Natural Remedies to Help Cure Insomnia

Natural Remedies to help cure insomnia and sleeping problems

This article details some supplements and natural remedies which are reported to help promote restful sleep.

Now a word of warning

There are many natural remedies on the market – but I’d advise you to be wary of anything that promises a miracle cure. There isn’t vast amounts of scientific evidence as to how some of these natural remedies work but there is huge amounts of anecdotal evidence from people who have tried things that have worked as well as traditional herbal remedies that have been passed down over the years.

Another word of warning is if you try anything which has an adverse effect stop taking it immediately as people can be allergic to different things. Also just read the small print to make sure that there are no problems with the herbal remedies interfering with any other medications you are taking.

Some Natural & herbal remedies to help cure insomnia

The one thing which seemed to work for me when I had insomnia was something called valerian. I’ll explain a bit more about this in a bit. The other things I’m going to list here are all things that fellow insomnia sufferers have recommended to me or tips emailed which they found really helped them. These things can be got from most health food shops, pharmacists or over the internet – so it might be worth choosing one and give it a go if you have sleep issues.

Melatonin
This is a hormone which is made in the brain naturally. It is secreted at night by the pineal gland to help calm the brain down and induce sleep.
You can buy melatonin supplements as a sleep aid (it is also available as a prescription medicine as well). It is quite often found under a different name –

Citadin.
In Wendy Greens famous book on managing insomnia - Journalist Jessica Brown reported that having suffered from chronic insomnia she found Melatonin “ helped her to drift off to sleep more easily” and was the one thing that really worked for her.

5HTP (5-Hydroxytryptophan)
This supplement comes from a West African plant called the Griffonia Plant. Scientific studies have shown 5HTP helps people fall asleep quicker and stay asleep for longer. It also is thought to increase the amount of sleep and REM sleep.
You should look to buy 100mg tablets and take just one a day at least an hour before bedtime. Just one thing to be careful of – don’t take this if you are taking anti depressants as they have been recorded as causing an adverse effect in some cases.

St Johns Wort
This herbal remedy is more well known for its positive effects of treating depression, but lots of people say it has really worked for them with helping them sleep (particularly if their insomnia is linked to depression). It works by naturally regulating levels of melatonin in the body .

Skullcap
This natural remedy works by providing a mild sedative effect which helps with insomnia. It is also a great help with things like nervous tension, pain and avoiding night time muscle cramps. Skullcap come from the United States and was listed as far back as 1863 as a type of tranquilizer

Wild Lettuce
This is a natural remedy which has been used since roman times. It has mild sedative, pain relieving properties which have been reported in a number of
instances to help with insomnia.

Vervain
Otherwise known as Holy Wort and found across the UK – it has been used as far back as Druid times as a cure for sleep related issues. It combines its sedative and relaxing properties to help with depression and insomnia.

Passion Flower
This is a traditional South African remedy for insomnia. It again has a mild sedative effect and is particularly successful with people who have problems staying asleep. It is more often used as part of a concoction of sleep inducing herbs rather than just on its own.

Hops
This is a very popular sleeping aid – using the flowers from hops to help aid insomnia. This is one of the better cures for insomnia linked to anxiety and stress. One thing to remember is that herbalists advise against using hops if you suffer from depression.

Valerian
Now this is the remedy which I found helped me the best. I can see why some scientists call it “natures valium” as it really does help reduce your anxiety and help you sleep. Valerian is a herb and was recently described by expert in the field of insomnia - Professor Jim Horne as “the most effective of all herbal treatments for insomnia”. Valerian contains GABA (Gamma-aminobutyric acid) – which is an amino acid which is believed to help regulate sleep.
Valerian is usually recommended to be tried for a 4-6 week period and it is usual to take a 2 week break between treatments.

There are some products on the market which are easily available and combine some of the herbs and natural remedies I’ve listed above. Perhaps the best known of these is something called Nytol.

Nytol combines hops, valerian and passionflower to help promote calmness and sleep. I found wasn’t quite strong enough for me, but I have heard from a lot of fellow sufferers that it helped them lots.

Dan Kennedy has written a free ebook on how to Cure Your Insomnia. To download it visit www.cure-your-insomnia.com