We hear more and more often about sleep disorders and people who sleep poorly, have trouble falling asleep, wake up during the night, or even suffer from insomnia.

Many people find that they can’t sleep or have trouble falling asleepwhen it starts to get very hot in the evening.We can findsome reliefafter a nice, cool shower, but if the evening is very humid, we start sweating again after a short while—and goodbye sleep! Unfortunately, climate change has led to increasingly humid conditions, and instead of cool, breezy evenings, we usually have hot, muggy ones. Allof this clearly affects our ability to fall asleepand enjoy a good, restful night’s sleep. A natural remedy that allows us to sleep peacefully and wake up relaxed—but not groggy—is to use plants with relaxing and sedative properties.

VALERIANhassedative and calming properties, promoting sleep; it is also recommended for nervous gastrointestinal spasms and mild anxiety caused primarily by mental fatigue and stress.

PASSIONFLOWER AND LEMON BALM, knownfor their calming and balancing effects on the nervous system and for their tonic and relaxing properties.

The ESCOLZIA has anxiolytic and anti-stress effects, improves sleep quality, and reduces the time it takes to fall asleep.

The HAWTHORN has a mild hypnotic effect, as it tends topromotenaturalsleepas evening approaches but does not cause drowsiness during the day; it is a very useful plant for people who are somewhat anxious and who, when they go to bed, begin to feel their heart “beating faster” and are unable to fall asleep.

Chamomile CHAMOMILE has a mild sedative effect but also goodanti-inflammatory and antispasmodicproperties; it is recommended for irritability, low pain tolerance, a tendency toward anger, neuralgia, insomnia, toothaches in children, painful spasms,gastrointestinalcolic, gastroduodenitis, peptic ulcers,irritablebowel syndrome, and bloating. It is helpful forheadaches, insomnia, and dysmenorrhea (painful menstruation), and acts as a sedative for the nervous system.

JET LAG SYNDROME

Jet lag is a chronobiological issue, similar to problems often caused by the need to work at night or in shifts. When traveling across several time zones, the body’s internal clock becomes misaligned with the destination’s time and out of sync with the light-dark cycle to which one is accustomed.Sleep disturbancesare linked to an imbalance inmelatonin secretion.
Melatoninis ahormoneproduced bythe pineal gland(or epiphysis), a gland located at the base ofthe brain. It acts onthe hypothalamusand regulates the sleep-wake cycle.

Takingmelatonin canbe very effective in reducing thesymptoms of jet lag. The use of melatonin to combatjet lag iseven more recommended for those traveling eastward because it is easier for our bodiesto delay our circadian rhythm than toadvance it.

The effectiveness of melatonin is enhanced when this natural remedy is taken in combination with other sedative herbs.

 SOME TIPS FOR BETTER SLEEP

Don’texerciseinthe evening, skipafternoonnaps, and avoid looking attabletand TVscreensafter a certain time (because they “throw off” melatonin levels). But there are other techniques to promote rest. “First of all, youneed to respect your own rhythm.” Ifyou’re a“morningperson”—that is, you’re full of energy first thing in the morning—you should go to bed early. The opposite is true if you’re a“night owl”and are more active late at night.”

Be careful not to overdo it with herbal teas: they’re mostly water, so they fill up your bladder, and in the middle of the night, the urge to urinate can disrupt your sleep. It may be helpful, during the day,to look often at a relaxing imagethat your mind will spontaneously recall in the evening, when you need it.” Evensleeping nakedcan be a weapon against insomnia: our circadian rhythm naturally lowers our body temperature when we sleep. Pajamas, by disrupting this natural drop in temperature, could interfere with sleep.