Herbs for Better Sleep: Natural Solutions for Insomnia - NL-090
Getting seven to nine hours of restful sleep each day is important for your body to function optimally. Not getting enough sleep affects your health at many levels, whether it is your mood, physical health, energy levels or brain performance. If you are someone who often struggles with sleep and you are looking for a safer alternative than a sleeping pill to help you sleep better, this article is for you.
Restful sleep, particularly at night, drives your body into an extensive “repair, healing and regeneration” mode, where it secretes growth and repair hormones, performs tissue repair, rebuilds muscles, strengthens immunity, removes waste and toxins from the brain and helps the brain to re-catalogue learning, information and memories. Not getting enough sleep can leave you feeling foggy, tired and irritable the next day, affecting your mood, productivity and coping mechanisms to sail through the day. Did you know that deep, restorative sleep also helps ease pain and manage symptoms of anxiety and depression?
Let’s have a look at certain herbs that help you relax and sleep better, with their amazing ability to manage stress, reduce fatigue and calm the nervous system. These herbs are packed with bioactive compounds such as phenolic acids, flavonoids and alkaloids, with remarkable anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
Herbs that help you sleep better
Ashwagandha: Ashwagandha helps you sleep better as it improves the quality of sleep and also improves sleep duration. This revitalizing herb calms the nervous system, and helps you relax. One of the most important features of this herb is that it is an adaptogen, which helps the body rejuvenate and manage stress more effectively, in turn aiding in getting good sleep. In fact, ashwagandha is one of the most widely used herbs for managing stress, anxiety and depression. Studies show that the herb is quite effective in reducing the symptoms of anxiety in people with insomnia.
Valeria Root: The tea made from valerian root improves the quality of sleep and helps you get to sleep faster. Also known as nature’s valium, valerian root is loaded with various bioactive compounds, such as valeric acid, iridoids and flavonoids that promote calmness, reduce stress and improve sleep quality. It is also known to reduce symptoms of anxiety, which has a beneficial effect on your sleep.
Jiaogulan: Jiaogulan is an adaptogenic herb that reduces fatigue and helps in stress management. It calms a hyperactive nervous system, helps lower anxiety levels, improves mood and promotes healthy sleep. Also known as the ‘Herb of Immortality’, jiaogulan contains bioactive compounds called saponins that have amazing health-promoting properties.
Reishi Mushroom: As a powerful adaptogen, reishi mushroom helps maintain overall balance in the body and improves the body’s response and resilience to stress. The mushroom is densely packed with a wide variety of bio-active compounds – such as polysaccharides, triterpenes, amino acids, vitamins and minerals. All these ingredients work together to calm the nerves, reduce cortisol levels, lessen fatigue and promote better sleep. Reishi mushroom, also known as Ling Zhi in Chinese and Mannentake in Japanese, strengthens immunity and corrects hormonal imbalance triggered by stress.
Chamomile: Chamomile works as a mild sedative and relaxes the nervous system. It contains apigenin, an anti-oxidant compound that binds with certain receptors in the brain that calms the nervous system and reduces anxiety. Research suggests that chamomile improves sleep quality and helps adults with sleep issues (insomnia) function better in daytime. It also eases symptoms in people with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).
Lavender: Drinking lavender tea (brewing dried flower buds in hot water) promotes healthy and peaceful sleep. It calms the nerves, and relaxes the body, thus improving sleep quality. It also helps reduce stress and anxiety.
References:
- Langade et al. Efficacy and Safety of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) Root Extract in Insomnia and Anxiety: A Double-blind, Randomized, Placebo-controlled Study. Cureus. 2019
- Mohsen Adib-Hajbaghery, Seyedeh Nesa Mousavi. The effects of chamomile extract on sleep quality among elderly people: A clinical trial. Complement Ther Med. 2017