Natural Remedies for Sleepless Nights

On occasion the stresses of everyday life can sometimes cause us to have trouble falling asleep at night. When lack of sleep starts interfering with your daily life or your work, there are natural sleep aids available to help you get a good night's sleep.

There are certain guidelines that are recommended by experts that you should follow, if you are in fact suffering from insomnia. You should always go to bed at the same time every night; this in effect programs your body that it is supposed to sleep at a particular time each night. Most of us, however, have lifestyles and responsibilities that make such a strict regiment impractical at times. Another "programming" technique you might try if you have trouble falling asleep, is to develop a going to bed ritual. For example, if you have a cup of herbal tea before brushing your teeth, or you read a chapter of a good book, make that a part of your nightly ritual. Following the same steps every night can, for some people, function in the same way that going to bed at the same time does; habituating your body to expect sleep to follow the ritual.

There is a wide variety of sleep aids on the market. Natural, or herbal, sleep aids are preferable to commercial sedatives because they are not habit-forming, and will not leave you groggy and in need of a stimulant the next day.

When looking for an herbal sleep remedy to help eleviate your insomnia, look for herbs which are nervines or sedatives; nervines calm and tone the nervous systems, while sedatives are stronger in their effects on the nerves. If muscle tension is a factor in your insomnia, look for herbs that are antispasmodic. Herbs used for sleep disturbances can have one, none, or all of these properties.

Try sipping tea before bed to help you sleep. Chamomile tea is the most widely recognized herbal tea, and with good reason. It has a pleasant flowery taste, and is both a nervine and an antispasmodic. Chamomile is good for sleeplessness, digestive upsets, and menstrual cramps. It is also the most readily available; you can find chamomile already packaged into teabags in any grocery store.

If nervousness and stress are the cause of your sleeplessness, skullcap is a useful herb. It is both a nervine and a sedative, and is also antispasmodic. Valerian also has these properties, and commercially available herbal sleep aids often combine these two herbs into one tea blend. Other herbs include Passionflower, Lemon Balm and Mugwort.

You can also make an infusion (tea) to help you sleep. You can do this by pouring boiling water over the herbs and allowing them to steep for ten to twenty minutes, then straining the infusion through a tea-strainer. Experiment with combinations or single herbs. You can sweeten your tea with honey; although, you will find that many herbal teas have a very pleasant taste and need no sweetening.

Contemplate the causes of your sleeplessness and then select the solution that fits most easily into your lifestyle. Always read the labels of the sleep-aid teas in the natural products section of your grocery store to make sure your not allergic to any of the ingredients. You can purchase the sleep remedy herbs at your local health food store, or buy them online. Try any of these natural remedies to help you get a good night's sleep, if nothing seems to help, consult with your physician.

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