It seems that a new discovery may help women get better sleep. Soy has been found to remedy and provide better sleep, thanks mainly to its estrogen-like compounds which should help post-menopausal women resolve their sleep woes.

The compounds are called isoflavones and have been known for testing against health problems which include the likes of menopause, high cholesterol, high blood sugar and increased body fat.

To investigate whether isoflavones might be beneficial, 38 postmenopausal women with insomnia were randomly assigned to take either 80 milligrams of the isoflavones or a placebo for four months. All of the study participants underwent polysomnography, which involves spending the night in a sleep lab.

This is deemed only temporary so for women who want to try it, don’t expect too much. If the results are to be analyzed, you will agree that this is something that is a temporary remedy, meaning you may have to look for something else to treat your sleep problems.

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Sleep deprived people who rely heavily on melatonin may want to change their reliance on such pills. Though they may help, the question is how long. And if you want something better to act as a substitute, here is one called a Melatonin Skin Patch which can aid you even better.

The patch may be more effective than melatonin pills because oral melatonin wears off quickly while the dose from the patch lasts longer. The study, published this week in the journal Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics, only involved eight people. They were given a patch containing either 2.1 milligrams of melatonin or no drug. The researchers measured their sleep performance and the melatonin levels in their blood.

“And, importantly, melatonin levels rose gradually, such that the peak concentration occurred in the early evening, during the latter part of the bed rest. We know — and shift workers know — that this is a time during which it is particularly difficult to remain asleep,” Aeschbach said in a news release.

(Source) LA Times

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At night, we often look for the first thing that we can munch on. And for people, who would not consider chocolate. But did you know that chocolate can affect the way you sleep?

Now this is bad news for people who have a sweet-tooth. Chocolates are known to carry a fine amount of caffeine, largely depending on the size and milligrams of the chocolate bar you are fond of. Also, the darker the chocolate is, the higher risk of not being able to sleep.

And chocolate has other stimulants. One is theobromine, the compound that makes chocolate dangerous to dogs and cats because they metabolize it so slowly. Theobromine, which increases heart rate and causes sleeplessness, is found in small amounts in chocolate, especially dark.

So if you love chocolate, eat it in a timely fashion. Eat it at any part of the day but never when you are about to go to bed.

(Source) NY Times

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