Herbal Sleeplessness Remedies

Using herbs as remedies, including for sleeplessness, dates back centuries. While sleeplessness can be brought on by stress, nervousness, insomnia or depression, use herbal sleeplessness remedies as a temporary solution to help aid sleep. Pair the herbs with the appropriate lifestyle changes that will reduce stress and allow your body to sleep naturally over time. If you still find yourself unable to find sleep easily or without herbal aid, consult your doctor.

Stress Relief

• Herbs which are naturally calming can often be used to help relax your body and mind. These herbs are known to reduce stress and can sometimes act as a mild sedative. Chamomile is said to relax your muscles and initiate sleep. The passion flower herb is a mild sedative which helps with anxiety and worry.

  The strong-smelling lemon balm helps promote sleep by treating sleep disturbances. Valerian aids in relaxation and can, over a few days or weeks, actually shorten the amount of time it takes for you to fall asleep. Another better known herb for sleeplessness is St. John's Wort, which is said to prolong deep sleep cycles.

Insomnia Relief

• While having too much stress from work or home life is one cause of sleeplessness, insomnia is quite another. Herbs can also attempt to tackle this condition and let you sleep; however, they are not expected to cure the insomnia. A simple sedative is catnip, but too much can be bad for you. Hops flowers, when placed in tea, not only encourage your body to sleep but also ease indigestion.

  Lavender-flower heads or lavender-flower oils are also calming for people with insomnia. Lavender is best used by inhaling the fragrance. Never consume lavender. A less-well-known herb such as skullcap has been used as a sedative in the past and is actually found as an ingredient in many insomnia medications.

Using Herbs

• Herbs can be consumed in a variety of forms, from capsules to teas to just breathing in their strong scents. Teas typically use a mixture of different amounts of a variety of herbs to create the right blend to encourage sleep. Valerian in particular is foul smelling and bad tasting, therefore making it a good candidate for use in a capsule form.

  If you don't want to ingest the herbs, however, you can make a simple sleep pillow from a drawstring bag about the size of an index card filled with about 1/2 cup of herbs. Similar to teas, a combination of herbs is often used instead of a bag filled with just one herb.