What are some good herbal supplements for sleep aid?!


Question: What are some good herbal supplements for sleep aid?
I've been thinking about talking to my doctor about getting sleeping pills, but my friend suggested I try an herbal supplement first. I've had sleeping problems for nearly my whole life, but it has been mostly bad with the last 8 years (I'm 18 now). Mostly, my problem is getting to sleep, though I sometimes have difficulty staying asleep too.
What kinds of herbal supplements would you recommend, ones that I could buy at a drug store or vitamin store? And what certain herbs should I look for?

Answers:

In terms of herbs, your best bet is to find a pre-made sleep formula with things like passionflower (passiflora incarnata), hops (humulus lupulus), skullcap (scuttelaria lateriflora), valerian (valeriana officinalis) - they're all pretty safe and gentle and work extremely well. Just make sure the latin names match up with those - some companies substitute cheap alternatives that aren't safe or tested, or don't have the same effect, or are a similar herb with a totally different effect. Make sure you use a reputable herbal supplement company.

You can use them as a capsule/tablet, or a lot of tea companies make 'sleep teas' using those herbs and similar ones, and they often work very well too. Just don't buy a tea that has valerian in it - it smells kind of like old socks and mouldy cheese, so it'll stink your cupboard out and most people can't stand it!! The herb Lemonbalm is also very good as a relaxing tea if you have some in the garden (make sure it's Melissa officinalis).

You should only really need to take them for a few days, to get yourself back into a proper routine, and then wean yourself off them.

Also, make sure you're getting enough magnesium in your diet, or look into finding a good magnesium supplement to try for a while, as that's often very low in people with sleeping problems.

You could also try using an oil burner with a few drops of lavender essential oil, if you like the smell, as that will help you nod off too. Don't leave it burning when you go to sleep though - you don't want a house fire!!

And of course try and have a good bedtime routine - perhaps have a bath, read a book, avoid having TVs and laptops in your room or using them for half an hour before bed, listen to some classical music, and go to bed at the same time each night.

Good luck. :-)

Myself (herbalist), + own experience



A cut raw onion under your pillow,warmed grapefruit juice,total darkness,don't use cordless or cell phones or through the air electronics 4 hours before bedtime,hop pillow(change the hops once a month,
6 ounces goats milk before each meal and 1 more at bedtime,elderberry juice at room temperature,/chamomile,sage,fresh ginger tea-lavender,marigold,passionflower,or rosemary added to a relaxing bath-yellow onion cut in chunks,put in a glass jar,cover the jar,if you can't fall asleep or wake up take a whiff,close the jar...zzzzz....

most from Bottom Lines healing remedies book



Vitamin B6 and tryptophan (an essential amino acid) are responsible for serotonin production. Serotonin helps you fall asleep.

You know how people say turkey makes them sleepy? Turkey has elevated levels of tryptophan.



I've always used melatonin, your brain naturally produces melatonin for sleep so its kinda of like your brain is getting some help.



KALMS. works best. NONE of Melatonin. too chemical.



smoke some weed.




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