Caffeine Imposters Can Cost You Sleep

By James B. LaValle, RPh, MS, ND, CCN

Everyone knows caffeine during the day can affect your sleep. But you may not know that there are caffeine-free foods that may have caffeine-like effects on the brain. These foods can even be toxic to your brain. But once you know what to look for, you can avoid them and protect your health.

These foods are sometimes referred to as excitotoxins because they cause over-stimulation, which can lead to nerve cell damage in the brain. And anything that causes increased brain cell activity could counteract your attempts at rest and relaxation. Be aware that excitotoxins come in all shapes and sizes. But here are three common sources:

1. Aspartame. This is the phylalanine-based artificial sweetener often used in soft drinks, diet gelatins, and sugar-free gums and mints.

2. Monosodium glutamate, also known as MSG. MSG is a sodium salt of glutamic acid. It's found in more than 6,000 processed and preserved foods, often listed on the label as an ingredient that's "partially processed" or "partially hydrogenated."

3. Natural glutamates. Natural glutamates are found in abundance in both plant and animal protein - and if you're allergic to any of those foods, they can also act as excitotoxins. Any time your body has an immune response to a particular food, one of the side effects is increased stress hormone production and increased inflammation. And chronically increased stress hormones can affect your sleep.

So if you have trouble sleeping from time to time, the problem could be related to your diet. Keep a food diary to see if you can pinpoint the culprit (s).

[Ed. Note: James B. LaValle, RPh, N.D, C.C.N., is founder of the LaValle Metabolic Institute, a nationally recognized expert on natural therapies, and the author of 13 books on healthy lifestyles and integrative care, including Cracking the Metabolic Code.]

It's Good To Know: The Deepest Lake in the World

At a little over a mile deep, Russia's 25-million-year-old Lake Baikal is the deepest and oldest lake in the world. It is also the largest freshwater lake in the world by volume, holding 20 percent of the planet's unfrozen fresh water.

(Source: UNESCO)

Word to the Wise: Truculent

"Truculent" (TRUK-yuh-lunt) - from the Latin for "savage" - means ferocious or cruel.

Example (as used by Frank J. Murray in the Washington Times): "... officers mistook his father's cursing and argumentative reception of five men with guns for the actions of a truculent fugitive."

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These articles appear courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #2343, 04-30-08], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.