Studies Find Many Older Americans Have Sleeping Problems - Alternatives to Sleep Drugs Recommended

- LOS ANGELES, CA, December 01, 2006 - Older Americans are convinced that a good night"s sleep is necessary to maintaining their health. A survey by the Gallup Poll found that seventy-two percent of seniors have discussed poor sleep with their doctors. It also found no clear consensus on the safety of sleep medications; also known as hypnotics.

In another study from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on "The Treatment of Sleep Disorders of Older People", NIH estimates that disturbances of sleep affect more than half of people aged 65 and older. They advise hypnotic medications should not be the mainstay treatment of insomnia as "they are overused and have habit forming potential". Their recommendations include exercise, avoidance of alcohol and caffeine, and reduced fluid intake in the evening.

According to the NIH, older people constitute almost thirteen percent of the American population but consume over thirty percent of all prescription drugs. A large portion of these are sedatives and hypnotics (such as Ambien, Lunesta and Sonata), which have not been established to be safe and effective for this age group. Nor has it been established to what extent drugs contribute to or alleviate the problems of sleep. The causes of these disorders must be understood and better treatment strategies developed, including non-drug-based methods.

Particularly for older people, a possible underlying nutritional cause of insomnia may be a deficiency of certain key minerals. James F. Balch, M.D., author of Prescription for Nutritional Healing, writes: "A lack of the nutrients calcium and magnesium will cause you to wake up after a few hours and not be able to return to sleep."

However, specific forms of these minerals are more digestible than others - an important factor as our digestive enzymes reduce with age. Magnesium chloride is a unique form of magnesium which holds good benefit for older adults. In 1915, the French surgeon Pierre Delbet, M.D, did several studies with magnesium chloride and discovered a variety of health advantages resulted from its use, including a calmer nervous system, improved digestion and a stronger immune system.

Magnesium chloride crystals are made from seawater. Separately, both magnesium and chloride have important functions in keeping us healthy. Chloride combines with hydrogen in the stomach to make hydrochloric acid, a powerful digestive aid that declines in the body as we grow older. Magnesium also prevents the calcification (hardening by calcium) of our organs and tissues - which is a characteristic of age-related physical degeneration.

Using other forms of magnesium is less beneficial as these have to be converted into chlorides in the body before they can be digested. For example, when we take magnesium in the oxide or carbonate form, we then have to produce additional hydrochloric acid to absorb it. Another advantage is that magnesium chloride instantly dissolves in any temperature of water. Natural remedies for sleep, such as Sleep Minerals from Nutrition Breakthroughs, have begun to include this highly-digestible form of magnesium.

One example of a father"s addiction to sleeping drugs was in Phoenix Arizona, where Sabrina and her dad live. Out of concern for him, she began searching for natural sleep solutions. She says: "My father was hooked on Ambien and the side effects weren"t good. I checked on the Internet for other alternatives and came across Sleep Minerals. My dad was willing to try something different - something natural. He did, and the first night he took them, he said it was the best sleep he"s had in years. Now he always keeps some by the bed."

We think of calcium as food for our bones, but it"s also a natural sedative that releases the sleep-inducing amino acid tryptophan. The pioneering nutritionist Adelle Davis discusses the calming benefits of calcium in her book Let"s Get Well. She says: "A calcium deficiency often shows itself by insomnia, another form of an inability to relax. The harm done by sleeping tablets, to say nothing of the billions of dollars spent on them, could largely be avoided if the calcium intake were adequate."

A relatively new form of calcium - calcium lactate gluconate - is emerging as a popular choice for fortifying beverages (such as orange juice and sports drinks), because of its ability to dissolve readily in any temperature of liquid - cold or hot. Calcium works best when it"s balanced with magnesium. According to Adelle Davis, "The magnesium intake should be approximately half that of calcium."

Jobee Knight, a nutritional researcher and founder of Nutrition Breakthroughs in Glendale, California, is someone who fought her own battle against sleeplessness and insomnia. She decided to put her background to use by searching out effective natural ingredients for relaxation and deeper sleep. The result was Sleep Minerals, a unique blend of magnesium chloride and calcium lactate gluconate.

Nancy Richardson of Burbank, California says: "The Sleep Minerals put me to sleep pretty fast and I slept like a rock for about eight hours. It was quite beneficial. And I"ve been having trouble getting to sleep and staying that way but this was quite terrific."

Nutritional remedies can be an alternative to suffering with the side effects of sleeping drugs. The most common side effects include memory loss, headache, nausea, depression, dizziness, confusion, reduced ability to perform on the job and at home, and a hangover effect the next day and beyond.

Source: on pressbot.org | Date: 01.12.2006 - 21:50 | 583 times read