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Eat Better, Sleep Better
I just read a great new study on WebMD about food and sleep. In The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, it was found that foods which cause a rise in blood sugar (what is called a high glycemic index) can shorten the time to fall asleep, if eaten about 4 hours before bed. The researchers do not know exactly why this occurred, but the thought is that they raise levels of serotonin and tryptophan.
The study was done in Australia at The University of Sydney, where they studied 12 normal men who were 18-35 years old. The men, who had no sleep problems, spent three nights at the researchers' sleep lab. They took one week off between stays at the lab. These guys would fast for 5 hours and then be given a meal of rice and steamed veggies with a light tomato sauce. Each experimental condition would have a different type of rice -- jasmine (high glycemic index) vs. long grain (lower glycemic index) -- and be given the rice at a different time before bed. The subjects were then timed at how long it took them to fall asleep once in bed.
It was discovered that jasmine rice four hours before bedtime had them falling asleep in nine minutes, on average. The same meal 1 hour before bed had them falling asleep in nearly 15 minutes, on average. The slowest to fall asleep were those who ate the long-grain rice meal four hours before bedtime, taking nearly 18 minutes, on average.
While we do not know why this occurred, it continues to press the point that what we put in our bodies has an effect on how we sleep. Now if they could only figure out that pizza could do the same thing, I would be grateful :-)
(Source: Afaghi, A. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, February 2007; vol 85: pp 426-430.)
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Technorati Tags: Sleep Doctor, insomnia, glycemic index, carbs
14 Comments:
Hello. have you ever heard of someone being given Seroquel to treat insomnia. When I did the research, I discovered that it is used to treat schitzophrenia and dementia.
Your doctor is prescribing it for off-label use because although this drug is indicated for bipolar and schizo, it makes people sleepy. Just be sure to know all the serious adverse effects you can suffer and do a risk-benefit analysis. If you and your physician feel that the risks you take (weight gain, diabetes, extrapyrimidal syndrome, etc) are all worth is and that you haven't tried other alternatives like ambien, sonata, xanax, trazodone, etc.
I was diagnosed as Bipolar I Disorder and put on Seroquel among other meds... but I just heard it can cause diabetes, diabetic coma, and even death!
I have been taking seroquel for the last four years to help me sleep. Does anyone know what the side effects of stopping this medication are?
I was given seroquel as a sleep aid. My doctor retired and a new doctor I went to preceded to tell me I was bipolar or had a mood disorder because of the medicine I was prescribed to help me sleep which led me to do research. What is wrong with a sleeping pill? why give someone this seroquel if the only problem is not sleeping good? I feel wronged. I had no idea what this medicine was approved for by the fda. this doesn't seem right.
My psychiatrist prescribed me seroquel as a sleep aid as well, without telling me that its intended use is for schizophrenia. She told me to just take it when I couldn't sleep and I figured it was sleep medication. I found out what it really was when reading a chart in a textbook for my class. Has this drug ever been studied for use as a sleep aid?
I to take seroquel for chronic insomnia. I've tried ambien, lunesta, sonata, xanax and trazadone. For me the benefits of seroquel outweigh the risks. Without it, I'm lucky to sleep 10 per week.
To those that take Seroquel for sleeping disorders don't worry you will have more to think about at night while laying there awake at night. Like your new type2 diabetes. Even better for us who have heart problems.
For me sleeping isn't important anymore as I now have these new problems to keep me company at night and for whats left of my life. Thanks Doc!
Forrest Bishop Jr.
I have been taking Seroquel for a couple years. I was 190 lbs when I started. I now weigh 260 lbs. I have been told to get a blood screen test that checks for diabetes,high blood sugar and other trouble signs. I have come close to quitting but my symptoms returned and I started taking the prescribed amount. I take 600mg daily. The suggested max is 700mg. I can work off the weight, but if my blood test come back with bad news I will have to quit and try to find an alternative.
Taking Seroquel for insomnia is a joke. At bedtime I take 300mg of Seroquil+10mg of valum+Lunesta and 2 mg of clonazopam every nite and sleep for an average of 4&1/2 hours of sleep. Good luck everyone. I hope your results are better than mine.
My Freind was recenitly told to take seroquel 100 mg. to help her sleep. being in health care this worries me! there is serious side effects to this drug ! Please everyone question your phyisican!!!
Doesn't anyone QUESTION the doctor when they give meds to you? Doesn't anyone ask for the side effects flyers to check for themselves what the side effects are. Seroquel has many known deadly side effects, such as diabetes, pancreatitis, which develop after taking Seroquel. Your doctor doesn't KNOW SQUAT about what effects drugs have. Another best bet is to ASK the druggist...they are knowlegeable about side effects and what drugs don't go well together.
On the question of sleep, the BEST medicine is FREE. At least 10 minutes of sunshine each day on bare skin...that is NO SUN SCREEN applied BARE SKIN.
I have trouble staying asleep but I am getting more sunshine now to get VITAMIN D which is naturally loaded in sunshine and is FREE. Sunscreen prevents the absorption of Vitamin D. Lack of Vitamin D from sunshine is being linked to colon cancer and other deadly cancers.
But DID your Doctor TELL YOU THAT??? They don't get referal money from FREE stuff but do get big bucks for giving you meds that may end up killing or harming your body irreparably.
I've decided this week that I'm DONE with SEROQUEL. I've had sleep issues ever since I was about 22 or so. Maybe earlier but I don't recall. I'm now 46. We also have depression in the family so I've also been on an anti-depressant of one form or another with my dosage always being as low as I can possiby take. Up until about 8 years ago I could sleep with about .5m of Klonopin (aka chlonazepam) I never needed more. About 8 years ago I moved and the stress and anxiety of the move caused me to gain about 20 pounds or close to 200. Being a former collegiate athlete and very weight and health conscious and athletic, this was highly irregular. Turns out the Paxil they gave me worked great but also made me not really care I was getting heavier until one day it just hit me. It was hard taking the weight off but I did and was put on numerous different meds to help ease any cyclical depression or stress . My ability to sleep has really changed (for the worse) over the last 3-4 years. I finally went to a sleep clinic and they confirmed it. Very little to no sleep at night. I would doze off for a few moments but would wake up shortly thereafter. This pattern lasted throughout the night. This was occurring even though I was taing 1m of chlonazepam and the anti-depressant.I was prescribed every "sleeping" medication under the sun with limited success. I was also still taking the anti-depressant of the month (always trying to take the least amount. My job can be pretty stressful at times as I'm in upper management and I could not take the grogginess) Eventually a doctor convinced me to take Seroquel, in conjunction with 1m of chlonazepam. He said it might make you a little susceptible to weight gain so he also prescribed Topamax (aka Dopamax) as that had a tendency to curb your appetite. I also was taking Cymbalta for depression/stress and pain mgmt. I did some research and decided I would give it a try Well it worked, I started sleeping much more than I ever did. However, I felt groggy so the next med to be introduced was a morning dose of a stimulant of to help relieve the sleepy feeling. The bottom line is I have gained about 25 pounds in the last 6-9 months. No doubt because of the Seroquel. I take 100m. I have always been a bit of an occasional "binge eater" but have usually compensated with extra exercise and the phase passed. Now, it seems like I do 75% of my eating at night and it's like I have these cravings that only seem to come at night. I'm normally a very healthy eater and understand nutrition, when to eat, etc., but it seems to be over-whelming. I have never smoked pot but know what the "munchies" are and that's what it feels like. I even wake up with them and go eat something. I've been off of work for awhile and have tried to really focus on my health to include trying to reduce the Seroquel to 50m and eventually try to stop completely and hope for a better solution. However, I've been getting terrible and very vivid nightmares. I have no doubt my cholesterol and sugar level are way above where they used to be and should be. I want to get off this Seroquel so bad but am worried I won't sleep again. The doctor once asked me if I'd rather be 10-20 pounds heavier and sleep well. My answer then was "no" and now I realize its really "NO". He even mentioned I should take home a sugar level home test kit and now I know why as I become more educated about the LEVEL of side-effects. I know that rigid attention to extreme sleep hygiene may help a little but it seems that even before the days of working late on the computer and the blackberry nearby, I still had sleep challenges. If someone has had similar issues please reach out. In the meantime, I would be very very careful about taking Seroquel, especially if your "makeup" is one that already has you susceptible to weight gain and especially diabetes.
I dont think my doctor knows what he is talking about.. I have had sleep apnea most of my life, I am turning 24 in 7 days.. I have been told that I am bi-polar, add, schitzophrenic, manic depressive, all b/c I got out of high school and when I did I became depressed. I was on lexapro and abilify and they didnt do anything. I started taking seroquel at 100mg, two years ago. When I did that I would take it at 9:00 and wake up at 1:00 then be tired all day long and just want to sleep. I also gained weight. I started pushing the dose down b/c I was tired of always having to be on medicine and knowing the side effects of seroquel I dont want to need to take it for the rest of my life. I am now down to 25 mg. But I changed my medicine to a generic brand sleep aid. I have been off the seroquel for 3 days down, I am having headaches, and for some reason having a hard time remembering things and being attentive. I was wondering has anyone else had someone misdiagnoise you? My symptoms are mainly, depression, racing thoughts, I cant sleep.. and only about once a year for 2 years I have been suicidal. I dont have the energy to workout, and I give blood and keep up with my charts. So I was wondering if anyone had symptoms like mine? And if so, what are you taking and what is the diagnosis? I cant sleep at all with out the seroquel.... any help is welcomed!! Thank you!!
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