your reply.

In peace, Roy

[Mara]

Roy,
Thanks for the quick response. My diet is mostly short grain brown rice and vegetables, tofu, beans, sesame butter -- for my main meals --and nuts, soynuts, crackers, chapati, and dried fruit when I'm out -- at school and at work. Sometimes I'll have a grilled cheese sandwich 3-4 times a week. I have quit any use of alcohol, caffeine, pot, chocolate, and most sugar, and I don't eat sweets at all in the evening/before bed. I don't spend an excessive amount of time in front of the computer, only when needed for research/writing. I'm really busy though, taking 4 classes at college, and feel like I only have enough energy to do half of what I should be doing to keep up, and I am so foggy, the world seems very unmagical and dreary. I work ten hours a week in an office on campus as a secretary. I feel like I caused this insomnia to become such a monster inthe past year, because I used to smoke pot, drink coffee in the afternoon, stay up late, that kind of thing -- eat too much sweet food and eat too much in general. I've just this term transferred to a new school, and it is this term that my insomnia has become worse, yet my diet just about perfect. I work out in the late afternoons for at least 30 minutes almost every day.
I do occasionally take a sleeping pill called Ambien, which is supposedly one of the best on the commercial market, and I think it helps me to fall asleep before 1, which I suppose is better than 3, but I don't like taking it and I want to fall asleep sooner, naturally.
I wonder if I should fast, just eat brown rice for a while? Would this be a good idea?Thank you very much for your help and insights. Mara

[Roy Collins]

Mara -- My feeling is that you have too much oil in your diet which is making kidneys clogged and energy dull. You need to cut out nuts completely, no tofu, and use black beans or broad beans (fava) 2 to 3 times per week. No cheese, sesame butter or wheat products, especially those with yeast. Minimize salt intake as well. Try to stay away from baked foods.

No need to do #7 rice fast. This can be very dangerous if you eat only rice. Better to have two whole grain dishes per day using different kinds of grains each time. Also important is to use a small amount of miso with wakame seaweed, onion, and daikon radish or shiitake mushroom in the morning. Make sure to eat plenty of green vegetables and to steam or quickly blanch them in boiling water. A little pressed salad will also help digestion which is most likely hampered from oils so enzymes are somewhat depleted. Miso will help with this too.

Also, if possible you should do Do-In (self Shiatsu) every morning,
and/or Tai Chi. Walk in the outdoors whenever you can get the chance. Ginger compress on both kidney area and on intestines will also help, but do this only 2 times daily for no longer than 20 minutes per session.

You can drink green tea, banacha tea, but put a small piece of dried Dong Quai root in it while steeping. Chew and eat the piece of root. This has very balancing affect on hormones and
is slighty sedative. I would take away sleeping pill altogether, and if really needed it is better to take something like Valerian
tea or Catnip combined with Hops (50/50%). Mineral water can also be taken or coffee substitute like Roma, Pero, etc. No cold drinks at all.

Try these suggestions for 1 month and then back to us to know how things are going. A little fish would be OK on occassion, but broil or bake it...

I hope this helps.

In peace, Roy

[Mara]

Roy,
Are soynuts better than nuts because they have less oil? Is there anything else high in protein that I can snack on during the day away from home to keep my blood sugar levels even? And I know rice cakes are pretty yang, but would they be better than whole wheat chapatis to carry with me?
Something funny happened, which is that today, the day after you suggested I quit eating sesame butter (tahini sauce was a big thing for me) I discovered my jar of it had had fermented for some strange reason, something I'd never known to happen before.
The comments about my digestion were right on, because I frequently have trouble in this area, often contributing to my trouble sleeping.
There are two other aspects of my insomnia that I realized last night and was wondering if you had any insight on. One is a feeling in my nerves, a mild but annoying jagged, wiry, pulsing feeling that causes little muscles to twitch all over my body when I'm trying to fall asleep. The other is an inability to eat enough before I go to bed somehow, so that even if I feel full at dinner and feel full after a snack an hour later, I end up getting out of bed at least once and often twice to eat something because my stomach feels gnawingly empty. Even then sometimes I remain hungry enough to have it bother me. This I think is related to the sensation in my nerves.
Thank you,
Mara

[Roy Collins]

Mara. It is the fat and high protein that is causing you most
of the problems. There is probably some discharge attempting
to on as well -- I do not know how long you have practiced macrobiotics but it appears that you are a newbe since you are
still taking supplements and sleep meds. No need for so much protein. Soy has more protein than beef! Protein is causing inhibition of serrotonin release. Complex carbohydrates, on the other hand, aid in the release of the serrotonin neurotransmitter. Protein makes agitated state.
Complex Carbs makes more peaceful state of mind. This has been know for centuries in the Far East. The two pictographs for the word peace are 1. grain and 2. mouth (eat)

The rice cakes are both very yin (expanded, puffed with air) and
drying and this drying attracts liquid and blows up the
intestine and makes digestive difficulties. Their action is similar to yeast foods. Do not use rice cakes on a regular basis, only
for fun food on occassion.

If you really need to have a bread-type product you should make rice kayu bread. You can use left-over brown rice and mix with
freshly ground wheat flour and maybe some left over cooked veggies. Add enough water to make stiff dough and a little salt
and bake. But use only one piece a day. You can put a little vegetable spread mae with a tiny bit of miso on this. No sesame butter -- especially the rancid kind you have! It is the baking part
that you need to get away from.

The hungry part I don't quite understand. Maybe too much salt or possiblitily of intestinal parasites. For the first you need to cut way back on salt, no tamari either. For the second you can take strong mugwort tea three times a day for three days along with
restricted macro diet of 70 % grains and the rest cooked veggies
and miso soup. Three days only. If you can't get mugword, use twenty drops of walnut hull tincture three times per day in cup of green tea, along with restrictive diet for three days only. Most parasites come from raw food eating and eating animal food.

Once you get your hormones, enzymes, and yin/yang straight
you will be fine. Please study macro more serious and find a macro cooking teacher to take classes with in your area.

I hope this helps.

In peace, Roy

[Mara]

Haven't been seriously practicing macrobiotics ever, just have always tried to eat whole foods and to keep a healthy balance. Am approaching it with more seriousness than ever because of my problems right now. I'm taking supplements because these were recommended for my sleeping, meds for same reason -- because I was really desperate for anything to help me out, and I think the supplements have been, so I'll continue to use them. But the sleeping pills I am happy to get rid of.
I have always been told to eat protein (not necessarily animal -- I mean, nuts, beans, etc) to stabilize blood sugar, if hypoglycemic. Also if active, important for rebuilding muscle after exercise. When riding my bike a lot, or doing lots of hiking, I would eat nuts and sometimes cheese for this reason. Are you saying that this isn't ever necessary?

[Roy Collins]

Mara. The US recommended dietary allowance for protein is 12%. The standard macrobiotic diet offers exactly the same amount.
It is not protein that stabilizes blood sugar but complex carbohydrates. Complex carbs are poly-sachharides that break down and burn slowing, providing and even release of energy while food is being digested. There are other health authorities
that actually recommend less that 10% protein for optimum health. You may need to eat smaller AMOUNTS of food per sitting and eat a little more FREQUENTLY to stabilize blood sugars.
Good to see you are getting more serious about macro...

I hope this helps.

In peace, Roy

[Mara]

Roy
I just wanted to say, I think it is really neat that one can come here and get some free advice that makes a lot of sense. It has helped me understand some things that weren't clear or were totally unknown to me. I'll come back in a few weeks and let you know how things are going. One more question: it seems like green tea wouldn't be a good idea because it is a stimulant. Why do you recommend it to me? I am wary of taking any caffeine at all.
Sincerely
Mara

[Roy Collins]

Hi Mara. In your particular case with hypoglycima, I thought this tea would be most effective. In general green, black, bancha (roasted green leaves) and kukicha (roasted green twigs) all have caffeine – about ½ the amount of a cup of coffee. The effects of the caffeine, however is minimal in comparison to the health benefits of tea, especially as a BLOOD SUGAR LEVELER and antioxidant. Tea contains many beneficial compounds, such as catechin, that offers protection to the body and neutralizes the stimulating effects of the caffeine component. For an insomniac, green and black teas can be drunk in moderation throughout the day as the stimuating effects are energizing but wear off within an hour or so. It is, however, better to avoid both green and black tea in the evening if you are an imsomniac. I’m sorry that I was not clear on this.

More on Tea:
The major antioxidant in green tea is EGCG, which has 20 times more free-radical fighting power that vit. E and 200 x’s more than vit. C. The polyphenols in tea also inhibits chemicals and tumors ability to grow and divide.

A recent retrospective study conducted in Britain looked at tea consumption and the risk of bone fracture. In the study, 1,256 women 65 to 76 years old who drank tea had higher bone-mineral density (a measure of bone health) than those who did not drink tea (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2000, vol. 71, no. 4). Prior to this study it was generally believed that caffeine robbed calcium and B-vitamins from the body! Not so.

In a Chinese study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, it was found that women who drank 2-3 cups of green tea per day had a 60% reduced risk of esophageal cancer (men a 57% reduced risk of the same). In the May (2001) issue of International Journal of Cancer, another study revealed that the consumption of green tea helped prevent chronic stomach inflammation that could lead to stomach gastritis and cancer.

For macrobiotics tea is a staple drink and can be consumed daily
without any fear. It is however slightly stimulating and those who do not wish this effect, especailly in the evening, should take care to use an alternative at that time.

I hope this helps.

In peace, Roy

[Bruce Paine]

Roy,

Seldom do I feel the need to correct you but as far as my understanding goes, kukicha (bancha twig tea) which are made from the roasted twigs of the same Camellia sinensis tea plant as Green (gunpowder, young hyson, and imperial [as well as gyokori, sencha, matcha and hojicha {hojicha is bancha leaf and twig tea}]), Black (orange pekoe and souchong) or the Green/Black oolong, is much lower in caffeine that those other teas, but possibly the manner in which it is prepared may effect the caffeine content as well as it's astringency, bitterness, and ability to stimulate.

If one uses the Edition Wagenfeld Jaener-Glas ( http://www.schott.com/hwg/english/pr.../wagenfeld.jpg http://www.schott.com/hwg/english/pr...ges/drinks.jpg http://www.schott.com/hwg/english/products/ as found in the Goldmine catalog) or the Catamount ( http://www.catglass.com/prod.shtml?16 infusion teapots and boil briefly then steep the tea, one will get a sweeter, cooling, relaxing kukicha tea that quite possibly will have less caffeine than that using the old model of kukicha tea making which is: boiled in a pot until it is as dark as coffee and is as bitter, warming, astringent and stimulating as coffee (and probably has more caffeine in it, as well!).

For folks who for whatever reason choose not to use a infuser pot, you can boil the twig tea briefly in a non-reactive-material container, let steep and pour into a drinking container through a strainer.

I hope that clarifies some of the kukicha qestion for Mara.

Thank you, very much.

With warm regards, love, and peace,

Bruce Paine

[Roy Collins]

Bruce, You are correct to point out that all of the teas that both you and I listed are from the same plant. No correction is needed here.

The differing amounts of caffeine in the listed varieties is due to both the PART of the tea bush being used, as wll as the way that paet was dried and/or prepared, along with method by which it was cooked.

You will recall in my post I used the words "In General" in my discussion about the varieites of teas. That in itself would get me off the hook about a discussion of speciifc differences, which I
did not feel was warrented.

Secondly the reason why green tea has less caffeine than black is due to the well fact that green tea, after being picked is STEAMED first, then dried. This neutralizes both the acid tannins as well as the caffeine -- both yin. Black tea, on the other hand, is picked and dried without being cooked. During the drying process the acids are retained within the leaves but upon rehydration are re-released into the tea water, along with bitter tannins.

Both the green and black tea under this discussion are referring to the leaves only. Leaves are more yin than the twigs. Therefore the twig portion of the tea bush is more yang and has less caffeine, but this amount is negligable. However, once the twigs are dry roasted, the caffeine portion is further reduced (more yang), but along with all this cooking so are the imporant flavinoids, vitamins, and antioxidnat compounds (as well as the natural floride that increases bone density and re-mineralization of tooth calcium.)

In giving out specific food suggestions for specific problems one needs to take into account a variety of factors about the individual asking for advice. Here is where my 35 years as a practicing herbalist best pays off in this forum.

When preparing tea, all herbalists use this general rule of thumb:
"Most herbal preparations call for one-half ounce of dry herbs to one pint of water for adults (children 1/2 to 1/4 the amount depending on age), or one tablespoon of dry herbs to 1 1/2 cups of water. Fresh herbs may also be used, but be sure to bruise first in a mortal with pestle. All herbs are gently simmmered. Flowers, leaves, stems, and branches are cooked from 5 to 15 minutes, depending upon strength desired. Barks, roots, and seeds (crush first) are cooked longer, up to 1/2 hour. Never boil pine needles or pine bark as it kills it sporperties [this goes for ginger root as well]. LOnger cooking requires more water. Metal vessels are never used. Procelain, glass, enamel, or clay pots are preferred. Medicinal preparations are usually taken once in the morning on an empty stomach, and once at night before retiring." (page 66 from my book Resurrecting the Herbal Tradition with Yin and Yang).

I hope this information is specific enough for you. Thank you for your "corrections."

In peace, Roy

[Mara]

Well, I'm back. Sorry to say I haven't been feeling or sleeping much better,
even though I have been following your advice and really enjoying it for
the most part. It makes a lot of sense and feels right to really be eating this
way after holding it as an ideal for so long.
I think that in general I fall asleep sooner than I had been.
But I wake up at night to pee and its hard for me to fall asleep after that.
Eventually I fall into dreaming and then wake up, then dream, then wake up,
until morning. And I wake up groggy and sore.
I get really thirsty at night, but no unusual thirst during the day. And I
don't know if this is related, but the glands in my throat are sore and
swollen a lot.

Any body got any more advice for me? I've scheduled an appointment
with an acupuncturist I know and I hope that will be some help, but she
doesn't seem to respect macrobiotics as much as I do or put so much
importance on particular foods. Thanks for listening to my complaining
again..
Sincerely,
Mara

[Roy Collins]

Hi Mara. I think you need more time in order for body to become balanced -- especially when you have hypoglycemia (who typically display the symptoms of insomnia). There may also be some thyroid condition that needs to be addressed as well. In any case you need to stick to the dietary plan and maybe use a little more seaweed than normal, especially bladderwrack and dulse.

Dream states indicate excess yin. Quite frequently undigested food makes ammonia gas in brain and makes dreams. Better to not eat for 2 hrs before going to bed. You might also want to align your bed from north to south and sleep with head in the north with open window so cold air makes more yang. You may also want to try Valerian Root extract or capsules which will induce sleep. This is an interesting herb because it is a root that pulls energy from head to feet, but grows in damp soil so is slightly yin. The fresh or dired root smells quite bad, like cat poop! Yeah, better to use capsules. Start off with two caps per night for 1 week, then reduce to 1 cap per night. The idea of Valium is based on Valerian, but valium is addictive and Valium not. See what happens after 2 weeks.

Make sure you are not taking any medications or simple sugars at this time. Good luck with acupucnturist -- maybe he/she will read pulse (make sure it is taken on left wrist) and find better herbal combination to balance internal defiecienies. Most acupuncturists do not follow macrobiotic ideas of yin/yang but use symtomatic treatment. Still it can be helpful. Good luck.

In peace, Roy

[Mara]

Thanks again. I was wondering what do you think about niacin
supplements? Some friends convinced me to take one the other day
and I thought the effct -- tingling, and warmth, and afterward relaxation
was mostly pleasant. However it seemed like a pretty extrene effect'
to get from any substance, even something so benign as a vitamin.
And I wondered if it might be causing some effect I wasn't aware of, and
curious how it was considered from a macro standpoint.
Mara