I
am experiencing a prolonged period of interrupted and un-refreshing sleep and I
don't really want to take any sleeping tablets from my doctor – could herbal
medicine help me?
As is often the case with a simple
question like this, the answer is much more complicated The short answer is yes, herbs can help quite
effectively with insomnia, but the longer answer has to acknowledge that the
effectiveness of herbal remedies depends on the correct identification of what is
causing the problem and also on choosing the right herbs for you.
It is a fantastic feeling to have had a
really good night's sleep. Not only does it make you feel better and ready to
face the day, research has shown that it really is essential for good mental
and physical health. There is thought to be an association between consistently
poor sleep patterns and an increased risk of developing chronic condition such
as type II diabetes and being overweight. On a mental level, anyone who has
suffered regularly from insomnia will know that characteristic 'cotton-wool'
brain feeling the following day. Sadly, over time sleeplessness can dull our
thought processes and really begin to corrode our quality of life.
It is ironic that something that should
be so natural as sleep can be so easily disrupted. Although insomnia probably
affects most of us at onetime or another, this can be endured if it is only an
occasional night. However, if poor sleep is experienced over a period of many
weeks, this becomes a more serious problem for the sufferer and is really when
you should seek help.
Admittedly, insomnia can be a tough nut
to crack, particularly when it is chronic and long term. One of the reasons for
this is that it can have a number of root causes and may be a conflation of
different factors which can be difficult to untangle. It also means that in
very intractable cases, self-treatment is probably not your best option, as you
will need expert help to explore your problem and certainly with herbal
treatment, professional advice is recommended for chronic conditions.
Classic amongst the causes of
sleeplessness are anxiety, depressive and other stress-related conditions.
These will give the characteristic sleep patterns of either not being able to
get to sleep, despite being tired and/or waking up in the early hours of the
morning and not being able to easily resume your slumber.
Hormonal imbalances, particularly the
lower levels of progesterone, experienced during the menopause (aside from
overtly disruptive night sweats) can also be a cause. Physical things like
pain, poor digestion (gastric reflux, for example) can also impact on sleep
quality. All these issues will need
treatment if your sleep is to improve. However, for some people the reasons for
entrenched insomnia are more mysterious and it may take some time to test for
and eliminate possible causes and find effective treatment strategies.
Of course life-style choices, poor
sleep habits, bad sleep hygiene (ditch those electronic devices with their blue
screen lights at bed time, which disrupt the brain's light sensitive sleep
mechanisms, for example) diet, alcohol, caffeine and over-stimulating pre-sleep
activities may also impact on the quality of your sleep.
There are also some natural variations
– some people actually need less sleep and you need to identify and manage this
if it affects you. Older people, for example tend to sleep less at night and
more throughout the day and recent research has shown that for some of us
waking up in the middle of the night for a few hours might be our natural sleep
pattern – the only problem being that it doesn't fit well with the demands of
our early -rising modern working lives.
That said, what can be done herbally
for the sleepless in Seattle and elsewhere? There are in fact, quite a few
herbs that you or your herbalist can use to help you with insomnia, both for
helping with sleep onset and in maintaining sleep. These are herbs which have
hypnotic and/or sedative properties. Some, but not all of these, are available
in many over the counter formulas. However, you do need to find the right one
for you as herbs can be idiosyncratic in their actions.
Probably the best known sleep herb is
Valerian (Valeriana officinalis)
actually a wild British plant, which is included in many commercial sleep
remedies. Back to my point about idiosyncrasy. Valerian can be a highly
effective anxiolytic, mildly sedative and hypnotic herb for some people, but others actually find it stimulating (it
is estimated that this affects about 1
in 10 people – I am one such). A mere
whiff (it is very pungent) can cast those it suits into the arms of Morpheus,
whilst those it doesn't, can remain doggedly wide-awake under its influence.
This is a very individually dose specific herb, it also depends, as with so
much herbal medicine, on the quality of the plant material used in the remedy –
a poor quality preparation often gives poor results. Valerian may also help with low level pain
relief, panic attacks and emotional stress and would be particularly indicated
in those cases where this kind of additional symptomatic support was needed.
One of my personal favourite
sleepy-time herbs and one that is again widely known is Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata). Quite pleasant
when taken as a tea at bedtime and helpful as part of wider formulas alongside
other herbal sleep aids. Its actions are similar to Valerian and it can help
with both sleep onset and maintenance and has additional indications for
neuralgic pain. This is one to be a little careful of, however, as it can
interact with anti-depressant medications, so best check with your herbalist,
pharmacist or doctor before you take it.
Lime flowers (Tilia x europea) - the aromatic blossoms of the linden tree (not
the citrus) much used in France and much ignored in the UK are another good
choice for insomnia. Another of the herbal teas pleasing to the palate and a
gentle sedative remedy even for fractious, wakeful children. This also might be
indicated if you have high blood pressure and if you suffer from excitability
and tension headaches.
Lavender (Lavendula angustifolia) is well known as an aid to sleep, in the
form of its essential oil - put a few drops in a bath or on your pillow. It has
anti-depressant and anxiolytic actions and can help with nervous
digestion. Less well-known is that the
dried flowers can be taken as a tea (unlike the essential oil – which shouldn't
be taken internally). This is more effective for me personally than the
essential oil. However, I find it odd to take as it is so perfumed and even
though I am quite hardened to the unusual flavours of herbal tea, I always feel
that I should be dabbing it behind my ears! This one is perhaps not for lovers
of a traditional cup of Builders' tea
Perhaps a less widely known plant,
Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) but
one found growing in many gardens, is another herb that has mildly sedative
properties. This is one I have found useful for those patients whose day is
still running through their minds on a continual loop as they try to get off to
sleep. In my experience, it is helpful for stilling and settling the mind and
if you go with the flow, it should ease you gently into sleep. This can again
be taken as a warming a relaxing tea, but might not be the herb for you, if you
have low thyroid problems.
Many of these herbs are found in
combination remedies that you can buy over the counter, however, if these don't
work for you, don't despair – you don't necessarily need to think about using
sleeping tablets from your doctor.
Do remember that often symptoms such as
sleeplessness can be the expression of a range of long-standing conditions. The underlying cause of any condition
will always need attention before things can improve and over the counter sleep
remedies will not necessarily be formulated to deal with these. You may need a
more in-depth assessment of your condition and a herbal prescription that isn't
off the shelf. This is where consulting
your medical herbalist scores highly. There are many more herbal options
available to them and they have the training to look beneath your condition to
individually tailor a herbal medicine for your needs in order to help you to
(hopefully) to begin at last, to get a good night's sleep.
Catherine Schofield BSc BA MSc MNIMH is
a practising herbalist and member of the National Institute of Medical
Herbalists.
If you would like to make an appointment to see Catherine for a full consultation at Bare Health, please call the store on 01260 408413.
This
information is intended for educational purposes only and is not intended as a
guide to self-treatment. Caution needs to be exercised with all herbs in terms
of dosage and possible interactions and contra-indications and if you are
pregnant, lactating or suffer from any other medical condition. Always consult
your healthcare professional fist and make sure that you use the correct herbs
from a reputable source
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