Life these days can be overwhelming at times, which can make us feel anxious, stressed out, and exhausted. These can all harm our bodies and minds, causing certain mental and physical sickness like depression, heart conditions, and insomnia. Insomnia, however, can be the most detrimental to our well being in the shortest amount of time, because sleep is one of, if not the most important things to the human life cycle.

Many people these days are opting to stray away from pharmaceuticals due to the slew of side effects they can cause, and lucky for them, there are many natural remedies for insomnia on the market. One such natural remedy is called Valerian root, which has been used for some time as an aid to insomniacs. It is not 100% understood how Valerian actually works in the body, although scientists surmise that, like prescription sleeping pills, increases amounts of the calming neurotransmitter GABA in the brain. It usually takes two to three weeks to start working, and scientific studies, while promising, are still not incredibly supportive of its efficacy.

Another natural remedy for insomnia, which is most commonly used by those with jet lag, is a chemical that naturally occurs in the brain, Melatonin. Melatonin occurs naturally in the brain, where the pineal gland converts it from serotonin as light exposure lessens in the evening. It is usually ingested half an hour to an hour before bed, but doctors warn that those with autoimmune disease, schizophrenia, and depression should avoid use, due to a lack of knowledge of the possible side effects.

Relaxation techniques, in conjunction with supplements like valerian or melatonin, often prove quite effective in aiding those with insomnia. These techniques include, but aren’t limited to, progressive muscle relaxation, yoga, meditation, and visualization. In visualization, you close your eyes and actually picture yourself falling asleep or deeply relaxing, much like meditation, where the eyes are closed and you focus on your breath, the ‘energy’ inside your body, or a mantra for a period of time. Yoga combines meditation and deep breathing with stretching, which has been found extremely effective in helping people fall asleep faster and sleep longer. Progressive muscle relaxation entails tensing and relaxing the muscles, beginning in the legs and moving to the upper extremities.

There are many more natural remedies for insomnia these days than just the ones described above. Valerian root, Melatonin supplements, and Yoga are a great place to start if you don’t feel like prescription drugs or just want to complement the ones you already are taking. So take control, don’t wait any longer and let insomnia damage your sense of well being and quality of life, try curing it, the natural way.