Insomnia
Natural Remedies

Natural Remedies for Insomnia: A Comprehensive Guide

The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Supplements
Posted by Clatterbuck (Maryland) on 02/24/2024
★★★★★

I've written several posts over the years about treatments for my insomnia. I've come to the conclusion my insomnia is mostly caused by nutritional deficiencies. I have tried so many things to try to get a good night's sleep with some success but never felt fully "cured." The problem I had was waking in the middle of the night and not being able to get back to sleep. KNOCK ON WOOD, I think I have finally found what works for me. This is what seems to be working:

1. Iron supplementation. I don't take it every day because too much iron is dangerous but I have noticed I am able to get back to sleep more easily after I have taken iron that morning.

2. Calcium supplementation. I take one capsule at bedtime, the dosage is three capsules a day. I also don't take too much of this supplement. It is my understanding that taking too much calcium at one time can cause problems because your body can't absorb too much at a time. Calcium makes me sleepy and doesn't cause loose bowels.

4. Colostrum. I take one capsule at bedtime. I just started taking this and it seems to keep me asleep for a full 7 hours with no waking up to go to the bathroom.

5. Here is a crazy thing that also seems to work for me; eating coconut at bedtime. I will eat a small chocolate covered coconut candy at bedtime and it seems to make me sleep really well.

6. I also recently tried a product that contains both magnesium and L-theanine. It worked great but gave me diarrhea so I had to give it up.

I don't know if any of these remedies will help anyone else, but they are all worth a try.


Supplements
Posted by Amy (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) on 01/05/2009
★★★★★

I suffer from occasional insomnia and find this is a sure-fire cure:

1000mg L-Tyrosine (capsule form)
3-9mg Melatonin (sub-lingual tablets best)
500-1500mg Vitamin C (chewable best)

For me, this works best if taken as soon as you realise it's going to be one of those nights. I take it with a glass of water, and a slice or two of bread. Ideally, try this when you'll be able to devote 6-8hr to sleep--after that I always wake up 100% refreshed. Best of luck!


Supplements
Posted by Pamela (Houston, Texas) on 12/28/2008
★★★★★

I have used Gaba for years for insomnia with great results. I used the Now brand in powder formed with a 5 mg of B6. The key is to take right before you go to bed on an empty stomach. It needs to get to the brain receptors to make neuro-transmitters. I used anywhere from 2,000 - 5,000 mg, depending on how I was feeling. Anything over 5,000 mg did not do any good. Beware that you may get rapid breathing, heart rate, or shortness of breathe for a minute. This because the Gaba relaxes the blood vessels and blood is moving faster; I did. It seem to be the more intense I felt the more I would experience these symptoms. I did research on Gaba a lot before I used these higher amounts. The lower amounts of Gaba had no effect on me, but they may you. Don't take my word for it you can research it too. I hope this helps.



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