Sleep! It is such an important doze of relaxation to your body; you must have realized it many times. The body recharges itself while we grab a pound of quality sleep .When you have slept well and enough, there is another kind of fresh energy that takes you successfully through the entire day, and on the contrary a lousy day awaits you if you do not sleep for a night.
Moreover, if you are suffering from regular insomnia, it affects your day to day chores and your profession so much that it becomes really bothersome. Isn’t it? There are many drugs in the market which are introduced to people who get less, or bad sleep. These pharmaceutical drugs are addictive and tax the nervous system in the long run (they have noticeable side effects). What if there are a set of safe and body friendly herbs and herbal remedies which can do this work for you instead? We are introducing some herbal remedies for sleep here which are safe, easy, affordable and pleasant, more on the aesthetic side of treatment.
Sleep conditions are closely in sync with the nervous system conditions and related to the cognitive process of the mind. Your nervous system if uneasy, results in sleeplessness .These simple herbal remedies for sleep affect the nervous system positively and if followed for some time gives you better, refreshing and patterned sleep hours you have always wanted.
Effective Herbal Remedies for Sleep
Valerian (Heliotrope, Valerina Officinalis)
This natural flower is widely found in Europe, as the European name suggests. The volatile oils extracted from these amazing, beautiful white flowers is very safe, soothes the brain when it enters the nerve receptors as it comes in contact with your nerve’s endings. This results in a seducing effect which puts you to better and quick sleep. It is also a de-stressor and thus effectively used as a tranquilizer. And this herbal remedy helps you get up fresh as a flower the next morning, not hung-over as in case of normal pills.
• How to Use: As per prescription. It is usually taken as pills or sometimes equivalent amount as tea. Permissible limits are 300-500 mg capsules of the herb. Take approximately 30- 60 minute for proper effect.
• Awareness: Though a marginal overdose may cause no hindrance, a huge overdose may cause nausea, dizziness and stomachache. Follow the normal levels.
Lavender (Lavandula Officinalis)
It is a beautiful East European herb best taken in the form of herbal tea to de-stress, minimize the mental anxiety levels and thus induce peaceful sleep. The volatile oils released from the flowers is also inductive and is inhaled before sleep, is used in a massage or bath to lessen levels of joint and soft tissue pains. They give you relief from these and thus eventually relieve you from insomnia. This one is a fragrant one of the herbal remedies for sleep, uses Lavender, world famous for its lovely odor and puts you to sleep through dreaminess or languor.
• How to use: It is best taken as tea made of 5-10 grams of lavender leaves boiled for fifteen minutes and this can be repeated for three times a day. Oil form can also be used but avoid deliberate overdose. It does not enhance but ruin the effect.
• Awareness: Lavender essential oils or tea should not be overdosed as they may result in addiction and headaches.
Lemon Balm (Melissa, Melissa Officinalis)
Lemon oil, terpenes, is super soothing and effective as a natural remedy for insomnia. The lemon balm herb and its oil control thyroid imbalances. And you must be aware of how much thyroid plays a role in sleep patterns. Yes! The thyroid gland controls all metabolism and other hormones of the body, thus under activity of this gland also results in less sleep hormones eventually leading to sleep deprivation, more so in ladies .So , ladies, this is a magic remedy. Lemon oil gives much balanced and better sleep, quality wise. This magic herb with a fresh lemony fragrance makes an herbal remedy that treats a lot of other ailments like cold too.
• How to use: Boil 1-4 grams of lemon balm for fifteen minutes and have thrice a day. If tablets 150-200 mg half an hour before bed helps. Lemon balm combined with Valerian as herbal tea works wonders in cases of insomnia.
• Awareness: Only people with the eye condition of Glaucoma are suggested to avoid using it, rest experience no side effects if taken in fairly good amounts. It is recommended over other herbal remedies for sleep.
Chamomile (German Chamomile, Matricaria Recutita)
The small white flowers of chamomile are dried and used as herb which is mostly taken in the form of tea to relieve muscular stress. It soothes the muscles, nerves and thus is a relaxant and tranquilizer which is used to induce sleep. It also soothes the stomach and thus relaxes the full body. This herb is a used for a variety of other medicines too.
• How to use: Have it as a tea three to four times using 3-4 grams herb in a cup of boiling water or equivalent tablets. Volatile oil extracts may also be used in small amounts thrice a day between meals.
• Awareness: Must avoid in pregnancy as sometimes causes serious allergies resulting in the death of the fetus. Normally, testing it once before using it regularly can help you ascertain if you are allergic to it or not. An otherwise safe herb!
Passion Flower (Passiflora , Passiflora Incarnata)
A beautiful flower, which is used as one of the herbal remedies for sleep, has a story and as interesting as it is, the colorful flowers deserve the name. This name is symbolic of the love of Christ for the flower that inspires it to bloom into purple, pink and cool Blue colors from a simple bud. As it is beautiful, it is also very useful and medicinal plant known to soothe pain, nerves and relieve you from insomnia. Its dried flowers, stems, and leaves are all a boon for the sleep troubled people.
• How to use: 2.5 grams can be taken two to three times a day steeped as tea. It has great health benefits, sleep management being one of them.
• Awareness: Mostly all sedatives are unwelcome during pregnancy and child birth; same is the case with passion flower. Rest, it is known to have no other side effects.
Hops (Humulus Lupulus)
Hops, a climbing plant, is a nerve tonic and is also used as a flavoring agent in Beer. It is good for cases of mild insomnia and should be taken under guidance.
• How to use: This is something to be taken at one go, say, 500mg of dried herb in 250 ml of boiling water. This herb is also combined with other herbs like Valerian, Passion Flower and Scullcap for relieving insomnia.
• Awareness: Sometimes mild allergic reactions can occur due to hops pollen so just test this herbal remedy before use.
All the above herbs are also taken in small amounts and made into a pillow to help the fragrance put you to a lullaby sleep. A simple tried and tested formula used as an herbal remedy for insomnia is a mix of 30% Valerian, 20% Linden, 20% Kava, 20% chamomile and 10%catnip before half an hour of sleeping.
So many but yet simple are herbal remedies for sleep and an herbal remedy is anytime preferred over pharmaceutical ones. If you care to take out some time and get them you will know the effects.
Caution: Please use Remedies after Proper Research and Guidance. You accept that you are following any advice at your own risk and will properly research or consult healthcare professional.
