In light of the recent health concerns regarding prescribed or over the counter medications and risk of Alzheimer’s I thought I would give you some information about some alternative sleep remedies.
There has been much research into the sleep-enhancing effects of Montmorency or tart cherry juice. One study showed that drinking 2 glasses of tart cherry juice daily for 2 weeks was enough to increase sleep by up to 90 minutes in older adults.
Researchers found that by drinking the cherry juice in the morning and again at night not only meant they slept longer but had more efficient sleep too.
Montmorency cherries are a source of melatonin, a hormone that regulates the wake/sleep cycle. It also helped to increase the availability of tryptophan, an amino acid that is a precursor for the brain chemical serotonin that also aids sleep.
Co-author of the study, Dr Frank Greenaway said: “These compounds may help to improve tryptophan bioavailability for serotonin synthesis which could have a positive effect on sleep. Increasing serotonin helps improve mood and decrease inflammation”.
Another study gave a combination of the herbs valerian and lemon balm to menopausal women, a group who frequently suffer sleep disturbances due to hot flushes. The researchers concluded that “A significant difference was observed with reduced levels of sleep disorders amongst the experimental group when compared to the placebo group”.
Other research has shown that both Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) and Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) work on a neurotransmitter called GABA which helps to induce a more relaxed state in some regions of the brain involved in sleep processes including reducing waking and enhancing slow-wave sleep. Lemon balm has also shown to be a useful herb in helping with anxiety disorders which can have an effect on sleep.
The amino acid glycine has also been studied with researchers concluding that taking glycine before bedtime “ improved subjective sleep quality and sleep efficacy (sleep time/in-bed time), …… lessened daytime sleepiness and improved performance of memory recognition tasks ….. ingestion of glycine before bedtime seems to produce subjective and objective improvement of the sleep quality in a different way than traditional hypnotic drugs such as benzodiazepines”.
If you are on a prescribed medication for sleep issues you should not stop taking it without discussing with your GP or consultant. You should also be aware that herbal or other natural sleep preparations may interact with any medications you are taking so again this should be discussed with an appropriate health professional.
References:
Maggie Hennessy, 01-May-2014
Could two glasses of tart cherry juice a day keep the sleepless nights away?
http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Research/Tart-cherry-juice-may-help-insomniacs-sleep-research
Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2013 Nov;19(4):193-6. doi: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2013.07.002. Epub 2013 Sep 10.
Cases J, Ibarra A, Feuillère N, et al. Pilot trial of Melissa officinalis L. leaf extract in the treatment of volunteers suffering from mild-to-moderate anxiety disorders and sleep disturbances. Med J Nutrition Metab. 2011;4(3):211-218.
Ngan A, Conduit R. A double-blind, placebo-controlled investigation of the effects of Passiflora incarnata (passionflower) herbal tea on subjective sleep quality. Phytother Res. 2011;25(8):1153-1159.
Glycine ingestion improves subjective sleep quality in human volunteers, correlating with polysomnographic changes
Wataru YAMADERA, Kentaro INAGAWA, Shintaro CHIBA, Makoto BANNAI, Michio TAKAHASHI and Kazuhiko NAKAYAMA1
