Natural Sleeping Herbs for Better Sleep

Explore natural herbal remedes to promote sound slumber.

By Maria NoËL Groves
Updated on February 8, 2024
article image
by Getty/Mladen Zlvkovlc

Learn what kind of tea helps you sleep to let Mother Nature’s natural sleeping herbs work on your behalf to obtain the restorative rest you need.

Few natural remedies are so enjoyable and affordable as a good night’s sleep. Yet, sleep can be incredibly elusive. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, adults need 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night, yet many of us miss the mark. Approximately 35 percent of adults don’t meet the bare minimum of seven hours. The percentage rises among people of color, and nearly 70 percent of teens–who need more sleep than adults–don’t get the recommended eight hours per night. Women are particularly susceptible to insomnia, with up to 50 percent reporting that they lie awake at night, unable to sleep.

Grogginess and lethargy only scratch the surface of insomnia’s impact on the body. Lack of sleep is linked to an increased risk of diabetes, heart disease, obesity, depression, reduced immune health, and cognitive impairment. While some of these effects are cumulative, just one night of inadequate sleep triples your risk of catching the common cold. And because sleep deprivation affects hormone production, you can end up eating 500 more calories per day when ghrelin — the hormone that signals a full stomach — becomes suppressed, while leptin — the hormone that controls hunger — rises. Yet, even if you want more sleep, achieving it may feel out of your control. Fortunately, herbs and simple lifestyle changes can help.

Key Natural Sleeping Herbs

Various plants can help us sleep better, particularly those that are nervine; these calm or sedate the nervous system. People experience varying responses to individual herbs. As a trained herbalist, I recommend starting slowly with any new-to-you herb. Try it first in the evening while relaxing at home — just before bedtime, or a few times between dinner and bedtime, beginning with a low dose and working up to higher doses over time.

Always be careful combining sleep herbs with drugs that also have sedative actions, such as anti-anxiety medications, sleeping pills, antidepressants, and certain pain and allergy medications. These may overly sedate in combination with herbal remedies, particularly if taken in high doses. Serious side effects of over-sedation include: impaired motor skills, falling asleep while driving or operating heavy machinery, increased risk of depression and sluggishness, and decreased heart rate or respiration.

Comments (0) Join others in the discussion!
    Online Store Logo
    Need Help? Call 1-800-234-3368