Valerian - Update, will make you a morning person!

[IndelibleDotInk]

Update: LIFE CHANGER

Anyone take valerian root, esp. for sleep and/or anxiety? Someone posted in General that they take it with kratom, wondering how it is by itself or with my regular stack of night meds (atorvastatin, mushroom extract, bioastin, clozapine).

Update: really having great sleep with an early refreshing wake up, not a morning person, but I could be if this keeps me feeling like this. Sometimes I wake up feeling superb, but decide on sleeping half an hour more for some extra sleepy goodness, not that type where you know the alarm is gonna ring in a few minutes and dreading it and barely falling asleep and feeling worse for it, it's like an extra treat power nap, lol.

[Transformato]

Valarian was one of the first herbs / extracts I used decades ago. I've used it a few times but not recently. My experience:

As the natural model that gave rise to valium, it's quite similar. Thing is, the way herbs are marketed in the US- it's "for..." (always some common or recently publicised / discussed problem so the product will sell.) In my experience, it was not ideal for insomnia. It could help me get to sleep but not stay that way. It's relaxing. As I recall it's like a release with no brain fog. If tension is what gets in the way of sleep then it can help with that but there was a problem, for me anyway... It didn't actually make me drowsy or if it did, only at first. Almost to the minute I would wake up four hours after falling asleep, unable to get back to sleep. I felt kind of refreshed but I'd stop short of saying that the four hours somehow made up for the other four that I needed and was losing some or all of, depending on if I could get back to sleep later. I remember being very frustrated. Also getting some work done, since I was fully awake, probably more lucid than I'd felt the entire day before. I still suffered from some sleep depravation later into the following day.

I tried it in formulas that included skull cap, chamomile, etc,.. Same thing. No idea how that might mix with clozapine.

That's the lasting impression I had. I think it's useful but you just have to experiment and find out how it can benefit you without significant compromise. That was a long time ago so maybe it's changed.... Like most herbs, it works better in combination with others.

[Truth Quest]

I use it occasionally at night. It helps me stay asleep longer than other natural supplements, but it's on the gentle side. It doesn't get rid of heavy anxiety for me, but it does help me feel sleepy unless I've used it for several days in a row. One time I accidentally grabbed my Valerian root instead of one of my daytime supplements and took double what I would normally take at night. That was an ominous realization on a day I needed to be productive, ha. It did make me feel more sleepy than I would like first thing in the morning, but surprisingly I wasn't wanting a nap all day. So, it's a help, but isn't dramatic for me. I don't have much experience stacking it.

[herbalhippie]

My only experience with valerian is giving it to cats. If you have a cat, do both yourselves a favor and give it some.

[brave777]

Side note, if you take to much. You will over sleep and be very tired with puffy eyes like some one just punched a boxing bag.

[Rickarilla]

I have some. I don't take it often. I have bad insomnia and it doesn't help me. It does help me get tired and relaxed but I still toss and turn for hours. It also smells terrible.

[chariotsoul]

Me and my partner take valerian at night for sleep and overall relaxation. It really helps my partner with sleep, although they don’t suffer from insomnia per say. It’s one of their favorite botanicals! I find it makes me very relaxed and I am able to fall asleep easier overall. I noticed that while it doesn’t make me sleep longer, it did create a much deeper state of sleep. So IME I would say valerian helps with quality, not necessarily quantity, of sleep. In terms of anxiety, its relief is subtle and mild (mixed with Kratom this feeling becomes more pronounced). There’s a definite afterglow of “calm” for me which is part of why I take it at night. I enjoy the anti-anxiety effects that linger the next morning at work. With valerian in my nightly routine I consistently feel less stressed and operate from a more grounded perspective.

[IndelibleDotInk]

Found it to help with sleep, wake up early feeling refreshed, no dragginess.

Smells like a zoo, but easy to not sniff it when taking the capsule.

Totally recommend, it's been a long time since I wake up feeling like this.

[MikeEdoessomething]

Found it to help with sleep, wake up early feeling refreshed, no dragginess.

Smells like a zoo, but easy to not sniff it when taking the capsule.

Totally recommend, it's been a long time since I wake up feeling like this.

This sounds like something I need to try! Mind sharing a link as to where you bought yours/what brand you use? Thanks. I would give anything to wake up without still feeling exhausted

[IndelibleDotInk]

Found it to help with sleep, wake up early feeling refreshed, no dragginess.

Smells like a zoo, but easy to not sniff it when taking the capsule.

Totally recommend, it's been a long time since I wake up feeling like this.

This sounds like something I need to try! Mind sharing a link as to where you bought yours/what brand you use? Thanks. I would give anything to wake up without still feeling exhausted

Amazon, toniiq brand. Toniiq will give you a free bottle too, instructions on the sticker on top of the jar.

[DittonW]

Smells like a zoo, but easy to not sniff it when taking the capsule.

I think it smells like dirty socks

[IndelibleDotInk]

Still taking 325mg Valerian root 4:1 extract, equals 1300mg Valerian root nightly. Good quality sleep, wake refreshed even when early (ie. Mom's cat waking me up for food at 6am), can easily stay up and get going, or go back to restful sleep until later.

[e_poison]

Nothing will ever make me a morning person. I've always been, and always will be, a night owl.

There's just something I love about being awake when everyone else is asleep. 3am grocery shopping. Being able to super focus on work. Quiet drives on empty roads. Everything is silent. No lawn mowers, people chattering, loud music and other daily noises. I feel like I have the world to myself.

[Sanbutsushin]

Nothing will ever make me a morning person. I've always been, and always will be, a night owl.

There's just something I love about being awake when everyone else is asleep. 3am grocery shopping. Being able to super focus on work. Quiet drives on empty roads. Everything is silent. No lawn mowers, people chattering, loud music and other daily noises. I feel like I have the world to myself.

I love those things too. I've been trying to force my schedule to align with my husband's, going to sleep at eleven PM at the latest and waking up at eight or nine, but it's difficult. Even with sleep meds I just can't seem to get tired until at least one in the morning. And it's so nice to be the only one awake! It really does feel like having the world to yourself.

That said, if not for the med interactions I'd be trying Valerian for sure.

[IndelibleDotInk]

Grocery shopping at those hours IS nice if you don't have to wait for a cashier, gotta admit it.

[StringThing]

Still taking 325mg Valerian root 4:1 extract, equals 1300mg Valerian root nightly. Good quality sleep, wake refreshed even when early (ie. Mom's cat waking me up for food at 6am), can easily stay up and get going, or go back to restful sleep until later.

Good to hear its STILL working for you so well.

I personally feel its more of a muscle relaxant than benzos. It's SO good in a hot bath.

[Thayden102]

Still taking 325mg Valerian root 4:1 extract, equals 1300mg Valerian root nightly. Good quality sleep, wake refreshed even when early (ie. Mom's cat waking me up for food at 6am), can easily stay up and get going, or go back to restful sleep until later.

Is this what you take?

[IndelibleDotInk]

Still taking 325mg Valerian root 4:1 extract, equals 1300mg Valerian root nightly. Good quality sleep, wake refreshed even when early (ie. Mom's cat waking me up for food at 6am), can easily stay up and get going, or go back to restful sleep until later.

Is this what you take?

yes, and comes with a sticker to get a second bottle free.

[Thayden102]

Awesome, thanks! I'll order some now. Happy I came across your post. Know much about Maca?