As a stay at home mom/photographer with a husband who works our marketing business from home, we have so much time for fun! We go against the grain and pave our own path through life by setting our own definitions about what is normal! We unschool, set our own schedule, and use essential oils for cleaning and medical issues. We have chosen not to accept what others expect from us and instead, pave our own path as a family and as individuals. Having unschooled children leads you down a path of adventure! Follow us through crafting, experimenting, essential oils, knitting, drawing, recipes, parenting and marriage.
Against The Grain
Does the title of this blog make me sound crazy? Salt and Sugar for sleep and anxiety…. I think it sounds crazy!
Salt, and sugar, are not recommended in large quantities because of its potentially harmful properties, but it does still have a positive side. A special role in human health has a combination of sugar and salt, explains Matt Stone, the American health researcher and author of several books on nutrition and metabolism.
Specifically, this combination in an appropriate ratio can afford people who struggle with insomnia and anxiety, what they need at that moment.
Sugar and salt act as a “battery” for the cells: glucose provides direct fuel supply to the mitochondria, and the balance of sodium in the interstitial liquid allows proper cell respiration and energy production.
These two nutrients are powerful food tools to manage stress – sugar signals the body to shut down production of stress hormones that harm your metabolism and makes you awake at night. Salt is also critical in maintaining homeostatic conditions in which the adrenaline does not fly out of control.
So, if you can remember that using these two nutrients can be used as therapeutic tools to manage stress, then they really should not look unhealthy or terrifying to you.
And no, the sugar does not cause hyperactivity. It’s a complete myth. When used as a therapeutic tool, the food in this way has the opposite effect.
So if you are among those who often are, especially between 2 and 4 am feeling the adrenaline circulating the body and prevent them from sleeping, a combination of sugar and salt can be life-saving.
The combination of sweet and salty helps in balancing and optimal functioning of the stress hormone, explains Matt Stone.
The ratio of salt and sugar by Matt Stone should be 1:5.
It is best to use unrefined sea (or Himalayan) salt and high-quality raw brown sugar or muscovado type rapadura. If you do not have it, ordinary salt and sugar will serve.
Mix 5 tablespoons of sugar and 1 tablespoon of salt and place it in a glass jar.
Before sleeping (or at night when you wake up), shake the bottle and with a spoon (or fingers) put a small pinch under the tongue and let it dissolve.
The ratio for anxiety should be 50:50.
Mix 5 tablespoons of sugar and 5 tablespoons of salt and place it in a jar. During anxiety or a panic attack, add a pinch under your tongue and let it dissolve.
This trick is straight from Eat For Heat. Read it! It can greatly help with PTSD symptoms. A 50/50 mixture of sugar and salt placed under your tongue can trigger a relaxation process in the body. I have used this during a panic attack with success!
Try it and see for yourself!
If you know me at all, you would know that I use essential oils for EVERYTHING! So, of course I also have essential oils that aid me in coping with PTSD! I wont get to into them since this post is mainly about the power of sugar and salt, but I did want to name a few:
Here is a list of essential oil singles and blends that I like best for aiding in PTSD. The starred (*) items are from the Premium Starter Kit, the best way to get started with essential oils.
Peace and Calming: promotes relaxation, deep sense of peace and emotional well-being, dampens tensions, uplifts feelings; diffuse, add to bath water, apply to wrists, edge of ears, or feet. Combine with lavender for sleep troubles.
Stress Away *: brings feeling of peace and tranquility, helps relieve daily stress and nervous tension, improves mental response, restores equilibrium, promotes relaxation, and lowers hypertension.
Lavender *: relaxant, calming; diffuse, add to bath water, apply on location of stress and tension.
SARA: helps relax you into a calm mental state to facilitate the release of trauma from sexual or ritualistic abuse; apply over energy centers or locations of abuse.
Vetiver: Vetiver essential oil has an earthy and grounding aroma, and can be diffused for its calming and relaxing fragrance.
These are just a few of the many essential oils Young Living distills that can aid in coping with anxiety, PTSD and sleep troubles!
Try muscle testing for which oils your body is craving or calling out to. Or simply tap into which ones you really really like. For example, if you are consistently drawn to a certain oil, there’s a reason. If you love the smell of a certain oil, there’s a reason. Your bodies is smart!
So, how do you get your hands on these oils? You can buy them retail through Young Living or you can purchase a starter kit, which makes you a wholesale member, and buy them at wholesale prices. The oils in the starter kit are amazing and you will need them for many other things (especially if you have kids)!
Click here and it will take you to a page that quickly shows you how to go about each option!
Comment below with any of your testimonies or questions!
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