Trouble Sleeping?

I occasionally go through periods where I just can't quiet my mind and/or relax my muscles enough to drop off to sleep. It's bad enough right now with my being laid off but it's worse when you know that alarm is going to wake you up in a few short hours for work.

There are lots of tricks you can try from taking a relaxing bath, having a glass of wine, doing some light exercise. Personally, when I'm tired, bathing or exercising is just too much of an effort for me, and I'm not really into drinking so I never have wine around (a whole bottle for one glass seems so wasteful to me), and I really don't wish to get into the habit of having wine daily either.

For starters, a good thing to do is to have a cup of Chamomile tea in the evening. Chamomile is very good for relaxing you, and for your indigestion as well. Actually there are a myraid of wonderful uses for Chamomile tea! I've even used the tea bag as a compress on a cyst and hours later it broke and drained! But sometimes the tea alone is not enough. When I'm really tense and/or stressed it seems nothing really works.




A friend of mine who is very into herbs told me to get valerian root extract. Valerian root is another herb that has a lot of good uses, but for me I use the extract in my chamomile tea to help ensure I relax enough to drop off to sleep. I put 12 drops into a mug of tea and drink it about an hour before I plan on going to bed. I also keep Valerian root capsules handy for those nights that my legs really hurt or my back aches too much to let me sleep.




I have found that I never really need to use it every night long term. It works right away for me (though I've read this is not the case for everyone). So I'll use it for 2-5 days and then stop until the next time I need it (usually not for a couple of months or so). I will say this, Valerian is one nasty smelling herb, but the extract isn't too bad and once in the tea you don't really smell it at all.

I prefer using fresh herbs, extracts, tinctures over the commercially produced products. I would recommend finding an herb shop you trust. If you are not sure about one in your area, I can recommend the Chakra 4 Herb & Tea House that I use here in Phoenix. They have a website and they do ship. I go there to get all my herbs and I've found them to be very friendly and helpful. No, I don't have any connection to them at all other than being one very happy and satisfied customer of theirs.

As with any supplement you might want to try or use, I suggest doing your research, checking with your doctor if you have other medical problems that you have to consider especially. Educate yourself and make informed decisions about your own health, well being, and care. You know yourself best.