Herbs for a Good Night’s Sleep
Since having children, sleep has eluded me. And it isn’t just me; the average person gets less than 7 hours of sleep a night. Insomnia is defined as chronic sleeplessness, or the inability to sleep. This can include trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or not getting enough restful sleep. Although it varies for each person, we generally need about 8 hours of sleep per night.
Getting a good night’s sleep is one of the most important things we can do for our health and well-being. When we don’t get adequate sleep, we can end up with symptoms such as irritability, depression, anxiety, and tension headaches. Some people experience difficulty paying attention, focusing on tasks, or remembering. Insufficient sleep can cause errors, accidents, and digestive distress. This article discusses lifestyle changes for a healthy night’s sleep including herbs, flower essences, supplements, and essential oils
Timing:
When I work with clients with insomnia, I always ask when they sleep and wake. This is helpful information to make appropriate choices about which herbs to use and how to use them most effectively.
If you can’t get to sleep, tinctures work quickly to encourage falling asleep.
If you predictably wake in the middle of the night, take capsules as a preventative at bedtime, as they take a while to dissolve.
Take a tincture if waking during the night for a fast effect.
Teas can be a calming after-dinner ritual, but don’t drink them later in the evening as they can cause us to wake in the middle of the night to pee.
Insomnia patterns can vary so I generally like my clients to have several options depending on the specific night. These can include herb capsules, supplements, tinctures, flower essences, and essential oils.
To establish a new sleep pattern, I recommend using any natural product that is helpful for at least 3 months. Once you have established what works for you, rotate your favorites so you aren’t using the same remedies nightly.
Blue Vervain is wonderful for those that have trouble "turning their brain off" at night.
Herbs:
Herbs can help encourage natural sleep. Herbs for sleep can be a little quirky. One herb can work great for one person and have the opposite effect on someone else. I always recommend that someone tries a sleep herb on a night when they don’t have something important to do the next day. If it works, brilliant! If not, try another herb. They can be used in tincture (liquid) form, which gets into the body very quickly, or as a capsule that takes a little longer to work.
Herbs for Sleep:
Blue vervain (Verbena hastata), California poppy (Eschscholzia californica), Chamomile (Matricaria chamomile), Hops (Humulus lupulus), Jamaican dogwood (Piscidia erythrina or P. piscipula), Kava (Piper methysticum), Lavender (Lavandula spp.), Linden flower (Tilia spp), Passion flower (Passiflora incarnata), Skullcap (Scutellaria spp.), Valerian (Valeriana spp), Wild lettuce (Lactuca sp.), Wood betony (Stachys officinalis)
Flower Essences:
Flower essences are gentle, yet effective vibrational medicines that don’t interact with medications and are very safe. They work really well for mental, emotional, and spiritual issues, as well as supporting restful sleep. Consider essences such as Cherry Plum, Impatiens, White Chestnut, Agrimony, Aspen, Olive, Red Chestnut, Rock Rose, Rock Water, and Vervain
Supplements:
Some supplements can be helpful for insomnia. These are also best taken for at least 3 months to establish a new sleeping pattern.
Calcium, 1000 mg at night
Magnesium glycinate, 250 mg at night
Melatonin (works best if melatonin levels are low), 1-3 mg before bed
L-Tryptophan (best for problems getting to sleep), 500-1500 mg taken before bed
5-HTP (hydroxytryptophan). This supplement is one step closer to serotonin than L-Tryptophan. 100-300mg. It can give some people stressful dreams. This can sometimes be mitigated by taking the supplement in the morning.
California poppy is a relaxing and sedating herb.
Essential Oils:
Essential oils are wonderful for relaxing the brain and body and encouraging restful sleep. They can be used by diffusing them in your bedroom or diluting them and applying them topically to the skin.
Ambient use:
Electric diffuser: run for 10 – 15 minutes, or overnight on low
Humidifier: add 10 drops in the essential oils safe reservoir
Pillow: place 5-10 drops on your pillow before going to sleep
Room spray: in a glass spray bottle, add 30 drops per 1 ounce of water. Shake well and spray around the room or on your sheets
Topical use:
Bath: add 2-10 drops to whole milk or salt and add to your evening bath.
Skin care: Dilute the 10-12 drops of essential oil in 1 ounce of a carrier and apply it topically to the skin. Fixed oils such as olive oil and lotions work nicely for this.
Essential oils for sleep:
Anise (Pimpinella anisum), Bergamot (Citrus bergamia), Cardomum (Elettaria cardamomum), Chamomile (Matricaria recutita), Citronella (Cymbopogon nardus and Cymbopogon winterianus), Frankincense (Boswellia carterii), Geranium (Pelargonium gravolens), Jasmine (Jasminum officinale), Lavender (Lavandula spp), Lemon (Citrus limonum), Lemon Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus citriodora), Lemon Verbena (Aloysia citrodora), Mandarin (Citrus reticulata), Marjoram (Origanum majorana), Melissa (Melissa officinalis), Neroli (Citrus aurantium), Petitgrain (Citrus aurantium), Sandalwood, please use cultivated only (Santalum album), Ylang-Ylang (Cananga odorata)
Foods:
Making some dietary adjustments can be helpful for a good night’s sleep. Stop drinking/eating caffeine by noon at the latest. This includes chocolate, coffee, black/green/white tea, and cola beverages. Avoid caffeine-containing herbs such as Guarana (Paullinia cupana), Kola (Cola acuminate), and Yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis). Eating too late at night, unless hyperglycemic, can make for a restless sleep For those with blood sugar issues, make sure you are not hypoglycemic when you go to bed: eating protein before bed can be helpful to support proper blood sugar levels throughout the night. Smoking and drinking alcohol can cause sleeping problems.
Lavender is a premier essential oil (and herb) for sleep.
Lifestyle:
Several lifestyle adjustments can be helpful for a restful night’s sleep.
Go to bed earlier and wake up earlier. The sleep we get before midnight is especially restful.
Go to bed when you feel tired, don’t get a second wind.
Exercise earlier in the day can help you feel tired when you need to sleep.
Our bodies thrive on consistent patterns. Having a rhythm or ritual to your night (and day), such as waking and going to bed at consistent times is helpful.
Don’t do stimulating activities before bed and eliminate screens one hour before bedtime.
Put your worries “on a shelf”. When you go to bed, consciously tell yourself that you won’t be able to do anything about your worries at night. You can always “take them off the shelf” the next morning and do something about your concerns. You may even dream of a solution.
If you do wake up, it’s helpful to have some “sleep tools” right next to your bed.
Try reading a beloved children’s book, or listening to a boring podcast that will put you back to sleep.
In Conclusion:
Many tools are useful for getting a better night’s sleep, including herbs, flower essences, supplements, essential oils, diet, and lifestyle changes. It can take some trial and error to find what works best for you. Choose the solutions that fit your lifestyle, as well as those that positively affect your body. Remember to have multiple tools available by your bed, using the ones that fit for that evening. Restful dreams, my love! May you wake up with energy and excitement for the day to come.