Have you ever had a really good night of sleep, waking up feeling rested and refreshed? It’s a wonderful feeling. You feel happy, energetic, and the world is a bright and wonderful place.
On the other hand, when you suffer from insomnia and have a hard time falling asleep, or have a restless night filled with disturbing dreams, you wake up feeling tried, groggy, and have a hard time facing the day.
Insomnia runs in my family. My mother and several of my aunts have suffered from severe insomnia all their lives, and they can’t go anywhere without their sleeping pills. It’s painful, even to watch.
So one of our family missions has been to help mom get a better night’s sleep. When she sleeps better, she’s in a better mood. And when she’s in a good mood, we’re all in a good mood. I’m sure you can relate to what I’m saying.
Today I want to share with you five simple recipes for a better sleep, which are highly recommended by Chinese medical practitioners.
Milk
One of the proteins found in milk – tryptophan – stimulates the cranial nerve to secrete serotonin, which can temporarily inhibit the brain’s activity and can improve sleeping. This may not be suitable for those of you who have weak digestive systems however, because diary products are not very easy to digest. But if you can, try taking a glass of milk a half an hour before bedtime, and see if it helps you sleep better.
Honey
Sweet, cool and moistening, honey improves digestion, calms the spirit, clears heat and detoxifies. It’s an excellent sleeping aid. Melt 30-50g of honey in warm water and drink it before going to bed.
Celery
Celery can cool blood, soothe the liver and clear heat. I usually include celery in my dinner menu. It’s excellent baked or cooked in a soup stock. You can also drink a glass of celery juice at night.
Millet
Millet contains abundant tryptophan, which has a significant hypnotic effect and can improve sleeping. Make a millet dish for dinner. It’s delicious, too!
Mulberry Fruit
Rich in glucose, fructose, malic acid, calcium and vitamins, mulberry fruit help calm the heart, strengthen the liver and kidney, and build blood. You can have a handful of mulberry fruits as a dessert, or make a tea by decocting 25-50g of mulberry fruit with water and drink it each night before sleeping.
Mulberry fruit is becoming my boyfriend’s newfound love, which has helped him sleep through the night. By the way, you can buy dried mulberry fruit from Whole Foods or from your local health food store.
Check it out and see which recipe works for you. And if you have other good tips, please leave a comment and share with the rest of us. A lot of people are in need of good sleep these days.
reena says
June 18, 2018 at 2:50 pmThank you mentioning amazing tips. You can also add passion flower to the amazing list. Passion flower is a gorgeous plant can be a powerful cure for insomnia caused by overthinking and emotional stress.
Skyla says
December 8, 2013 at 7:17 pmAre further comments and questions blocked??
Jing says
December 8, 2013 at 7:54 pmHi Skyla, the comments are moderated to block spams. Please post your comment. I’ll approve it. To answer your question about mulberry. It’s Chinese mulberry. You can buy it at Whole Foods. It helps with insomnia because it clears heat, nourishes blood and yin — a common cause of insomnia per TCM.
Skyla says
December 7, 2013 at 9:05 pmDid some research on the mulberry fruit. There is no information connecting white dried mulberry fruit to being a sleep-inducing herb. Is there a specific mulberry fruit that needs to be used to effect any change in sleep?
James says
January 17, 2013 at 9:38 pmInsomnia has been an issue for several years now. Myths and a lot of facts has been stated over the years on why people acquire insomnia. The good thing though aside from the facts and myths presented are good counter-measures/solution to prevent insomnia from happening again and affecting our daily lives.
Jingtastic says
January 28, 2013 at 9:40 pmJames, Thanks for sharing the info. I’ll check it out!