Your body must relax and be as calm as possible to sleep. When you are falling asleep, you can easily be disturbed. Sleep happens in stages that build-up to the next stage. The 4 stages of sleep are the NREM stage which has 3 stages, and the REM stage.
The N1 stage is the first stage of NREM; it involves dosing off. It can be hard for one to sleep if they are not calm and away from physical interruptions or even internal ones like stress. Sleep disorders like insomnia make it hard for an individual to stay calm and fall asleep. Thankfully, there are herbs used to stay calm before bed.
How do Herbs Help in Sleep
Sleep disorder like insomnia is caused by stress, anxiety, depression, or even pain. Sometimes anxiety might be due to medications. Stress affects the natural production of serotonin. Low serotonin levels can make it difficult for one to sleep. Balancing serotonin levels will help in combatting insomnia. Serotonin is also used in the production of melatonin, the dark-light hormone. Herbs rich in tryptophan can improve the production of serotonin. Some herbs help alleviate stress and anxiety and relax muscles, thus calming you down for a good sleep.
Herbs for Sleep
Lavender
Lavender is popular for aromatherapy for sleep and relaxation. Research byMoeini, et al. (2010)., showed that lavender can induce sleep, including in people with insomnia. Using lavender in aromatherapy may even increase deep and slow-wave sleep time. Lavender can alleviate stress, anxiety, and depression according to Woelk, & Schläfke, (2010).It can be taken orally or inhaled. The best time to use it is some 30 minutes before bed. Lavender has an appealing scent.
Chamomile
Chamomile has long been used as a remedy for a wide range of health issues like lowering blood sugar, reducing menstrual pain, and mild skin conditions. Chamomile is also used to aid sleep by relaxation. In the study by Srivastava, et al. (2010)., cardiovascular patients were reported to fall asleep after taking chamomile tea. One study by Shinomiya, et al. (2005)., was done on sleep-disturbed rats and found that using chamomile extract helped them to sleep. Some researchers like Gyllenhaal, et al. (2000)., argued that chamomile tea works like benzodiazepine, a prescription drug that reduces anxiety and induces sleep, or it binds with benzodiazepine receptors. Chamomile also reduces inflammation.
Magnolia Bark
Magnolia bark is a tree native to China. Its therapeutic compound has been used in ancient China, Korea, and Japan to promote sleep and relaxation and treat allergies. The flowers and bark of the magnolia tree are used to make an extract that can be found in tea, toothpaste, and topical oils and creams. The ability of the magnolia tree to relax the mind and ease anxiety help to promote sleep. Magnolia extract can also increase GABA activity, which leads to reduced insomnia. Lastly, taking magnolia bark tea helps to increase the time you sleep on NREM and REM and reduce the time taken to fall asleep. This was according to Chen, et al. (2012).
Valerian Root
The valerian plant is native to Asia, Europe, and sometimes North America. Throughout the history of Rome and Greece, valerian roots were used for migraine, stomach cramps, tiredness, and insomnia. Today it is used for insomnia, anxiety, premenstrual syndrome, headaches, and depression. Valerian roots can promote sleep and reduce anxiety in many people. To benefit from valerian roots, the user has to take at least 300mg to 600mg once a day regularly
Passionflower
Passionflower has a calming effect. It is widespread across the globe. It has been mostly used for sleep. You can take passion tea for anxiety, insomnia (https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/9155.php ), stress, and pain. Passionflower may increase levels of GABA. GABA inhibits the neurotransmitters that cause excitement which results in calmness. A study by Toda, et al. (2017)., research on rats, found that passionflower can impact sleep patterns positively. It can increase deep sleep, REM, and how fast one can fall asleep. Reducing anxiety and excitement can put you in a mood to sleep.
How to Use Herbs for Sleep
There are different ways to take herbs for sleep. You can try out these different methods to find the one that works best for you.
Drinking or consuming this is the common method. It involves taking the herb as a tea. You need to boil the herbs until the water changes color. Another common method to take herbs for sleep is aromatherapy. You can either use a diffuser that fills the room with the herb’s essence or add your oil to hot water and inhale.
Finally, you can take herbs for sleep in oil therapy, mix your favorite herb oil with coconut oil and rub it on your forehead, palms, neck, and chest. The oil gets absorbed through the skin. You can equally add a few drops of oil to your bathwater.
How to Have a Better Sleep Naturally
You can have quality sleep, sleeping 7 hours uninterrupted, when willing to commit. Start by creating a sleeping routine where you go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. The routine will train the mind to secrete melatonin highest at this time. The next thing is to remove all screens like TVs and phones from your bedroom. Light from these screens can interfere with the production of melatonin. Finally, avoid caffeine and nicotine around bedtime.
Conclusion
Using herbs can be a good way to boost sleep quality because they are natural and mostly safe. Do a background check on the herb you are about to use, as its side effects. For example, lavender can cause nausea and indigestion, while valerian root causes headaches, diarrhea, and heart palpations. You can check with the doctor if you are unsure if these effects can be severe. You can also achieve quality sleep without using supplements if you train yourself and as long as you do not have an underlying medical condition.
References
Chen, C. R., Zhou, X. Z., Luo, Y. J., Huang, Z. L., Urade, Y., & Qu, W. M. (2012). Magnolol, A Major Bioactive Constituent Of The Bark Of Magnolia Officinalis, Induces Sleep Via The Benzodiazepine Site Of The GABAA Receptor In Mice. Neuropharmacology, 63(6), 1191-1199.
Gyllenhaal,
C., Merritt, S. L., Peterson, S. D., Block, K. I., & Gochenour, T. (2000). Efficacy
And Safety Of Herbal Stimulants And Sedatives In Sleep Disorders. Sleep
Medicine Reviews, 4(3),
229-251.
Moeini, M., Khadibi, M., Bekhradi, R., Mahmoudian,
S. A., & Nazari, F. (2010). Effect Of Aromatherapy On The Quality Of Sleep
In Ischemic Heart Disease Patients Hospitalized In Intensive Care Units Of
Heart Hospitals Of The Isfahan University Of Medical Sciences. Iranian Journal
Of Nursing And Midwifery Research, 15(4), 234.
Shinomiya, K., Inoue, T., Utsu, Y., Tokunaga, S.,
Masuoka, T., Ohmori, A., & Kamei, C. (2005). Hypnotic Activities Of
Chamomile And Passiflora Extracts In Sleep-Disturbed Rats. Biological And Pharmaceutical
Bulletin, 28(5), 808-810.
Srivastava, J. K., Shankar, E., & Gupta, S.
(2010). Chamomile: A Herbal Medicine Of The Past With A Bright Future. Molecular
Medicine Reports, 3(6), 895-901.
Toda, K., Hitoe, S., Takeda, S., Shimizu, N.,
& Shimoda, H. (2017). Passionflower Extract Induces High-Amplitude Rhythms
Without Phase Shifts In The Expression Of Several Circadian Clock Genes In
Vitro And In Vivo. International Journal Of Biomedical Science: IJBS, 13(2), 84.
Woelk, H., & Schläfke, S. (2010). A Multi-Center,
Double-Blind, Randomized Study Of The Lavender Oil Preparation Silexan In
Comparison To Lorazepam For Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Phytomedicine, 17(2), 94-99.
Sleep specialist
Using the acquired academic and professional experience, I advise patients with various complaints about mental health - depressed mood, nervousness, lack of energy and interest, sleep disorders, panic attacks, obsessive thoughts and anxieties, difficulty concentrating, and stress. In my free time, I love to paint and go on long walks on the beach. One of my latest obsessions is sudoku – a wonderful activity to calm an unease mind.
- Chickpeas vs. Garbanzo Beans: What’s the Difference? - April 19, 2024
- How to Manage or Improve Anxiety - September 21, 2023
- The birth of a company - July 29, 2023
