Natural Insomnia Cures: Which Ones Will Help You Get a Good Night's Sleep?

By Ash Derbe

People that have insomnia sometimes prefer to seek a natural remedy to treat it. Some natural cures include herbal remedies considered harmless to most people including chamomile tea and lemon balm. One must pay close attention that not all natural cures are considered safe. Herbal remedies sometimes contain prescription medicines, and due to their classification, are not always regulated.

Herbal remedies such as valerian root, kava kava, chamomile, lemon balm, St. John's wort and passion flower have been used as insomnia cures for years. Please note the effectiveness and safety of these remedies has not been formally documented nor researched. Existing studies completed on herbal remedies are often hard to interpret. Since they are not based on standardized studies like those done for prescription drugs as prescribed by regulatory bodies such as the FDA.

Many people suffering from insomnia take melatonin to help them fall asleep. Melatonin is actually a hormone produced by the pineal gland in the brain and it uses tryptophan, an amino acid, as a building block. Commercially produced melatonin is available in supplement form and it has been used for a variety of medical uses including as an insomnia cure. Of the natural remedies used for insomnia cures, melatonin is the best studied, but it still remains unregulated in the U.S. Studies proving the effectiveness of melatonin as an insomnia cure still remains unclear. Completed studies demonstrate the substance does help people go to sleep faster, however it does not appear to have an effect on total sleep time or daytime fatigue or sleepiness.

It should be emphasized that melatonin is classified as a dietary supplement and not as a drug, so its quality and effectiveness is uncontrolled in the U.S. (The United States is the only developed nation that does not regulate this substance.) Since Melatonin is a powerful hormone, it can produce major side effects, many of which are still unknown, on all parts of the body. The bottom line is that people who take melatonin as an insomnia cure are experimenting on themselves. Keep in mind that natural remedies are not regulated by the FDA and their quality is not controlled. In addition, any substance that can affect the body's chemistry can, like any drug, produce potentially harmful side effects.

Even if studies report positive benefits from the use of herbal remedies, the compounds used in the lab, in most cases, are not the same ones commercially available to the public. There have been several reported cases of serious and sometimes lethal side effects from the use of natural remedies. In addition, some herbal remedies were found to contain standard prescription medication.

Whether natural or chemical, one should not be compelled to use drugs as insomnia cures. Natural therapies can be used to help provide an insomnia sufferer a good night's sleep without the use of drugs. - 30437

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