Comments on: Sleep Aware Series – Part 5: Natural Sleeping Aids

By: Lucia Mat

Lucia Mat — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 14:18:57 +0000

Hello
Very good article. I just would like to add one small comment. Sometimes it is worth to try to use different herbal sleep aids in combination. For example chamomile works well with herbs such as valerian. One cup of tea 30 minutes before going to bed should do the trick.
Best Regards
Lucia Mat

By: Evita

Evita — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 02:25:54 +0000

@ YANIC – You are so very welcome and thank you for adding the great resource. Indeed serotonin is one of the hormones that not only regulates our mood, but in that respect also influences our sleep. Hence I am sure many people can find the 5-HTP product valuable.

Thank you also for visiting Evolving Wellness!

By: Yanic A.

Yanic A. — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 13:05:56 +0000

This was very informative, thank you so much for all this wonderful information…

If I could add a natural sleep aid, especially from people like me that suffer from mild anxiety and restless mind when bed time comes.

5-HTP is used by the body to produce serotonin which plays a very important role in regulating sleep and emotions (amongst other things).

The supplement is derived from the seeds of the Griffonia simplicifolia plant (a medicinal plant in Africa). I have found that it is easier to digest than some other plant extracts (I have a sensitive stomach) and has fewer cross-indication.

By: Evita

Evita — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 21:52:21 +0000

@ KRISTI – If the valerian keeps working I would stick with it. However let’s go to the root cause of why you are not sleeping, Claritin which yes can upset the balance as some drugs will act as stimulants, but the root cause of that are the allergies.

Believe it or not how you react to allergens in your environment is a huge indication of how overwhelmed your body may be with toxins and stuff. So a body clean up, whether in the form of detox or other can help and when we “fix’ up our bodies, you know we can also “grow out” of our allergies so don’t assume they are with you for life.

Start with cleaning up the diet, personal products, home scents, cleaners, etc. The less toxins your body has to deal with, the better it should react to its natural environment.

@ CHRISTIE – You are very welcome and it is best to just play around when it comes to the natural aids, as what works for one will not necesssarily work for another.

However, the bigger and better issue that I encourage you both to consider and reflect on is why he an insomniac or has insomnia in the first place. A permanent and high quality solution would be to work on or get rid of whatever is causing him not to be able to sleep. If you need ideas, try part 4 of the series on what hurts/helps our sleep – perhaps there will be something there that can help, unless you both already know the root cause.

@ HANLIE – Thanks Hanlie – I am so glad to hear that! And you got it right on, when we just follow our most natural state of being, it is next to impossible to not be able to sleep well and feel good all the time!

@ VERONICA – That is a great addition – thank you! Homeopathic medicine can definitely be considered for any ailment.

And for those of you who want to consider it, here is an excerpt of what Coffee Cruda is, however to really appreciate and understand how it works read the link below that explains what and how homeopathic medicine works:

“Coffee cruda is a remedy made from unroasted coffee beans. If this remedy is given to a healthy person who sleeps well, they will wake up at about 3am with their mind buzzing with ideas. However, for people who can’t sleep or who wake up too early in the morning, the remedy Coffee cruda can help stimulate the immune system to alleviate this type of sleeplessness symptom.”

http://www.nw3homeopathy.co.uk/about.html

By: veronica

veronica — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 01:59:45 +0000

just by the way boiron has homeopathics out for sleeping its all natural called coffee cruda you can get it at whole foods

By: Hanlie

Hanlie — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 12:55:56 +0000

I really enjoyed your Sleep Series! And I learned a lot… For myself, when I exercise regularly, eat healthy and avoid stimulants and depressants, I sleep well and wake up alert and rested. It works every time!

By: Christie

Christie — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 23:00:00 +0000

Thanks for this post. My husband is an insomniac and I believe he would be very receptive to a natural supplement to help him sleep. I am going to see what I can do to help him naturally conquer this huge problem.

Thanks again.

Christie

By: Kikolani

Kikolani — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 19:17:22 +0000

I have been taking Valerian for a little while now… maybe over the 3 month mark. My biggest problem is allergies – the only thing that works on them is Claritin D, but the drawback is that something in it keeps me up some nights. I’ve tried taking the nettles for months, but it doesn’t help, and I can’t sleep if I’m fully congested, so it’s kind of catch 22. I’ll have to try some of the other things you mentioned.

~ Kristi

By: Evita

Evita — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 23:27:19 +0000

Hi Tom,

You are welcome and yes, a few companies are actually getting into this market as I guess they see a huge potential considering North American sleeping habits. A lot are targeting the nasal mist as it is supposed to be the fastest delivery method, etc.

As for bananas, you are right with them being high in potassium. I know a lot of people think that is “the fruit” for potassium but in fact many fruits are very rich sources of potassium too.

For magnesium it is mostly greens and whole (real) grains, hence why a lot of people are deficient in it.

Thanks again for your feedback :)

By: Tom Parker - Free Fitness Tips

Tom Parker - Free Fitness Tips — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 21:43:38 +0000

Hey Evita. Thanks for the tips. Never new melatonin was now available in supplement form. Also on the magnesium are bananas not quite rich in it too? Or is that potassium? Or am I just completely off track with the whole banana thing? :-)