Sleep, sleep, sleep. As a mum I talk about sleep a lot. I do in my practice too. People often say “I could handle the stress, pain, hot flushes etc. if I could just sleep”. Of course, the body functions so much better and everything is more manageable with a good nights sleep. Unfortunately, sleep is a very complex process and disruptions are often anything but straight forward. A wellness plan usually involves sleep hygiene, optimizing the sleeping environment, looking at stress and relaxation and occasionally supplement support.
However, sometimes we forget that we can get targeted nutritional therapy using foods. Remember, eating salmon for Omega-3? Have you thought about Jell-O for sleep? The gelatin is a very high protein product with especially high amounts of glycine. Glycine has often been used for support for ADHD and seizures disorders, but also has some interesting research about its benefits for sleep (especially perimenopausal) and daytime performance and fatigue (1,2).
So how do you use it? The uses are pretty endless but below are some links to great recipes to get your creative juices flowing. Happy cooking and happy sleeping!
Really, easy and tasty fruit gummies or gels. http://balancedbites.com/2013/07/easy-recipe-sweet-sour-gummy-gelatin-snacks.html
This is a great starter recipe for popsicles (thank you Dr Oz). Tweak it with any fruit combos to suit your tastes. Don’t forget popsicles are a great way to hide kids supplements. The gelatin content can be altered to adjust the texture and it really helps to hide any grittiness from powders. http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/summer-sleep-solution-recipes.
~ Dr. Kellie
Dr Kellie Ferguson
Naturopathic Physician
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