Wild Rose College and Wholistic Clinic

Oh no, not again! It’s four in the morning and my mind wakes me up with random thoughts. Fuzzy circular arguments that don’t really make sense go around and around. If only I could find the switch, I could off turn my mind off. When this happens, I lay here for hours chasing the allusive world of sleep, only to fall into a sound sleep, 20 minutes before my alarm goes off, at 7:30 a.m. It’s not fair, especially with that important meeting I have tomorrow morning, not to mention the busy schedule for the rest of the day. How can I get a handle on this torturous world of insomnia?

Well, if misery loves company, at least insomniacs are not alone. One in four people suffers with insomnia on a regular basis, with 30% having insomnia for at least a short period within a year. Statistics show that the battle of insomnia is more common in females than males. Approximately six million people in the US that have a significant enough sleeping problem, that they rely regularly on the use of prescription drugs. Fortunately, the use of herbal medicine and the aid of some simple nutritional supplements will often help these problems. But before we go into these remedies lets look at some background.

Part of the issue is that all of us don’t require the same amount of sleep. In other words, some people might only think they have a problem, because they don’t fit into the norm. While one person may require only four hours of sleep, others need 10 hours to feel refreshed. Sleep cycles vary between people and throughout a person’s life. The number of hours of sleep is really not the point. Often, the depth or units of sleep have more to do with the amount of sleep a person needs. If a person gets ½ a unit of sleep per hour and they sleep for 10 hours, they will receive five units of sleep. Another person can sleep for only five hours and get four units per hour and wake more refreshed, because they have gained 20 units of sleep. The depth of sleep is often the key here. There are five phases of sleep. Phases 1 through 4 are progressively deeper, whereas just below consciousness there is REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, the dream phase.

Probably one of the most important rules of insomnia is the 20 minute rule. If you lay there for more than 20 minutes and can’t fall asleep, get up and do something. It is unlikely you will fall back asleep right away, you will probably lay there for hours. Do something that will get your mind out of the circular mode of trying to fall asleep. Read, iron those clothes you been meaning to do, or write in your journal. Hey, maybe you can write a book. Many a book has been slowly produced by people with insomnia. It is interesting to note that some of the most productive people throughout history, like Leonardo Da Vinci, Churchill, Florence Nightingale slept in four hour cycles. I have had several of my insomniac patients try this out and they have had great success with it. The idea is for you to sleep for four hours and get up, working for four hours, taking a fifteen minute break, then go back to work, repeating the circle until after six cycles, it is time to go to sleep for four hours again. It is very important to take the fifteen minute break every four hours. A catnap, meditation, light exercise, a cup of tea, your choice. The six cycles take 25.5 hours though, which sets the schedule off by 1 ½ hours each day. Some people feel that this extended day works the best, with the odd readjustments here and there to help a person fit in with society. One of the biggest keys to this system are catnaps. Some people can go into an incredibly deep state of sleep for five - fifteen minutes, coming out of it completely refreshed. These cycles can be very useful if you are working on special projects, or studying for exams. It might not fit in with the social events around you, but it can be very productive during certain stages in a person’s life.

Environmental factors can be very significant in insomnia. Some of these factors like noise, a bad bed and light are quite obvious, but there are many others. One of the most common factors is temperature. Most people are able to sleep better when the temperature is 5 - 10^oC lower than room temperature. This is a typical condition in a hunter gatherer situation (99% of the history of our species). Weather changes, especially wind, can wake a person up also. Not as much by the noise, as by the ion exchange. Changes in barometric pressure can play a prominent role in insomnia for some people. The use of negative ioners helps many with these problems, as well as the use of Reishi, our principal herb for insomnia.

Shift work is one of the most common factors in insomnia. By continuously changing the time when a person goes to sleep upsets the natural rhythms of the body. Creating a dark, cool location that has very little noise will help. The natural hormone melatonin works particularly well, when sleep is disturbed by time and schedule changes.

Other factors influencing sleep patterns you might want to considered are: anxiety, emotional tension, nocturnal glucose levels, Candida (Yeast) over colonization, serotonin precursor problems and restless leg syndrome. A qualified practitioner can help you sort out these problems.

Being a herbalist, I find most of my solutions for insomnia in the plant kingdom. The following list includes the prominent supplements I use: Reishi, Hops, Valerian, Skullcap, Passion Flower, Lemon Balm, Kava Kava, and Melatonin.

Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum, Ling Zhi) is by far the most prominent herb I employ against insomnia. Besides its many other uses, Reishi calms a person down during the day, lowers anxiety, helps over come environmental issues, regulates sugar metabolism, reduces Candida and lowers the incidence of restless leg syndrome. A tall order for one herb, but this is only the tip of the iceberg. It can also reduce blood lipids (including cholesterol), lower blood pressure, strengthen the heart, and regulate the immune system in cases of cancer, AIDS and Chronic Fatigue syndrome. It does all of this with the aid of a complex chemical make-up of polysaccharides and triterpines. This herb has undergone many studies, both in the lab and under the watchful eyes of clinicians, giving us great confidence in its use. Reishi can aid in the resolution of many of the health problems we see in our modern hectic life style, including the mad hatter syndrome. We suggest guaranteed potency products of between 500 - 3,000 mg; twice daily.

Hops (Humulus lupulus) is well known for its sedative action. The volatile oils of hops have a significant sedative and hypnotic action, relaxing a person. It has been used as a sleeping aid for centuries. It is interesting to note that hops has been successful in treating alcoholism, even though it is one of the major components of beer. Unfortunately the hops is not active in most domestic beers. Hops can be taken orally during the day or just before bed, but its most active form is to have it a part of a pillow that a person sleeps on. The volatile oil can slowly release during the night, helping to sooth one’s mind.

Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) is one of the more famous herbs used in this area. Although it can be very beneficial to aid in sleep, it can be slightly habit forming, with stronger doses often needed over time. We usually employ it for short periods (up to one month) where sleep disturbance is significant. It can also be successfully used on an occasional basis. A group of chemicals called valeportriates and valerenic acid have significant sedative action on the central nervous system. This herb has the added advantage of also being hypotensive, antibacterial, antidiuretic, and protects the liver from necrosis. I like to use a guaranteed potency product with 1.8% valerenic acid, 250 - 750 mg; just before bed or two to three times daily, depending on conditions.

Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora) is an often overlooked herb. This was a highly regarded herb used by medical practitioners near the end of the last century. It was used for a condition similar to today’s chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and fibromyalgia (FM). The calming action that skullcap produces is mostly due to scutellarin. This herb has been shown to reduce norepinephrine induced contraction, making it an effective antispasmodic. I normally employ this herb in combination with the above herbs or as a tincture 15 - 40 drops, two to three times daily. Skullcap can also be used in a herbal sleeping pillow.

Passion Flower’s (Passiflora incarnata) alkaloids, (predominantly harmans) and flavonoids have significant tranquillising effects upon the central nervous system. This herb gives one a feeling of well being, while reducing spasms and anxiety, aiding in sleep. I usually suggest that this herb be taken in combination with other herbs throughout the day, or as part of a sedative formula used before going to bed.

Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) is often used as a calming tea, especially along with chamomile. This tea aids in relaxing the body and inducing sleep. Lemon balm also has significant anti viral and anti bacterial properties; as well as having antispasmodic and antihistaminic activities. I usually use this herb either as an ingredient in a sedative formula or as a tea to calm the nerves.

Kava Kava (Piper methysticum) is probably going to be one of the most famous herbs in the next few years. It can help resolve the mad hatter syndrome and reduce problems associated with CFS and FM. A group of kava lactones have strong relaxing and sedative action. Not only can this herb relax its user, it aids in making a person more alert. This makes Kava very useful for highly active people, who need to stay calm, but mentally active, in their hectic daily schedules. I like to use a guaranteed potency product (30% kavalactones), 250 - 500 mg, two to three times daily.

Besides the above botanical remedies, I also often employ melatonin. Melatonin has come to be known as nature’s sleeping pill. It has been shown to aid in sleep onset and reduce jet lag. Melatonin is the hormone our body makes from serotonin to produce sleep. This hormone is produced in response to light cycles, more being produced in the evening, allowing us to fall into the wonderful world of slumber sleep. I suggest it be used as needed, especially when changing time zones, or shift work. By taking between 1 - 5 mg of melatonin 30 minutes before bed. It will help initiate and maintain a normal sleep cycle.

Summary

Even though the types of insomnia vary, the following is a typical program I would give a person with insomnia. I often use only one herb for insomnia, Reishi extract (3 capsules; twice daily) on a regular basis. If a person is going through a rough time, I add a formula with Valerian, Kava, Hops, Skullcaps, and Lemon Balm (2 capsules; two times daily; with 3 capsules before bed). If a person is experiencing tight, contracted muscles, or has problems with CFS or FM, I add Kava Kava root extract (3 capsules, twice daily). I use Melatonin (3 mg before bed) when a person is travelling a lot or on shift work. Melatonin is also used when a person is going through a stage of high stress..

Happy sleeping and pleasant dreams!