Herbal Medicine for Better Sleep: Natural and Effective

Falling and staying asleep is difficult for some. Whilst for some nights, sleep may come easily, for others, it may be more elusive. Those who suffer from regular poor sleep or from difficulty falling asleep (insomnia) will often consider trying whatever they can to improve their sleep. Solutions may include lifestyle changes, using essential oils, listening to relaxing music before bed, trying pharmaceutical medicines, and herbal medicines.

Let’s look at the common treatments for sleep disorders—sleeping pills and herbal medicine—and outline why herbs for sleep are worth trying if you are looking for a sleep solution with few harmful side effects.

Sleeping Pills or Herbal Medicine?

The go-to solution for temporary or ongoing insomnia for many people is sleeping pills. Whether they are prescribed by a doctor or are over the counter (OTC) medications, sleeping pills can temporarily relieve insomnia by relaxing you and getting you off to sleep quickly and easily.

Whilst there is a place for using sleeping pills, such as when you are recovering from a medical procedure or you are trying to quickly adapt to a new timezone after travelling, there are numerous downsides to taking prescription or OTC sleeping pills that make them less of an appealing solution. The drawbacks of sleeping pills include:

Poor Quality of Sleep: Whilst sleeping pills assist you to fall asleep, they don’t improve the quality of sleep you have. In fact, on sleeping pills, you experience less deep sleep and REM sleep, which are essential to restore your system. This means that when you wake up, you may feel groggy and exhausted , despite being asleep for the entire night.
Short Term Fix: Whilst you might get a night of sleep after taking a sleeping pill, the problem of insomnia may raise its ugly head again the next time you try to sleep. In essence, without addressing the root causes of your insomnia, your sleep issues may return. Sleep disorders may have a range of causes, including psychological and medical problems, and it’s best to work with your healthcare practitioner to identify the cause, rather than treating it without knowing. Sleeping pills may exacerbate the problem.
Risk of drug dependence:Various sleeping pills are available on the market, and some can lead to dependency. Even after short-term use, certain medications may cause withdrawal symptoms when discontinued, making you feel reliant on them to sleep. This can create a challenging cycle that even strong willpower may struggle to break.
Risk of tolerance: If you use sleeping pills regularly or for prolonged periods of time, you may develop a tolerance to the pills. This means that they will be less effective. If you develop tolerance, the temptation then is to increase your dose, which can increase the risk of negative effects of the drug.
Drowsiness: Some sleeping pills, especially antihistamines, can cause lingering drowsiness the next day, leaving you feeling as if you have a hangover. This may impair your ability to safely perform everyday activities like driving and could also affect your work performance.
Unpredictable side effects: Some people experience unusual side effects after using sleeping pills, such as hallucinations, clumsiness and forgetfulness, depression, and dangerous behaviours like sleep-driving, sleep-eating and sleep-walking.

Herbal Medicines for Relaxation and Better Sleep

In traditional medicines around the world, herbs have been used to promote relaxation and better sleep. In most cases, these herbs are considered safe, especially when taken in small quantities. They also don’t appear to have the same addictive qualities that some of the OTC and prescription sleeping pills have.

Some of the best herbal remedies for sleep, anxiety and stress reduction include passionflower, scullcap leaf, ashwagandha root. Other sleep-inducing herbs include valerian, lavender, chamomile and lemon balm.

Note that different individuals may react differently to sleep inducing herbs. For example, those with plant or pollen allergies may have a reaction if they take chamomile. Pregnant and breastfeeding women are advised to exercise caution when taking any herbal remedy, and anyone taking medication should be wary of combining prescription medications with herbal medicines, as they may cause the medication to lose its effectiveness, or have dangerous interactions with the medicine. For example, valerian may interfere with statins and antihistamines.

Sleep Plex Herbal Medicine

Taking a dose of Sleep Plex herbal medicine before bedtime can help you to relax, fall asleep, and stay asleep for longer. Let’s look more closely at how Sleep Plex’s herbal ingredients can enhance your sleep.

Important Note

Sleep Plex should not be taken during pregnancy, as the passion flower it includes may induce uterine contractions. It should also be avoided whilst breastfeeding, as there is insufficient study as to the effects of the ingredients on breastfeeding mothers and infants.

Sleep Plex should also be avoided if you are using any type of sleep sedative (including barbiturates). It may also exacerbate blood glucose irregularity. Speak with your healthcare practitioner before taking Sleep Plex, especially if you suffer a health condition or take medications.

The Key Ingredients in Sleep Plex

Passion Flower
Passion flower (Passiflora incarnata), is a climbing vine native to Central and South America, and to the southeastern United States. It has purple and white flowers, and we know it well from the delicious passionfruits it produces. The flower has long been used in traditional medicine. It is thought to have a calming effect on the body, reducing feelings of anxiety and stress and assisting with sleep. It also, notably, has a pleasant flavour. (Each 5mL of Sleep Plex contains extract liquid equivalent to dry: Passion Flower herb, Passiflora incarnata 500 microlitres, equiv. dry 500mg.)

Skullcap Leaf
Skullcap leaf, (Scutellaria lateriflora), is a plant in the mint family that is native to North America (it is often referred to as American scullcap). Scullcap is thought to act as a mild sedative, and is known as one of the best herbs for sleep. It is also said to reduce anxiety and boost mood, due to its ability to stimulate the neurotransmitter, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which calm nerves. In addition, skullcap has been found to include antibacterial and antiviral effects, as well as possessing anti-inflammatory properties. (Each 5mL of Sleep Plex contains extract liquid equivalent to dry: Skullcap leaf, Scutellaria lateriflora 1.5mL, equiv. dry 1.5g.)

Ashwagandha root
Ashwagandha root, (Withania somnifera), has been used in traditional medicine to reduce stress, by reducing levels of cortisol in the blood. It is also believed to alleviate feelings of anxiety, and to stabilise mood. Studies have shown that it benefits sleep, helping those who take it to fall asleep more quickly, sleep for longer, and have better quality sleep. Like with skullcap leaf, taking Ashwagandha root is understood to interact with the brain’s GABA receptors, promoting calm and sleep. Also, the withanolides it contains serve to further reduce stress, which can often be a cause in insomnia. (Each 5mL of Sleep Plex contains extract liquid equivalent to dry: Ashwagandha root, Withania somnifera 1.5mL, equiv. dry 750mg.)

Sleep Plex – Key Information

200 mL Oral liquid

DOSAGE
Adults
10mL two times a day

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Duration of use:
No restriction on treatment duration. However, if symptoms persist, talk to your healthcare practitioner

Directions for use:
Shake bottle well before use. Can be diluted with water, fruit juice or other fluids if necessary and consumed immediately.

Interactions:
Contraindicated with concomitant use of sedatives (including barbiturates) and may exacerbate blood glucose irregularity

Shelf life:
36 months from date of manufacture

Storage Conditions:
Store below 30°C

Cautions:
Consumption with other medications or natural health products with sedative properties is not recommended. Exercise caution if operating heavy machinery. Safety during pregnancy and breast feeding has not been evaluated.

WARNING:
USE ONLY AS DIRECTED AND TALK TO YOUR HEALTHCARE PRACTITIONER IF SYMPTOMS PERSIST. CONTAINS 34% ETHANOL. USE ONLY IF CAP-SEAL IS UNBROKEN. Store below 30°C.

Other Helpful Sleep Remedies

PPC offers a range of herbal products to assist with sleep. All of our Sleep products are made in Australia. Our sleep range includes Sleep Plex herbal medicine (detailed above) and:

Snoozeze® (Passionflower) herbal remedy. (See Important Information on dosage and directions here.)This oral liquid contains passion flower alone, which is used to promote sleep. Only a small dosage is required per day (Adults: 1 – 2.2 mL three times daily or as a single dose 1 hour before bed) which means the 100mL bottle will last some time. You can take this straight on the tongue, or dilute it in water or juice.

Cautions:

The safety of this product during pregnancy and breast feeding has not been established, so we recommend you do NOT take the product if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or that you STOP using the product if you become pregnant.
Using this sleep remedy with other medicines or natural health products with sedative properties is not recommended.
Exercise caution if driving or using heavy machinery.

Calmamile® (Chamomile) herbal remedy contains Matricaria chamomilla extract, which has traditionally been used in Western Herbal Medicine to relieve symptoms of mild anxiety, soothe nerves and reduce excess nervous energy. And adult dosage is 4 – 7 mL three times daily, and the bottle is 100mL. You can take this straight, or dilute it in water or juice. (See Important Information on dosage and directions here.)