Valariun Root

[jimmym40]

Anyone use it - to help to get to sleep or peaceful rest? How well does i

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Fell asleep mid-post?

Anyway, just get a little Xanax prescribed.

[jackr]

Never used it, but found St John's Wort (Boots) good for sleep/restless legs if you can't find it.

[Pond Life]

Used it briefly, seemed to work, but the taste was so bad I stopped using it.

This was gel capsules filled with ground herb.

Maybe theres other forms.

[hellodolly]

Used it briefly, seemed to work, but the taste was so bad I stopped using it.

This was gel capsules filled with ground herb.

Maybe theres other forms.

A bad tasting gel capsule. did you bite into it?

[jimmym40]

Yes, the big torrible tasteing capsules. I bought 3 bottles from Puritan Pride with alot of other things. Tried it, don't like it, gives me a headache every time I use it.

Wanted to see if others are using it, I have 2 and half bottles I'm willing to give away if anyone wants it. Also a bottle of SUPER SNOOZE

[elektrified]

Don't mean to be crude but the actual herb smells exactly like vomit. The tea is nasty stuff!

[xen]

How about trying Chamomile tea helps you sleep and not bad tasting. Should be able to find it in the supermarkets. Even Twining s do a Chamomile and spearmint tea.

[JDGRUEN]

Melatonin

[hellodolly]

Don't mean to be crude but the actual herb smells exactly like vomit. The tea is nasty stuff!

I have to agree the tea is less than desirable. Problem here seems to be no one has continued to use it.

Well I guess half a bottle could be considered to continually use it. Especially when you get a head ache every time.

Have not tried the pills as I have in the past used St Johns Wort to a limited success.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

As an aside, a great course of action with sleeping disorders (even mild/occasional ones) is to visit a doctor.

Suan Prung Psychiatric hospital is an excellent facility, and affordable. I got the feeling their capabilities go FAR beyond the stereotype of a bunch of shrinks and white-coat loon wardens.

[tingtongtourist]

My doctor did recommend a drug STUGEROM for another illness but i found this one knocked me out for a long sleep very quick and have some CRAZY dreams...which i never do.

And strange because normally sleeping pills dont work so good for me.

You can buy over the counter, but because the old chinese guy put them in a plastic bag i am still not really sure what i did get or what its supposed to be for...amazing Thailand

[meadish_sweetball]

My doctor did recommend a drug STUGEROM for another illness but i found this one knocked me out for a long sleep very quick and have some CRAZY dreams...which i never do.

And strange because normally sleeping pills dont work so good for me.

You can buy over the counter, but because the old chinese guy put them in a plastic bag i am still not really sure what i did get or what its supposed to be for...amazing Thailand

The active substance in Stugeron is called Cinnarizine, it's an antihistamine and calcium channel blocker. It is mainly used to treat nausea. It also reduces the uptake of serotonin and dopamine. Sounds like something you would not want to take unless absolutely necessary, especially if you have had symptoms of depression or reduced motor function.

Seeing a doctor is the best idea so far.

Otherwise, for sleep issues I'd recommend physical exercise early in the day (but not in the evening) as a first resort. Depending on what type of sleep issues, I'd also look into relaxation practices of some sort (meditation, yoga, qi gong etc.). Milk and bananas are mildly sedative, too.

Melatonin works, it's what the body produces naturally to set your circadian rhythm to rest mode, but when taking it as a supplement, you want to experiment with dosage. If you take too much, you'll wake up still feeling drowsy and disoriented, also, some people get extremely vivid dreams on melatonin - this may or may not be pleasant depending on the nature of the dreams. One whole pill is not necessarily the best amount.

[tingtongtourist]

My doctor did recommend a drug STUGEROM for another illness but i found this one knocked me out for a long sleep very quick and have some CRAZY dreams...which i never do.

And strange because normally sleeping pills dont work so good for me.

You can buy over the counter, but because the old chinese guy put them in a plastic bag i am still not really sure what i did get or what its supposed to be for...amazing Thailand

The active substance in Stugeron is called Cinnarizine, it's an antihistamine and calcium channel blocker. It is mainly used to treat nausea. It also reduces the uptake of serotonin and dopamine. Sounds like something you would not want to take unless absolutely necessary, especially if you have had symptoms of depression or reduced motor function.

Seeing a doctor is the best idea so far.

Otherwise, for sleep issues I'd recommend physical exercise early in the day (but not in the evening) as a first resort. Depending on what type of sleep issues, I'd also look into relaxation practices of some sort (meditation, yoga, qi gong etc.). Milk and bananas are mildly sedative, too.

Melatonin works, it's what the body produces naturally to set your circadian rhythm to rest mode, but when taking it as a supplement, you want to experiment with dosage. If you take too much, you'll wake up still feeling drowsy and disoriented, also, some people get extremely vivid dreams on melatonin - this may or may not be pleasant depending on the nature of the dreams. One whole pill is not necessarily the best amount.

Thankyou Mr MS for taking the time to reply and your advice. But i must apologise, I am not so clear on the points that i highlite..my English is not that of a scholar either!!

If you have time can you put this in some plain terms a silly old bugger can understand!!??? ...

it's an antihistamine and calcium channel blocker

reduces the uptake of serotonin and dopamine

[Ulysses G.]

I used valerian extract regularly back in the USA. It worked for me.

[Semper]

Beer works for me.

[finy]

I use it sometimes, but for lucid dreaming instead of sleep. I suppose it's the same as everything and it will have greater effects with different people.

[eek]

a random aside,,,but when i lived in the UK i noticed my cats went bonkers over valerian tea bags. More so than any catnip. Utterly BONKERS. Ripped the carry bag apart in a frenzy to get at them. I watched in bewillered amuzement.

[meadish_sweetball]

It's an antihistamine = Not so easy to put simply... Histamine performs many different functions in the body, mainly to do with the immune response and allergies, but regulates or affects many other functions, too. Histamine is excreted continuously when we are awake; in fact, it is a regulator of wakefulness (which is why suppressing histamines causes drowsiness), smooth muscle, sugar synthesis in the brain, learning, memory, curiosity, circadian rhythm. A whole mixed bag of functions, in other words. You'll need to do some of your own studying if you want to understand histamine and antagonism of histamine better.

and calcium channel blocker = 'a channel' in this case is a protein located in a cell membrane. Channels in the cell membrane are shaped to only let through certain ions, in this case calcium ions. When the channel is blocked, ions are not allowed through. The effect of calcium channel blockers is to relax smooth muscle, causing vasodilation (enlargement of blood vessels), which means the heart has to work less to pump blood through the body due to the reduced pressure, so the end result is increased circulation of blood and less load on the heart.

reduces the uptake of serotonin and dopamine serotonin and dopamine are neurotransmitters, i.e. substances involved in the communication between nerve cells. Popularly, serotonin is associated with happiness/well-being (but reality is significantly more complex than that), and dopamine with motor function and motivation/the reward system/risk taking.

I don't know if this answers your actual question though. To simplify why I said I would be careful with Stugeron: the substance just seems to affect too many systems at once. Maybe it actually was a good solution for your particular condition though. I just don't think it sounds like a good solution for insomnia in general.

[TheVicar]

My doctor did recommend a drug STUGEROM for another illness but i found this one knocked me out for a long sleep very quick and have some CRAZY dreams...which i never do.

And strange because normally sleeping pills dont work so good for me.

You can buy over the counter, but because the old chinese guy put them in a plastic bag i am still not really sure what i did get or what its supposed to be for...amazing Thailand

The active substance in Stugeron is called Cinnarizine, it's an antihistamine and calcium channel blocker. It is mainly used to treat nausea. It also reduces the uptake of serotonin and dopamine. Sounds like something you would not want to take unless absolutely necessary, especially if you have had symptoms of depression or reduced motor function.

Seeing a doctor is the best idea so far.

Otherwise, for sleep issues I'd recommend physical exercise early in the day (but not in the evening) as a first resort. Depending on what type of sleep issues, I'd also look into relaxation practices of some sort (meditation, yoga, qi gong etc.). Milk and bananas are mildly sedative, too.

Melatonin works, it's what the body produces naturally to set your circadian rhythm to rest mode, but when taking it as a supplement, you want to experiment with dosage. If you take too much, you'll wake up still feeling drowsy and disoriented, also, some people get extremely vivid dreams on melatonin - this may or may not be pleasant depending on the nature of the dreams. One whole pill is not necessarily the best amount.

1. Some good ideas here. Also, any natural yoghurt with lactobacillus rhamnosus is helpful for sleep (not the yoghurts with various kinds of fruit added). This bacteria is an antidepressant and helps bring about sleep.

2. Chamomile tea is another natural product that is safe to take and delicious (especially with a little honey) before going to bed.

3. I've also found a small amount of aspirin with some milk induces a deep sleep especially when taken with a warm bath before bedtime.

4. Valerian can be a bit dodgy. It's often at the root (bad pun) of murder mysteries in S. Holmes and A. Christie type stories.

5. Good post by Meadish above on the dangers of taking medications, even over the counter ones.

[jimmym40]

Alot of info posted here. All I wanted to do is to see if anyone wanted the V.Root that I have, guess I'll just be throwing it away.

[jackr]

^^ That'll teach ya.

Though I would never recommend it for sleep issues alone (as with Stugeron it affects many systems, incl' inhibition of serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake, pain relief, etc), Amitriptyline really gave me a good night's sleep with no grogginess.

Dehydration is often overlooked and is a biggie for us lot here, especially this time of year in CM where it's drier. Of course water, but be sure to get the electrolytes up in ya such as DeChamp sachets.

I also find a siesta (around 3) helps believe it or not.

Did you also try changing your head direction?

For some reason I've never had a great night's sleep in Muang Thai, even when quiet and pitch black. Must be all that latent, pent-up stress around these parts oozing into us by osmosis.

I might try some, op. Btw, has kava kava been banned?

[JDGRUEN]

It was noted that Melatonin will induce vivid dreams .. in fact Melatonin is noted for inducing vivid sexual dreams ... so there can be an upside

When taking Melatonin (as the poster also noted) take the right amount for you -- and take it at the right time.. Never take Melatonin in your daytime. Take it at bed time which should be around - 22:00 to 23:00 or a bit earlier maybe 21:30 - if that is a normal bed time. Taking Melatonin at - say 01:00 and getting up at 06:00 or even 08:00 is not a good idea ... you will likely be groggy for quite a while. Resetting your biological clock should be done carefully. But once you achieve it - you will sleep and feel better. Note: Melatonin is a natural substance in the brain but the amount is depleted with aging.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Melatonin doesn't to much for me, no matter how many I take. (Used when adjusting from jet lag)

[ronz28]

I get better results with sub-lingual liquid Melatonin vs. the tablet form or even the dissolve under your tongue tablets.

[TheVicar]

Alot of info posted here. All I wanted to do is to see if anyone wanted the V.Root that I have, guess I'll just be throwing it away.

Maybe you should have been more upfront about your needs in your original post.