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Treating Insomnia
posted: Dec 19 2007 at 4:36 PM
>> Health

Natural Remedies for Treating Insomnia

Approximately 15% of the population suffers from insomnia. Insomnia can take the form of not being able to go to sleep when you first get in bed or waking up throughout the night and being unable to fall back asleep. Insomnia can be caused by a number of things including medications, stress, physical pain, depression, grief and other factors. Most people can easily adapt to short periods of sleep deprivation, but after more than a few days, lack of sleep can have serious ramifications.

Anyone who suffers from insomnia can tell you that too many sleepless nights can cause a serious deterioration in their day to day performance and can even cause personality changes. There is a countless number of sleep medications on the market, however many people choose to avoid these sleep aids because of the wide range of side effects they can cause. For people who prefer a more natural approach to curing their ailments, here a a few ideas that may help you.
Taking magnesium and calcium supplements can help you to rest better. A deficiency of these nutrients can actually cause you to wake up after a few hours of sleep and prevent you from falling back to sleep. Melatonin can also be taken, as this is a natural hormone that helps to promote a sound sleep. There are quite a few herbal supplements that can help with insomnia as well. Hops, passion flower, kava kava, California poppy, valerian root and skullcap can be taken in extract or capsule form. It is best to rotate between these herbs and not take one herb for too long at a time. Some of these herbs can even be found in tea form if you prefer to take them that way. Chamomile is a very popular herbal tea that has mild sedative properties as does catnip, which has the opposite effect on humans as it does our feline friends, and can help you too relax.

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