Homeopathic Recipe for a Good Night’s Sleep

The majority of people have experienced difficulty sleeping at some point in time. Whether it’s trouble falling asleep, problems staying asleep, or just not getting good enough quality of sleep to feel fully rested, it’s an issue that puts a ZZZZZZZ-shaped monkey wrench into your life.

So, what’s the recipe for successful sleep?

Like most good recipes it has more than one ingredient…

Pre-heat with self-reflection.

Pondering on what factors may be contributing to sleep troubles allows you to make some practical adjustments to promote a good night’s sleep for yourself. In homeopathy we talk about ‘maintaining causes’, and taking this step to look at your patterns objectively and address anything that may be maintaining your current state of sleep imbalance will be supportive of the other ingredients for a good night’s sleep. Some of these maintaining factors may be: stress, screen-time habits, doing mentally invigorating activities close to bedtime, or an uncomfortable sleeping environment, among others.

2 parts food and beverage adjustments.

Many people consider the timing of their caffeine intake when trying to correct sleep issues, and this is a great start. But other food and beverage habits might be contributing also. Drinking enough liquid to require a mid-sleep trip to the washroom can disrupt sleep patterns. Also, acid reflux can be quite asymptomatic and not have the telltale heartburn feeling with it, but still be causing wakefulness. Not eating too late in the evening can help, as can sleeping on a slight incline by adjusting the placement of pillows.

If you suffer from restless legs that keep you awake, eating a banana before bedtime can potentially help, as bananas are high in potassium and magnesium, as well as tryptophan, an amino acid known to promote sleepiness. Potassium and magnesium are both natural muscle relaxants, so getting all three of these in a simple, healthy bedtime snack of a banana may help to encourage an easy trip to dreamland.

1 part exploring herbal support.

One of the simplest and most accessible herbal supports for a good night’s sleep is chamomile tea. Made from dried chamomile flowers, this tea has a mild sedative effect, so is a common and budget-friendly herbal support to add to your recipe for successful sleep.

The scent of natural lavender has been known for centuries to help insomnia. Linalool, the turpene that is largely responsible for lavender’s signature scent, has nervous-system sedative effects when inhaled. So, adding a few drops of lavender oil to a pre-bedtime bath, or inhaling the scent from a sachet of dried lavender flowers might promote a better night’s sleep.

Valerian root used as an extract, tea, supplement, or aromatherapy oil is one of the most commonly used herbs to promote sleep. It is well known for its deeply calming effect, and can promote both ease of falling asleep and good quality sleep.

There are countless other herbal supports available in a variety of formats to help foster good sleep. Of course, please check with a herbalist, naturopath, or healthcare professional well-versed in herbalism to make sure that there are no negative interactions and that the herbs and formats you are choosing to use are safe for you.

1 dash of meditations and visualization.

Guided meditations are a wonderful way to ease into a good night’s rest. There are many versions of meditative sleep aids to choose from, including yoga nidra, brain-calming music and sounds, guided visualizations, and sleep stories. An absolute bounty of options, including many free options, are just an internet search away, and there are also many apps available to facilitate using this type of tool. This is a great addition to the recipe if you want to Ohm your way to some Zzzs.

Homeopathic remedies to taste.

Of course, this is the part where you ‘season to taste’ to suit your individual needs. Homeopathy, at its core, is individualized medicine, so the remedies are not one-size-fits-all. If you find your sleep woes are quite stubborn, have a more serious concern behind them, or have been going on long term, then working with a professional homeopath might be a tremendously beneficial choice. However, if you’ve got a more short-term issue and want to try your hand at using some homeopathic remedies for insomnia, here are some to consider:

Coffea Cruda – This remedy can be extremely helpful if the sleeplessness is caused by overexcitement. You can think of this remedy as the ‘Birthday Eve’ remedy – when you’re so excited for the events of the next day that sleep just doesn’t come due to happy excitement. When you’d rather be singing from the rooftops than snoozing, this remedy is one to consider. It can also be of benefit when insomnia strikes due to exciting events in the recent past. For example, if you’re sleepless with happiness the night after getting a promotion, Coffea Cruda may help you to calm down and get some rest.

Ignatia Amara – When the insomnia culprit is emotional distress or trauma, this remedy may be of service. If the day has had some heavy news or some heartache, or even the heightened emotional stress after a disagreement with a friend or being treated unfairly by your boss, then think about Ignatia as a remedy to reach for before bed. It’s common to find yourself tossing and turning with the leftover emotions of a stressful day, such as anger, grief, hurt feelings, defensiveness, irritation, etc. In these situations, Ignatia might help by supporting the gentle processing of the emotional duress and the rebalancing of your nervous system in the wake of heightened emotions.

Rhus Toxicodendron – When tossing and turning and restlessness, whether physical or mental, are keeping you up, then Rhus Tox should be in your box of tricks. Mental restlessness often has a component of anxiety and can commonly show up in the form of can’t-turn-the-brain-off thoughts that jump restlessly from topic to topic in your mind. Physical restlessness can be from any reason, including just being uncomfortable, feeling like you’re always the wrong temperature whether covers are off or on, or having over-exerted in the day with muscle aches and stiffness now plaguing you. And, of course, restless leg syndrome is a classic version of nighttime restlessness that can prevent sleep. When you would describe your sleep woes as having restlessness as a major feature, then consider Rhus Tox as a potential remedy.

Nux Vomica – Thoughts of business and cares and worries about work, whatever the work may be, are a classic cause of sleeplessness that may be relieved by Nux Vomica. If the next day’s to-do list keeps running on repeat in your mind, then this might be a useful remedy. Another classic form of insomnia that might have Nux Vomica written all over it is falling asleep easily, but waking at 3:00 or 4:00 a.m. with thoughts of work and the day ahead bullying you into alertness with no return to slumber.

Arsenicum Album – This remedy can be useful if the night is a sleepless one after a day of tremendous exertion, whether mental or physical. Anxiety or anxious thoughts are often present if Arsenicum Album is a good remedy fit. Also, sleepless from being overtired can be a feature. So, think of Arsenicum Album the night after doing a lot of vigorous physical labour such as yard work or participating in a sporting event, or after vigorous mental labour such as cramming all day for an exam.

There are many other homeopathic remedies that may be helpful, but these are some of the major ones to consider that can address the most common sleep issues you’ll encounter in the everyday hustle and bustle of life.

Bake in a cozy bed with dim lights at a comfortable temperature.

Serves several Zzzzzzzzzzzs.