Natural Sleep Remidies

Yes!!!
Kava Kava root is excellent for aiding sleep, as long as you get it in a strong dosage. I recommend the powdered form for its strength (like the brand Kava King), but it tastes awful. It also comes in capsules (liquid capsules are best because they’re absorbed by the body better – I like Gaia brand), teas, etc. Kava Kava is traditionally used in the South Pacific as a relaxant.
Also, the herb Valerian root is excellent for sleep – it’s been traditionally used as a relaxant in Europe and the Americas for centuries. I think Gaia makes a Kava Kava-Valerian combination formula, in liquid capsules and tinctures. Or, like with the Kava Kava, you can get Valerian in its untasty-but-effective powdered form, in capsules, etc.
Hope you get some good sleep!

kava is the root of a south american tree, so it is natural…as for the pharma…I have my doubts…maybe its synthetic? try going on google and simply search for kava and you’ll see it does have beneficial calming effects on the central nervous system…but to answer your question I have not actually heard of the product itself in the sleep aid form (pill I assume)…but I do know kava itself is safe and natural

Did it work??
the product is actually called "straight 2 sleep" I’ve tried Valerian root and melatonin and even in the maximum dose did not work

No save your money. I bought 3 bottles
from someone who doesn’t give refunds
and the stuff is worthless. I used it now
for a week and it makes me feel a little
cloudy in about 20 to 30 minutes, but
getting to sleep is still the same tossing and
turning.

We have tried reading, bath time, nightlight, calming music, routines etc. He is 2.5 years old and is in a toddler bed. It takes about one hour or the absence of an afternoon nap to make the process successful.

It’s fine to try the tea. My dr recommended it when we were having issues with our now 4-year old. We seriously struggled with this for over a year. It was horrible at night! I wish someone would have just smacked me in the head and been like, "DUH!"

Our ped had been telling us all along to create a short routine, put him to bed, say goodnight, walk out of the room and close and lock the door. We fought and fought that. We thought it was cruel. However, we were not getting any sleep. I was sleeping on the floor, he was crawling out of bed at night and then wandering. So, we finally did the recommended routine and walked out. First night, he cried for 25 mins. We never opened the door, we never said anything. Second night, 10 mins. Third night, he was asking to go to bed and or us to shut the door!! It was a freakin miracle.

Before we did this though we did involve him in the whole process. We told him he had to help us pick out the door lock, we got new big boy sheets etc. We told him why were doing this etc. He knew what was coming.

Also, I wouldn’t do away with the naps. At 2 1/2 they still need them for the most part. My son is 4 and still takes them on occasion. You want him to get used to a bedtime routine and to fall asleep on his own, not just because he’s totally fried at night.

Good luck!

We have tried reading, bath time, nightlight, calming music, routines etc. He is 2.5 years old and is in a toddler bed. It takes about one hour or the absence of an afternoon nap to make the process successful.

It’s fine to try the tea. My dr recommended it when we were having issues with our now 4-year old. We seriously struggled with this for over a year. It was horrible at night! I wish someone would have just smacked me in the head and been like, "DUH!"

Our ped had been telling us all along to create a short routine, put him to bed, say goodnight, walk out of the room and close and lock the door. We fought and fought that. We thought it was cruel. However, we were not getting any sleep. I was sleeping on the floor, he was crawling out of bed at night and then wandering. So, we finally did the recommended routine and walked out. First night, he cried for 25 mins. We never opened the door, we never said anything. Second night, 10 mins. Third night, he was asking to go to bed and or us to shut the door!! It was a freakin miracle.

Before we did this though we did involve him in the whole process. We told him he had to help us pick out the door lock, we got new big boy sheets etc. We told him why were doing this etc. He knew what was coming.

Also, I wouldn’t do away with the naps. At 2 1/2 they still need them for the most part. My son is 4 and still takes them on occasion. You want him to get used to a bedtime routine and to fall asleep on his own, not just because he’s totally fried at night.

Good luck!

I always have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep due to repetative thoughts. So the other day I bought this herbal sleep aid that contains valerian, passionflower vine, kava kava root, skullcap herb and hops strobile. This really helped me clear my mind..I even tried to think about my thoughts but I couldn’t…how does this work? Are these safe tot take everynight?

you can take something called melatonin, i think it comes in pills and i know for sure it comes in a liquid because i give it to my 4 year old daughter who has bipolar and getting her to bed is almost impossible and it helps her sleep better without having nite terrors, you can find it at health food stores like great earth or vitamin shops.

I was curious if any of you have tried Melatrol. It is an all natural sleep aid. Please post any experiences you have had. I have moderate insomnia and do not want to take ambien or other prescription drugs.

It sounds like it probably has melatonin in it and that is suppose to help with insomnia. I would try Valarian Root also – I know that works, I use it. I also recently discovered that even decaf coffee has a little bit of caffine so consider that as a cause for the insomnia. (Warm milk really works also, it releases trytophan when warmed.)

I go on holiday on the 16th July and always have dreadful trouble sleeping in strange places (i take things like my own pillow to try to help, but it doesn’t).

Could i get away with drinking alcohol during the day (up to 2 hours before bed) then drink at least a pint of water and take a herbal sleeping aid? would it be safe?

Plus i can’t swallow tablets (i even struggle with really tiny ones. i normally crush them, i noticed you can’t do this to kalms) is there any herbal sleeping tablets i CAN crush? plus what about tea’s or syrup? are there any and are they any good? help!

This depends on a lot of factors.

You need to look at the ingredients in the sleeping aid and check them for reactions with alcohol or any other medication you might be taking. One excellent site is www.healthyhealing.com.

I would recommend refraining from much alcohol use as it can contribute to your feelings of anxiety and agitation.

Many herbs can be obtained in an extract (liquid) form either with alcohol as the agent or glycerine. You might want to investigate that option as well. I used CalmChild by Planetary Formulas when my children used to have trouble because they would get wound up once in a while.

Other suggestions:

Try and set as much of a routine as you can … even if you travel on your holidays … get up at the same time eat at the same time, go to sleep… try and stay as close to normal home as possible.

Maybe incorporate a nighttime tea time into your routine. There are many herbal teas which can be calming. (stay away from black teas which contain caffeine if you have issues with caffeine). A nice cup of tea and a book or magazine can help relax your mind to let you drift away.

Look into the possibility of a relaxation tape or CD you could bring with you. Test it out before you go.

Investigate whether you MIGHT (keyword might) be able to use melatonin or 5-HTP to help. Lack of Serotonin can cause sleep issues.

Get alot of physical movement — walk, ride a bike, etc and be outside.

Get sun (but stay protected).

hope this helps.

best

cez

Can anyone give me any advice on Melatonin,valerian, hops, kava kava, skullcap, 5HTP, passion Flower? And how about foods that contain any of these?-I heard that bananas and oatmeal have melatonin, but I thought those two foods were good breakfast food….so confused!

If we offered you a miracle remedy that prevents and cures "Insomnia/Sleeplessness" would you buy it? Certainly you would. You won’t find it in a Pharmacy but at the Grocery Store.

Try the Natural Cures for Insomnia/Sleeplessness.

Insomnia or sleeplessness has assumed alarming proportions in present times, especially among the upper classes in urban areas. This is evident from the wide range of medication for this condition prescribed by physicians and sold by chemists. Instances of persons taking an overdose of sleeping pills with fatal results are quite frequent. Insomnia deprives a person of mental rest and thereby interferes with his activities in the daytime. It constitutes a severe health hazard when it becomes a habit.

Sleep is a periodic state of rest for the body which is absolutely essential for its efficient functioning. Sleep gives relief from tension, rests the brain and body and a person wakes up in the morning fresh and relaxed after sleep. The amount of sleep, however, varies within very wide limits from individual to individual. Normally, 7-8 hours of sleep every night is adequate for most people. Some, however, do well with four to five hours because their sleep is deeper and more refreshing.

Insomnia is common among the elderly for a variety of reasons. The sleep of the elderly is often punctuated by brief periods of wakefulness during the night. In such cases it is the quality rather than the quantity which is most affected. With age, there is gradual reduction of periods of deep sleep. The older person, therefore, gets roused easier. Sleep requirements also diminish with ageing. From 9 hours of sleep per night at the age of 12 the average sleep needs decrease to 8 hours at the age of 20, seven hours at 40, 6-1/2 hours at 60, and 6 hours at 80.

Symptoms: The signs of pathological insomnia are dramatic changes in the duration and quality of sleep, persistent changes in sleep patterns, lapses of memory, and lack of concentration during the day. Other symptoms are emotional instability, loss of coordination, confusion, and a lingering feeling of indifference.

Causes: The most common cause of sleeplessness is mental tension brought about by anxiety, worries, overwork, and overexcitement. Suppressed feelings of resentment, anger and bitterness may also cause insomnia. Constipation, dyspepsia, over-eating at night, excessive intake of tea or coffee, and going to bed hungry are among the other causes. Smoking is another unsuspected cause of insomnia as it irritates the nervous system, especially the nerves of the digestive system. Often, worrying about falling asleep is enough to keep one awake.

The Cure: Sleeping pills are no remedy for sleeplessness. They are habit forming and become less effective when taken continuously. They lower the I.Q., dull the brain and can prove fatal if taken in excess or before or after alcohol. The side effects of sleeping pills include indigestion, skin rashes, lowered resistance to infection, circulatory and respiratory problems, poor appetite, high blood pressure, kidney and liver problems and mental confusion.

To overcome the problem, one should adhere to a regular sleeping schedule, going to bed at a fixed time each night and getting up at a fixed time each morning. Early to bed and early to rise is a good rule. Two hours of sleep before midnight are more beneficial than four after. It is sheer folly for students, at examination times, to keep awake till long after midnight, drinking one cup of tea after another, as that is only apt to cause blackness and inability to concentrate in the examination hall.

Research has shown that people with chronic insomnia almost invariably marked deficiencies of such key nutrients as B-complex vitamins, and vitamin C and D as also calcium, magnesium, manganese, potassium, and zinc. The sleep mechanism is unable to function efficiently unless each of these nutrients is present in adequate amounts in the diet.

A balanced diet with simple modifications in the eating pattern will go a long way in the treatment and cure of insomnia. Such a diet should exclude white flour products, sugar and its products, tea, coffee, chocolate, cola drinks, alcohol, fatty foods, fried foods, foods containing additives, that is chemicals for preserving, colouring and flavouring, excessive use of salt, and strong condiments.

In the modified eating pattern, breakfast should consist of fresh and dried fruits, whole cereals, seeds and yogurt. Of the two main meals, one should consist of a large mixed salad and the other should be protein-based. A cup of milk sweetened with honey at bedtime is helpful as the amino-acid tryptophan contained in milk induces sleep.

Sleep is often elusive. Any attempt to force it only drives it further away. It is better to divert the mind with soft music or light reading. While going to bed, visualise a blank black wall occupying the entire field of vision. Turn your thoughts to light and cheerful matters. Use light bed clothes and relax. Do not lie on your back, put on your side with one or both knees brought well up and the head and shoulders slightly forward. During the night, the position of the arms and legs should be changed frequently and a healthy sleeper usually shifts from one side to the other several times in the course of the night.

Controlled breathing is also a great help in inducing sleep. The method is to lie on your side in bed, and then take three deep breaths expanding the abdomen completely. Then hold your breath as long as you can. Next, take three more breaths and repeat the breath holding. While you hold your breath, carbon dioxide accumulates in the body and induces natural sleep. Regular, active exercising during the day and mild exercise at bedtime enhances the quantity and the quality of sleep. Exercise stimulates the elimination of lactic acid from the body which correlates with stress and muscular tension. Regular exercise also produces hormonal changes which are beneficial to the body and to the sleep pattern. Walking, jogging, skipping, swimming are all ideal exercises. Vigorous exercise should, however, be avoided at night as this can be over-stimulating.

Yogasanas: Yoga helps a majority of cases of insomnia in two ways. Firstly, yoga treatment helps tone up the glandular, respiratory, and nervous system. Secondly, yoga also gives physical and mental relaxation as a safety value for one’s disturbing problems. The traditional yogasanas which are effective for insomnia patients are shirsana, sarvangasana, paschimottanasana, uttanasan, viparitakarni and shavasana.

Hydrotherapy is also effective in treatment of insomnia. Application of hot packs to the spine before retiring, hot fomentation to the spine, hot footbath, or an alternate hot and cold footbath at bedtime are all time tested methods. The cold hip bath with the feet in hot water and the prolonged neutral immersion bath (92 o to 96 o F) at bed time, when one’s nerves are usually irritable, are also effective measures.

Along with the various measures for the treatment of insomnia, all efforts should be made to eliminate as many stress factors as possible. The steps in this direction should include regular practice of any relaxation method or meditation technique, cultivating the art of doing things slowly (particularly activities like eating, walking and talking) limiting the working day to 9-10 hours and five and a half days weekly, cultivating a creative hobby and spending some time daily on this, avoiding working against unrealistic targets and completing one task before starting another.

Hope this helps, Good Luck.

Can anyone give me any advice on Melatonin,valerian, hops, kava kava, skullcap, 5HTP, passion Flower? And how about foods that contain any of these?-I heard that bananas and oatmeal have melatonin, but I thought those two foods were good breakfast food….so confused!

If we offered you a miracle remedy that prevents and cures "Insomnia/Sleeplessness" would you buy it? Certainly you would. You won’t find it in a Pharmacy but at the Grocery Store.

Try the Natural Cures for Insomnia/Sleeplessness.

Insomnia or sleeplessness has assumed alarming proportions in present times, especially among the upper classes in urban areas. This is evident from the wide range of medication for this condition prescribed by physicians and sold by chemists. Instances of persons taking an overdose of sleeping pills with fatal results are quite frequent. Insomnia deprives a person of mental rest and thereby interferes with his activities in the daytime. It constitutes a severe health hazard when it becomes a habit.

Sleep is a periodic state of rest for the body which is absolutely essential for its efficient functioning. Sleep gives relief from tension, rests the brain and body and a person wakes up in the morning fresh and relaxed after sleep. The amount of sleep, however, varies within very wide limits from individual to individual. Normally, 7-8 hours of sleep every night is adequate for most people. Some, however, do well with four to five hours because their sleep is deeper and more refreshing.

Insomnia is common among the elderly for a variety of reasons. The sleep of the elderly is often punctuated by brief periods of wakefulness during the night. In such cases it is the quality rather than the quantity which is most affected. With age, there is gradual reduction of periods of deep sleep. The older person, therefore, gets roused easier. Sleep requirements also diminish with ageing. From 9 hours of sleep per night at the age of 12 the average sleep needs decrease to 8 hours at the age of 20, seven hours at 40, 6-1/2 hours at 60, and 6 hours at 80.

Symptoms: The signs of pathological insomnia are dramatic changes in the duration and quality of sleep, persistent changes in sleep patterns, lapses of memory, and lack of concentration during the day. Other symptoms are emotional instability, loss of coordination, confusion, and a lingering feeling of indifference.

Causes: The most common cause of sleeplessness is mental tension brought about by anxiety, worries, overwork, and overexcitement. Suppressed feelings of resentment, anger and bitterness may also cause insomnia. Constipation, dyspepsia, over-eating at night, excessive intake of tea or coffee, and going to bed hungry are among the other causes. Smoking is another unsuspected cause of insomnia as it irritates the nervous system, especially the nerves of the digestive system. Often, worrying about falling asleep is enough to keep one awake.

The Cure: Sleeping pills are no remedy for sleeplessness. They are habit forming and become less effective when taken continuously. They lower the I.Q., dull the brain and can prove fatal if taken in excess or before or after alcohol. The side effects of sleeping pills include indigestion, skin rashes, lowered resistance to infection, circulatory and respiratory problems, poor appetite, high blood pressure, kidney and liver problems and mental confusion.

To overcome the problem, one should adhere to a regular sleeping schedule, going to bed at a fixed time each night and getting up at a fixed time each morning. Early to bed and early to rise is a good rule. Two hours of sleep before midnight are more beneficial than four after. It is sheer folly for students, at examination times, to keep awake till long after midnight, drinking one cup of tea after another, as that is only apt to cause blackness and inability to concentrate in the examination hall.

Research has shown that people with chronic insomnia almost invariably marked deficiencies of such key nutrients as B-complex vitamins, and vitamin C and D as also calcium, magnesium, manganese, potassium, and zinc. The sleep mechanism is unable to function efficiently unless each of these nutrients is present in adequate amounts in the diet.

A balanced diet with simple modifications in the eating pattern will go a long way in the treatment and cure of insomnia. Such a diet should exclude white flour products, sugar and its products, tea, coffee, chocolate, cola drinks, alcohol, fatty foods, fried foods, foods containing additives, that is chemicals for preserving, colouring and flavouring, excessive use of salt, and strong condiments.

In the modified eating pattern, breakfast should consist of fresh and dried fruits, whole cereals, seeds and yogurt. Of the two main meals, one should consist of a large mixed salad and the other should be protein-based. A cup of milk sweetened with honey at bedtime is helpful as the amino-acid tryptophan contained in milk induces sleep.

Sleep is often elusive. Any attempt to force it only drives it further away. It is better to divert the mind with soft music or light reading. While going to bed, visualise a blank black wall occupying the entire field of vision. Turn your thoughts to light and cheerful matters. Use light bed clothes and relax. Do not lie on your back, put on your side with one or both knees brought well up and the head and shoulders slightly forward. During the night, the position of the arms and legs should be changed frequently and a healthy sleeper usually shifts from one side to the other several times in the course of the night.

Controlled breathing is also a great help in inducing sleep. The method is to lie on your side in bed, and then take three deep breaths expanding the abdomen completely. Then hold your breath as long as you can. Next, take three more breaths and repeat the breath holding. While you hold your breath, carbon dioxide accumulates in the body and induces natural sleep. Regular, active exercising during the day and mild exercise at bedtime enhances the quantity and the quality of sleep. Exercise stimulates the elimination of lactic acid from the body which correlates with stress and muscular tension. Regular exercise also produces hormonal changes which are beneficial to the body and to the sleep pattern. Walking, jogging, skipping, swimming are all ideal exercises. Vigorous exercise should, however, be avoided at night as this can be over-stimulating.

Yogasanas: Yoga helps a majority of cases of insomnia in two ways. Firstly, yoga treatment helps tone up the glandular, respiratory, and nervous system. Secondly, yoga also gives physical and mental relaxation as a safety value for one’s disturbing problems. The traditional yogasanas which are effective for insomnia patients are shirsana, sarvangasana, paschimottanasana, uttanasan, viparitakarni and shavasana.

Hydrotherapy is also effective in treatment of insomnia. Application of hot packs to the spine before retiring, hot fomentation to the spine, hot footbath, or an alternate hot and cold footbath at bedtime are all time tested methods. The cold hip bath with the feet in hot water and the prolonged neutral immersion bath (92 o to 96 o F) at bed time, when one’s nerves are usually irritable, are also effective measures.

Along with the various measures for the treatment of insomnia, all efforts should be made to eliminate as many stress factors as possible. The steps in this direction should include regular practice of any relaxation method or meditation technique, cultivating the art of doing things slowly (particularly activities like eating, walking and talking) limiting the working day to 9-10 hours and five and a half days weekly, cultivating a creative hobby and spending some time daily on this, avoiding working against unrealistic targets and completing one task before starting another.

Hope this helps, Good Luck.