What are the Best Sleep Aids for the Elderly?

Melatonin is more than just a natural sleep aid: it’s a hormone that’s naturally found inside your body, produced by your pineal gland. When your melatonin levels are high, you find it easier to fall asleep. It’s not directly responsible for your sleepiness, but it lets your body know that it’s time for bed. Elderly people take melatonin supplements because it can help with insomnia, although it’s also a common remedy for people who suffer from jet lag. Another benefit of melatonin is the fact that it acts as an antioxidant as well.

As nighttime approaches, the melatonin levels in your body start to rise, working together with your body’s circadian rhythm (call it the body’s internal clock, if you will) to let you know it’s bedtime. The reason why it’s recommended for you not to stay exposed to light before going to bed is that high levels of light suppress the production of melatonin and indicate that it’s time to wake up, rather than go to bed. Intuitively, just as high melatonin levels help you fall asleep, low melatonin levels will cause you to struggle when trying to snooze.

Aside from the sleeping benefits, melatonin also has a number of other properties that can help treat other health-related problems. Because of its antioxidant properties, melatonin can help in treating heartburn and stomach ulcers. Since it acts as a natural sleeping aid, it’s also considered to be a booster for hormone growth in younger men.

When taking melatonin supplements, it’s always important to start off with smaller doses (like 0.5 mg half an hour before going to bed) and increase them if you notice they’re not helping you fall asleep (but don’t take more than 5 mg at once). Beyond this point, it’s unlikely that a higher dose of melatonin will actually help you fall asleep faster. Most supplements have their own set of instructions on how to administer the product, so make sure you pay attention to whatever is written on the recipient.

Valerian herbal supplements have been around for quite some time, as people have used valerian as a natural sleep aid, but also as a method to reduce anxiety and stress levels. The use of valerian as a natural remedy has been around since the times of Romans and Greeks, who use to make medicinal tea out of valerian. Today, the plant is part of dietary pills, anxiety remedies, and tea bags that, once brewed, can induce a natural state of sleepiness.

How exactly does that work? Valerian stimulates the brain’s GABA receptor, which is a neuro-gateway for chemicals that induce sleep. However, there isn’t any precise scientific information that explains how exactly valerian affects our neurological path. Yet, it is considered to be one of the best, if not THE best natural sleep aid. Other inconclusive studies have shown that valerian was able to improve the sleep latency and quality of people who suffered from mild insomnia. This manifests itself in various forms: difficulty in falling asleep, waking up in the middle of the night, disruption in the natural sleep cycle or the inability to return to sleep. Valerian reduces sleep latency, but the evidence so far has shown that it could take up to four weeks of use before there are any noticeable effects.

But even natural sleep aids can produce a series of side effect. When used for a short period of time, valerian is not at all threatening to the organism. It should be avoided by people who are allergic to it. Sometimes, it can lead to having an upset stomach, nausea, heart disturbances or even headaches. Higher doses of valerian can lead to fatigue the next day and, in some cases, it leads to dry mouth and vivid dreams.

The beautiful daisy flower is good for more than just a soothing cup of tea: it can relax both the body and the mind and induce that calm state that will slowly send you off to dreamland. There are two main types of chamomile: German and Roman. The former is considered to be more effective than the other, and it is frequently used in several forms for human consumption. Chamomile tea has been consumed to relax the body for quite some time now. Since it acts like a mild sedative, it’s also a good remedy for menstrual cramp pain. Because of this effect, people also tend to believe that it can help reduce anxiety levels, although there aren’t any scientific studies to back up this claim.

Chamomile tea is also used to help reduce gas or prevent seasickness. Some people like to drink it when they have an upset stomach, while others have high faith that it can reduce colic pains in babies. One thing’s for sure: aside from being a good natural sleep aid, chamomile tea is also a good remedy for cold, as it can reduce nasal passage inflammation and mucus accumulation, which also makes it a viable treatment for those who suffer from allergies.

Just like with other natural sleep aid, chamomile can also produce a series of side effects. While they are not likely to occur, it’s always important to remember that elderly people have more sensitive organisms and health issues that could increase the odds of these side effects to occur.

Chamomile tea can sometimes cause swelling in the throat, as well as shortness of breath and allergic reactions. It’s important to note that if you are allergic to other plants in the daisy family, there are chances of you being allergic to chamomile as well.

Having a balanced intake of minerals is not only going to help you sleep better, but it gives the organism all the necessary tools to build a healthier body. Magnesium is one of those minerals which is essential for staying healthy. It’s commonly found in our red blood cells, as well as our serum. It can help lower blood pressure, while also improving sleep quality. Magnesium interacts with our melatonin levels, helping out body tune it down as sleep hours approach. Melatonin and magnesium levels seem to be correlated, so scientist have concluded that magnesium is also related to our body’s circadian rhythm.

When you have a magnesium deficiency, the body is more likely to push you through episodes of insomnia. On the other hand, it is also possible to suffer from sleep disorders if your body has too much magnesium. As with everything else, balance is crucial. Finding the right amount of magnesium for your body not only helps you fall asleep faster, but it also improves the quality of your sleep. Taking a daily dose of magnesium can help you bring balance to your nervous system, which reduces the levels of stress and irritability. Because you can get a healthy dose of magnesium just by eating the right food, there aren’t very specific dosage guidelines for magnesium as a sleep aid.

According to information given by the Food and Nutrition Board, men and women need different doses of magnesium to keep their levels balanced. However, if you plan to use magnesium as a sleep aid, you should take about one or two hours before going to bed. Nausea or diarrhea are some of the side effects caused by magnesium. It’s recommended not to take magnesium on an empty stomach and always check with your doctor to see if there are any interaction between magnesium and some other medication you might be taking.