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INSOMNIA

This tag is associated with 19 posts

Tapering Off Sleeping Pills & Anti-Anxiety Medications: Not a D.I.Y. Project

If you’re taking medication to help you sleep or to control anxiety you may be considering getting off the meds. But before you do, consider the fact that people who suddenly stop taking sedative hypnotic drugs like Ambien and Xanax can run the risk of life threatening seizures. Continue reading

Do Tart Cherries Improve Sleep?

Sweet and tart cherries improved both sleep quality and quantity, some studies show. With effects rivaling melatonin and valerian, tart cherry extended total sleep time by a whopping 84-minutes, a result that is better than most sleeping pills, one small study showed. All that and superb health benefits! Continue reading

Kava for Insomnia, Anxiety, Depression: Risks versus Benefits

For thousands of years kava has been used to relieve anxiety, stress and insomnia. More recently there’s been a realization that some people who take kava might face significant health risks. And there’s no way to predict who could be one of a small number of people harmed by kava. Continue reading

How effective is valerian for insomnia?

While valerian can improve subjective sleep quality, products containing multiple herbs may work as well as sleep drugs like Ambien. But such combinations pose additional safety risks. Some valerian products may be more efficacious than others. Valerian may help some people more than others.
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Insomnia, Anxiety & Depression: Is Valerian Effective?

The weight of the evidence shows valerian improves sleep, When used short term and in appropriate doses, the herb is likely safer than its pharmaceutical counterparts. Cognitive Therapy for Insomnia is a side-effect free treatment that is more effective than anything that can be swallowed. Continue reading

St. John’s Wort: Getting its Benefits without the Drawbacks

St. John’s wort may fight depression by modulating cortisol, calming stress, extinguishing inflammation, boosting neurogenesis and neuroplasticity, increasing tryptophan and normalizing melatonin. But there are more powerful ways to heal depression that do all those things and more. Continue reading

Depression, Anxiety & Insomnia: Is St. John’s Wort Effective?

St. John’s wort is as effective as pharmaceutical antidepressants like Prozac for the treatment of mild-to-moderate depression. And it has fewer side-effects than the drugs. A key drawback of St. John’s wort is its problematic and potentially dangerous interactions with numerous drugs. Continue reading

5-HTP: Efficacy for Depression, Anxiety & Insomnia

5-HTP might be as effective for depression as Prozac, but the evidence of efficacy is unclear for both the supplement and the antidepressant pharmaceuticals. It’s possible 5-HTP might help some people with either insomnia or anxiety. But the evidence is less clear. . . . Continue reading

Tryptophan for Sleep: Not as Simple as Popping a Pill

Without tryptophan there would be no melatonin, the backbone of the biology of sleep. But tryptophan’s role in sleep might be more about how it is affected by things like diet, light exposure and gut health than it is about the tryptophan itself. Continue reading

Are Tryptophan Supplements Effective for Insomnia?

Given that dietary tryptophan play such a pivotal role in sleep, it might make sense that taking tryptophan supplements should improve sleep. But it’s just not as simple as popping a pill. Continue reading