The Top Herbs for Insomnia Relief

Insomnia is a wide-spread problem in our society. With our increasingly hectic schedules and a disappearing divide between work and home, it is often hard for our bodies to know when to wind down. Stress and anxiety from a hectic day can often keep a person from getting the rest needed to face another day.

If you’re having distress sleeping at night, you might consider trying some herbs for insomnia relief. Herbal sleep aids have been around for centuries and do not have the side effects often associated with over-the-counter sleep aids.

Lavender: You might notice that lavender is a very well loved addition to baby bath soap. That’s because lavender has calming qualities. It helps to ease the mind and induce a sense of cool. If you’re suffering from insomnia due to stress and anxiety, lavender may work to cool your mind at night. It comes in many forms. You can buy a sachet (small packet) and place it under your pillow. You can spray lavender essential oil in the room as part of a insomnia preventative bedtime routine. It’s also available in bath oils, linen sprays and fabric softeners.

Valerian: This is really the root of a perennial flower valerian. It is used by herbalists because it is said to work well with other herbs to induce sleep such as passion flower.

The Passion Flower was used by the ancient Aztecs to induce sleep. It helps relax the mind and body. It can be ingested in pill form or in tea.

Chamomile: This is an age ancient remedy for sleeping problems. Chamomile can be most commonly found in tea. Having a cup of chamomile tea before bed is something that may cool your mind. It is widely available at local supermarkets.

Natural Cures For Insomnia – Herbs That Promote Healthy Sleep

Herbs have been used as natural insomnia cures for centuries and many are very effective and safe. The following are tried and tested herbs that can have a real effect on your insomnia.

Lavender has been used for centuries to cool the nerves and lavender essential oil can be added to the bath water for a soothing, calming effect. Lavender can also be used as a massage oil or lavender sachets placed on the pillow to inhale as you fall asleep.

Passion Flower is often recommended by herbalists as an vital herb in the treatment of insomnia especially when it is caused by stress or nervous exhaustion. It can be used by both children and adults and is an brilliant sedative that has no known side effects.

Chamomile is a safe herb that can be used by children and adults. In the form of chamomile tea it can soothe restlessness and irritability, especially in children. Have a relaxing bath with chamomile oil added to the water before bed. It can also be used as a massage oil.

California Poppy is found in many herbal natural insomnia cures and helps to promote sleep by easing anxiety and helping you to relax. It is mild and can be used by both children and adults. Clinical studies have shown the effectiveness of California poppy in promoting sleep and helping to reduce anxiety.

Valerian is used by many herbalists for as a natural cure for insomnia. It is a excellent sedative for those suffering from restlessness and nervousness that is causing difficulty in sleeping. It helps to reduce waking during the night and helps you to fall asleep more quickly. It has no side effects and is often used in combination with other herbs such as passion flower or California poppy.

St. John’s Wort has been used for many years for insomnia and anxiety and is now used by many herbalists to help with mild depression and insomnia. It is not an instant sure and may take a few weeks before you being to feel any benefit. It can cause sensitivity to sunlight to increase so take care to avoid exposing the skin to bright sunlight or wear a sunscreen whenever you are out of doors.

Wild lettuce has been used as a mild sedative for many years and contains an opium related chemical plus small amounts of hyoscyarnin which is an anti cramping agent. It is found in formulas for both chronic and acute insomnia.

Promote Healthy Sleep

Ensure healthy sleep by having a calming bath before bed to which you have added some fragrant lavender essential oil. Sleep pillows containing a mixture of aromatic herbs can also be helpful in promoting sleep. Eat a small meal containing carbohydrate with small amounts of protein before retiring. This combination makes tryptophan more available to the brain. This promotes the production of melatonin and serotonin which are vital chemicals that regulate sleep patterns. Meals that contain the appropriate combinations include cereal with low stout milk, yogurt with granola, peanut butter and crackers and an apple with cheese.

Avoid eating foods that are stimulating late at night. This includes spicy foods that may induce heartburn, caffeine and alcohol. Foods that are high in protein contain tyrosine, an amino acid that is a brain stimulant. Also foods containing monosodium glutamate and foods high in refined sugar which can lead to a sharp increase in blood sugar levels that can disturb the sleep by causing a burst in energy.

Stopping Insomnia With Chinese Herbs

According to a USA Today article, in the 1950s approximately 7.5 hours of sleep a night was the norm for most Americans.  These days, the average American sleeps for around 6.5 hours a day, and if you’re a full time student chances are you get even less. So how DO we all function with so much less sleep?  That’s a whole night of sleep, missing from our lives each week.  Unfortunately, cutting back on sleep seems to have become the norm in our society.

Studies have shown, but, that we need 7-8 hours of sleep a night to be high-functioning during the day.  It is a common belief that sleeping in on week-ends will somehow balance out the sleep debt incurred during the week.  But, once one starts cutting sleep during the week again, there is a significant effect on alertness, mood, and performance.  A study in 1995 found that there is significant sleep loss in 1/3 of American adults.  This state of perennial sleepiness has been estimated to cause about 2-56 billion dollars in sleep-related accidents on the road each year, and even more in lost productivity, medical illness, or shortened lifespan secondary to sleepiness or sleep pathology.

Due to both the normal aging process and modern societal pressures to succeed, our hours in bed are continually sacrificed.  Those who work the graveyard shift tend to accumulate the highest amount of sleepiness, as they are sleeping during a poor circadian time.  Also, the advent of electricity has, in some ways, interfered with our natural circadian rhythms.  The primary reason is that melatonin, a hormone implicated in helping us fall asleep at night, is only produced in the absence of light.  When light hits the retina, a signal is sent via the optic nerve to the pineal gland that causes melatonin production to stop.  With our ability to make artificial light (i.e. computer screens and television), the release of melatonin is delayed until these appliances have been turned off.  Melatonin supplements often work to help restore one’s natural circadian rhythm, yet too often this is not enough.  For many people, the next alternative for staying asleep is to buy prescription sleep aids.  Although drugs may help, they have a small-term effect which fades rapidly once you stop taking them.  This makes it necessary to continually renew your stock of sleep aids, which, monetarily speaking, adds up quickly, and often becomes addicting.

Chinese herbs offer a different kind of solution.  Traditional Chinese Medicine has treated the insomnia cycle for hundreds of years.  The theory needs explaining first.  It is all about a reversal of the energy of our spirits.  It’s up at night, in our head stimulating our brain rather than sleeping in our hearts where Chinese medicine believes our spirit is stored and nourished while we sleep.  When our heads are thinking too much at night it does not allow the heart to rest.

Chinese herbal medicine is extremely effective at curing this type of small-term insomnia problem.  Herbal medicine calms the mind, nourishes the blood (the heart), anchors the spirit (figuratively) and allows the heart to settle quietly into a natural sleep.  It’s non- addicting, and, after used for a small period of time, acute insomniacs can again return to a normal sleep pattern without the use of herbs.  If you have not yet tried Chinese herbal medicine for your sleeplessness, you need to find a excellent acupuncturist who can help you with the right prescription of herbs which will make all the difference in both your nighttime and daytime hours.

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