Sleeplessness, or insomnia, is a condition characterized by an inability to fall asleep, or an inability to stay asleep throughout the night. Depending on your circumstances, you may develop occasional, short-term or long-term forms of this condition. Consumption of cashews is not a cause of insomnia. In fact, cashews contain substances that can potentially improve the quality of your sleep.
Insomnia Causes
A number of sleeping or lifestyle habits can potentially contribute to the onset of insomnia, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information’s PubMed Health. They include lack of physical activity or exercise, napping during the day, maintenance of a poor sleeping environment, varying your bedtimes at night, working at night or in the evening, use of alcohol or other drugs, excessive caffeine consumption, habitual use of sleep medications, heavy smoking, and using certain diet pills and cold remedies. Health issues associated with insomnia include depression, sadness, physical pain, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, stress and thyroid problems. You can also develop insomnia as you age.
Cashew Basics
Cashews are nuts obtained from the tree species Anacardium occidentale L. The tree originally grew only in northeastern Brazil but now also grows in countries that include India, Vietnam, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Tanzania and Mozambique. In addition to the nut, each fruit from this tree contains an attached, fleshy thickened stalk called a pseudofruit or cashew apple. The nut itself has two shells separated by a honeycombed matrix that contains a caustic oil. To avoid contaminating the nut with this oil, cashews are roasted before shelling.
Cashews and Sleep
Cashews contain significant amounts of magnesium. Consumption of magnesium-rich foods can potentially ease the effects of insomnia, Lissa Rankin, M.D., reports in a June 2011 article in "Psychology Today." Additional foods in this category include almonds, spinach and salmon. Cashews and other nuts also contain significant amounts of an amino acid called tryptophan. Your body uses tryptophan to make a chemical called serotonin, which appears to help you maintain healthy sleeping patterns, in addition to contributing to mood stability, notes MedlinePlus, an online resource for the National Institutes of Health. A supplemental form of tryptophan, called L-tryptophan, is sometimes used to increase serotonin levels in people who have insomnia.
Considerations
The University of Maryland Medical Center lists additional potential remedies for insomnia that include sleep-promoting lifestyle changes; the supplements 5-hydroxytryptophan, Coenzyme Q10, melatonin and L-theanine; the herbs chamomile, valerian and kava kava; acupuncture; and a variety of homeopathic treatments. L-tryptophan supplements can interact harmfully with antidepressant medications such as monoamine oxidase inhibitors, also called MAOIs, or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors — also called SSRIs. Consult your doctor for more information on the causes of insomnia and the health effects of cashews.
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