In last Friday’s post, we detailed the risks associated with prescription sleep aids. (Of which there are many.) Rather than leave you sleepless in Slumberland, we thought it would be a good idea to offer our readers some natural alternatives. Here are our top seven choices for getting some Zs without the zolpidem!

1) Melatonin

 

We’re starting our list off with melatonin, one of the most popular non-pharmaceutical sleep aids. Unlike the rest of our recommendations that follow, melatonin is naturally produced by the human body (as well as by a host of other animals, plants, fungi and bacteria), so it is generally considered very safe by the medical community.

Humans and other vertebrates produce melatonin, a hormone, in their pineal glands. In animals that are awake during daylight hours, it produces a calming, sedative effect. (In nocturnal animals, it does the opposite, preparing them for their nightly activity.)

Melatonin is sold over the counter in the U.S. and Canada, so it’s very easy to obtain. While it is often pressed into 3 to 10 mg tablets, it is effective in ranges as low as 0.3 to 0.5 mg, so it may be wise to break tablets up into smaller doses until you know how your body will react.

While uncommon, some side effects of supplemental melatonin use may include next day grogginess, as well as mild irritability and decreased blood flow in some users. When compared to the potential side effects of prescription sleep aids like zolpidem, however, the risks associated with using melatonin are much, much lower.

2) Magnesium

When you think of getting a good night’s sleep, magnesium may not be high on your list. However, it’s in spot number two on ours for a reason! As it turns out, magnesium plays a vital role in regulating sleep, and even a slight deficiency in this mineral can cause issues with falling and staying asleep. And, unsurprisingly, many Americans aren’t getting enough of it due to poor diet.

In addition to being available as an over the counter supplement, magnesium is also found in foods like spinach and other green leafy vegetables, pumpkin seeds and almonds. So if you are having issues with sleeplessness or insomnia, look to your diet first to see if a magnesium deficiency may be the issue. (Bonus points: combine it with calcium to truly maximize its effects!) Remember: the food we eat plays such an important role in how well we sleep!

3) Valerian Root

Valerian is a flowering plant native to Europe and Asia, and it has also been artificially introduced to North America. Valerian’s use by humans as a medicinal herb dates back as far ancient Greek and Roman times, and it is described throughout history across many cultures. In addition to its sedative properties, it has also been used for antiseptic, anticonvulsant purposes, as well as to treat migraines and general pain.

Like many sleep aids, valerian root contains Gamma-aminobutyric acid, commonly referred to as “GABA.” When GABA comes in contact with certain receptor sites in our brains, it produces a sedative response in the human body. (Benzodiazepines like Xanax and Valium also interact with these same receptors.)

Valerian products are available in many forms, including herbal teas and supplemental extracts. One advantage of using an extract product is that the dose is standardized, whereas the concentration of active ingredients in products that use raw plant matter (like teas) can vary wildly.

Users of valerian root very rarely experience side effects, but large doses may cause mild depression, stomachache and apathy in some users. Like all sleep aids, it’s never a good idea to drive or operate heavy machinery after using valerian. 

4) Kava Kava

Like valerian, kava kava is a plant with medicinal roots. (Both literally and figuratively—the active ingredients, called “kavalactones,” are located in the root part of the plant!) Kava kava is native to the western and south Pacific islands, including Polynesia, Hawaii, Melanesia and Micronesia, and its history of use dates back thousands of years.

While consumed as a recreational drink and social lubricant in these cultures in much the same way alcohol is consumed by many western societies, kava kava is also well known for its sedative and anxiolytic effects. (In fact, its usefulness as a sleep aid stems almost exclusively from its ability to calm anxiety.)

If you have liver issues it would probably be best to avoid kava kava, but when used within common dosage levels, most won’t experience issues. While it is available both as an herbal tea and in extract form, be advised that the loose plant matter products suffer from the same potency inconsistencies that valerian and other herbal preparations do.

5) Hops

You may be familiar with hops as the herb that gives beer much of its flavor and aroma, but did you know that it also has medicinal uses as well? The female flowers of the hop plant have been used since the middle ages as an herbal remedy for anxiety and sleeplessness—maybe that’s why that post-work beer is always so calming! 😉

Some scientists think that hop’s calming effects come from our bodies breaking down the alpha acids it contains, but there is still much research to be done on the subject.

Rather than getting your bedtime hop fix from a beer (because alcohol can interrupt our sleep!), try an herbal tea or extract. Between 30 to 120 mg should do the trick!

6) Chamomile

Chamomile is a very popular herbal sleep aid for a reason—it works! Research shows that both the aroma and oral consumption of chamomile promote mental calmness. (And it doesn’t hurt that it smells and tastes delicious!)

If you want to prepare fresh chamomile tea, look for the German variety over the Roman variety. Otherwise, there are plenty of pre-packaged teas available for purchase. (Being another Colorado-based business, we have to recommend Celestial Seasonings!)

7) Catnip

If you don’t talk to your cat about catnip, who will?

In all seriousness though, catnip isn’t just for cats! While it tends to produce erratic and hyper behavior in our feline friends, in humans, it does the opposite.

While used historically for both cooking and smoking purposes, catnip preparations nowadays consist more commonly of teas, juices and tinctures. So next time you can’t sleep, ask your kitty if you can borrow some ‘nip!

* * *

With so many natural options available (and this list is far from exhaustive), hopefully you can see that prescription sleep aids aren’t the only answer to your sleep problems! Before going on any kind of supplement it’s always best to consult with your doctor, but the side effects from these seven natural remedies should be nowhere near what you would experience with a prescription drug like zolpidem. So, next time you find yourself tossing and turning with no end in sight, give one or more of these a try! It may take some time to find the right combination of remedies that work for you, but when you do, we promise it’ll be worth the effort.

While it never hurts to have a little extra help falling asleep, sometimes it takes more than an herbal tea or supplement to combat sleep issues. Oftentimes, the problem lies in our pre-bedtime behavior. In this Friday’s post we’ll be covering some of the most common bad sleep habits and how to break them, so be sure to check back then!

Until next time: sleep well, live well and be well!

If you’re one of the estimated 50 to 70 million Americans who suffer from chronic sleep problems, chances are you may have brought up your concerns to your doctor in search of a solution. And like many doctors, he or she may have prescribed you a pharmaceutical drug in order to help treat the problem.

If you fall into this group, you’re certainly not alone. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, about 4 percent of all American adults over age 20 use some form of prescription sleep aid, with use by women slightly higher than men. (5 percent to 3.1 percent, respectively.) This number has seen an astronomical rise in the last two decades, with the number of prescriptions for sedative hypnotics (like Ambien) increasing by an astonishing 30 times between 1994 and 2007.

Just to do some quick math, the growth rate for these prescriptions has risen five times faster than the number of insomnia diagnoses between those same years, and 21 times faster than the rate patients have reported sleeplessness to their doctors. In other words, Americans are being medicated for sleep disorders faster than we can be diagnosed with them!

With this rise in the rate of prescriptions being issued, the number of hospital visits due to overmedication from these drugs has also inevitably increased. During the five years between 2005 and 2010 alone, the number of ER visits nearly doubled, from 22,000 to 42,000.

But what’s so dangerous about a tiny little pill? As it turns out, quite a few things.

Because many people think of them as a relatively benign substance, some are quick to take more than their prescribed dose when they feel they are having a weaker effect than expected. This inevitably leads to overmedication and a much stronger reaction, which can result in suppressed breathing, especially when combined with other depressants like alcohol.

And even when taken in the proper doses, prescription sleep aids still have their dangers. Even though the effects from one dose are only supposed to last eight hours or so, many people still feel sedated well into the next day. This becomes dangerous if they decide to get behind the wheel of a car because, like alcohol, the drug is still in their system, slowing their reaction time and clouding their judgment.

Prescription sleep aids are especially dangerous in this respect for women. This is because women metabolize zolpidem at about half the rate as their male counterparts, which causes the drug to stay in their systems about twice as long. This fact prompted the FDA to force pharmaceutical companies to cut the recommended dosage in half for female patients starting in 2013, but many doctors and their patients are still unaware of this gender discrepancy.

Prescription sleep aids can also be dangerous because of the unpredictable behavior they sometimes cause in users. Some people are unaware of the fact that these drugs take effect very rapidly, and instead of taking them while laying in bed getting ready to sleep for the night, they’ll take them in the evening and go about their regular routine waiting for them to kick in. Oftentimes the drugs will take effect without their knowledge, leading to harmful and erratic decisions or dangerous behavior.

Another safety concern surrounding these drugs is addiction potential. While not exceptionally common, some people become dependent on these drugs when using them over an extended period of time. This leads to a hard decision for the user: either reduce or stop taking the drug entirely and be worse off sleep-wise than when they started, or take the pill for the rest of their lives and maintain their dependence.

To prevent dependency, many doctors recommend only using them for a month-long period or less, and only when needed. This helps retrain the brain to get used to falling asleep, while giving the patient time to assess their sleep habits and change the ones that may be preventing them from getting sleep on their own. Because ultimately, prescription sleep aids shouldn’t be thought of as a long-term solution, and more of a temporary fix.

Ultimately, it’s up to you and your doctor to decide what the best solution is for you. And as with any medical condition, it’s very important to be aware of the potential risks and benefits of any treatment regimen. So, listen to your body, your doctor’s advice, and be sure to voice any concerns you may have so you can both come to the best solution for you. Your health is worth having the conversation!

If you decide that a prescription approach isn’t a good fit for you, there are plenty of natural, non-pharmaceutical sleep aids that may benefit you. Be sure to check out next Monday’s blog post for our favorite recommendations!

Until next time: sleep well, live well and be well!

If you’re like me, waking up in the morning can be the hardest part of the day. I want so much to be a morning person, but alas, nightowlery is the life for me. (Darn that Netflix!) That warm cozy bed is just too enticing to leave, so why should I?

This is what goes through my mind every morning, and its hard to break that habit. Due to recent, pleasant developments in my life, I absolutely must wake up before the sun rises, so I have made it my mission to find ways to wake up early without being a total grouch. In my search I received many suggestions from friends and family, and to my surprise some of them actually worked!

The routines and methods that I used have really been helping me jump out of bed feeling more refreshed and motivated to start the day. For me, it’s all about stimulating the brain. There are so many ways to get your brain working in the morning, without having to read some Roberto Bolaño masterpiece to do it. (But, who knows: that might work for you too!) While some of these methods may not be the right fit for you, don’t worry fellow night owls: there are plenty of resources out there to help you wake feeling refreshed and energized in the wee hours of the morning!

Let’s dive in.

Tip #1: Set your coffee pot to automatically brew just before you wake up.

Look at that photo. Can’t you almost smell the rich, bold scent of coffee brewing? Many people drink coffee to wake up in the morning, but did you know that just the smell of coffee can be enough to get you out of bed?

My dad has a tendency to wake up early (even though he’s retired), and make coffee. Without fail, every time I visit them, I end up getting up much earlier than I would at my house. I had always wondered why, but now that I’ve set up my coffee pot to brew just before my alarm goes off, I understand!

According to Caffeine Informer, scientists have determined that because coffee has such a powerful and unique scent, many scent receptors in the human brain are activated. Your brain can almost be trained to associate the delicious scent of coffee with waking up early in the morning. The scent and taste of coffee are tied so closely to many of our “pleasure centers” that we can’t help but wake up and drink some!

Tip #2: Listen to energetic music!

Now this is one thing that I have always done to help me wake up. Listening to music stimulates the brain, unlike any other form of stimulation. If you find the right music, it will tempt you to join in on the song and dance. Personally, I like to listen to fast paced music in the morning. (Dead Kennedys, anyone? Anyone?) Getting focused on the beat and lyrics takes my mind away from the reality that it’s 5:30 in the morning!

According to a study published in Music and Memory, levels of brain activity increase when a subject hears music. By using a PET scanner and an injection of radioactive glucose, scientists were able to see the subjects brain “light up” when they heard music. They found that listening to music gives the listener a dopamine boost, thus increasing their motivation and emotional response.

Tip #3: Get up and move!

Exercise is a great way to get your body and mind motivated to start the day. This one was definitely hard for me. Doing physical activity rarely motivates me to drag myself out of bed, but I promise once you get in the routine, your body will crave the movement in the morning!

Even if you don’t want to start the day with a rigorous cardio workout, a few simple yoga moves are enough to get the blood pumping. Here is a link for a quick, 5 minute yoga routine that will energize you enough to get your day started off just right!

Tip #4: Eat a good breakfast!

I know we’ve all heard that the most important meal of the day is breakfast, but that’s because it’s true! Eating a good breakfast will get your metabolism going in the morning. Of course, you don’t have to eat this delicious and hearty looking German feast, but just something that will make you feel satisfied in the morning. Greatist has compiled a list of quick, healthy, and tasty options for breakfast. My personal favorite is the “Avocado Toast with Egg,” because who doesn’t love avocados? (I put them on pretty much everything, so I might be a little biased.)

Tip #5: Drink plenty of water!

Another way to rev up your metabolism in the morning is to drink at least 16 oz. of water right when you wake up. When we sleep through the night we tend to become dehydrated, resulting in that groggy, sluggish feeling in the morning. Because drinking water right when you wake up causes your metabolism to kickstart, you are also much more likely to consume fewer calories!

Tip #6: Read a book before bed.

Lately I’ve adopted the habit of reading a few pages in a book before I go to bed. (I suggest David Foster Wallace’s “A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again.”) There are so many benefits to reading before bedtime. One big benefit is that reading before bed relieves stress that otherwise might keep you awake late into the night.

According to the University of Minnesota, “reading can reduce stress by up to 68 percent.” It works “better and faster than other relaxation methods” because “your mind is invited into a literary world that is free from the stressors that plague your daily life.”

I’ve found this to be very true; after reading a few pages, my thoughts about the days stresses melt away and I become very sleepy. If you can get in just one more hour of sleep, it might help you wake up early in the morning.

Tip #7: Write a few lines about the dreams you had!

Of course you can write anything you would like, but once again: giving your brain a kickstart first thing in the morning can increase your alertness significantly! Usually I’ll just write one or two things about the dreams I had the night before, and that’s all I seem to need to wake up a little. Plus, it’s kind of funny to remember all of the bizarre things my brain cooked up while I was asleep!

Tip #8: Treat yourself!

Another way to train brain to work earlier in the morning is to use positive reinforcement on yourself. I tell myself that if I wake up on time (without hitting snooze!) I can buy myself a chocolate bar at the end of the week. Sometimes this works for me if all else fails. You can train your brain to expect the reward when you wake up at a certain time. After awhile, your inner clock will just automatically go off at that time.

Tip #9: Get some good ole Vitamin D!

Many of us wake up before the sun rises, but it is so important to get that daily dose of vitamin D in the morning. According to a study by the National Sleep Foundation, exposing yourself to sunlight first thing in the morning raises cortisol levels in your brain and makes you more alert. When I get up, I’ll go outside and drink my coffee, and it really does help me wake up! (Of course, it also might be the brisk mountain air too.)

Tip #10: Use your smartphone!

Whether you have a smartphone that runs on the Android or Apple operating system, there is an app out there that is designed to help you wake up. These apps range from simply ringing every 5 minutes to making you play a game to disengage the alarm. Here are some top rated apps that have worked for many people:

Apple Apps: Sleep Cycle, Step out of Bed, CARROT Alarm

Android Apps: I Can’t Wake Up!, Walk Me Up!, Morning Routine

You can do it!

In conclusion, waking up is hard! But once you find the method that works for you, leaving the comfort of your bed will seem less like an insurmountable hurdle and more like an adventure! So remember: get plenty of sleep, but seize the day once that alarm goes off. Because dreams only become reality when you go out and make it happen!

Until next time: sleep well, live well and be well!