Herbal remedy for sleep or anxiety??

[yourbadd]

My hubby is under a tremendous amount of stress and is having difficulty sleeping. He gets really tired but when he lays down his heart and mind begin to race. It takes hours to fall asleep.

Are there any natural anti-anxiety herbs out there that would help him relax enough to sleep?

Deborah

 

[calendula]

I go through periods where I can't sleep well, and I have had good luck with valerian root, passionflower, and skullcap. I generally make a tea with these herbs, and I will add some catnip or chamomile to improve the taste a bit. I will drink one or two cups in the evening, and it helps quite a bit.

 

[Living the Simple Life]

I have had sleeping issues for about 20 years, but they got extremely bad two years ago after a family tragedy. I asked my dr for any recommendations and she referred me to Hyland's Calms Forte. It is non-additive and really helped me a lot. You can take it to just relax or to actually aid in sleep. I found that if I took the larger recommended dose my dreams got even more bizarre/nightmarish but the lower dose worked great (and I do dream a lot so it may just be me). It is available at many retailers. I think their website has a product finder option.

Here is the link and the ingredient list:
http://www.hylands.com/products/calmsforte.php

Formula:
Passiflora 1X Triple Strength - for restless or wakeful sleep

from exhaustion

Avena Sativa 1X Double Strength - for stress, nervousness or

nervous headache

Humulus Lupulus 1X Double Strength - for drowsiness with

incomplete sleep

Chamomilla 2X (Chamomile) - for nervous irritability

And the following biochemic phosphates for enhancing cellular function:
Calcarea Phosphorica 3X HPUS, Ferrum Phosphoricum 3X HPUS, Kali Phosphoricum 3X HPUS, Natrum Phosphoricum 3X HPUS, Magnesia Phosphoricum 3X HPUS

 

[DrakeMaiden]

Chamomile tea. I like Sleepytime tea made by Celestial Seasonings.

 

[freemotion]

A good B-complex is helpful but often not the entire answer...but most pf the population is deficient and sleep issues are a symptom.

Also, a good calcium complex taking just before bed helps a lot of people.

And no stressful tv shows. The body produces stress hormones when you watch a lot of what is on tv today and doesn't know that a lion isn't chasing you....it puts you into fight/flight mode, and you can't switch into rest/digest just by laying down in bed and turning off the lights.

No caffeine after _____fill in the blank.....noon? Experiment. It changes as you get older and even if you could drink a coke of cup of coffee before bed in the past, that changes.

 

[Lesa]

I take a melatonin and valerian root, every night. It really helps with that "racing mind" problem. It also helps you fall asleep again, if you wake in the night. The valerian has the added benefit of being an antidepressant- I really suffered in the winter months, before I found it...I bet a few minutes of meditation would help his mind and body relax, as well.

 

[Bubblingbrooks]

Sounds like some adrenal support is needed here. Inability to sleep, non restful sleep and anxiety are the biggest hallmarks of adrenal fatigue.

 

[DrakeMaiden]

I bet a few minutes of meditation would help his mind and body relax, as well.

On that note, if you have a garden, he could go outside and pull weeds before bed. That would be useful, as well as relaxing. OK, maybe it is just avid gardeners who find weeding relaxing.

 

[Wifezilla]

Melatonin, valerian root, chamomile....all of those seem to help.

Cutting out sugars and starches, getting lots of healthy fats...that will help too.

 

[patandchickens]

I find that if I skip or quit taking my Vit D supplement, I have that sort of problem. So if he's not already taking a sizeable amount of a good bioavailable D supplement, that would be one quick easy safe thing to try.

Good luck,

Pat