Article Sphere Logo
 
Main Article Categories

 Alternative Medicine
 Arts And Entertainment
 Automotives
 Beauty
 Business
 Communications
 Computer And Technology
 Disease And Illness
 Finance
 Food And Beverage
 Health And Fitness
 Home And Family
 Home Based Business
 Insurance
 Internet And E-Business
 Legal
 News And Society
 Pets And Animals
 Product Reviews
 Real Estate
 Recreation And Sports
 Reference And Education
 Self Improvement
 Shopping
 Travel And Leisure
 Women Health And Fitness
 Women Interests And Issues
 Work At Home
 Writing And Speaking
 All 511 Categories
 
"Herbal Medicine" Article
 Article Directory Home Alternative Medicine Herbal Medicine

Better Sleep - Tips and Herbal Remedies for a Good night's Sleep Tonight

By Expert Author: Ted Crawford
View Summary | Submitted: 2007-01-21 | Word Count: 465 words
Ted Crawford
BETTER SLEEP…Tips and OTC remedies…

Being a family physician, one of the biggest complaints I hear today is problems with sleeping. As you all know, it is a huge problem which has blossomed into a multi million dollar industry for the pharmaceutical companies with such prescription medications as Ambien, Sonata, Lunesta and Rozerem, to name a few.

What a practitioner should stress to patients is to first make sure that they are practicing good sleep hygiene habits such as not watching television in bed, not drinking caffeine or alcohol in the evening too close to bedtime, not eating a large meal or exercising too close to bedtime, and unwinding prior to hitting the bed. Easier said than done I realize. Eating a healthy diet and establishing a regular daily exercise regime can make a world of difference in enabling one to get a proper night's rest.

The most popular over-the-counter sleep aids all contain diphenhydramine, an anti-histamine most commonly known as the brand name Benadryl. Whether it is Sominex, Nytol, Tylenol PM, or any other sleep formulation you see on the shelves, most contain this ingredient. One of the unwanted side effects of this medication is that it IS an anti-histamine and will not only dry you out, but can cause urinary retention and make you feel very groggy the following morning because of its fairly long half life.

Before I prescribe one of the prescription sleeping medications, I like to recommend some other herbals which you can purchase over-the-counter and are safer and seem to work without all of the side effects associated with diphenhydramine and the prescription medications.

You may want to try one or all of the following if you haven't. An inexpensive and healthy way I use commonly to calm down before going to bed is a tea with chamomile in it. The particular brand I commonly drink is Sweet Dreams by Bigelow which is a nice combination of chamomile and mint. It works. It is also good at relieving gastrointestinal distress as well.

Another herb which I have found helpful is valerian (Valeriana officinalis). 400-900 milligrams by mouth about 30 minutes prior to going to bed is the suggested dosage. One of the brand names is Alluna which is two tablets about an hour prior to bedtime.

One herb sometimes recommended as an anxiolytic or sleep aid is Kava which I would AVOID. It IS hepatotoxic (damages the liver).

Hopefully you do not experience any problems going to sleep or staying asleep, but so many of us do and it is nice to not have to rely on the prescription "big guns" as I refer to them as for getting the sleep we need.

May this help assist in you getting a wonderful night's sleep tonight!

Copyright (c) 2007 Ted Crawford
About the Author/Author Bio

Dr. Ted Crawford is a family practice physican in Tucson, Arizona and has a website devoted to helping patients find reliable health information and products. His article "Better Sleep; Tips and Remedies for a Better Night's Sleep Tonight" can also be found at www.babyboomersdoc.com

Article Source: http://www.articlesphere.com/Article/Better-Sleep---Tips-and-Herbal-Remedies-for-a-Good-night-s-Sleep-Tonight/68172

Comments on this Article


More "Herbal Medicine" Related Articles

 

Listed below are more articles related to the above article from the "Herbal Medicine" article category.

People interested in the above article "Better Sleep - Tips and Herbal Remedies for a Good night's Sleep Tonight" are also interested in the related articles listed below:

Herbs are nutritional foundation nutrients and good alternative medicine to nourish the body's deepest and most basic elements. Medicinal herbs have been used safely and effectively since the time of recorded history for an endless list of reasons, be it health, healing, weight loss/gain/maintenance and more.
Ginseng powder is derived primarily from three species of the genus known to botanists as panax. Ginseng, the name of which derives from a Mandarin term meaning "man-root" (a reference to its somewhat hominid shape) has long been used as a tonic, a stimulant and even an aphrodisiac. Generally, all plants that are part of the genus panax ginseng, are known for its fleshy roots and purported curative properties.
The medicinal herbs play an vital role in curing people from various ailments including stress. Stress is supposed to be a major force in repudiating the strong will of a person. Stress is a major backdrop, which totally limits the functioning of any person. A person might be successful but may not be able to take decisions just only because he may be under stress.
Triphala is very helpful for Colon Cleansing, Internal Cleanser, Natural Laxative, Natural herb for Constipation and Bowel Cleansing. A healthy colon is necessary to good health, which makes colon cleansing, parasite cleansing, and detoxing a must. All we eat ends up in our bowels as toxins. As these toxins build up, we end up with different diseases, such as being overweight, constipation and candida.
Nature has gifted us with many herbs having mystical healing properties that are used widely in number of ailments. Garlic is a commonly used herb that has miraculous healing properties and is widely used in number of ailments. The parts used are bulb, fresh cloves and juice. Some of the medicinal properties of garlic are antiseptic, antibiotic, anti-viral, anti-allergy, aphrodisiac, anti-amoebic, anti-coagulant, detoxifier, carminative, diaphoretic, and stimulant; may protect the heart and nervous system, enhance the body’s immune system, decrease the side effects of drug therapies for cancer.
Stevia extract can be used to help you lose weight in that it can take the place of sugar in your diet. Stevia is an herb that produces an extract that is many times sweeter than table sugar, yet can be used by people who must control the amount of carbohydrates they consume, such as diabetics. These organic herbs make a great choice if you wish to cut sugar from your diet, yet would prefer to not give up the sweetness of sugar.
Millions of individuals suffer from clinical or symptomatic depression. If you are one of them, you can experience great benefit from some specific attention to their own health as well as guidance from a health professional who understands the basic tenets of natural medicine.
Article Directory Home Alternative Medicine Herbal Medicine

Can't find what you're looking for? Try Google Search!
(Search in 26 languages: English, Spanish, French, Japanese, Arabic, Italian, German,
Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, Dutch, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Greek, Serbian
Slovak, Hebrew, Swedish, Romanian, Polish, Norwegian, Finnish, Danish, Czech, Croatian, Bulgarian)
 
 
Copyright © 2005 - by Larry Lim, Singapore - Article Search Engine Directory at ArticleSphere.com™
All Rights Reserved Worldwide. All Trademarks and Servicemarks are the property of the respective owners.
Template Design by Internet Marketing Singapore | Internet Marketing | Singapore Classified
Español Français Bulgarian 汉语 漢語 Croatian Czech Danish Dutch Finnish Deutsch Ελληνικά Italiano 日本語 한국어 Norwegian Polish PortRomanian Русско Serbian Slovak Swedish [أربيك] Hebrew