The Better Sleep Remedy You Can Drink Tonight

As a clinical herbalist, I find insomnia to be incredibly responsive to herbs. But it's important to remember that they often stop working if you never address the underlying cause—such as stress or poor sleep hygiene—especially in severe or longstanding insomnia problems.

Be diligent, and be sure to incorporate nonherbal lifestyle changes at the same time. Not every sleep herb works for everyone. So if you notice no improvement after one to two weeks on an herbal formula, try different herbs or discuss with a practitioner or herbalist. Here are a few main factors to keep in mind:

Diet: In general, eat a quality diet that promotes balanced blood sugar, limits stimulants, and avoids late-night meals and snacking. Consider therapeutic foods like tart cherry juice or warm milk with honey, or a pinch of nutmeg in your recipes.

Lifestyle: Find a good sleep ritual and minimize stimulation before bedtime. Address any stress factors. And use the sleep tips below.

Stress is a major factor in most cases of insomnia. Sedative herbs at night or stress-relieving herbs during the day can help, but also try to reduce the stressors directly. Maybe you need to back out of stressful situations (bad job or relationship, not saying no when you should) or schedule more R&R time for yourself.

Stimulants of various sorts can make you restless and more apt to wake up.

Caffeine: Coffee, chocolate, yerba maté, soda, and tea are obvious late-night no-nos, but you may be surprised by the effect that morning drink has. Cut down slowly (to avoid withdrawal headaches) to see if sleep improves.

Medications, herbs, and supplements: Even if they don’t contain caffeine, many remedies can cause restlessness, especially if you take them later in the day. This could include B vitamins, stimulant adaptogens, blood pressure medications, antidepressants, dementia medications, antihistamines, glucosamine and chondroitin, and statins. Try switching herbs and supplements or avoid late doses. Talk with your doctor if you suspect medications are the cause; ask if you can try a different medication or change your dose time.

Alcohol: Booze may initially sedate but ultimately makes you restless and prevents restful deep sleep.

Light—especially artificial light from TVs, smartphones, tablets, and indoor lighting—messes with the circadian rhythm that governs when you’re asleep and awake. Avoid all electronics an hour or so before bedtime, and dim the lights. Keep your bedroom tech-free, and hang curtains or use an eye mask so that you sleep in total darkness. Earplugs help if it’s noisy.

Parents of young children know that consistency and ritual make all the difference. Now that you’ve unplugged, get ready for bed and get comfy!

This potent yet tasty sedative tea can be used for all ages, adjusting the dose as needed. You can take it as a daytime anti-anxiety tea, but it may make you sleepy. Using more lemon balm and less passionflower and skullcap will make it less sedating.

Combine the herbs. Pour 4 to 6 ounces of near-boiling water over the herbs and let steep, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes. Strain, then sweeten to taste with honey, if desired.