sleep

Sleep is one of the most basic things that the human body needs. Miss a night of sleep, and you'll probably feel bad all the next day. Miss more than that, and you can start getting all sorts of weird symptoms like tremors, hallucinations, and vertigo.

Unfortunately, sleep or lack thereof is one of the main reasons that people take drugs. There are dozens and dozens of drugs out there that promise a better, fuller night's sleep. Most of them are quite popular, and every single one of them is potentially habit forming.

In addition to this, many problems besides insomnia seem to stem from too little sleep, or sleep that is not deep enough, or otherwise disordered. For instance, extreme daytime sleepiness (sometimes known as narcolepsy) results from sleep that is not refreshing enough. This condition may sound benign enough, but it can actually be quite deadly if the person who has it drives a car (and they do). In my own experience, hyperactivity and lack of focus-- common in children and not unusual in adults-- often corrects itself when the quality of sleep is improved. even some people who have been diagnosed as having bipolar disorder get markedly better once their sleep improves.

Most of us have heard all our lives that 8 hours of sleep (in one stretch) is what we need to be healthy. Maybe and maybe not. Some recent studies have shown that it's quite normal for well-rested and healthy people to wake up some during the night (such as to go to the bathroom, change the baby, check on the livestock, or whatever), and that a tendency to do so should not be considered a sleep disorder. At the same time, sleeping eight or more hours straight is not worth much, if you wake up feeling exhausted and have to drag yourself by the hair to get through your day.

When people take herbs to improve sleep, there are a few things to keep in mind:

Not all calming herbs improve quality of sleep-- Chamomile, scullcap, and motherwort all produce a normal state of sleep. Valerian, Kava, poppy, and many other herbs will put you to sleep, but it won't really be a normal state of sleep, and you may or may not feel very rested when you wake up.

ANY sedative, natural or otherwise, can be habit-forming-- this does not necessarily mean that they create a chemical dependency, the way that some drugs can, but it does mean that you can have a hard time ceasing to use them, because you may grow accustomed to having their help. This is not necessarily a reason not to use them, but it is something to be aware of before starting out.

In addition to sedatives, it can be helpful to use herbs with a tonic effect on the nerves-- These would be herbs such as nettle and oatstraw that have a gradual strengthening and nourishing effect on the nervous system, a slow but long-term way of addressing many people's sleep issues.

Reducing or eliminating the use of stimulants (including caffeine) can be helpful

Sometimes (but not always) adjusting habits around sleep can be more helpful than trying to take substances to promote sleep.

Sometimes, sleep irregularities can arise because of transient things, such as life stresses or changes in hormones (adolesence, menopause, etc.). In such cases, the irregularities of sleep might be non-serious or self limiting, and it can be okay not to do anything about them. In the case of more serious or long-term sleep irregularities, though, it's usually helpful to take some action or to seek professional guidance.