There are many over-the-counter and natural options out there for helping you sleep. You may already have your favorite but want to try something else. Or maybe you have never thought about trying something natural to help you get more restful sleep. Homeopathy can be a great option for this!
Why avoid over-the-counter sleep aids?
The main reason I would want to avoid a conventional sleep aid is because of the risk of dependence. Anything that requires you to keep taking more in order for it to keep working is not actually helping you, it’s just keeping you out of balance. Sleep aids can also cause unwanted side effects, such as drowsiness or the inability to fully wake up. A sign of good health is waking up feeling refreshed, and that’s hard to do if you don’t sleep well or if you have a “drugged” feeling from medication.
The idea behind using a homeopathic remedy is to encourage your body to balance itself so you can find relief in the short-term and help your body maintain that balance for the long-term. Note: you may use homeopathy while taking or weaning off of other sleep medications, whether synthetic or natural. Follow your physician’s guidance if you are on prescription medication.
When dosing homeopathic remedies for sleep issues, I like to stick to a 6C. Try taking one dose about a half hour before bed or even once in the morning and once before bed. The remedy will not cause drowsiness during the day, but it will help your body adjust throughout your day to prepare for better sleep at night. Let’s explore some homeopathic options.
What are symptoms to look out for?
Remember, in homeopathy we do not need a diagnosis in order to pick a remedy. Sometimes the diagnosis can help you pick a remedy quicker, but sometimes it doesn’t matter! It is quite easy to self-diagnose insomnia or sleeplessness, but if un-diagnosed underlying issues are present, the sleep remedies may not be enough for the long-term. Keep this in mind if the remedy helps for a while and then stops working – you may have deeper issues that need to be addressed. Since that is outside of the scope of this particular post, let’s move on!
If you are choosing a single remedy (which is typically more effective than combination remedies), ask yourself these questions:
- Is insomnia a regular occurrence or is it related to a specific event?
- What is keeping me awake: anxiety, racing mind, physical restlessness?
- Does anything help you sleep?
- What triggers the insmonia?
Single Remedies
This is not meant to be a post of differentials (a differentials list is for the purpose of picking a remedy from many different options), but, rather, this is a springboard for further investigation. I encourage you to get a good book to study the differences in remedies so you can choose the best one for your situation.
A list of example remedies follows below. Pick and use one remedy at a time. For help sleeping, I like to start with a low potency (as stated above – 6C, 9C, or 12C). You can take up to twice a day or when you feel stressed and know sleep will be hard. Just remember to quit taking the remedy once you’re sleeping well again!
If you have the choice when ordering, my favorites are 2-drams with #30 pellets.
- Coffea is a great option to start with or if you can’t sleep due to illness
- Gelsemium when anticipation of the next day’s events prevent sleep
- Argen nit when too much sugar keeps you awake
- Ignatia when grief is keeping you from restfully sleeping
- Sulphur if you are so engrossed in a project you “forget” to sleep
- Passiflora when you sleep fine but it feels like you haven’t slept for days
Combination Remedies
If you’re new to homeopathy or just want to have a simpler option on hand, combination remedies can be effective as well! Try one of these to help with bouts of insomnia:
- Baby Calming Tablets {affiliate link} – Adults and kids aren’t the only ones who can have a hard time sleeping. Sometimes babies just won’t settle down and this can help. These tablets are a great option to help calm tummy issues too!
- Insomnia from WHP {affiliate link} – a great option to reach for when you don’t want to work through picking a single remedy
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