Examples of herbal remedies include kava kava, chamomile, valerian root, passion flower and St. John’s wort and have been used for insomnia cures from generation to generation. The effectiveness and safety of these natural compounds has not been formally documented. Existing studies and research are not based on standard methodologies and they are often hard to interpret. Standardized studies include those produced by regulatory agencies such as the FDA.
Some insomnia sufferers take melatonin to help them sleep. Melatonin is a hormone produced in the brain by the pineal gland, from the amino acid tryptophan. Synthetic melatonin supplements have been used for a variety of medical conditions, most notably as an insomnia cure. Melatonin is the best studied natural remedy for insomnia, although in the U.S. it remains unregulated. Evidence on its effects as an insomnia cure remains unclear. Studies have found that although many people fall asleep faster with melatonin, it has no effect on prolonging total sleep time or lessening daytime sleepiness.
It should be emphasized that melatonin is classified as a dietary supplement and not as a drug, so its quality and effectiveness is uncontrolled in the U.S. (The United States is the only developed nation that does not regulate this substance.) Since Melatonin is a powerful hormone, it can produce major side effects, many of which are still unknown, on all parts of the body. The bottom line is that people who take melatonin as an insomnia cure are experimenting on themselves. Keep in mind that natural remedies are not regulated by the FDA and their quality is not controlled. In addition, any substance that can affect the body’s chemistry can, like any drug, produce potentially harmful side effects.
Even if studies report positive benefits from the use of herbal remedies, the compounds used in the lab, in most cases, are not the same ones commercially available to the public. There have been several reported cases of serious and sometimes lethal side effects from the use of natural remedies. In addition, some herbal remedies were found to contain standard prescription medication.
Whether natural or chemical, one should not be compelled to use drugs as insomnia cures. Natural therapies can be used to help provide an insomnia sufferer a good night’s sleep without the use of drugs.
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