Natural Remedies for Insomnia: A Comprehensive Guide

After three years of crippling insomina and trying every remedy under the sun (supplements and drugs) I finally found relief with a combination of taurine and theanine. I'm still not a champion sleeper with actual energy, but I don't feel like I'm dying everyday. I am able to fall asleep fairly promptly, and now when I wake up in the middle of the night I actually return to solid sleep and not fragmented. I still could use more sleep in the morning if if it weren't for having to go to work, but I can actually catch successful naps at lunchtime now too, just from the one dose at night time. The one catch is after about a month I was having insomnia again for a week and I had to increase the theanine dose from 100mg at night to 200mg, and it did work. Which is the recommended dose anyway, but I hope I don't have to keep increasing. But at least I know for a fact the theanine is helping. I've never taken the taurine on its own (500mg), so I'm not being a good scientist, can't say for certainty that helps, but other have recommeded this combo, and it's working for me.

Thyme is great for stress and anxiety, which contribute to insomnia. Can be taken internally and externally, do research first before taking internally or if your on medications. Mix some thyme oil with a carrier because its a HOT oil and a mucous membrane irritant, mix with almond or jojoba or a good quality carrier oil and rub on chest and neck and shoulders before going to bed. Can be brewed into a tea with the dried herb and used in cooking.

I just happened upon a site praising the benefits of turmeric and milk thistle; bought both and started taking them at the same time, so I don't know which of them (maybe both) is having this effect, but I feel like I'm twenty again (I'm 70). I sleep better and just generally have a better feeling of well-being. No better skin tone, or even anything noticeable, other than sleeping better.

Valerian helps me sleep at night, deeper+ longer.

Occasionally I also take tryptophan along with valerian once or twice a month if I am stressed out. I take a valerian capsule around 8pm, about 2 hours after dinner. Not too early and not too late.

I started using valerian root capsules when I couldn't fall asleep several years back. A 500mg capsule worked ok for me. Usually takes me about half an hour after ingestion. Recently, I've found that drinking 1 teaspoon valerian root powder an hour or 2 before I asleep works really well. I'm able to fall asleep quick and sleep through the night.

In general, I've found that ingesting powdered herbs works faster and better than taking capsules. Not sure exactly why. Maybe it's being slowly absorbed by my body as I sip drinks instead of all the dosage at once. Make sure you mix it with some kind of fruit or sweetener. It smells like feet but doesn't taste bad.

YAY. I'm not sure about Valerian Root, but I swallow one Valerian capsule (from the chemist) if I have trouble getting to sleep and it works great for me.

I just started taking Valerian Capsules (500 mg) right before going to bed for my insomnia, and it works GREAT!! I used to not be able to fall asleep until 4 am, and was always sleepy and groggy when I woke up no matter how many hours of sleep I got. The first night I took one capsule at 11:30, and although I did fall asleep, I woke up around 2:30, and was unable to fall back asleep until I took another capsule an hour later. However, last night I took two capsules before going to sleep, at around midnight, and I fell asleep, slept through the night, and woke up at 7:30 (my alarm was set for 8:30!!) feeling awake and refreshed. I wasn't groggy and when I woke up I was ready to get out of bed- which is usually never the case!

So from now on I will be taking 1000 mg of Valerian Root every night for about a month, and then I'll see if I can sleep on a regular schedule without it. Now I'm not sleepy in my morning classes anymore! I highly recommend it- and I'm so happy I found a natural remedy for insomnia, I love this website! (I found Vegetarian Valerian Root capsules in the GNC section of my RiteAid, so it shouldn't be too difficult to find for anyone else) Good luck!

WARNING!

Valerian Root as a sleep aid. WARNING: this does not work for everyone...and DO NOT MIX WITH ANTI-AXIETY OR ANTIDEPRESSANTS... I found this out the hardway. I frequently get insomnia and a friend suggest the valerian root. I called my mother and she agreed I should try it. I was up all night, and not only that, I went into a psychotic rage, cried hysterically and drove off to my job in this state. Luckily my husband found me! I later looked up interactions online and found that when mixed with anti-depreess-or anxiety medicines, this can happen. I was taking Xanax at thet ime, although I had not taken any that day, it must have still be in my system (I take on an as need basis).

Also, 1/3 of people using valerian root tend to feel suicidal. This works great for some people, just be careful!! and please, don't take it alone.

When I'm having trouble with sleep, I take valerian root capsules.

Half a dropper of valerian root and half a dropper of lobelia in a little water 15 minutes before bed does wonders for my sleep. It also induces intense dreaming!

Vetiver oil should be on the list for insomnia remedies! It's the main natural remedy I use for a restful sleep. It relaxes me so much and eases all those crazy thoughts that come up that prevent sleep from happening. I diffuse it at night or put some on the back of my neck. Combine it with lavender oil and its even better! :)

Vitamin B complex for insomnia and stress

Take B complex vitamins to help with insomnia. Sleep disturbances can be the result of B vitamin deficiency. B vitamins are really good for stress relief, too. I take a quality brand from Genestra that has all the B vitamins and find I sleep better when I take it during the day.

When I stop taking the B vitamins the sleep problems seems to return, hope this helps.

I have suffered from insomnia since I was a teenager (I'm 34 now), going to bed has always been my least favorite time of the day because I would roll over for hours, it was horrible. I have tried many things such as melatonin, prescription drugs, Cannabis (illegal where I live, not good), certain teas, alcohol, etc. All were either Not effective, or created other problems in the long run. I also tried common sense approaches such as reading, warm milk, warm baths, skin brushing, etc etc etc... Nothing worked.

However for a month now I have been sleeping like a baby and the solution came in as a surprise since I'm taking it for something else other than insomnia: niacin (vitamin B3), in the form if nicotinic acid (B3 in the Niacinamide Form didn't work). Wow! Now I take it and I get that heavy feeling on my eye lids, and after a while I start yawning. Once that happens I just go to bed and voila!

Be careful though: nicotinic acid will make you flush, and if you don't know what that is it can be scary. So please do your homework and Research Doses and possible side effects so you know what to expect. Start on the low side until you get a nice flush (after awhile you will enjoy the warm feeling, and your skin won't itch as badly). As an extra bonus my skin feels and looks amazing, everybody comments on my Complexion Now! I'm also much calmer and no longer depressed (reason why I tool it in the first place). Very interesting positive side effects! I hear it will also lower bad Cholesterol and increase the good kind. Beware of side effects of you have liver issues, or is on medication. Amazing! But again, do you homework first.

Best part: this stuff is cheap, over the counter, and needed by the body anyway (without it you develop pellagra. Some bread is enriched with it, but not in orthomolecular amounts). I'm taking about 3 grams a day.

High vitamin D can lead to terrible insomnia and, secondary to that, exacerbate all your symptoms.

I developed severe insomnia last winter (nov 07) and went through quite a trial for months, with none of the many things I tried helping much except some tips on how to improve sleep habits through cognitive behavioral therapy. I was doing better May-Oct 08 then all of a sudden the same severe insomnia symptom was back in full force. Last month I decided to try vitamin D3 2000 IU/day, after reading so many recent articles about the importance of this sunshine vitamin. I chose tablets with D3 source from lanolin, since I am allergic to fish. Within a week I was sleeping soundly at night, and I am continuing to sleep well. In retrospect, it is likely that I became more susceptible to vit. D deficiency after I became lactose intolerant and stopped drinking milk.