by Joe Makintosh

Created on: May 21, 2009   Last Updated: May 29, 2009

Sleepless nights are detrimental to your life in so many ways. Work, love, even just functioning normally can be affected by not having those forty winks. Having this night after night makes it worse. However, there are natural ways to help get to sleep.

Valerian is also known as All-Heal, Amantilla, Setwall Setewale or Capon's Tail. It's a herb that has been used for a long time (the ancient Greeks used it) to help with Insomnia. Scientists have not determined how Valerian works yet, but it is believed to affect the levels of a Neurotransmitter (the chemicals that transmit messages from nerve to nerve) called GABA, which can help with sleep. It takes about two to three weeks for it to take affect, but shouldn't be used for longer than a month at a time. The positives of taking Valerian is that it is over-the-counter in many European countries like France, Belgium, Switzerland and Italy and is not believed to cause grogginess in the mornings nor is it addictive. It can be taken as liquid extracts or in tea, but this is unpopular because many people dislike the smell of it. However, the side effects of Valerian include palpitations, dizziness, indigestion and headaches. Valerian should not be taken with alcohol, taken before or after surgery, taken by people with liver diseases, before using heavy machinery or in conjunction with any other medication, especially those that depress the neurotransmitters (anti-depressants, tranquiliser etc.) Valerian should only be taken under close supervision of a health care professional.

Melatonin is a popular natural remedy for Insomnia, especially for people with disturbed sleep cycles, like people on shifts or people suffering from Jet lag. Melatoninis a natural hormone found in the body. It is converted from Serotonin when the levels of light decreases, such as night time. Melatonin should not be taken by people with severe illnesses, people with autoimmunity deficiencies (such as AIDS) and people with Schizophrenia or Depression. It is possible the effects of Melatonin is naturally boosted by medication, but this is still being researched in to.

Kava is more commonly used as an anti-anxiety herb that releases Kalvaktones that possibly affect the Neurotransmitters in a similar way to Valerian. However, there are a lot of side affects to Kava such as Indigestion, mouth numbness, headaches, skin rashes, visual disturbance and drowsiness. Kava may lower blood pressure, affecting the blood's ability to clot so it should

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