I’m a sleep-a-holic. I sleep at least 8 hours every night and on weekends I turn in for around 10. I am a total crank pot when I don’t get a good night of sleep, and I have an absolute fear of insomnia. So you can imagine that finding natural sleep remedies for my family has been a passion. I’ve additionally covered the topic of sleep in 2 previous posts, 5 Ways to Get a Better Night’s Sleep, and 5 Reasons to Give up Coffee. Caffeine is my personal anti-Christ when it comes to sleeping, and I avoid it religiously.
I have instigated a culture of sleep in our house, and it seems to be sticking. We all brag about how early we go to bed, and how late we sleep in the morning. Sleep is worshiped here by the entire family!
I’ve taken many practical steps to ensure that we sleep well. First, all of the bedrooms have analog alarm clocks rather than digital, i.e., electronic alarm clocks. Did you know that the glow from an electronic clock can fool your body into thinking it’s daytime, disrupt circadian rhythms, and interfere with a woman’s menstrual cycle by tricking the body into thinking it’s always a full moon?! To prevent this I have purchased “old fashioned alarm clocks.”
Additionally all of our bedrooms have floor to ceiling black out curtains covering the windows. I prefer curtains to shades, as shades can let light through around the edges.
My cell phone policy is another cornerstone of our sleeping regimen. The boys and I do not bring our cell phones into our bedrooms after dark, as cell phone screens disrupt sleep with their blue light. Some people use f.lux, on their phones, an app that blocks out blue light, however I have found that any light inhibits deep sleep, so have instituted the no phone policy.
I have created a cell phone charging station at our mail desk, so that I can easily see that phones are plugged in at bedtime. I park my phone in my cubby in our mudroom.
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As the boys have gotten older and their stress has increased from the intensity of academics and the competitiveness of sports, so have their pressure levels. When one is under pressure the adrenals fire more. When the adrenals fire more, sleep can be elusive, and insomnia can set in. That’s why I have a shelf in my pantry devoted to natural sleep remedies.
The following supplements are the natural sleep remedies I keep on hand and take along with us when we travel.
Natural Sleep Remedies
l-Theanine
I use the Pure Encapsulations brand of l-Theanine, so that is what I know best. This product contains 200 mg of l-Theanine, an amino acid (a building block for proteins) found in green tea. In green tea, l-Theanine neutralizes the stimulating effects of caffeine. l-Theanine is used for for treating anxiety as well as high blood pressure and has a chemical structure that is quite similar to glutamate. Glutamate, a naturally occurring amino acid in the body that helps transmit nerve impulses in the brain, can also be quite stimulating. Oddly, some of the effects of l-Theanine appear to be similar to glutamate, and some of its effects seem to block glutamate, which would explain why l-Theanine has a neuro-inhibitory effect, thereby helping with relaxation and sleep.
GABA
One of the GABA products we use is pharmaGABA from Thorne, which contains 250mg of GABA, however, I believe other brands may be effective as well. GABA, a chemical made in the brain, is one of four main neurotransmitters (the other three consist of dopamine, acetylcholine, and serotonin). According to Dr. Eric Braverman, if your brain is a car, GABA would be the brakes. While GABA is fantastic for sleeping, I often take it during the day if I find myself in a stressful situation. In addition to the PharmaGABA product, which is a capsule, we also use Liposomal Zen which is a sub-lingual product dispensed in a base of sunflower oil.
Kavinace
Please note: Kavinace has been discontinued by the manufacturer.
The only company I’ve found that makes kavinace is Neuroscience. According to its manufacturer, kavinace is a proprietary blend of taurine, 4-amino-3-phenylbutyric acid, and Vitamin B-6 and is a precursor to GABA. Of all of the physicians I’ve spoken to regarding Kavinace, none were completely certain as to how it functions. Kavinace is the strongest of the three main sleeping remedies we use. If I do take it, I have one pill at 6pm, as it stays in my system for 19 hours –I can tell because I feel groggy for this time period after consuming it.
I find the above natural sleep remedies to be the most effective for my family. I also keep the following combination formula sleep remedies on hand:
Best Rest Formula
The Best Rest Formula by Pure Encapsulations is a combination formula, meaning it contains a number of ingredients that support sleep and restfulness, and aid in the reduction of anxiety. The primary ingredient in the Best Rest Formula is GABA, it contains 300mg in its blend. This potent formula also contains 1 mg of melatonin, plus l-Theanine, valerian (an incredible herb from which Valium was originally derived), lemon balm, hops, passion flower, and chamomile. While this is a fabulous blend, I find that more often we use the single formula products mentioned above and take those in combination to pack a very powerful punch. Still, I keep the Best Rest Formula on hand in case we don’t want to use the other products (i.e., just in case any of us were to build up a tolerance to them, which has not happened as of yet).
Herbal Sleep
Herbal Sleep is formulated by Nature’s Sunshine. This proprietary herbal blend contains valerian, passion flower, and hops. I don’t take it for sleeping, I actually use it when I get a headache.
When the boys were younger, they would ask me to give them their sleeping supplements. Now that they are in high school I believe it is important for them to learn self-care, so I keep these supplements on a shelf in our pantry and they take them as needed and use different doses of the above products during different times of the week. On weekends we all tend to sleep more and take more of these supplements. Not so during the week as we know if we need to wake up bright and early for school or work a smaller dose is more optimal.
Sleep is critical, in fact it is the most critical component of my healing plan. I highly recommend seeing a doctor and looking into getting a medical prescription if none of the natural sleep remedies above work for you. Human growth hormone is released, and heals our bodies while we sleep. If we can’t sleep we can’t produce this incredible substance and we can’t heal. If you aren’t sleeping, you simply aren’t healing, and getting well.
Numerous emerging studies demonstrate a link between sleep deprivation and Alzheimer’s in the elderly. For the young, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that teenagers sleep 8.5 to 9.5 hours per night and that middle and high schools start no earlier than 8:30am. Unfortunately, less than 20% of schools in the US begin at 8:30 or later.
There are many resources you can use to get a better night of sleep and to avoid the dreaded insomnia! What are your favorite methods, natural or otherwise, for sleeping? Which natural sleep remedies do you use? Leave a comment and let us know so we can all get to sleep!
Sarah says
Elana, did you use any of the above for your boys when they were younger? My 7 year old has gotten stuck in a crippling cycle of bad dreams, wakefulness for an hour or two at a time, and an incredibly active imagination that revs up at night. I already diffuse lavender essential oils and use them topically, but the sleeplessness and fear is more than the oils can handle, it seems! And so, he wakes me up for help. I lose hours of sleep responding to him. We pray, we talk for a moment, but it doesn’t seem to help. My kids aren’t allowed in my bed, and I feel that would do them a disservice in the long run anyway, but I would be open to trying some of these supplements if it would help us break the cycle. He fears nighttime, and thus it seems, it all becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. The only supplement you mentioned that I have personal experience with is Thorne’s pharmaGABA, and its effects on my body chemistry were such that I’m not sure about giving it to a child. It left me with a detached, groggy feeling. Thank you–I know you don’t have stores of extra time to respond to individual comments! By the way, we have a “no screens after 6:30pm” policy, so they are not in front of the computer or TV, being exposed to stimulating light and images before bed.
Sarah says
To top it off, I’m 6 months pregnant with our 4th–I will be in the zombie-like state of waking with a newborn at night soon enough–I need the “big kids” to be self-sufficient sleepers before this next one arrives!
Elana says
Hi Sarah, sorry to hear about this. I did give the boys l-Theanine when they were younger and did not see any adverse effects. Our family doctor suggested that we do so. Everyone is different though, and I would recommend seeing your family doc or pediatrician for exact suggestions and dosages of sleep remedies for your little guy. Good luck and thinking of you and yours xoxox
Erika says
Sarah, I’m so sorry to hear about your son and his nightmares/anxiety at night. I struggled with regular nightmares and half-waking “terrors” a few years ago (and they still return a few times a year), and found that learning breathing exercises and meditation really helped me calm my body down enough to go back to sleep after nightmares. There can be a lot of fear of going back to sleep because it might mean more nightmares. I know there are excellent mindfulness resources for children out there, and he’s certainly old enough to learn how to use the techniques. They can certainly be integrated into prayer or faith practices, including using a familiar and loved prayer as a mantra. It might not be the right solution, but it’s worth a try.
Gretal says
Hey Sarah, Do your children have a “bedtime ritual” before going to bed? Story time, prayers, journaling, meditation?
7 year old children don’t usually have an “incredibly active imagination that revs up at night” without a reason. What was going on before this started, or has this always been an issue with him? My neighbor used to integrate “meditation” and Chamomile tea into their children’s bedtime ritual. I helped immensely. They made to tea before dinner and left it on the counter to cool down. The middle child before going to bed would just “drink it down”. Their son was able to sleep through the night after that. Good luck to you all and please keep us posted if you can.
Hélène says
My problem is anything I use only works a few week to 2 mos. Then my body just laughs at it and insomnia rules again. I get some restful sleep even, for those small time periods, yes. But it just even more drives home how lacking I am with the nightly insomnia for the last 12 yrs, including 2 pregnancies. Can you imagine being pregnant and not allowed to sleep?? It’s tortuous.
Elana says
Hélène, that sounds awful. For a situation where the body and/or brain build up a tolerance to a supplement I personally use a rotation strategy to prevent that situation from persisting. Hope this helps :-)
Hélène says
This is a helpful start also for ppl who are insomniacs and for whom Rxs do not work. We are forced to find other sleep aids as the big guns are like sugar pills. They might even put a person to sleep, but most insomniacs are so EXHAUSTED we can pass out on our own ok. It’s the sleeping more than 2-4 hrs at one time that’s the problem :( :( :(
Amy G. says
Helene –
I have no help to offer you, but I can just say that I am in the same boat as you and understand how you feel. I wake up many times a night, (and I have to get up and use the restroom with each waking.) I haven’t had a full night’s sleep in many years.
Cristina says
I do find a direct link between lack of restful sleep and poor food choices. I have experienced it myself because I suffer from an extreme form of jaw joint dysfunction and my sleep is very compromised due to the pain. My clients also report struggling with overeating when they lack proper sleep and/or when they travel and their circadian rhythms are disrupted. It is hard to commit to the right food picks in the face of unbearable cravings, but it is doable. Be ready. Expect disruptions and preempt them by having nutritious food with you. When that moment of tiredness hits you, you’ll be prepared to face it with something other than sugar and caffeine.
Elana says
Thanks Cristina!
Nancy says
I find playing Delta sleep music on my mp3 player connected to small speakers at my bedside very helpful. A therapist suggested this some years back & it works on it’s own or with some of the products Elana mentioned.
Stacy says
Herbatonin, which is plant Melatonin, has worked wonders for me! I have an auto immune disease, so have struggled with severe insomnia for years, and have tried everything under the sun. I 3mg capsule works better for me than the much higher doses of synthetic melatonin.. It is far more potent and effective. You can get it on Amazon. Hope this helps someone!
Susan says
Elana,
I read your post on sleep remedies with great interest as I am up 2-3 times a night. I have ordered the l-Theanine and Gaba products and would like to know what dosage of each you take. I realize dosages vary with individuals; however, I have tried a single capsule of each product at separate times and they were no help. Generally, is more than one pill recommended?
Elana says
Hi Susan, great question, and challenging to answer as not only is everybody different, but in our family we often change up our dosing from night to night. Different combos we use are 3 L-theanine and 1 or 2 GABA, other nights that amount of L-theanine with 1 kavinace. Please stop back by and keep me posted on your progress :-)
Donna duffy says
Hi Ellana and friends,
I was so happy to read your information with sleep last week . This summer I have had a lot of difficulty with my sleep and think I might have a system in place- 500 mg of magnesium at night. , l-Theanine 100mg am /pm, warm shower before bedtime, 20drops o valerian tincture at bedtime, lavender oil on the soles of my feet, and if I wake up in the middle of the night I take 20 drops of Passion flower. I will be checking into the other ides from you and your readers!
Thank-youx so much for your research and insight!
Donna
Kelly says
Tryptophan tryptophan tryptophan!!! I took Ambien for 3 years before I met my husband. He convinced me that tryptophan would work. I was VERY hesitant as I had tried some other things before that didn’t work for me. Thankfully tryptophan works for both of us. I take 4 grams of it as I am getting in bed for the night. We order it from Amazon but Vitamin Shoppe also carries it (but it’s more expensive). I prefer the 500 mg TABLETS, not the capsules. They do also make 1 gram tablets but I find them a bit hard to swallow.
Heidi says
I don’t take melatonin because it gives me nightmares, and valerian does the same. Kava kava I reserve for sacred use only.