There are many different known causes and contributors to heartburn, and like many other digestive disorders, it is well recognized that losing weight for some can have a substantial impact on your ability to achieve better results. When you suffer from heartburn, there are many known contributors, and while antacids provide you with fast relief, it is not recommended that you use them on a regular basis.

The main thing that leads to heartburn is the fact that at times, you will find that the lower esophageal sphincter or the LES is not closed tightly enough. It has to relax to allow you to digest meals. But when it becomes too relaxed, you find that you develop heartburn. But there are 5 major conditions that can aggravate your problems with heartburn.

First of all, you will find that hiatal hernia can stop the large muscle from separating the stomach and the chest. Normally, this would help keep the LED shut and strong. But you will find that part of the stomach will bulge into the chest. This keeps the LES from working properly, and it can quickly lead to problems with heartburn.

Second, heartburn has been an extremely common problem during pregnancy. In some cases, it will go away once you deliver the baby. Other times, it becomes a more permanent problem. The pressure applied to many organs during pregnancy can cause some level of damage. But when you use this, it throws the valve out of the proper position. And it stops the normal function of the LES, forcing food and acid to come back up the wrong way.

Third, weak digestion caused by GERD, which is often known as acid reflux, can cause bouts of heartburn that last for more than a week. It remains a mystery why this happens at this given time. And when you suffer from this, you will find that it is more common in the obese and older populations as the body tends to break down during that time. Even for older individuals, you will find that losing weight can make a rather significant impact on the results.

Fourth, you will find that a slow digestive process can lead to greater problems. When you suffer from slow digestion. Obviously, the body is meant to break down food at a certain rate. But you will find that sometimes, a delayed rate of gastric emptying can cause problems with acid reflux. And food can go the wrong way. This particular problem seems to occur more in those with diabetes.

And finally, obesity has been known to be one of the most common contributors to problems with heartburn. When you are obese, foods that you eat may be contributing to problems. Studies have shown that consuming high fat, carbonated beverages, and other things such as that high in calories of many kinds, can lead to greater problems with heartburn. This adds greater pressure on the abdomen and the stomach, and ultimately, weight loss can make a significant difference.

Valerian root has been pushed as one of the most powerful and potent natural sleep aids on the market. Valerian root has been through a number of different clinical studies, showing that it can help you to sleep an showing that it can achieve significant results generally with about 18-24g. It has been known to relax the body and mind, inducing more sleep, and being purported to be a valid option in the treatment of insomniacs. But there have been some who have also said that valerian root may be potentially harmful.

Valerian root has been used for treating insomnia. But it has also been used as an aid in treating problems with anxiety, alcohol withdrawal, panic related anxiety, the flu, and muscle aches and pains when it comes to sleep problems. It can give you calm and tranquil state, and it generally comes without side effects.

There has been only one reported overdose in recorded history with valerian root. In 1995, one individual took 20X the recommended doses. But interestingly enough, they recovered within 24 hours without serious incidence or long term damage. If you compare this to prescriptions, which also have more serious side effects even when you are just taking the recommended dose, you will find that obviously, it’s mild at best.

The person who did overdose with 20X the recommended dose experienced problems with nausea, dizziness, restlessness, blurry vision, and excitability. But side effects like these are only actually experienced with extremely large doses, especially when combined with alcohol. Obviously, much like you would find with other supplements, alcohol consumption combined with these is highly discouraged.

While side effects with valerian root only seem to occur when combining extremely high doses with alcohol, it is not recommended that you take valerian root for more than two weeks at any given time! Valerian root is meant to assist you in reeducating your body. It should not make your body dependent in any given way. Experts recommend that you use valerian root to reeducate your body to sleep better on its own.

A naturally occurring hormone found in the body, melatonin is one of the hormones in the brain that causes sleep problems when deficient. Melatonin naturally regulates your sleep cycles, and it is found in small amounts in meats, fruits, and vegetables. Your body produces it at ranging intervals throughout the day. In a normal body, you will see more melatonin production in the body than in the early morning hours.

But during winter months, with less sunlight and less vitamin D, the body actually produces less melatonin of its own. And melatonin production naturally decreases as you get younger. So it is recommended that many older people take melatonin as they age in order to get better sleep. It has also been used to address problems with SAD or Seasonal Affective Disorder.

Even for those who are not younger however, a lack of sleep indicates that there may be a problem in the balance of melatonin. Of course, if you have sleep problems, there are other ingredients that many have successfully used to treat sleep problems, especially when combined with melatonin. But melatonin is one of the most effective.

One MIT study in 2005 in fact confirmed that melatonin is an effective sleep aid even for insomniacs. They used only small doses of about .3mg. Ironically, using more actually makes it stop working after a few days. But this tiny amount produces results and keeps it effective for far longer periods of time.

Melatonin can be found in all major outlets. It can be found in drugstores, pharmacies, grocery stores, and online. You can buy it in varying doses, and it can help you to achieve substantially better sleep aid results without disrupting REM cycles. Side effects have been known to include daytime sleepiness, dizziness, headaches, and sleepwalking. And it can have certain interactions with medications. So you should consult with your doctor before using it in combination mainly with anticoagulants, immunosuppressants, or birth control pills. But if used correctly, it can be effective in helping you to get peaceful and restful sleep.

If you’ve ever used a prescription, you are not alone. I’ve used plenty of prescription sleep aids, and they are hard to come by. Well, you have to have a serious problem to get your doctor to prescribe them in the first place. But the simple fact is that most of them don’t work. I personally used lunesta, which worked for about 3 months before it abruptly stopped working, and it had a bad taste. I’m not saying I chewed it. But if you did not get it strait down your throat without even touching the tongue, you would taste it.

I’ve also heard the stories about Ambien, and I’ve tried some other sleep aids, some of which are only meant for extreme cases, and they’re supposed to knock you out for about 24 hours in too high of doses or more. I could hardly get 8 hours of sleep out of them when I doubled the amount usually used by anybody else. So sleep is not something I normally come by. I don’t pity myself too much when I consider the family in Italy who dies from lack of sleep after the age of 40. But it’s not fun.

The side effects are the reason why many insomniacs are turning to natural sleep aids. They have different chemicals. For example, melatonin is actually a naturally occurring chemical in the brain, and valerian root has actually been found to be quite effective in many cases. However, frankly, many of these still don’t work. The problem is that I’ve taken the melatonin supplements, and they just aren’t strong enough.

One substance I’ve come upon that is actually pretty effective is Phenibut. I’ve used relatively high amounts. But I can definitely see how it could be effective with normal use. And I haven’t had many of the side effects and the drag I had with prescriptions. However, I’ll be honest, no one natural ingredient alone has been exactly what I was looking for. This is why I stopped buying in the natural food stores.

This is not to say that natural sleep aids don’t work. It’s just a bit harder than one might hope to find the ones that do. Luckily I have. And I’ve realized that, the best supplements have the best combinations of ingredients. There are literally hundreds of natural sleep inducing substances, and by no means do you have to or should you use all of them. However, if you find the right combination, it can work miracles.

I’ve found that a good combination does include phenibut obviously. But others include valerian root, melatonin, St John’s Wort, and chamomile. Some are meant to relax, others are meant to reduce anxiety, and there are some purely meant for sleep aid benefits. No matter which ones you choose however, it is important to get the right combination for your body. What works for one person does not always work for another, and unfortunately, this is something we so often forget, which largely leads to failure in sleep aids.