Can't go to sleep!!!

[Angelic]

:eek: I have been having a hard time getting myself to go to sleep at night, my sister who is on the raw food 30 day challenge with me is also complaining of the same thing. Is there anything that we can do to be more sleepy in the evening besides exercise ..we do that already. Also, what can I eat to replace my cravings for bread and carbs?

[Lucinda]

Don't try to go to sleep until you are struggling to keep your eyes open. This really helps. I am a recovering insomniac and the most important thing is not to try to sleep if your body is not sleepy. You could read before bed if you don't already.

Lettuce juice makes you sleepy. Valerian tea helps as well.

[Revvell]

Don't exercise before going to bed. If one is sleepy, doing exercise gets things moving; more oxygen, more blood flow, etc. Eat some raw almonds.

Revvell

[Graciebeliever]

:eek: I have been having a hard time getting myself to go to sleep at night, my sister who is on the raw food 30 day challenge with me is also complaining of the same thing. Is there anything that we can do to be more sleepy in the evening besides exercise ..we do that already. Also, what can I eat to replace my cravings for bread and carbs?

Why do you have to do anything? are you waking tired? I am needing a fair bit less sleep and I am waking on my own feeling rested. I think that is the key. I would stay low key at the appointed bedtime that you have and if you are not tired then do something peaceful :) Meditate your belly button or rearange your Teddybear collection, listen to some space music, Kiss your favorite person 500 times! I can't imagine that you won't need some sleep after ONE of those *wink*.

As far as the carbo thing. Eat a piece of fruit or have a smoothie! That will knock that craving in the pants. Either that, or you can stick a piece of bread in either ear and run around the house till the craving subsides ;)

[Angelic]

Thanks guys, those suggestions really help alot..I think I will try the raw almonds and the lettuce juice, I haven't tried that yet. GracieBeliever, I like the idea of sticking the bread and running around, I will try that! lol! :)

[Eveleaf]

I'll tell you what helps me - plan exercise about 3 hours before I want to sleep. If I am not going to exercise on a particular night, then I take a hot bath or hot shower 2-3 hours before bedtime. This helps more than you might guess - it raises the body temperature, which then in turn makes body temperature / metabolism DIP a few hours later. This makes one s..l..e..e..p..y.... :)

One more note - for me and my sis the initial CHARGE in energy tapered off after a few weeks. We still have WAY more energy than normal and are much happier, but we're not as hyper, we're just generally at peace all day. So if you're worried that you can't live on this little sleep, you may not have to! I've read a lot of testimonials of people who reacted to RAW the same way: tremendous all-hours energy at first, but it levels off in a few weeks, though you are still left with a positive improvement over the old SAD life.

Cheers!
Eve

[DavidZaneMason]

Hmmm....

-Opinion:

-Don't try to back your way into sleep. Either find something that you are VERY passionate about to spend all your energy on......or just don't sleep if you are not tired.

-David Mason

[Pink Halo]

I find the same thing as you...I have sooo much energy! I just don't fight it...as far as carb/bread replacement, I learned how to make my own crackers/flatbread...do u have a dehydrator? Fruit is a carb...but, you are probably looking for bread type carbs...today, i went to good earth market, and they were selling flax seed tortillas!!! i couldn't believe how good they were..totally raw too...i will give u the site...they are soooo expensive though..but, i love them so much, it is worth it for me...especially stuffed with guacamole!!!! www.sacredsymbiosis.com "life tortillas"

i am going to post this info on the forum..lots of people are craving tortillas!

[cdepalmer]

Send me your email and I will send you some info that someone sent me about insomnia.

[wyjoz]

Angelic: read http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16489&highlight=Lights post # 13 Joz

[Angelic]

Alot of great advice that i can definitely use, Pink Halo I do have an excalibur dehydrator, I just recently replaced the fuse thinking that was why it wouldn't heat, but it only worked one day and has stopped heating again, so I don't know what is wrong with it, I contacted Excalibur but no one has called me back yet. I did make some flax chips in the oven to hold me over, I haven't tried the crackers yet but they sound great! I definitely will check into the tortillas,that is what I am looking for, I love mexican food so I am missing it! Eveleaf, that is great to hear that the energy should taper off, I am only at 3 weeks raw so maybe that is why, when I do finally go to sleep,I have noticed I sleep very well without waking so easily. I will check that website out wyjoz and cdepalmer my email is: mapollard@dhr.state.ga.us if you want to send me the info on insomnia. Thanks for all the support, I love this board! :)

[rawpriestess]

Hi, I so sympathise with you.


I too, had this sleeping thing, and still do at times, I am self employed, so it really doesn't matter WHEN I sleep, but it can be difficult to plan your day. LOL

So, I just sleep when I feel sleepy, and stay up when I am awake, when I am up at night, and don't choose to sleep, I just do all the stuff around here, that I always want to do but gets put on the back burner, reading, organizing, cleaning, (you know all that weird little stuff, like cleaning our drawers) that never gets done during the day, I often will do a meditation, or affirmations.

If I am sleepy, but for some reason don't feel like I can get to sleep, or I really NEED to sleep, for whatever reason, like I am traveling, have to do a lecture, etc, and need to be awake at a specific time, then I take a long hot sauna, which always makes me sleepy, or a hot tub soak, or something to get me warm and where I am sitting, a long hot bath, or something.

this works for me, also I cure up in my favorite chair and read. that is always a wonderful way to spend time, and I will always find myself sleepy, if for no other reason, than I have slowed my body, and only my mind is working. LOL

as far as the excalibur goes, they have excellent customer service, and will return your call, if they get it and a number they can understand.

I have clients call me, leave me a long message, and then at the end of a 5 minute message, rattle off an uninteligeble phone number, so I try to listen to the entire message again, to get the number, which is still uninteligebale.

so this is how I leave a message, I say, HI, this is (name) my number is 1----2-----3-----3-----3-----3----- etc. I say it veeeerrrrry slowly, then I say, again this is (name) and number slooooowwwwwllly, at the beginning of the message, then I tell them I will give them my name and number again at the end of the message, this way, if they don't have their pen and paper ready, they will at the end of the message, there is nothing worse, than wanting to help a client, but not being able to return their call.

so Please, call them againg, and make sure that they can hear you,

also, do NOT use a cell phone, as they so often cut out on you. this is also a big challeng as a business.

good luck.