Herbs for Sleep

A desire for a good night's rest

Lavender, one of many herbs helpful for relaxation and sleep

It seems that many people know intellectually how important quality sleep is to their health and well being, but—practically—less attention in general is given to a lifestyle that supports that kind of restorative sleep. Below are some helps and herbs that I have found useful both for myself and for friends and clients I have helped along the way. Of course, I do not know your own health challenges or needs; these notes are for your education and for further research and experimentation as suits your own needs. PLEASE do not just start taking a herb without understanding proper dosage and if you have anything that would be a contraindication for you or for any medication you may be on.

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Let’s first define what I mean by quality sleep. It means falling into a comfortable sleep within a reasonable time, at a consistent bedtime, and sleeping soundly for seven to nine hours until waking naturally, also at a consistent time, in the morning. If you have access to a self-monitoring app such as Oura, it also means you’ll see your heart rate drop early in the sleep cycle, to allow for a full restorative sleep. If this doesn’t happen, you may log in the “sleeping hours” but still feel unrested and not refreshed at all.

I believe it is near impossible to have good mental daytime clarity of thinking, or good physical health, without quality sleep, and sometimes people end up in destructive cycles because of sleep problems. Insomnia, for example, can absolutely be related to poor physical or mental health, which can further make sleep evasive, leading then to even poorer physical or mental health. And round and round it goes! It’s important to see things from a holistic lifestyle perspective in order to truly heal.

Also, certain medications and even herbs can have stimulating effects. One good starting point, for example, is to research whatever medication you may be on to see if the drug you are on is contributing to this problem in any way. Perhaps there are other less stimulating options. If you have chronic trouble with your sleep, you might consider seeking the help of an objective third party, such as a herbalist, naturpath, or functional medicine doctor, to help you clarify potential changes you can make. Don’t discount, however, simply asking your family: they might tell you honestly that you eat too much junk food or stay up too late binge watching stress-inducing TV shows.

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One problem with herbs and even supplements is the “take this for that” mentality. But there is much to be considered before adding anything whatsoever. For example, here is a list of sleep-depriving activities and foods that, if removed for a season, may be enough to solve the sleep issue:

• processed foods, which not only robs your body of the nutrients it needs to recover, but can cause the very digestive problems keeping you up at night

• caffeine (including chocolate, sorry)

• alcohol (impairs the transport of tryptophan into the brain, where it is converted to serotonin)

• late bedtimes (I believe the hours you sleep before midnight to be more restorative than the hours afterwards)

• doom scrolling, blue screens, bright overhead lights, wifi

• excessively full calendars

• a lifestyle of living on adrenaline and stress

• always looking to a pill to cover any multitude of these issues rather than dealing with poor habits or lifestyle choices

And here are some practices that actually enable more quality sleep:

• regular exercise early in the day, even an hour or more of simply walking

• journaling/sketching/reading/crafting/writing….any offline activity for a couple of hours before bed

• maintaining a cool, dark room set apart for intimacy and sleeping only

• low lights/red lights/blue block glasses after sunset

• a short nap (20 minutes) early in the afternoon…oversleeping during the day for longer, or multiple, naps can disrupt the quality of your night’s sleep

• warm soaking baths with epsom salt; I like to add 6 drops essential oil, either a blend of lavender and bergamot, or lavender and cypress

• having a complex carb snack an hour before sleep can help if you have trouble keeping your blood sugar steady throughout the night

• early to bed!

Of course, there are many physical reasons for disrupted sleep as well, and it’s important to address these issues as well. For example, people with vitamin D deficiency have a significantly increased risk of sleep disorders. It is worth getting checked. The same is true for thyroid function.

That being said, if you do have a condition that is interfering with sleep, there are many herbs that will cross over and help with both the condition AND the sleep issue. This may help you narrow down the many choices to be made.

If you are pregnant or nursing or mothering small children, disruptive sleep is a given! Make especially sure you are not overloading your calendar, and that you are doing the self-care you are able to during the day. Eat nourishing foods. And choose a nap over the vacuum! Do not take any of these herbs (or drugs!) without knowing if any are contraindicated for pregnancy or lactation. This time shall pass ❤️

Below are herbs that are of traditional help for sleep related issues. Some of these herbs actually help with multiple sleep issues. Again, do your own diligent research and see what might be helpful to your own situation.

The Falling Asleep Herbs

usually taken 30-45 minutes before bed

valerian root: 1 tsp tincture

passionflower: a couple droppersful (about 30 drops) tincture (I find this especially helpful for what I call Radio Head, the chatter that just won’t turn off)

hops: 1/2 ounce dried in 8 oz infusion

lavender: 1/2 tsp in 8 oz infusion

California poppy: a couple droppersful (about 30 drops) tincture

zizyphus seeds: 6 grams infusion

chamomile or catnip: in standard infusions for people who are young, elderly, or more sensitive to sedatives

clove: 1/4-1/2 tsp simmered in cup of water about 10 min covered pot (flavor with a little milk or honey)

homeopathic coffea cruda 200c (helpful when you’re tired and just laying there…and laying there…and laying there…)

This is a nice tincture that blends many of the above herbs (affiliate link).

The Staying Asleep Herbs

(some of the above would apply)

• fresh ground (and only freshly ground) nutmeg (not if you are suffering hot flashes or are otherwise too hot) in 6 ounces of warmed milk; I was taught that this herb takes about four hours to really kick in, right when you might be more apt to wake in the middle of the night.

• there are many strong herbs such as kava that could be useful here, but it’s important to note that they may interfere with alcohol or prescriptive or OTC drugs, or have other contradictions. Most of the time, having a simple infusion or tincture by the bedside of other herbs already mentioned ready for the overnight wake time is enough to help return to sleep.

Restless Legs

This is an area where checking your iron levels may be helpful. Also helpful are supplements such as folic acid, magnesium, and vitamin E. Many of the herbs mentioned already may be helpful, and if varicosities are present and aggravating, herbs such as horsechestnut and butcher’s broom may be of use as well.

Jet Lag

Other than the herbs above, I find that homeopathic Arnica 200c to be helpful to me when traveling, especially for jet lag.

jiaogulan: 2-4 dropperfull (60-120 drops); caution with warfarin or other blood thinners

Swing Shift

This is a tough one, because although I see the benefit and necessity of swing shift workers in the emergency and health services, the swing shift itself is detremental to the human body. We just were not designed to operate outside of natural circadian rhythms based upon the rotation of the sun. Swing shift workers will have to be even more diligent in all other lifestyle and dietary health habits to (attempt to) compensate for the constant assault on their nervous system.

Long Term Sleep Balance Herbs

Going beyond the evening infusions and tinctures, there are some herbs and adaptogens that can help to regulate sleep over time, but don’t necessarily make you sleepy while taking them. For sure, nervous system tonics can be very helpful, especially with people who are naturally or habitually anxious, or who are living very stressful lives. Here are some herbs to consider for daily, slow but steady, help. Again, please research any herb here for dosage and safety (some are contradicted for certain medical conditions or medications)

St John’s Wort

wood betony

rhodiola

ashwagandha

American ginseng

eleuthero

jiaogulan

rhaponticum

Supplements

There are some supplements worth looking into if sleep in a problem, and two that may be of help are ribose and magnesium.

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I hope this gives you a good runway onto your journey in finding helps and herbs for your sleep related problems. I most sincerely wish for you all a very good night’s sleep 😴