Insomnia
Natural remedies insomnia may work for you if your sleeplessness is ongoing. If you have tried sleep hygiene and are still finding yourself wrestling with wakefulness, there are natural approaches that may help.
- Melatonin
Melatonin is a hormone that helps regulate the sleep/wake cycle. It is relatively safe when used in small doses and may help you get back to a pattern of solid sleep. It is not recommended to be used for more than two weeks, so if you haven’t resumed a normal sleep pattern after using it for a couple of weeks, check with your doctor about other choices.
- Acupuncture
Acupuncture is based on ancient Chinese medicine, and research shows that it can be more effective than prescription medications for insomnia in women.
- Relaxation
If you are having trouble getting to sleep or can’t get back to sleep once you wake in the night, learning relaxation techniques can save the day (or night). Once you have trained yourself in progressive muscle relaxation, you can call on that technique to drop off when you want to. Like acupuncture, it is completely natural and has no side effects or downside if you can master the technique. You may want to make a tape or CD of your own voice talking you through the exercise and leave it next to the bed.
- Treat Vasomotor Symptoms
If the reason you are not getting sleep is that night sweats are waking you, the remedies for hot flashes may provide you with the sleep you need.
Sources:
Boston’s Women’s Health Book Collective, Our Bodies, Ourselves: Menopause, Touchstone/Simon and Shuster, New York. 2006.
Geller, SE, Studee, L, Botanical and Dietary Supplements for Menopausal Symptoms: What Works, What Doesn’t, J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2005 September; 14(7): 634–649. Retrieved 15 Aug. 2008.
Geller, SE, Studee, L, Botanical and Dietary Supplements for Mood and Anxiety in Menopausal Women, Menopause. 2007 May-Jun;14(3 Pt 1):541-9. Retrieved August 15, 2008.
Geller, SE, Studee, L, Soy and Red Clover for Midlife and Aging , Climacteric.. August ; 9(4): 245–263. Retrieved August 15, 2008.
John Wiley & Sons, Inc, Whole Grain Oats May Reduce Risk Factors For Coronary Heart Disease. ScienceDaily. (2007, April 18). Retrieved August 17, 2008, from
