valerian root and sleep quality

Well here is a green solution (pun intended ) and where this study said
2 kiwi fruits I saw a similar article saying they found about the same results
with just eating one kiwi. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog ... food-sleep

Woody wrote: ↑

Thu Apr 19, 2018 12:32 pm

Well here is a green solution (pun intended ) and where this study said
2 kiwi fruits I saw a similar article saying they found about the same results
with just eating one kiwi. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog ... food-sleep

It was a very weak study without a control. The only conclusion the authors drew was, "Further investigation of the sleep-promoting properties of kiwifruit may be warranted."

I saw another larger study showing about the same thing but didn't bookmark it.

just finished week two. i have to say, there has been a slight improvement in my over all sleeping. i'm staying asleep somewhat longer. but it's not something that is dependable. i wouldn't even call it a fifty percent improvement by any means.

it's really not enough of an improvement to even credit the valerian root.

also not attributable to valerian root is my AHI has risen during the same period i've been taking it. that's something i'll track to see if it comes back down or if it warrants me posting sleepyhead graphs. for what it's worth, the AHI in turns is either obstructive or RERA.

still have a weeks worth of "doses" to take to see if anything changes....

week three and i'm starting to get some mild results. i seem to be waking up less often and sleeping a bit deeper. nothing really dramatic.

once done with the bottle in a few days, i'll refrain from buying more and see if there is any impact on my sleep from NOT taking it.

all in all, not as impressed with it as i had hoped.....

Hi,
I saw this thread and felt complelled to respond. I am willing to try herbals and have used several quite sucessfuly.

But when I tried Valarian root, I was plagued by uncomfortable dreams. Not flat out nightmares but the sort of dream where I'm stuck doing something I do not like...and have to do it over and over all night long. I did not feel rested in the morning. So my short experiment with Valarian was a no go.

And regarding quality and standardization...I have read that herbals from German companies have the most rigorous standards and controls. Those Germans do tend to be detail oriented.
CN

CarpeNoctum wrote: ↑

Sun May 06, 2018 10:47 am

...

But when I tried Valarian root, I was plagued by uncomfortable dreams. Not flat out nightmares but the sort of dream where I'm stuck doing something I do not like...and have to do it over and over all night long. I did not feel rested in the morning. So my short experiment with Valarian was a no go...

To me, this sounds like a quality-of-life decision. It might be entirely reasonable, and is certainly yours to take. It's just that...............if you were dreaming at all, suggesting a lot of deep sleep stages, would this not otherwise be a good indicator that the root has a reasonably salutary effect? If sleep is the main problem, and quality paramount, or its duration, it would seem the root did its job for you.

My post was mostly to alert others to the risk of bad dreams secondary to Valarian use. This is a well known problem with Valarian use.

I am an active dreamer and tried Valerian as an alternative to melatonin. So with Valerian I went from normal dreams to what I would call bad dreams but not quite to the level of nightmares. No significant difference in falling and staying asleep...just the bad dreams thrown in. So I switched back to melatonim.
CN

CarpeNoctum wrote: ↑

Sun May 06, 2018 10:47 am

Hi,
I saw this thread and felt complelled to respond. I am willing to try herbals and have used several quite sucessfuly.

But when I tried Valarian root, I was plagued by uncomfortable dreams. Not flat out nightmares but the sort of dream where I'm stuck doing something I do not like...and have to do it over and over all night long. I did not feel rested in the morning. So my short experiment with Valarian was a no go.

And regarding quality and standardization...I have read that herbals from German companies have the most rigorous standards and controls. Those Germans do tend to be detail oriented.
CN

isn't it odd how differently we each can react to something? i didn't get any troublesome dreams from this, thank goodness. that wouldn't be a very good result!

it's just not doing hat i want from it. will be moving on to glycine soon. there is an active thread here on the forum about that and it sounds encouraging.

mesenteria wrote: ↑

Sun May 06, 2018 11:13 am

.if you were dreaming at all, suggesting a lot of deep sleep stages, would this not otherwise be a good indicator that the root has a reasonably salutary effect?

Humans dream in all stages of sleep. If one is sleeping soundly, the dreams are not remembered. So, the fact that the dreams are remembered is not a good sign. The patient awakened long enough to remember the dreams.

mesenteria wrote: ↑

Sun May 06, 2018 11:13 am

CarpeNoctum wrote: ↑

Sun May 06, 2018 10:47 am

But when I tried Valarian root, I was plagued by uncomfortable dreams.

It's just that...............if you were dreaming at all, suggesting a lot of deep sleep stages, would this not otherwise be a good indicator that the root has a reasonably salutary effect? If sleep is the main problem, and quality paramount, or its duration, it would seem the root did its job for you.

No, that is a strong indication of bad sleep.

Remembering your dreams means you were waking up during or right after them, instead of sleeping through them.

Also, "deep" sleep is not where dreams are most prevalent.

ChicagoGranny wrote: ↑

Sun May 06, 2018 12:04 pm

mesenteria wrote: ↑

Sun May 06, 2018 11:13 am

.if you were dreaming at all, suggesting a lot of deep sleep stages, would this not otherwise be a good indicator that the root has a reasonably salutary effect?

Humans dream in all stages of sleep. If one is sleeping soundly, the dreams are not remembered. So, the fact that the dreams are remembered is not a good sign. The patient awakened long enough to remember the dreams.

Yes, the brain is unable to form memories when sleeping, which is why people who sleep well talk about having a 'deep dreamless sleep', they're dreaming, they just don't *remember* it.