Many people suffer from insomnia or sleeplessness or pass the day without sufficient sleep. The result is a feeling of drowsiness throughout the day, lack of energy due to tired brains and poor concentration in work. Sleeping pills and other tranquilizers do induce some sleep but that is temporary and the prolonged use of such drugs may develop an undesired addiction towards them. But present day people are well conscious about the effects of these drugs and so more and more people are turning towards the herbal remedies to treat sleeplessness.

Causes

1. The main underlying causes of sleeplessness are daily stress at home and in workplaces, anxiety and depression.

2. Women after menopause face sleeplessness due to reduced levels of estrogen.

3. With aging the melatonin hormone that controls sleep decreases.

4. Diseases like allergies, hypertension, heart diseases and thyroid problems also cause sleeplessness.

5. Lack of physical activity and sleeping at wrong times reduces sleep.

6. Some medications out of prescription or over the counter drugs can cause insomnia.

7. Drinking too much tea, coffee and alcohol can also result is sleeplessness.

Herbal Remedies

Herbs induce sleep by calming down the nerves and relaxing the body muscles. The herbs can be taken as concoctions or used for massage or in aromatherapy to produce a soothing effect on the nervous system of the body. They help in reducing stress levels relaxing the brain so that one can sleep like a baby for hours.

1. Valerian herb is the well known herb to induce sleep as it acts as a mild sedative and one feels rejuvenated after a sound sleep. The most important factor is that it does not lead to any addiction like the sleeping pills.

2. Hops, the herb is an active ingredient found in beer that also aids in sleeping. The herb can be taken as tea or mixed with other herbs to get the best results.

3. Kava is a good herbal drink taken by Polynesians to aid in sleep. This is a powerful sleep inducer and so is taken to promote deep sleep.

4. Chamomile herb if taken as tea helps in promoting sleep. It improves sleep patterns and does not have any addictive effect.

5. St. John’s Wort is generally used to treat anxiety and depressions, but this also acts on the serotonin and melatonin hormones and improves sleep. To get the best result it should be taken in the early morning for a good nights sleep to follow.

6. Passion flower is another herb that helps in sleeping.

Essential oils of some herbs if massaged properly or taken along with bath can soothe the nerves aiding in good sleep. But these sleep inducing herbs must be taken in due consultation with the medical experts as they can interfere with other prescribed drugs leading to serious side effects.