Natural Remedies for Insomnia: A Comprehensive Guide

Reduce Cortisol Levels

Posted by Molly (San Francisco) on 03/04/2019
★★★★★

I had terrible insomnia for 6 years following the birth of my first child. I was 37 when it started. I took several different sleep drugs during that time: Lorazipam, Trazadone, Benedryl. They made me depressed, so I was also taking a morning antidepressant. I did not like how flat and foggy I felt, and I worried that my sleep quality was not natural. I finally went to a naturopathic doctor who tested my cortisol levels and found that that hormone was not cycling properly for me. I took a natural supplement to suppress cortisol at 9:00 pm every night for about a month. I also improved my diet (no gluten, no milk and no sugar). Within a few months, I was off all drugs and sleeping great. Now I only take it if I stay up too late and feel that a second wind is keeping me awake. I have started waking around 4 in the morning lately, and I've found that a tablespoon of MCT oil helps me get back to sleep quickly. I've also started having a healthy carb and fat snack before bed (usually sweet potato with butter and salt and a little Brain Octane Oil). When my kids have insomnia or restless legs, they get magnesium - either lotion or drink. I used to put lavender essential oil on their pillows as well, when they were having trouble sleeping. Sleep hygiene is great too, but when my cortisol was off, no amount of sleep hygiene could get me a full night of sleep. Also, if I start eating poorly (too much gluten and/or sugar), it can bring some sleep issues back for awhile. And if I don't eat 2 healthy meals during the day, that can also cause my sleep to suffer. I would recommend seeing a naturopath for help in discovering the underlying cause of your sleeplessness, if possible. I am so thankful that I finally did!

Nutmeg

Posted by Terry (Md) on 04/29/2018
★★★★★

Was interested in nutmeg for nocturia. I recently read that a grandmother used her mother's remedy as a cure to stop from having to pee when she went shopping. It was incredibly easy. Granny said to put about a teaspoon of nutmeg in the palm of your hand and lick it off. She did this just before leaving the house and she did not have to find a bathroom during the whole time she went shopping.

Anyway, I have tried everything under the sun and nothing is too weird when you have to get up all hours of the night to pee. So, I have tried it for the last 3 nights and Alleluia! I got up after 3 1/2 hours the first time, then 3 hours the second time. By the time I needed to go again, it was time to get up. It was wonderful to feel refreshed, something I had not felt for many months.

However, about the nutmeg: I just used a good 1/4 tsp on the palm of my hand and licked it off just before going to bed. I also took a very tiny sip of water to get rid of the nutmeggy taste on my tongue. I will up the amount to 1/2 tsp and see what happens. I am thrilled even tho nutmeg is pretty expensive. It's worth it!

Skullcap and Valerian

Posted by Art (California) on 05/06/2021 2979 posts

Sam,

Magnesium Glycinate as part of the combo at the dose recommended on the bottle is helpful for relaxing muscles and helping to get you to sleep.

Art

Castor Oil

Posted by Michael (New Zealand) on 11/22/2016

Hello there Mama to Many!

Been reading your postings often. Good work there. I can relate to your use of a Castor Oil pack! I commenced a couple of weeks ago and have done it for one hour in the afternoon, six days each week, on my lower back. I largely follow your regime. I have cut a piece of flannel and folded it four times to make a six inch by six inch pad. Left in a container in the 'fridge in a little bit of good quality, Castor Oil (enough to lightly saturate but NO more), I drag it out when the billy has boiled and nearly fill the hot water bottle. Lying face down on a protective cloth over a piece of foam in my "sleep out" ( the smell is best kept to one's self ), I proceed to place the pad directly on the lumbar region, cover with a second layer of dry, double-folded flannel cloth, a double layer of plastic sheeting and then the HWB. Time passes O.K. I sometimes nod off until my clockwork timer shrills, when I promptly arise and use the discarded hot water from the HWB, plus a little Bicarb. and a dedicated sponge, to wipe down the nether regions. Already in my working gear, I am then good to garden. Good as gold: job done.

Does it warrant such dedication you may well ponder? Well I AM sleeping much better, not going to "you no where" during the night, and feeling more mobile with a bit less pain. So it is worth all that lot for starters. Kidneys and liver yes but ovaries no I suspect. Mind you, I have gone and done the Raised Bed Trick, about four inches so far, at the same time I started on the Oil. Also, now taking Alfalfa and more MSM so that may have helped. Again, I have re-commenced my "Brew" of Molasses, Lime juice, Honey and ACV once per day which I am always a complete fan of anyway.

So yes, my sleeping HAS improved for sure and I think the Hot Oil Pad may be the secret and it only took a couple of weeks to kick in so all's good. I hope this helps others. Worth a try for sure and there may be other benefits too.

I love this Site as much as you do!

Cheers, Michael

5 HTP

Posted by C (Ava, Mo) on 06/05/2016
★★☆☆☆

2 stars for 5 HTP.

I have tried it off and on and you can build up an intolerance, which I did and cause you not to sleep. The best sleep aid is not on here are adaptogens for adrenal health.. Helps with deep sleep, energy like crazy---the best!!!!! This is almost my silver bullet and I have had extremely severe problems!!!!!

Oh I forgot the most important one!!! If your stomach is bloated and you have gas, it may be a sign of allergies of food, for example gluten or milk. If people eat what they are allergic to, it can cause severe insomnia. The very best recommendation is go on an elimination diet like I did and I started sleeping. When I mess up the diet, my sleep is bad.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Alan (Mexico) on 03/02/2015
★★★★★

You should all try apple cider vinegar with honey and camomila tea hot when you are already in bed. Make three camomila tea bags or four.

Plus take a 250mg of magnesium plus a calcium citrate pill that should contain vit d-3 plus one l-taurine 500 ml capsule. Have a nice sleep!

Vitamin B-3

Posted by Rick (Sorocaba, Brazil) on 01/19/2011
★★★★★

Editor's Choice

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.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Ravi S (Dallas, Texas) on 12/20/2009
★★★★★

Last night I was reading on ACV/Honey, ACV/baking soda for sleep disorders. Decided to give it a try. I took ACV/Honey one teaspoon each in a cup of warm water at 9.09pm. By 9.30pm I started winding down and by 10pm, I was fast asleep. I had FEWER disturbance. My problem earlier was to get back to sleep if i am disturbed and that happened frequently. This seemed to work pretty good and I woke up real fresh.

Cod Liver Oil

Posted by Erika (Vancouver, Bc) on 08/04/2009
★★★★★

Hi, my eyes have been sensitive to light lately, so I researched and found that it may be a lack of fish oils, so I started taking cod liver oil capsules and very suddenly I started sleeping like a log through the night. So I told my father to try the cod liver oil for his sleep problems and sure enough the very first night he slept through 8 hrs. (usually he gets 3 hrs. then wakes up!) People with insomnia try this and let others know. Note: On one site I read says that if you get oil reflux or diahrea it is due to the oil being old. I've been feeling very healthy lately with no daytime tiredness since I have started this as well as great bowel movements, and my farsightedness has become clearer. Good Luck. Erika

Coconut Oil

Posted by Rosemarie (Carlsbad, CA) on 10/06/2007
★★★★★

I am on my 3rd week using vco and have lost 10 pounds, sleeping through the night, and having more energy. I have cut out gluten from my diet, milk, and coffee also. Now I am going to get my husband to take it..

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Stuart (Fresno, California USA) on 10/18/2008

This is in response to 9/18/07: Robin from Dallas Texas was wondering why apple cider vinegar caused constipation after 3 or 4 days. This is caused by using the processed apple cider vinegar but if you switch to an organic apple cider vinegar, that should end the problem and better health benefits overall will be achieved.

Earth Clinic is a great and informative website giving much attention to apple cider vinegar as a remedy, but I think it may be helpful to always specify it as ORGANIC apple cider vinegar instead. Many people that come across this website might miss the few areas that do specify the difference, so not knowing better, they will most likely go out to the grocery store and buy the most popular Heinz brand (processed) apple cider vinegar, and therefore they will have less satisfactory results than if they used an organic one from a health food store.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Kayla (Oelwein, Iowa ) on 05/09/2017

You should not be drinking Apple Cider Vinegar plain!! Always mix with at least 4-8 oz water or juice, I use 3 oz water + 3 oz aloe Vera juice + 1 tbsp acv. Drinking Apple Cider Vinegar undiluted is very harsh on tooth enamel and can also burn your esophagus over time

Coconut Oil

Posted by jeffrey (bournemouth, ENGLAND) on 06/07/2007
★★★★★

COCONUT OIL CURED MY INSOMNIA ACID REFLUX AND GAVE ME LOTS OF ENERGY. I AM TYPE 2 DIABETIC THIS OIL HAS GIVEN ME MY LIFE BACK IFEEL SO WELL PLEASE PLEASE TRY IT I AM 63 YEARS OLD AND HAVE NEVER FELT SO WELL IN YEARS

Coconut Oil

Posted by Jean H. (Us) on 04/14/2018

Don't spit the coconut oil in your toilet or down your sink as it's solid below about 76 degrees and will clog your pipes.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Matt (Blossom, Tx) on 03/04/2015
★★★★★

I made a cup of just plain old apple cider with a kcup maker and it cut my wind down time by a half an hour. Now I use it every night and I am thinking since everyone says apple cider vinegar works, maybe it's apples in general.

Iron

Posted by Ted (Melbourne ) on 02/20/2024
★★★★★

I would recommend checking your iron levels. I had an iron infusion after discovering I was iron deficient and it transformed my sleep, such a relief!

Spinach Powder

Posted by Clatterbuck (Beltsville, Md) on 04/01/2023
★★★★★

I know this will sound strange but I think I accidentally discovered a treatment for my inability to get back to sleep when I wake up in the middle of the night. Like a lot of people my age sleeping straight thru the night became a rare occurrence. Recently I read about spinach powder helping to control your appetite so I bought some. It tastes really disgusting so I mixed a spoonful in a glass of orange juice and held my nose while drinking it. That night I slept through the night without waking up. I drank this concoction for a couple of days and continued to sleep well. Sometimes I would wake up but I fell back asleep immediately. I stopped drinking the concoction because I got busy and didn't think about it and within a day or two my night time waking issue returned. I started drinking the disgusting concoction and once again I started sleeping through the night. I don't know if this is just a fluke but it's working for me.

Serpina

Posted by Joseph A. (Stockton, Ca ) on 08/16/2021 73 posts
★★★★★

Insomnia, my best tablets are called Serpina (Indian Snakeroot) an Ayurvedic tablet that is excellent, plus has many other positive things, I can't write everything now but send me a message and I will try. Serpina tablets $7 at Amazon, or Distacart sells them. Dosage if can't sleep at all take 3 tablets in am and 3 tablets at nite. Once you're sleeping then reduce dosage if you want. They are completely safe, however will interact with Antipsychotics, cold, flu medicines. Non habit forming, stopping cold turkey is fine.

You can take OTC Benadryl 50 or 100mg if you wake up in middle of night then just take another 1 of those and fall back asleep. Since they can cause memory loss in long-term use I advise to take for 3-4 weeks maximum.

Never take sleeping pills, habit forming and dangerous. A Valium is fine a few days but they are habit forming and dangerous after 4-5 weeks maximum. Jujube fruit(Chinese dates)fight insomnia, Anxiety, buy at Amazon.

Last one for sleep: try L-Theanine pills (only must have: Suntheanine, highest quality) take 200mg twice daily or increase to 400mg 2X daily, they are safe and can be taken at 3,000mg safely, but rarely done. Best of luck to anyone who tries them. If you're happy & sleeping send me a message.

Melatonin

Posted by Gertjr (Madison) on 07/31/2020
★★★★☆

I've been taking melatonin the way Art suggested--2 hours before bed I take 1/3 total dose, then 1 hour before the next 1/3, then at bedtime the final 1/3.

I also take niacin, 100 mg, at bedtime since it helps also. So, most nights this really works and I fall asleep fast. I still wake several times per night but go right back to sleep. I wake up well and feel okay for several hours, then feel like I could nap but power through it since I'm at work.

I've been taking a total of 15 mg melatonin. But, like last night, nothing helped me sleep. I took another 5 mg melatonin an hour after bedtime and still didn't sleep but maybe 3 hours total. Any idea why? Or is this just something you have to deal with? (No choice there, I guess). Also, some days I get a real headache that lasts until noon or so. Is this the melatonin? I think so but it could be allergies.

Thanks, Art, this has worked more often than not and I'm happy for that.

Melatonin

Posted by Art (California) on 06/25/2020 2979 posts

Editor's Choice

Gertjr,

It could be difficult coming off something like Tramadol that is fairly strong and can be on the habit forming side, especially since it was helping you with sleep. Your body has adjusted to it so you could try tapering off of it gradually instead of just stopping it all at once to help with the transition off of it.

Deirdre has the best method of taking melatonin with magnesium. The magnesium tends to help the muscles and tension relax, while the melatonin helps with sleep. Magnesium glycinate is going to be about as good as any form of magnesium for this purpose taken about 1 1/2 hours before bed.

The lowest dose of melatonin that has shown effectiveness for sleep is one third of a milligram, but you are already taking 3 mg. The next dose is 5 milligrams and then 10 mg. Myself, I have used a method I call "melatonin 123" to help me get to sleep. I determine what time I want to go to bed, so lets say I want to go to bed at 11:00pm, I take one melatonin at 9:00 pm, one melatonin at 10:00pm and one melatonin at 11:00 pm and usually by 10:45 I am yawning and ready to go to bed. In your case, you might use 1 mg x three melatonin in order to maintain your current dose of 3 mg. The time released melatonin can have a similar effect as "melatonin 123", but my preference is the melatonin 123. The idea is to release melatonin at a more natural rate into your system. When I take my dose all at once, I do not get as good of a sleep effect as melatonin 123.

There are additional things you can do to help improve sleep. The first thing is exposing yourself to a good dose of morning sunlight, to try and get your circadian rhythm in sync. Avoid using the tv or computer monitor at least 1 1/2 hours before bed because these can trick your mind and body into thinking it is still daylight. Make your bedroom dark enough where you can not see your hand in front of your face in the dark. Failing that, using the soft fabric night glasses like these can make it plenty dark:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=eye+mask+for+sleep&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

If there is ambient noise such as traffic, noise deadening ear plugs may be useful.

Medical marijuana can also be useful, but may be on the habit forming side too.

Antihistamines can help initially, but they are not good for you on a regular basis or long term as they have been shown to possibly contribute to dementia with long term use and they can affect blood pressure in some people.

Lastly, getting on a regular sleep schedule or routine sets your body up for certain expectations of when to fall asleep and when to wake up in order to help sync the circadian rhythm.

You may have to make this extra effort to help with the transition off of Tramadol in order to get back into a good sleep rhythm.

Good luck and keep us posted on how you do!

Art

Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium

Posted by Clatterbuck (Beltsville, Md) on 09/12/2018
★★★★★

I had been having trouble getting to and staying asleep for over a year. I tried melatonin, meditation, magnesium, castor oil, etc... Nothing really seemed to work consistently. For other health reasons, I started upping my intake of calcium, magnesium, and potassium. After this change to my diet, I noticed my sleep improved dramatically. I try to get 1,200 mg of calcium through my diet each day, but if I fall short, once in a while I will take one 500 mg chocolate supplement. Every night before I go to bed I take a half of a magnesium supplement with a glass of watermelon water (for potassium). This combination of minerals knocks me out. I still get up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, but when I get back in bed I fall right back to sleep. I also wake up feeling refreshed. I never would've thought that a nutritional deficiency could cause insomnia.

Melatonin

Posted by Martin (Cambridge) on 06/12/2018
★★★★★

Melatonin to regulate my sleep cycle which was worsening with age (62 y/o male). Give it 2 weeks or more time before you see results. People give up too soon when experimenting with melatonin. Give your brain time to adjust to a new circadian pattern. 3 mg sublingual melatonin before bed is what I do.

Lettuce Tea

Posted by Mama To Many (Tn) on 02/22/2018

Mary,

This is great!

100 years ago, Beatrix Potter wrote about the "soporific effect of lettuce on the Flopsy Bunnies" in a children book! The bunnies were sound asleep from eating too much lettuce.

I guess she knew what she was talking about!

Thanks!

~Mama to Many~

Multiple Remedies

Posted by Teena (Melbourne Australia) on 01/19/2018

Hi, I understand you have tried magnesium, however your symptoms scream magnesium deficiency to me. Perhaps the supplement you tried was not well absorbed due to gut and or intestinal issues, the tablet/capsule housing did not break down in time, etc. I would suggest absorbing some minerals transdermally, avoiding possible absorbency problems in the gut. In a bath every night before bed, one cup each borax, sea or Celtic or Himalayan salt, Magnesium in the form of Epsom salts, also supplying sulphur, as it is likely you are deficient in other minerals/vitamins because of absorbency issue. I would try this bath routine every night for a week at least. Thinking also some bentonite for ingestion. And after bathing apply some magnesium oil, perhaps on to of slkome coconut oil. Also consider a cheap and easy way of getting minerals to your cells would be 1/4 tsp sea salt to a litre of water a day.