Big dinners will make you feel sleepy but they also prolong digestion, which interferes with a good night’s sleep. It’s best to eat your biggest meal before mid afternoon and have a light evening meal two hours before you go to bed.

 

• Dishes seasoned with garlic, chillies, cayenne, or other hot spices can cause nagging heartburn or indigestion and cause problems sleeping. Avoid spicy foods at dinner. Gas-forming foods and hurried eating also cause abdominal discomfort, which in turn interferes with sound sleep. Limit your intake of gas-forming foods to the morning hours, and thoroughly chew food to avoid gulping air.
• An amino acid called tryptophan, found in dairy products, nuts, seeds and soya helps the brain produce serotonin, a chemical that helps you relax. Try drinking some soya milk or eat an oatcake or rye cracker with peanut butter before bedtime. Plus, the warmth may temporarily increase your body temperature and the subsequent drop may hasten sleep.
• Avoid caffeine. Even small amounts of caffeine can affect your sleep. Try eliminating all caffeine-containing beverages, especially after 3pm. If you feel and sleep better after two weeks of being caffeine-free, then avoid caffeine permanently. You can try adding back one or two cups after the two-week trial, but cut back if sleep problems reappear. (A warm herbal tea such as chamomile can soothe and relax you and makes you feel full, which might help facilitate sleep.)
• As for alcohol it might make you sleepy at first, but in the end you’ll sleep less soundly and wake up feeling exhausted. This is because alcohol suppresses a phase of sleep called REM (rapid eye movement) during which most of your dreaming occurs. Less REM is associated with more night awakenings and restless sleep. One glass of wine with dinner is about the limit, but not every night, and avoid drinking any alcohol within three hours of bedtime.

Q: Every now and again I get an outbreak of spots. I eat healthily and exercise but I do love chocolate. Is my love of chocolate giving me spots?

A: Cocoa solids and pure chocolate (the quality 75 and 80 per cent cocoa type) will not cause spots but cheap, mass produced chocolate bars which are packed with sugar, whey, sweeteners, additives and preservatives, however, can produce a break out of blemishes. In other words it is not the cocoa that causes an outbreak but the other ingredients that go into making a chocolate bar.

 

Sugar places a huge burden on your liver and if you eat too much this can cause problems with your complexion because when the your liver can’t cope with an excess of toxins in your blood your body will push waste products out through your skin, blocking the pores of the epidermis in the process and making you more prone to spots.

 

I suspect that you really enjoy chocolate and it is very possible that you are eating too much of it.  Quality chocolate is less likely to affect your skin but my general recommendation is to reduce chocolate to only an occasional treat and not to eat it everyday because it can cause fluctuations in blood sugar.

Q: I always get migraine and want to know if there are any natural therapies that can help ease the frequency and severity of attacks?

A: There are many causes and triggers for migraines and these include dehydration, food intolerance, low blood sugar levels, stress and tension and hormonal changes. On top of that there is the added muscular tension that is created by stress so stress management and relaxation techniques are advised when life goes crazy.

 

It is also possible that the hormonal changes that occur around menstruation can aggravate changes in vaso-dilation. This is also a time when you are more likely to feel stressed, tensed and have blood sugar swings and sugar cravings.

 

To ease the frequency and severity of attacks avoid all dehydrating drinks such as tea, coffee, alcohol and chocolate and make sure you drink at least 6 to 8 glasses of water a day – more if you exercise.

 

Avoid sugar and refined foods to help keep your blood sugar levels stable and eat little and often leaving no more than 3 hours between meals and snacks. Aim for a good whole food diet rich in whole grains and raise your levels of B vitamins found in eggs, bananas, nuts, seeds, which support the nervous system during times of stress and levels of magnesium, found in green vegetables which are often depleted during times of stress.

 

Anti-spasmodic herbs can also help tension headaches and migraines – try wild yam, fever few and cramp bark. Butterbur contains compounds that prevent blood vessel inflammation, a possible migraine trigger. If these simple methods don’t work get tested for any food intolerances and see a osteopath to see if your posture is a contributory factor. If all this still doesn’t help make an appointment with your doctor.