SLEEP WELL NATURALLY

Sleeping pills belong to the most dangerous, sometimes even fatal drugs. Fortunately, there are quite a few natural remedies and modalities available for you, helpful, and without side effects, so that you don't need sleeping pills, and not necessarily a new mattress.....

Tommy Carrera from Baltimore, MD, asks:
Frequently, I have sleepless nights. Unfortunately, the sleeping pills prescribed by my healthcare provider are all but helpful. What can you recommend, Doc?

Dr. Fritz:

Philosophy Behind

According to the National Sleep Foundation in the U.S., more than half of adults have sleep problems (insomnia). With partly dramatic consequences for our health according to research at, inter alia, the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Even worse, sleep deprivation is a risk factor for premature death, according to the University of Warwick, and is running down our immunity, according to Tufts University research.
 
Despite of the medical relevance involved, this phenomenon is poorly understood by the medical profession, as research at Dartmouth Medical School in Lebanon, NH, demonstrated.   

However, pharmaceutical sleeping pills are not the answer because of their debilitating side effects.

Natural Remedies & Modalities for Sleep

To evade the vicious cycle of chemical sleeping pills, try natural remedies and modalities. From the herbal kingdom, the best natural choice for a sound sleep is the root of

• Valerian (Botanical name: Valeriana officinalis)

 
according to research at, inter alia, the University of California in Davis, CA, and Pacific Western University in Los Angeles, and validation by the Commission E (the European equivalent to the FDA in the U.S.). With a recommended daily dosage of up to 1,000 mg, or by drinking it as a cup of tea, before bed.
 
Another herb with high reputation comes from Indian Ayurveda Medicine known for more than 3000 years, scientifically validated at, inter alia, the University of Michigan and CSM Medical University in India is

• Ashwagandha  (Botanical name: Withania somnifera)

 
with a recommended daily dosage of 2 times 500 mg.
 
Similar the results for the herb

• Kava (Botanical name: Piper methysticum)

 
as scientifically validated at, inter alia, South Dakota State University.
 
With a recommended daily dosage of 3 times daily 100 mg up to 400 mg twice daily.
 
However, since Kava has been questioned by FDA in late 2001/early 2002, based on potential liver problems due to Kava in Europe (without banning it in the U.S.), you may check with your healthcare provider, if this herb is good for you, which dosage exactly, and how long you should take it.

• Black Cohosh (Botanical name: Actaea racemosa)

is another herb recommended to overcome not only menopausal mood swings but also insomnia, based on research at, inter alia, the University of Montana in Missoula. With a recommended dosage of up to 40 mg twice daily.  

Quite some competence in terms of natural sleep aids can also be found at Tel Aviv University in Israel, with respect to, inter alia, the German type of

• Chamomile (Botanical name: Chamaemelum nobile)

 
with a recommended dosage of either one cup of tea in the evening, or 400 mg  dried herb (capsule) up to 6 times daily.
 
For a comprehensive recommendation of natural remedies and modalities for sound sleep go to Manage Cancer Treatment Side Effects Naturally where you find more than a dozen of natural remedies and modalities for sound sleep. (Not only for cancer patients, to be sure.)