A meal that improves sleep

Since the end of 2009 I've been eating a lot of dhal, and I think it improves my sleep, moods, energy levels, and helps with weight loss and maintenance.

If it is doing these things, it is probably due to it being a high-protein food (and low carb, thus balancing blood sugar levels), and perhaps also because of the spices included in it. Cinnamon, for example, is supposed to help balance blood sugar levels. Additionally, many of the spices have anti-inflammatory properties, according to Nicholas Perricone and his 'Perricone Prescription'.

If you prefer not to spend lots of time in the kitchen, I recommend tripling the recipe and eating the dhal over the following days. It goes very nicely with chapati bread (although the less of this the better from a PCOS perspective, really). Salad also works well with it.

And did I mention it's easy/quick to cook and delicious?!

Here's the recipe:

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Lentil dhal recipe


Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients (serves 4)

* 1 cup (300g) red lentils, rinsed well
* 3cm fresh ginger, sliced
* 2 bay leaves
* 1 cinnamon stick
* 2 tbs (40g) butter
* 1 large onion, finely chopped
* 2 cloves garlic, crushed
* 2 tsp tumeric
* 1 tsp cumin
* 1/2 tsp garam masala
* 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
* 2 tbs lemon juice
* 1/2-1 tsp salt
* 1 tbs chopped coriander leaves
* naan bread or pappadums, to serve

Method

1. Place lentils, bay leaves, ginger and cinnamon in a large saucepan with 3 cups of cold water. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer, stirring to prevent sticking for 10-12 minutes. Discard spices and set aside.
2. Heat the butter in a large frying pan over a medium high heat. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic, tumeric, cumin, garam masala and chilli flakes and cook for a further minute or until fragrant. Stir in the lemon juice and season to taste with salt.
3. Add the lentils to the pan and mix well. Cook for a further 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat. Stir in coriander and serve hot with naan bread or pappadums.

~~Enjoy~~

Hours per night of sleep

My sleep is still improving. In the first half of 2009 I was averaging just under 5.5 hours sleep per night. 2010 is better. In January I averaged 6.1 hours/night, in February 5.7 hours/night, and in March 6.2 hours/night. My goal is to be sleeping an average of 7 hours/night, but with monthly averages of >6 hours/night I no longer feel "consumed" by insomnia.

Here's a "smoothed" version of the first graph, showing that there really has been an improvement! A number of factors have probably contributed to the improvement. In addition to splitting up with a partner and beginning a new relationship, I've finished demanding post-graduate study, lost 5kg and taken a 5-week holiday. I've also been eating a lot of dhal. I think eating dhal helps me sleep, feel better generally, and I also think it is behind the weight loss. I will post the recipe.

The times I still don't sleep

Generally, the times I haven’t slept as well over the past 2 months have been the days that I’ve had a fair amount of sugar during the day – a chocolate bar, or a sweet drink. But I spent last week at my parents’ home – on what I saw as a relaxing holiday – and stopped sleeping. I was enjoying a break from study, pleased to be sleeping in my childhood bed, and happy to be spending the week with my parents and old friends. However the first night home I slept for 5 hours (not out of the ordinary), the second night for only 3 hours, and the third night I didn’t sleep at all. Because I wanted to enjoy my holiday, I took sleeping pills - Imovane - for the remaining 3 nights (a few hours into the night, after trying to fall asleep on my own).

I want to understand why my sleeping deteriorated last week. I crossed time zones (2hrs difference), but I don’t think this contributed, as I got a reasonable sleep on the first night home. What I think may have been made the difference is not eating as well as usual, and not taking the “women’s balance” supplement. (I forgot to bring it with me, and couldn’t find it there). I can’t come up with any other plausible contributing factors. That I stopped sleeping at my parents’ suggests that the “women’s balance” is making an important difference to my sleep, as usually when I don’t eat well I still get some sleep. Interestingly, the “women’s balance” supplement is one of the key supplements targeting the balance of female hormones.

As for all my posts, I'm keen to hear any comments/suggestions you may have.

A brief (?) history of my insomnia

I've set up this blog to share with you how I overcame chronic insomnia. I had insomnia for 2 years, but as of 6 weeks ago I've slept every night - and for on average more than 6 hours - without fail. I want to share my solution as I know there are lots of other people in a similar situation. However it won't work for everyone. But if you have insomnia and PCOS, diabetes, impaired glucose levels or insulin resistance, then my solution may also work for you. I have a common endocrine disorder - the polcystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) - which I finally discovered to be the cause of my problems.

My insomnia started at the beginning of 2007 and lasted 2 years. There are a number of things that happened around early '07 that may have had a part to play in setting it off - neighbours playing music at all hours of the night, being woken by a pigeon at 5am each morning, the pressure of having started post-graduate study, undergraduate teaching... the list could go on. For the rest of '07 I dealt with the insomnia mostly by ignoring it. I became moodier and more emotional than usual and was often very tired, but I carried on. At this stage I was usually still getting some sleep each night. I did try to tire myself physically. I kept up my usual activities (yoga, gym, swimming) and also started training for a marathon. But even this didn't work - some nights I didn't get a wink of sleep even after running more than 20km! I sometimes used the over-the-counter sleeping pill Restavit, but found it quickly lost its effect. By the end of '07 I thought I'd try to relax more, and so quit my extra-curricular activities, reduced my physical activity, and stopped working after 6pm in the evenings.

In 2008 my sleep deteriorated further. I had a few sleepless nights a week and not much sleep on the other nights. Finally, before a 3-week trip overseas, my GP prescribed me Stilnox. I ended up sleeping the nights I took it and not sleeping the nights I didn't. After I returned home I was physically and emotionally exhausted, and put my studies on hold for 2 months.

After a net search I found a cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) programme called "Sleep Better Without Drugs". I began the programme, as well as regular sessions with a sleep psychologist, acupuncture and continued with yoga. Overall my sleep improved (although I also made dietary changes over my 2-month break that with hindsight, would have been beneficial in regards to the PCOS/insomnia link). I continued using the techniques and resumed my study. However I was still frequently underslept and the emotional distress remained. After another trip overseas at the end of '08 - during which time I resumed taking Stilnox - I again hit rock bottom. The breakthrough came during another net search in early January when I found a link between insomnia and my other health problem (to which I'd given little thought for some years), the polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). I found plausible pathways linking the two and read stories about women with PCOS who also had insomnia.

The following day I changed my diet and began taking supplements (supplements recommended online for women with PCOS and by the woman at the local health food shop my partner visited for me). I hardly slept for the next 2 nights (although we were camping), but have slept every night since. Most nights I now sleep for 5-7 hours.

I thought this background might be useful for some people. The entries to follow will describe in detail what were for me the solutions. I hope they will help you too.