Natural Home Remedies and Relaxation Drinks

I have been doing a series on natural home remedies for insomnia and anxiety over the last few weeks. I have been seeing commercially marketed products calling themselves “relaxation’ or “serenity” drinks. I did a little research to see what I could find out about them.

It seems like there are new “relaxation” drinks on store shelves every week, my concern is that most are just trying to make a quick buck, and may not be very effective.

I found an article on Prevention magazine’s website about these so-called “relaxation” drinks:

“Stressed and sleep deprived? In our frazzled world, ample sleep and relaxation seem to be elusive goals. Now manufacturers are trying to cash in on our need to relax, and the market is anything but sluggish. More than 350 varieties of so-called relaxation drinks have hit the shelves, with revenues expected to reach $73 million this year.

 But do they work? Prevention investigated and found some unpleasant surprises with these 'serenity sips.' Because they're not FDA regulated and many labels cite a proprietary blend, a buyer has no idea how much of each active ingredient--melatonin, valerian, L-theanine, and others--is actually captured in the can or bottle. There's also limited research on how these relaxants interact with one another. Nor are they all shelf stable: Some of these compounds degrade in liquid.”

Read the full article here: Relaxation Drinks

The article did not conclude that any of the drinks they tested were worthwhile as relaxation aids. After reading the article, I will personally stick with preparing my own “relaxation” drinks. Chamomile tea is relaxing, and much cheaper than these new products; green tea is a natural source of L-theanine, and some research has shown that if you take a supplement of L-theanine, if you take it with green tea, you absorb more of the active constituents.. If I want to use some of the other supplements mentioned I will look for a standardized supplement by a manufacturer who has been around long enough to earn my trust.

What Is Insomnia and How Is It Treated?

I have written about insomnia before, and recommended some natural home remedies to help with insomnia. I found some information about insomnia on the National Institute of Health website, and I wanted to share some key points:

• Insomnia is a common condition in which you have trouble falling or staying asleep. The condition can range from mild to severe, depending on how often it occurs and for how long.
• Insomnia can be chronic (ongoing) or acute (short-term). Chronic insomnia means having symptoms at least 3 nights a week for more than a month. Insomnia that lasts for less time is acute insomnia.
• There are two types of insomnia. The most common type is secondary insomnia. This type of insomnia is a symptom or side effect of an emotional, neurological, or other medical or sleep disorder. Secondary insomnia also may result from using certain medicines or substances, such as caffeine.
• Primary insomnia isn't a symptom or side effect of another medical condition. It is its own disorder. A number of life changes can trigger primary insomnia, such as long-lasting stress or emotional upset. Even if these issues are resolved, the insomnia might not go away.
• Insomnia is a common disorder. One in 3 adults has insomnia sometimes. One in 10 adults has chronic insomnia.

As you can see, a large number of adults have at least occasional insomnia, and about 10% suffer from chronic insomnia.



There are a number of approaches to treat insomnia. These include drugs, lifestyle changes, natural remedies, and behavioral therapy.

Sometimes, a few common sense lifestyle changes are all that you need to help you fall asleep faster:

• If you drink caffeinated beverages of any kind, stop; or don’t drink any after lunch.
• If you drink alcohol, it can make you fall asleep, but it will disrupt the quality of your sleep, so you should not drink several hours before you go to bed.
• Don’t watch television in bed, the flickering light will keep you from feeling sleepy. So will the constant scene changes, and changing volume levels.
• Don’t work in bed. It will keep your mind active when you should be winding down.
• Don’t read in bed. If you feel you need to read before bed to feel drowsy, do it in a chair close to your bed, and do not use a bright light.
• Make sure the lights are dimmed as you are getting ready for bed; this signals your brain that it is time to produce melatonin. (A naturally produced hormone that makes you feel sleepy.)
• Don’t exercise vigorously before going to bed. Some gentle stretching and deep breathing may help you wind down, but vigorous exercise will keep you from falling asleep.
• Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. This helps your body establish a natural sleep cycle.

In my next post, I will continue talking about insomnia treatments.

Natural Home Remedies and Insomnia

It has been some time since I wrote about natural home remedies and insomnia. It seems a good time to talk about insomnia now, with so many people facing higher and higher levels of stress every day.

Insomnia is generally considered a symptom rather than a disease, and stress is one condition that can produce insomnia.

Insomnia is defined as difficulty in falling or staying asleep, the absence of restful sleep, or poor quality of sleep.

There is a good article from MedicineNet.com on insomnia, which talks about some of the causes, and possible treatments:

"The most common causes of insomnia are:


medications,
psychological conditions (for example, depression, anxiety),
environmental changes (travel, jet lag, or altitude changes), and
stressful events or a stressful lifestyle.


Insomnia can also be caused by poor sleeping habits such as excessive daytime naps or caffeine consumption and poor sleep hygiene.


The National Center for Sleep Disorders Research at the National Institutes of Health estimates 30%-40% of adults report some symptoms of insomnia each year, and about 10%-15% report they have chronic insomnia."

The article on MedicineNet also lists some medications, both over the counter and prescription medications that may contribute to insomnia. You can read the full article here: Sleep Aids.

As a long time herbalist, I disagree with the statement from this article "the safety or effectiveness of these products has not been documented" with relation to Valerian.

Valerian is a natural remedy for insomnia that has been used at least since the time of Hippocrates. To say that its safety or efficacy are in question is to ignore centuries of use. There is no pharmaceutical insomnia treatment with as long a record of safe and effective use.

Many of the studies I have seen have used a water extract of valerian; herbalists know that an alcohol extract is more effective. Also, many studies have still observed improvements in insomnia after taking valerian.

Here are some reports from the National Institute of Health's (NIH) fact sheet on Valerian:
(They are discussing three studies which they rated as 5 out of 5 in a rating of the quality of the study)
The first study: "Compared with the placebo, the valerian extract resulted in a subjective improvement in time required to fall asleep (more or less difficult than usual), sleep quality (better or worse than usual), and number of nighttime awakenings (more or less than usual).This result was more pronounced in a subgroup of 61 participants who identified themselves as poor sleepers..."

The second study: "The 450-mg test sample of valerian extract reduced average sleep latency (defined as the first 5-minute period without movement)from about 16 to 9 minutes, which is similar to the activity of prescription benzodiazepine medication (used as a sedative or tranquilizer)."

The third study: "...examined longer-term effects in 121 participants with documented nonorganic insomnia...After 28 days, the group receiving the valerian extract showed a decrease in insomnia symptoms on all the assessment tools compared with the placebo group. The differences in improvement between valerian and placebo increased between the assessments done on days 14 and 28."

And a more recent study called Effect of valerian on sleep quality in postmenopausal women: a randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial, concluded: "Valerian improves the quality of sleep in women with menopause who are experiencing insomnia. Findings from this study add support to the reported effectiveness of valerian in the clinical management of insomnia."

You can read about the first three studies here: Valerian Fact Sheet

The more recent study can be read here:  Valerian and Postmenopausal Women