(Ok, now how I really feel about this matter)
Drinking usually causes me to not have good sleep...although 1 glass of red wine is definitely good for you and can be very relaxing, alcohol is surely not the answer and will probably compound your issue if you start drinking wine to try to goto bed...so all kidding aside, you most likely have very low levels of serotonin which is brought on by stress, a poor diet, and also natural chemical depression from high stress hormone levels. (which affects most people at some point in their lifetime) Serotonin and Tryptophan are precursors to melatonin (which cause you to fall asleep amongst other things) and of course contrary to popular belief of it being "in your brain", serotonin is produced mainly (90+%) in your digestive tract from your food and mainly foods rich in the very important amino acid tryptophan like:
Dairy products: cottage cheese, cheese, milk
Soy products: soy milk, tofu, soybean nuts
Seafood
Meats
Poultry
Whole grains
Beans
Rice
Hummus
Lentils
Hazelnuts, Peanuts
Eggs
Sesame seeds, sunflower seeds
(and many others..just search google for "tryptophan rich foods" etc)
You used to be able to just buy L-tryptophan in pill form over the counter at GNC but a "bad batch" that was tainted ruined that several years ago and caused unfounded general safety concerns over it which is a whole other story altogther and not a can of worms I want to open here or I'll be writing alot more..
this is some pretty specific info from wikipedia, and a very good read here
Also, remember that simply taking melatonin in a pill really does not work and numerous detailed studies have shown that it is unable to really pass through the blood/brain barrier and you will not derive much benefit from taking it orally, it has to be naturally manufactured in your body to have much affect on blood/brain serum levels. There are other more effective and "natural" substances like 5-HTP which is actually derived from an african plant called "Griffonia simplicifolia" and here is an excerpt from one of the many sites with information about this substance which is all natural:
5-HTP is a derivative of the amino acid tryptophan. Our body produces its own supply of 5-HTP from tryptophan, an amino acid found in high-protein foods such as chicken, fish, beef, and dairy products. 5-HTP is a mood-enhancing chemical that may induce sleep, regulates mood, and control appetite.. Unlike many other supplements (and drugs) that have molecules too large to pass from the bloodstream into the brain, molecules of 5-HTP are small enough to do so. Once in the brain, they're converted into serotonin.L-5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) is a precursor to Serotonin, that may increase serotonin levels to promote healthy sleep pattern, regulate mood, and control appetite. Europeans have been taking 5-HTP for decades to treat insomnia and depression. 5-HTP is extracted from the seeds of the African plant, Griffonia simplicifolia.
Benefits of 5-HTP include:
Elevate mood in cases of depression, anxiety, and panic attacks
Treat insomnia
Promote weight loss
Ease migraine pain
Increase tolerance to the pain of fibromyalgia
I would not suggest only taking 5-HTP and not doing anything else..and there are some various grades out there in the supplement market so if you do take it make sure it's the best one with guaranteed purity and definitely don't over do it or mix it with other serotonin boosters unless you do some research or you could create a dangerous condition potentially called serotonin sickness where you simply have too much and some weird shit can happen..remember, our body can do most of this stuff on it's own with the proper diet to begin with..but sometimes it DOES need a jumpstart so to speak..
I am sure everyone knows that Serotonin is a very important neurotransmitter and regulates your body temperature, appetite, ability to sleep, and many other important functions like not feeling like sh*t in general, and your body may also have a hard time manufacturing it if you are deficient in the major b vitmains, namely B2, B6, and calcium.
Try increasing your intake of foods very rich in tryptophan and also using probiotics which help to normalize your digestive system back to a healthy state if you have taken a recent or repeated course of broad spectrum antibiotics which destroy very important co-factors in all of this and take some time to be re-established naturally but can benefit greatly from the addition of pro-biotic supplementation..lack of sleep and inability to sleep is normally an indicator of chemical depression in your body which can only be solved by a healthy diet, rest, and dealing with anxiety in a more healthy way...deep steady breathing can really help you to clear your mind and praying never hurts either.
I honestly had a time last year where I did not sleep for nearly 2 weeks, maybe for 20-30minutes I would close my eyes and get just a taste of rest but no REM and no sleep...I know many will not believe this but it really happened and it was brought on by all the factors mentioned above, I was not doing any "drugs" at the time..just under alot of anxiety and stress mainly. I then tried taking sleeping pills (xanax, ativan) but that just made me more of a zombie...not to mention really dizzy and confused. You get to a point where your body forgets how to rest and it becomes a vicious and dangerous cycle of adrenaline filled days of zombification, which is really, really not good for you (or your heart for that matter) and you can start having very high sustained levels of stress hormones in your body like cortisol and lactic acid which can wreak havoc on your whole system. So go eat some salmon and some complex carbs and then smoke a big fat joint man! :hippie:
And remember, you are going to be ok because Mocus loves you man! :smile:
