Tag: insomnia

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Migraines, TRP channels and cinnamon

Cinnamon, may help people with diabetes have better blood sugar control, (about 1/2 teaspoon per day which is quite a bit, try it stirred into hot breakfast cereal perhaps), however for people with a tendency to have migraines it may be a cause or become a cause if eaten regularly. Migraines can become more sensitized to things after long term use or certain chemicals can be triggers possibly due to overactivity of TRP ion channels. 

Cinnamon contains the phytonutrient cinnamaldehyde which can activate TRPA1 channels.  Environmental chemicals may also be irritants that can cause migraines due to activation of TRPA1 channels; including “environmental irritants and industry pollutants, such as acetaldehyde, formalin,(formaldehyde), hydrogen peroxide, hypochlorite, isocyanates, ozone, carbon dioxide, ultraviolet light, and acrolein (a highly reactive α,β-unsatured aldehyde present in tear gas, cigarette smoke, smoke from burning vegetation, and vehicle exhaust) [37–45]” (1) Older computer monitors may emit ultraviolet light but not modern laptops or smartphones. They do emit bluelight which may inhibit sleep. (2)

In the last post I mentioned that wearing blue light blocking glasses in the evening for any screen time. It has been found helpful to prevent sleep difficulties to wear them during the three hours prior to trying to go to sleep. The blue light blocking glasses are not needed for use throughout the day however. Eyestrain from a long day working with a light screen may cause dry itchy eyes and eyedrops for moisture and taking occasional breaks may help prevent that problem. Read more: (4).

The tip about keeping gel packs in the freezer for use as a cold compress for the forehead that I mentioned for insomnia in the last post is something that I have found helpful in the past for migraines. I tried it recently for insomnia after learning in the course about sleep and neurobiology that a “biothermal device” had been found helpful in sleep lab studies for patients with insomnia. (Sleep, Neurobiology, Medicine and Society, coursera.org)

The drawing suggested they had an electric blanket type compress size cooling device that laid over the forehead and slightly over the ear area, so a little bigger than a gel pack designed for sprained ankles. However a gel pack for sprained ankles is already at stores and electric cooling biothermal devices are not yet available to my knowledge. The point – my trial use with a freezer gel pack for insomnia was very helpful at slowing my thoughts and helping my body reach a relaxed state fairly quickly. I didn’t immediately go to sleep but it did seem to help. I’ve tried it several times now and one night got another out of the freezer when I was awake but sleepy in the middle of the night. 

Throughout the history of science discoveries there have been many researchers who try things for themselves or discover things because of their own health issues or a patient with a unique problem. Migraines are very painful and medication can be expensive and may lead to rebound headaches when used too often – if migraines last three days and you have one twice a week than how helpful can four migraine pills a month be? Proper references for citing other’s work is important and the gel pack idea is one I tried based on the biothermal device idea. A different research team found a cooling plastic cap helpful for insomnia, which also sounds like it is based on some sort of cooling electric blanket effect. (gizmodo) Pain hurts and insomnia can increase risks for hypertension, diabetes, epileptic seizures, and also migraines.

Cinnamon, tasty, but not for me, it causes migraines for me. Read labels if you suspect it might be a migraine trigger, it may be added to herbal tea in addition to baked goods or breakfast cereals. Food triggers for migraines generally cause symptoms for me the next day or within 8-12 hours or so. Chemical irritants such as ozone, formaldehyde, or pollutants in cigarette smoke that are inhaled may cause migraines sooner, within a few hours or less sometimes for me. Additional information here: Tips for Avoiding Migraine Triggers, WebMD, getting adequate sleep is one of the tips.

Regarding TRPA1 channels and trigeminal pain sensing neurons – lots more to read later: trigeminal pain sensing neurons TRPA1 channels Substance P .

History note: Substance P was one of the first neuropeptides/ brain proteins discovered and it was initially purified in powder form and so was called Substance P for powder. (Neuropeptide Substance P and the Immune Response)

/Disclaimer: This information is provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of fair use. While I am a Registered Dietitian this information is not intended to provide individual health guidance. Please see a health professional for individual health care purposes./

  1. Benemei S, De Cesaris F, Fusi C, Rossi E, Lupi C, Geppetti P. TRPA1 and other TRP channels in migraine. The Journal of Headache and Pain. 2013;14(1):71. doi:10.1186/1129-2377-14-71. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3844362/
  2. Dustin Eves, Do Computer Screens Emit UV Light? techwalla.com, https://www.techwalla.com/articles/do-computer-screens-emit-uv-light
  3. Do Blue Light Blocking Glasses Really Work? 2018, nymag.com,     http://nymag.com/strategist/article/blue-light-blocking-glasses-work.html
  4. Tips for Avoiding Migraine Triggers, WebMD,   https://www.webmd.com/migraines-headaches/avoiding-migraine-triggers#1
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Sleep and health

The sleep/wake cycle impacts health in many ways. The hormone melatonin has become more familiar as it now more available over the counter as a supplement that may help with sleep. It may help with getting to sleep – but timing – when it is taken, and how much – not an excess, are important factors, and it may not help with staying asleep. Sleep and wake are very complex processes within the brain and body, with many chemical signals causing activation or inhibition of different areas of the brain which then signal activation or inhibition of body functions. Reviewing all of them is beyond the scope of this post – including just the summary points is my goal.

  • Insomnia seems to be a hyperarousal of the system, both the brain and body remain more metabolically active than within normal sleep causing difficulties falling asleep and then leaving the person lest rested after sleeping because it was never reaching deeper relaxation of the brain’s activity levels. The hyperarousal tends to continue during the day so the person with insomnia may be irritable and not able to concentrate as well but may not feel tired or sleepy as might be expected after missing that many hours of sleep. The risk with ongoing insomnia though is the person is in need of deeper sleep and accidents may be more likely to occur in physical activity or in oversight of details in mental activity, especially when there are multiple demands on attention.
  • The wake/sleep cycle is essential for health for many reasons but the overall point is that different functions of metabolism occur when awake than during sleep, and both are important to overall health. Repair and detoxification, roughly, are the focus of the sleep hours and energy use and activity and learning/creating new connections between brain and nerve cells are the focus of wake hours.
    • Sleep and wake have different specialized genes and proteins for metabolism – what gets made or what gets cleaned up and reused or excreted/detoxified. Wakefulness activates genes that are used in active metabolism, using sugar for energy, and sleep activates genes that are important for using fats for building cell membranes or myelin sheaths around nerve cell connections.
    • Chronic sleeplessness can cause insulin resistance and lead to increased risk for diabetes or metabolic syndrome, whether the sleeplessness was due to inadequate hours of sleep because of a busy schedule, or due to poor sleep quality because of insomnia or other health problems or overuse of caffeine or stimulating lights late at night. More about insulin resistance, Type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome is available in a TEDmed video talk about obesity and insulin resistance. A doctor suggests that the approach medical research has taken in looking at obesity as a cause of insulin resistance may be wrong – insulin resistance may lead to obesity. Peter Attia-What If We’re Wrong About Diabetes?, TEDmed.
    • Hypertension, high blood pressure, is also a risk of chronic sleep problems.
    • Add up the problems of reduced myelin sheath production, blood sugar and blood pressure problems, and it is easy to see that long term risks of poor sleep quality may include dementia whether typical forgetfulness type due to loss of connections between brain cells or the loss of brain cells in Alzheimer’s dementia.

Solutions vary depending on the type of sleep problem however general tips for an ideal sleep setting include:

  • A cool room temperature – the body temperature is at its lowest during sleep.
  • Complete darkness – for the pineal gland to make melatonin the use of a light blocking eye mask on long airplane rides may help provide deeper sleep. In the home setting or when traveling cover alarm clock lights or other digital lights during the night and close curtains. Complete light blocking curtains are ideal.
  • Stop using digital screen devices about a half hour to an hour before intended time to try to sleep. Additional tips about electric light: Digital screens are a very bright type of light and blue lens glasses are available for eye protection for anyone who spends many hours per day using laptops or smartphones. The light settings on the device may also offer a dimmer evening setting which may help reduce eyestrain.*
  • Avoid coffee or other caffeine containing stimulants for about four to six hours prior to intended time to try to sleep.
  • Have a regular time to go to sleep and wake up each day. The average person does need about 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night and teenagers and toddlers ideally may need 10 hours of sleep for best cognitive performance and physical health.  Lack of sleep for adults seems to negatively affect reasoning and verbal performance more than short term memory. (3)
  • Avoid high fat, hard to digest meals or snacks in the hours prior to intending to try to sleep.
  • A cool compress on the forehead or over the eyes or on top of the head may help relax sooner if insomnia and racing thoughts are a problem or feeling hot and jittery. Reusable gel packs designed for sprained ankles or other sore muscles can be kept in the freezer and then wrapped in a few layers of thin fabric to protect the skin from being overly chilled. The gel pack will eventually lose its coolness but use on the forehead may help slow down the metabolic activity of the brain, which then helps slow down signals to the body to be jittery – 20 to 30 minutes with a cool gel pack may help reach a more relaxed state before the pack is warm. Having several in the freezer could allow you to rotate the warm one with a chilled one if reawakening in the middle of the night is a problem. **
  • If reawakening in the middle of the night is a problem but you are still sleepy, try not to use any bright lights while visiting the bathroom or kitchen, etc. If wide awake, then it is recommended to just get up and do something for a while until feeling sleepy again rather than tossing and turning in bed and getting more anxious or jittery.
  • If reawakening in the middle of the night is consistently happening around 4:00 am then low serotonin levels may be a problem.  (University Health News) Taking the precursor to serotonin, 5HTP or the herbal St John’s Wort, may help provide your body with serotonin.
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for sleep issues has been found to be as or more effective than sleep promoting medications while they are in use, and more effective at long term benefits even after the therapy or medication is no longer in use. Anxiety may be an issue but habits can also affect insomnia, naps and early bed times may disrupt sleep and staying awake during the day, and ideally getting some bright sunshine or full spectrum light during wake hours can help with the body’s 24 hour metabolic patterns. (CBT-I, National Sleep Foundation)

*Modern laptops or smartphones emit bluelight which may inhibit sleep. (1) Wearing blue light blocking glasses in the evening for any screen time may help reduce the effect. It has been found helpful to prevent sleep difficulties to wear them during the three hours prior to trying to go to sleep. The blue light blocking glasses are not needed for use throughout the day however. Eyestrain from a long day working with a light screen may cause dry itchy eyes and eyedrops for moisture and taking occasional breaks may help prevent that problem. Read more: (2).

**The tip about keeping gel packs in the freezer for use as a cold compress for the forehead that I mentioned for insomnia in a previous post (about the glymphatic system within the brain and its potential role in prevention of Alzheimer’s disease), is something that I have found helpful in the past for migraines. I tried it recently for insomnia after learning in the course about sleep and neurobiology that a “biothermal device” had been found helpful in sleep lab studies for patients with insomnia. (Sleep, Neurobiology, Medicine and Society, coursera.org)

The drawing suggested they had an electric blanket type compress size cooling device that laid over the forehead and slightly over the ear area, so a little bigger than a gel pack designed for sprained ankles. However a gel pack for sprained ankles is already at stores and electric cooling biothermal devices are not yet available to my knowledge. The point – my trial use with a freezer gel pack for insomnia was very helpful at slowing my thoughts and helping my body reach a relaxed state fairly quickly. I didn’t immediately go to sleep but it did seem to help. I’ve tried it several times now and one night got another out of the freezer when I was awake but sleepy in the middle of the night. 

Environmental cues and genetic differences can effect sleep patterns. (Sleep, Neurobiology, Medicine and Society, coursera.org) (How Nature and Nurture Shape the Sleeping Brain, nature.com)

There is more on this topic however this is an overview of the importance of sleep.

/Disclaimer: This information is provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of fair use. While I am a Registered Dietitian this information is not intended to provide individual health guidance. Please see a health professional for individual health care purposes./

  1. Dustin Eves, Do Computer Screens Emit UV Light? techwalla.com, https://www.techwalla.com/articles/do-computer-screens-emit-uv-light
  2. Do Blue Light Blocking Glasses Really Work? 2018, nymag.com,     http://nymag.com/strategist/article/blue-light-blocking-glasses-work.html
  3. Conor J Wild, Emily S Nichols, Michael E Battista, Bobby Stojanoski, Adrian M Owen; Dissociable effects of self-reported daily sleep duration on high-level cognitive abilities, Sleep, , zsy182, https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/zsy182
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Calcification of soft tissue – hardening organs and softening bone

     Vascular calcification is better known as atherosclerosis. Cholesterol plaques in blood vessels are generally a mixture of calcium with the fat. Calcification also occurs in arthritis as bone spurs and calcium can collect in organs and glands and impair their function. The pineal gland is very tiny and located within the brain. It it responsible for the melatonin hormone that helps us sleep. A calcified pineal gland no longer helps with sleep but the condition may be reversible by limiting intake of calcium and increasing intake of magnesium.     Reversing calcification may start with reducing calcium intake. The following article mentions a link between higher intake of calcium and worsening of coronary artery calcification and numbers of deaths within a group of end stage renal disease patients. Magnesium is wasted by healthy kidneys and little is recycled/reclaimed the way calcium and sodium are conserved by healthy kidneys – add end stage renal disease and magnesium is leaking out faster then intestinal absorption can occur even if the magnesium was in the food or drink or supplement.

Calcium can not make strong bones if nothing is keeping it from leaking out in response to the stress chemicals’ fight or flight messages. People suffer from osteoporosis and weak bones along with hardening of the arteries and organs –  excess calcium and vitamin D might be part of the problem. Too much active vitamin D can add to calcium imbalance because it signals the bones to let go of stored calcium and magnesium.

The minerals are also released during stress reactions in case there is a need to run from danger or heal a wound. White blood cells around wounds have the enzyme needed to activate vitamin D to the hormone form.

What do you know – it is important to mellow out and de-stress to help keep bone tissue hard and organ tissue soft.

  1. [jasn.asnjournals.org/content/15/12/2959.full] Vascular Calcification Mechanisms, by Cecilia M. Giachelli, doi: 10.1097/01.ASN.0000145894.57533.C4 JASN December 1, 2004 vol. 15 no. 12 2959-2964

“In a landmark study, Goodman et al. (24)  found that coronary artery calcification occurred in young patients with ESRD (end stage renal disease) decades before this pathology was observed in the normal population. Furthermore, progression of vascular calcification in this group was positively correlated with serum P levels, Ca x P, and daily intake of Ca (24).”

***Vascular calcification has been correlated to higher intakes of calcium and phosphorus in this research article. Cardiovascular deaths are common among end stage renal disease and/or diabetic patients – I suggest they should be limiting calcium and phosphorus and increasing their magnesium intake in order to reduce risks of calcium overload. In the average human the kidneys favor calcium absorption and retention and waste magnesium.
Over the course of mankind the body adapted to a food and water supply that was abundant in magnesium and limited in calcium content. Calcium is important for strong bones but only in combination with other nutrients. Vitamin K (brown rice, green leafy vegetables and good guy bacteria in our intestines are sources) is essential for blood clotting and for healthy bones. Strontium is a trace mineral that may be essential to healthy bones and of course magnesium is the trace mineral that helps keep calcium inside of the bone where it belongs. Excessive levels of active vitamin D tell the bone to release the stored minerals. Active vitamin D (a very strong steroid based hormone in actuality) can switch on and off 900+ genes.
The study found (unsurprisingly) that the end stage renal disease patients who were treated with the typical phosphate binding medications that contained calcium had 28% progression of calcification compared to the experimental group who were given a phosphate binding agent that didn’t contain calcium. [12]

Let’s keep the calcium in the bone tissue where it belongs.

The article Vascular Calcification Mechanisms [1] presents four potential ways the soft tissue calcification may develop.

“First, human and mouse genetic findings have determined that blood vessels normally express inhibitors of mineralization, such as pyrophosphate and matrix gla protein, respectively, and that lack of these molecules (“loss of inhibition”) leads to spontaneous vascular calcification and increased mortality (10,29).”

Second – genetic/phontypic changes leading to production of bone proteins within the blood vessel may occur (the blood vessel cell switches on bone cell mechanisms).

“Third, bone turnover leading to release of circulating nucleational complexes has been proposed to explain the link between vascular calcification and osteoporosis in postmenopausal women (41–43).”

“Fourth, cell death can provide phospholipid-rich membranous debris and apoptotic bodies that may serve to nucleate apatite, especially in diseases where necrosis and apoptosis are prevalent, such as atherosclerosis (34,44,45).”

*** Magnesium deficiency could effect the enzyme production necessary for producing the “inhibitors” of bone formation produced in functioning blood vessels. Magnesium is crucial to over 300 enzymes. It is also essential for the growth of healthy white blood cells. A plentiful supply of white blood cells would engulf waste products of apoptosis and the dead cell material wouldn’t be left messing up vessel walls. Chronic magnesium deficiency will promote bone turnover in order to access the stored magnesium found within. Long term kidney problems may be reducing the amount of magnesium that the body can retain and further through off the calcium/magnesium balance.
Chronically elevated active D would chronically cause demineralization of the bones and also might be switching on and off genes in areas of the body (blood vessels for example) that shouldn’t be forming bone tissue. I would be very curious what the end stage renal disease patients’ 1, 25 D levels (hormone) are compared to their 25 D levels (vitamin).  My 1, 25 D levels have been at the high end of normal and 25 D levels below normal (“deficient”) for five years of testing. I have been actively avoiding supplements and foods with vitamin D and much time in the sun during that time because I have found it reduces my symptoms of  muscle knots (fibromyalgia), I also have taken magnesium supplements regularly.
A 200-500 mg supplement taken along with food generally will not cause the smooth muscles of the intestines to relax into a sudden bowel movement. Magnesium supplements are non-toxic but if absorbed too rapidly can cause too much muscle relaxation in the bowels or heart. Fluttery weak heart beats may result if you hang out in an Epsom salt bath for a long time due to the relaxation of too many of the muscle fibers at the same time. Magnesium taken with food or in the glycinate form does’t seem to have the over relaxing effect on the bowels.
Magnesium helps keep the calcium in the bone and out of the soft tissue. Use the calcium channel blocker that Mother Nature provided – magnesium. Eat more nuts, beans, seeds, green leafy vegetables. and chocolate every day for strong bones and soft organs!
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Disclaimer: Opinions are my own and the information is provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of fair use. While I am a Registered Dietitian this information is not intended to provide individual health guidance. Please see a health professional for individual health care purposes.

Reference List

From Vitamin D bibliography [link]:

10. Rutsch F, Ruf N, Vaingankar S, Toliat MR, Suk A, Hohne W, Schauer G, Lehmann M, Roscioli T, Schnabel D, Epplen JT, Knisely A, Superti-Furga A, McGill J, Filippone M, Sinaiko AR, Vallance H, Hinrichs B, Smith W, Ferre M, Terkeltaub R, Nurnberg P: Mutations in ENPP1 are associated with “idiopathic” infantile arterial calcification. Nat Genet 34: 379–381, 2003[CrossRef][Medline]
12. Sangiorgi G, Rumberger JA, Severson A, Edwards WD, Gregoire J, Fitzpatrick LA, Schwartz RS: Arterial calcification and not lumen stenosis is highly correlated with atherosclerotic plaque burden in humans: A histologic study of 723 coronary artery segments using nondecalcifying methodology. J Am Coll Cardiol 31: 126–133, 1998[Abstract/Free Full Text]

29. Luo G DP, McKee MD, Pinero GJ, Loyer E, Behringer RR, and Karsenty: G Spontaneous calcification of arteries and cartilage in mice lacking matrix GLA protein. Nature 386(March 6): 78–81, 1997[CrossRef][Medline]

34. Tanimura A, McGregor DH, Anderson HC: Matrix vesicles in atherosclerotic calcification. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med 172: 173–177, 1983[CrossRef][Medline]

  1. Price PA, Caputo JM, Williamson MK: Bone origin of the serum complex of calcium, phosphate, fetuin, and matrix Gla protein: Biochemical evidence for the cancellous bone-remodeling compartment. J Bone Miner Res 17: 1171–1179, 2002[CrossRef][Medline]
  2. Price PA, Faus SA, Williamson MK: Bisphosphonates alendronate and ibandronate inhibit artery calcification at doses comparable to those that inhibit bone resorption. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 21: 817–824, 2001[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  3. Price PA, June HH, Buckley JR, Williamson MK: Osteoprotegerin inhibits artery calcification induced by warfarin and by vitamin D. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 21: 1610–1616, 2001[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  4. Proudfoot D, Skepper JN, Hegyi L, Bennett MR, Shanahan CM, Weissberg PL: Apoptosis regulates human vascular calcification in vitro: Evidence for initiation of vascular calcification by apoptotic bodies. Circ Res 87: 1055–1062, 2000[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  5. Schoen FJ, Tsao JW, Levy RJ: Calcification of bovine pericardium used in cardiac valve bioprostheses. Am J Pathol 123: 134–145, 1986[Abstract]
  • [ajsonline.org/cgi/content/full/305/6-8/661] Nita Sahai, Modeling apatite nucleation in the human body and in the geochemical environment American Journal of Science, Vol. 305, June/September/October 2005, P.661-672; doi:10.2475/ajs.305.6-8.661

“Magnesium inhibits nucleation by adsorbing faster than calcium, as an outer-sphere surface complex, at the active site.”