Natural Sleep Aids

Exploring What Mother Nature Has to Offer

Not many things in life are more natural than sleep. Along with breathing and eating, sleep is something we know how to do right from the start.

That’s why it’s so frustrating when you can’t drift off easily, or when you wake up and can’t get back to sleep. You may find yourself wondering, “Isn’t my body supposed to know what to do to keep me healthy? Why can’t I sleep a good eight hours and wake up refreshed and energized? Why is my body betraying me?”

Try not to think of it as a betrayal, but more like your body asking for a little temporary assistance. Luckily, there are sleep aids that can help you get back to your innate, healthy sleep cycle. Many of these products are based on naturally occurring substances, like herbs, roots, and other plant material. And one is even found in our own bodies.

Interested in learning more? Read on to explore the most common ingredients found in today’s natural sleep remedies.

 

Melatonin

Melatonin is unique in the world of natural sleep aids. While most remedies in this category rely on plant-based ingredients, melatonin is a hormone produced by both plants and animals. In the human body it has many functions, but the one we’re interested in here is its role in our sleep/wake cycle. Melatonin supplements are used before bedtime to help your body prepare for sleep, and make it easier to drop off. It’s available in just about any form you could desire, including tablets, gel-tabs, drops, dissolving (sublingual) lozenges or strips, sprays, creams, and transdermal patches.

Valerian

People around the world have been using this flowering plant for thousands of years as a multi-purpose remedy. In fact, it has sometimes been known by the name “all-heal” because of its many and varied uses. The valerian plant’s flowers, leaves, stems and roots were all found to be useful in treating health complaints, and people discovered that a tea brewed from the valerian root was quite effective for treating anxiety and sleeplessness. Today, you can still buy valerian tea, as well as capsules and drops.

Chamomile

When you hear the word chamomile, you may be reminded of chamomile tea. Maybe it sounds like something a proper 19th century lady would demurely sip to calm her nerves. Those ladies knew what they were doing, because chamomile has long been known to have a calming effect. Today, this useful little flowering plant is still used to treat insomnia, anxiety, and digestive disorders. But you don’t have to be a tea drinker to get the benefits of chamomile — it’s also available in tablets or capsules, drops, creams or ointments, and mouth rinse (used for mouth ulcers).

Passionflower

This climbing, flowering vine is native to North, Central, and South America, although it is found nearly worldwide today. It’s thought that the passionflower was named by Spanish explorers who discovered it in South America in the 1500s. They believed the bright red flowers represented the crown of thorns and blood of Christ during his crucifixion. Passionflower has been used for hundreds of years as a treatment for anxiety, sleeplessness, and many other complaints. Today, you can find it in drops, capsules and teas, and it’s often combined with other herbal, sleep-inducing ingredients like chamomile and valerian.

Lemon Balm

Lemon balm, a member of the mint family, is often found in backyard gardens. Its fragrant, flavorful leaves are used in recipes such as pesto, sorbet, fish dishes, candies, and flavored teas. As far back as the Middle Ages, it was used to treat symptoms of anxiety, indigestion, pain, and to soothe and cleanse wounds. Today it is one of a group of plant ingredients used in combination to treat insomnia, and is commonly partnered with valerian, chamomile, and hops in products used to encourage sleep. Lemon balm is available in capsules, drops, creams, and essential oils used in aromatherapy.

Ashwagandha

This shrub, also known as Indian ginseng and winter cherry, is a member of the nightshade family. It is widely used in Ayurvedic medicine, which originated in India, and is practiced as an alternative or holistic form of medicine in the western world. Translated from Sanskrit, ashwagandha mean “horse’s smell” — the root has a strong, “sweaty horse” odor. Fortunately, you don’t have to experience the pungent aroma of a post-workout horse to take advantage of the relaxing, stress-reducing effects of this herb, which comes in tablet or capsule form.

Lavender

This purple flower with the fresh, clean scent got its name from the Latin lavare, meaning “to wash”. Hundreds of years ago, people steeped the flowers in their bath and washing water for the pleasant fragrance it gave. Lavender has long been known for its soothing effects on frazzled nerves and aching heads. We have used it as a therapeutic scent, as a tea, and topically on our skin. Recent studies indicate that the scent of lavender in the bedroom may have a relaxing effect which allows for better sleep.

Kava

Also known as kava-kava, this member of the pepper family is native to the South Pacific islands. Unlike some of its pepper cousins, the kava plant rarely produces flowers, and even when hand pollinated, does not produce fruit. It must be hand propagated by rooting and planting stem cuttings. Native Pacific islanders have traditionally used kava root in religious ceremonies, and medicinal treatments, specifically for its calming and numbing effects. Kava products, including teas, tablets and capsules, and topical preparations are available to treat anxiety, sleeplessness, and even asthma and urinary tract symptoms.

Making Your Decision

Your body’s health is important to you. That may be one of the reasons you’re exploring more natural approaches to your sleep challenges. Learning about your options is the best thing you can do, whether you’re looking for a prescription medication, an over-the-counter product, or an herbal preparation. Just like any medication, natural and herbal remedies can have potential side effects, so doing a little reading and research ahead of time will help you make your decision of what to try.

The U.S. government has not officially defined the word natural as it applies to products marketed as such. The FDA deems them to be “ingredients extracted directly from plants or animal products as opposed to being produced synthetically.” You may picture this extraction process as pressing the oil out of a plant, or grinding up dried leaves or roots — and sometimes that’s the case. Other times, chemical reactions or distillation are required to extract the useful ingredients from plant materials.

Check out the Natural Ingredient Resource Center

Either way, it’s important to remember that plants are made up of chemicals (just as we are!), so don’t get bogged down in semantics. Some chemicals are natural, some are synthetic. Some are harmful in any amount, others are safe at moderate levels but toxic at higher levels. Some people are sensitive to certain chemicals, and others are not. Synthetic chemicals are not always bad, and natural ones are not always good. Think of it this way: ragweed, jalapeño peppers, poison ivy, and snake venom are all perfect examples of naturally occurring substances. But they aren’t always our friends. They can range from irritating, to painful, to downright deadly. Being an informed consumer means understanding all of this, and making your decisions based on information, research, and your own experience with your body.

Having trouble with your sleep really does impact your quality of life. How lucky we are to have so many options available to help relieve these problems. If using natural products is important to you, or if you prefer to try an herbal remedy before making that call to the doctor, products including one or a combination of these ingredients could just be the answer you’re looking for.