valerian root and sleep quality

i just did a sort of half-assed search here re: valerian root. seems from what i saw that people were talking about how it can help them get to sleep.

that's not my concern. falling asleep has never been an issue for me with cpap. the problem for me
is waking many times during the night.

those of you who use it? do you find that once you've taken it, it helps you stay asleep during the night?

Tidbit - keep it out of the reach of cats - they go bezonkers ( ) over it! Must be the catnip family or something.

I haven't used it, but I was thinking about it for the same reasons you are, not to fall asleep, but to stay asleep. I literally have a bottle of it that I'm on the fence about trying. I'll be following this post

Molly, why not just try it once?

I have used it before, I do feel it helped me stay asleep but ymmv

. . . its effectiveness has not been demonstrated with quantitative or objective measurements. -- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20347389

One mixture containing it sure seems to help the rodents, though . . .

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/a ... 221735758X

Julie wrote: ↑

Thu Apr 05, 2018 3:07 am

Molly, why not just try it once?

I may try it, I just have never liked sleeping pills, makes me feel heavy, like I'm not in control of my body. I'm nervous that valerian root would make me feel the same.

MoodyMolly wrote: ↑

Thu Apr 05, 2018 9:16 am

Julie wrote: ↑

Thu Apr 05, 2018 3:07 am

Molly, why not just try it once?

I may try it, I just have never liked sleeping pills, makes me feel heavy, like I'm not in control of my body. I'm nervous that valerian root would make me feel the same.

"Trying it once" is unlikely to tell you diddly; you likely would need to be "on" it awhile before you know whether you "respond" to it. (Other than placebo response.) And it isn't without dangers, of course, just as is the case with any medication/treatment/herb.

The Mayo dude Brent A. Bauer, M.D. wrote:Valerian seems to be most effective after you take it regularly for two or more weeks. . . . It's not clear what dose is most effective. . . . Side effects such as headache, dizziness, stomach problems or sleeplessness may occur. . . . If you have liver disease, avoid taking valerian. . . . Avoid driving or operating dangerous machinery after taking it. . . . Valerian . . . increases the sedative effect of depressants, such as alcohol, benzodiazepines and narcotics. Valerian can interfere with some prescription medications. And it may interact with other dietary supplements, such as St. John's wort. . . . You can't always be certain of what you're getting and whether it's safe. . . . Natural doesn't always mean safe. . . . If you're thinking of taking valerian, check with your doctor to make sure it won't interact with other medications or supplements you're taking and that it's safe to take with any health or medical conditions you have. -- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-con ... q-20057875

Julie wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 04, 2018 9:02 pm

Tidbit - keep it out of the reach of cats - they go bezonkers ( ) over it! Must be the catnip family or something.

yes, i see what you did there!

no cats in our house, so i won't be accused of contributing to the delinquency of a feline!

MamaGord wrote: ↑

Thu Apr 05, 2018 6:19 am

I have used it before, I do feel it helped me stay asleep but ymmv

via supplements or tea? i'd definitely want the supplements as i don't care much for tea.

did you have any side effects?

MoodyMolly wrote: ↑

Thu Apr 05, 2018 9:16 am

Julie wrote: ↑

Thu Apr 05, 2018 3:07 am

Molly, why not just try it once?

I may try it, I just have never liked sleeping pills, makes me feel heavy, like I'm not in control of my body. I'm nervous that valerian root would make me feel the same.

i've never tried sleeping pills, myself. always scared of them!

thanks, jeff, for the link. i'll certainly do up some googling before i pull the trigger on valerian.

part of what you posted caught my eye. i wouldn't have thought to consult my doc on possible conflicts (or whatever that's called!) when taking it with other supplements.

meanwhile, still hoping to hear from others who have taken it.

I have taken it, for about a year. But it was right after starting PAP therapy. I took it to deal with some temporary anxiety issues that occurred when CPAP rendered all the panic-juice that my body had been making (to wake me up at night to breathe after long apneas) unnecessary. The substance changed nothing noticeable about my sleep; it was to help with how I felt during the day as my body adjusted to the benefits of PAP therapy.

Pros? It had a very, very mild sedating effect for me. It just barely took the edge off. It was subtle enough to be tolerable for me and didn't have side-effects for me that I noticed.

Cons? It stank. I had to put it in a barrier inside a second barrier or I could smell it as soon as I entered my apartment. For some reason, I was very sensitive to the smell of it. Hey, just me.

But the bottom line for sleep is that attempts have been made to document some benefits to sleep initiation and the maintenance of sleep, and none of any real significance has been found, scientifically speaking. So I tend to file it under "grasping at straws" when it comes to helping sleep.

The following summary (practice-guideline-type) info is not in its final form, but it is from people I highly respect for clinical recommendations. It is worthy of careful review, in my opinion.

Some AASM-respected medical dudes wrote:"The task force judged the harms to be roughly equal to the benefits. Based on its clinical judgement, the task force determined that, given the lack of efficacy for valerian (with the possible exception of small improvements in SL [sleep latency]) and the limited information regarding harms, the majority of patients would not be likely to use valerian compared to no treatment." -- https://aasm.org/resources/pdf/insomnia ... -draft.pdf

I hope no one lets my posts stop them from posting their personal experiences with it, though. I still believe in the merits of the anecdotal.

My husband and I are both having issues staying asleep and he got some Valerian Root/Melatonin combo pills (they have other stuff too). I call them sh*t pills because they are brown and smell just like it. We both tried. He thinks they help him (I don't see that they do) and I don't find any benefit for me. It's worth a try as your mileage may vary.

Supplements are poorly regulated ( http://www.businessinsider.com/suppleme ... lth-2017-8 ). One study found wide discrepancies between the label and what was in the capsule. Even from individual manufacturers, there were big inconsistencies from batch to batch. Cross-contamination is also a problem.

You never know what you are taking.