First, we will take a short detour. Did you know that there is a science fiction film entitled “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets?” Luc Besson directed the film.

The film is based on the French science fiction comics series “Valérian and Laureline” by Pierre Christin and Jean-Claude Mézières.

The story follows two space agents, Valerian and Laureline, traveling through time and space to protect the universe’s peace.

People commonly use valerian for sleep disorders such as insomnia. Some use it for stress or other conditions. But is there scientific evidence supporting these uses?

This article discusses everything you need to know about valerian, including what conditions it may help, its safety, and how to take it.

What is Valerian?

Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) is an herb native to Europe and Asia. People have long used valerian root as a sedative.

The use of valerian dates back to the ancient Greeks and Romans.

Did you know that valerian can grow to over six feet tall? It also has a strong odor.

Valerian’s Effects on the Body

It is not clear how valerian affects the body. There is some evidence that its activity is linked to the independent and synergistic actions of plant compounds, such as the following:

• lignans
• valepotriates
• monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, and carboxylic compounds
• flavonoids
• low levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)

Valerian and GABA Chemical Messengers

Certain compounds in valerian, including valerenol and valerenic acid, can influence the body’s GABA receptors. The chemical messenger GABA helps regulate nerve impulses.

The neurotransmitter GABA is involved in sleep regulation. As GABA becomes more available in your body, you become more sedate.

Valerenol and valerenic acid can modulate GABA receptors. This change increases the central nervous system’s availability of the neurotransmitter. In addition, valerenic acid inhibits a GABA-destroying enzyme.

Valerian compounds can also interact with other neurotransmitter receptors, including those for adenosine and serotonin. These chemicals help with sleep and mood regulation.

In summary, valerian has several compounds that may promote calmness by making GABA more available. Valerian compounds may also interact with receptors associated with mood and sleep.

Valerian Promotes Sleep

Many use valerian for sleep disorders, including insomnia. I have heard valerian referred to as “nature’s valium.”

First, valerian root may reduce the time you need to fall asleep. Second, valerian may improve your sleep quality. Finally, the substance may increase your sleep quantity.

Here’s some proof:

A 2020 review of 60 studies led to this conclusion: Valerian valerian could be a safe and effective treatment to promote sleep and prevent associated disorders.

A 2017 randomized study of 120 subjects with sleep disturbances found that those taking a pill known as vagonette (with (valerian, hops, and Jujube) fell asleep faster, slept longer, and had fewer nighttime awakenings than a placebo.

Finally, a 2011 study examined the effects of valerian extract in 100 postmenopausal women with insomnia. Researchers discovered this:

Those consuming 530 milligrams of valerian extract (twice daily for four weeks) had better sleep quality than those in a placebo group.

While 30 percent of those taking valerian had sleep improvements, only four percent of those in the placebo group got better.

Not So Fast

However, not all research investigations have found that valerian provides sleep benefits.

For example, a study of 227 individuals with cancer treatment showed no sleep improvements associated with valerian (450 milligrams one hour before bedtime for eight weeks).

On the other hand, valerian appeared to be associated with improvements in fatigue.

In conclusion, while valerian may improve sleep in some people, we need more research before making firm conclusions about its efficacy.

Valerian Side Effects

Healthline asserts that “valerian is considered safe for most people when used at the recommended doses.”

A 2020 review of 60 studies concluded that Valerian valerian could be a safe and effective treatment to promote sleep and prevent associated disorders.

• headaches
• dizziness
• weakness
• stomach issues (for example, diarrhea and stomach ache)
• vivid dreams
• a metallic taste in the mouth
• fatigue

Rarely, liver injury can occur when valerian is combined with other herbs (for instance, black cohosh and skullcap), so it is unclear if valerian caused the toxicity.

Individuals that should not take valerian include children, teens, and pregnant or breastfeeding women.

Finally, valerian can interact with some medications. Examples include ones metabolized by the CYP3A4 enzyme, including certain antibiotics and cyclosporine.

Summary — Valerian Chronicles: Sleeping Beauty or Myth?

While valerian is rarely toxic, the evidence regarding its efficacy for sleep promotion is mixed.

If you consider adding valerian (or other herbal supplements) to your routine, please consult a healthcare professional first.

Finally, start learning about your sleep issues. Could the problem be diet? Stress? Some underlying medical condition?

Understanding why your sleep is suboptimal may take investigation and time, but getting to the root causes should help you optimize management.

Several factors influence sleep, so there may be better approaches than a supplement such as valerian. Have you found success with valerian or other natural sleep supplements?

The post Valerian Chronicles: Sleeping Beauty or Myth? appeared first on Medika Life.

Perhaps not. A new study demonstrates the benefits of co-sleeping: Less severe insomnia, lower levels of fatigue, and more sleep time.

Let’s take a look at this new eye-opening research investigation.

Sleeping with a partner

“One of the keys to a successful marriage is separate bathrooms. When he enters my bathroom sometimes I’m like, ‘Why are you in here?’ And he’s like, ‘I live here. Can I enjoy my bathroom, too?’” — Michelle Obama

In their new study, “Bed Sharing Versus Sleeping Alone Associated with Sleep Health and Mental Health,” researchers from the University of Arizona (USA) explored whether sharing a bed was associated with sleep duration and quality and mental health factors.

Scientists used data from 1,007 working-age adults in southeastern Pennsylvania (USA). The researchers assessed bed-sharing with survey items assessing frequency in the past month of sharing a bed with a partner, child, pet, other family members, or nobody (sleeping alone).

They also looked at health indicators such as the Insomnia Severity Index, Brief Index of Sleep Control, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, Fatigue Severity Scale, STOP-BANG apnea score, sleep duration, sleep latency, and wake after sleep onset.

The researchers also evaluated mental health, overall life satisfaction, and relationship satisfaction. Co-variables included age, sex, race/ethnicity, income, and education.

Sleeping alone or with others: Study results

Here are the overall conclusions of the study authors:

Sleeping with a partner/spouse is associated with better sleep quality and mental health overall. On the other hand, sleeping with a child appears to be associated with worse sleep.

Let’s look in a bit more detail at the findings:

• Adult partner. Sleeping with an adult partner is associated with falling asleep faster, staying asleep longer, and having less sleep apnea.
• Child. Sleeping with a child appeared to be associated with higher odds of sleep apnea, more severe insomnia, and less control over their sleep.
• Alone. Sleeping alone appeared associated with indicators of depression and lower social support and life and relationship satisfaction.

The study authors speculate that safety or socialization may be at the root of the findings. Throughout most of history, for example, humans tended to sleep in groups around a fire. It may be that people feel safer when another adult is in bed.

The findings are contrary to those from a lab setting that discovered people sleeping together had more shallow slumber and that a partner’s movements tended to cause brain arousal.

Sleeping alone or with others: My take

Perhaps sleeping in a room together (but not the same bed) might be even better? For those with space and resources, do twin beds in a single room work even better than a single larger bed for two? I look forward to learning more in the future.

Oh, one more thing — please go here for some tips from Sleep Foundation on sleeping better:

Sleep Foundation | Trusted Sleep Health Information and Product Reviews Latest Articles Medically Reviewed by Dr. Anis Rehman Learn what may be causing your excessive sleepiness. It could be…www.sleepfoundation.org.

The post Sleep With a Partner for More Restful Sleep: Yes or No? appeared first on Medika Life.

During the day, the young man carefully monitored his meals, counted his calories, looked at how he could make substitutions for items, read menus with a vengeance, and prepared himself to hit the scale the following day.

The battle of the bulge for him had been going on since his early 20s, and he had seen experts in weight control who had put him in group therapy and provided individual therapy to explore why he didn’t seem able to lose weight. The bottom line for him was that no one believed him.

No matter what he said or how carefully he monitored his food intake and maintained an exercise regimen, they all looked at him as though he were secretly sneaking high-calorie foods. If anyone looked at the calorie counters he kept during the day and perused the meals he claimed he had eaten that day and any soft drink he had had, they all concluded that he wasn’t telling the truth.

The grilling went on as they believed he was resistant to revealing what he was secretly doing and which they knew he had to be doing because he never seemed to lose weight. It appeared that he was gaining weight each month.

One behavioral therapist had a moment of incredible insight. When he got up in the morning, she asked if he noticed anything odd in his bedroom, his kitchen, or his living room. What a strange question, he thought.

Now she thinks I don’t know how to keep my apartment neat and clean, in addition to being someone who can’t control their appetite?

When he inspected his home as she had suggested, he went into the kitchen the following day. He discovered a high-calorie dessert half-eaten on the table, and a half-eaten sandwich near the refrigerator. Sure, he’d seen some of this before, but he thought nothing of it and cleaned the mess up.

Of course, he knew he shouldn’t have these things in the house or any other high-calorie drinks or food around, but he kept them to test his resolve to maintain his diet. He went back to the therapist and told her what he had discovered. He brought photographs he had taken so that she could share the information that he had.

A Strange Diagnosis

The diagnosis was clear, and to whom did she refer him? Writing on a notepad, she gave him the name of a sleep medicine physician because it appeared that he had what is known as a sleep-related eating disorder (SRED).

The man wasn’t alone in this unusual sleep disorder because the therapist had heard of other men and women who found themselves, after they had gone to sleep, in extraordinary situations where they were eating entire loaves of bread and stuffing their mouths full.

One man awakened to find himself sitting in his bed with a large bowl of cereal and ice cream, which he was gorging on even though he was asleep. Fortunately, it awakened him, and he began to wonder why he, too, was having a problem maintaining a healthy weight.

Some individuals with this unusual sleep disorder can find themselves in hazardous situations where they begin trying to prepare foods on the stove or in the microwave and may go back to bed after eating and leave the stove on.

All of these people experienced what is known as a parasomnia, in which they have no recollection of what they did while they were asleep. Typically, we might hear about people sleepwalking, also known as somnambulism, another highly dangerous activity. Still, not enough people or enough individuals in the healthcare field know about sleep-related eating disorders.

The literature points to the disorder being more prevalent in women, and 66 to 75% of those with SRED are females who develop the condition in their 20s.

The Evidence Is There

One of the problems with diagnosing sleep and eating disorder (ED) is the lack of literature available to professionals. The paucity of research publications on sleep-related eating disorder (SRED) is curious since researchers know two main drives in our lives are eating and sleeping. Wouldn’t that seem to indicate that these two areas should receive more attention, especially when they are combined in a disorder such as sleep-related eating disorder, but that’s not the case.

Research points to the fact that persons with eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder, also have additional problems. Up to 57% of those with eating disorders also show disorganized sleep patterns and an inability to maintain or initiate sleep.

And the combination of disrupted eating and sleeping can have serious consequences. EDs are associated with significantly higher mortality rates than other DSM-5 diagnoses ranging from 5 to 6%.

Another related condition, known as nocturnal eating syndrome (NES), is the disorder where the person wakes up during the night and needs to eat something to get back to sleep. The difference between this disorder and SRED is that the person is wide awake and knows they are eating while the SRED person eats and has no memory of it.

One question currently needing additional attention when there is problematic weight gain with accompanying futility related to dieting may be the consideration of a sleep-eating-related situation. How often have persons manifesting obesity been referred for a sleep study?

We know there is a strong association between sleep disorders and individuals having an accompanying problem maintaining weight. Once we note the relationship between these two exists in the individual, would it seem reasonable to continue psychotherapy for unconscious conflict or some other psychological disorder? Wouldn’t it seem appropriate for a referral?

Possible Causes of SRED

Even though there is a relationship between sleep disorders and eating while sleeping, there doesn’t appear to be one specific cause for this disorder. There is evidence that specific sleep-related medications for insomnia may cause this type of behavior, as can medications for various other problems, including restless legs syndrome, obstructive sleep apnea, narcolepsy, and periodic limb movement disorder. Stress may also have a role in this disorder, and that, too, must be investigated.

The patient’s symptoms include waking up with little or no memory of eating, weight gain, not feeling hungry in the morning, or feeling fatigued during the day.

Once the person has been assessed at a sleep laboratory, a treatment plan can be prescribed, and the appropriate healthcare personnel will become involved.

Patients need to be honest with themselves regarding any weight difficulties they are experiencing and are advised not to jump to the conclusion that it must be a sleep disorder. It might be a sleep disturbance that adds to daytime issues, but not necessarily SRED.

The post Asleep and Stuffing Food Into Your Mouth with No Memory of It appeared first on Medika Life.

How should we deal with this challenging sleep deprivation that leads to sleep debt? We know that sleep debt carries with it a heavy price for us to pay. The virus, too, gives us no weekend reprieve where we may try to catch up on lost sleep.

Unfortunately, we can’t catch up on lost sleep, and the debt keeps piling up. So don’t fool yourself into believing that sleeping in is the answer for you. With the pandemic’s effect on our daily lives, the uncertainty, the fracturing of norms and normal routines, the debt is even worse.

Sleep medicine, beginning with the work of Dr. Nathaniel Kleitman, firmly established the scientific need for sleep and provided guidelines for obtaining adequate sleep. For typical adults, the number of hours of sleep each day is around six to eight hours. Babies and teens require more sleep, but, in the case of teens, there are major differences in sleep/wake cycles that may affect their ability in school.

Adults, however, are increasingly aware their current insomnia is not what they might usually experience due to work or family demands. This time of the pandemic with its periods of quarantine and shutdowns may require something additional to help us get to sleep.

Some will turn to alcohol, an abysmal choice for the sleeping brain. Others may try sleeping pills (hypnotics or soporifics), another poor choice because they can cause insomnia and have alarming side effects if used chronically.

Professional and legal articles have indicated memory impairment, sometimes for an entire day, and even life-threatening behaviors experienced while using sleeping pills for more than a few days. A famous Hollywood actor attributed a specific sleeping pill to finding himself in his car dangling at the edge of a cliff one night. He swore off them forever.

Alternatives to Pills

Cuddling with pets or special body-length pillows may not work for everyone. Dog ownership has been found in some studies to assist sleep induction, but only if the animal sleeps in the room, not in the bed, according to one study. Another study found that pets in the room or the bed help lessen stress or anxiety and may be helpful as sleep companions. If you don’t want a pet or can’t have one where you live, not to worry, there are additional aids available.

The choices being offered for help with insomnia are increasing as the need grows. If there is a need, there will be opportunities. One area that is sparking increasing interest is audio bedtime stories for adults. And it’s a worldwide phenomenon. My online library lists 77 adult bedtime audiobooks — no paucity of offerings there.

Remember one thing, however. Not everyone views “bedtime stories for adults” as being simple and restful stories to lull you to sleep. Some interpret the genre with a Madonna twist that has stories a bit too “adult” for getting to sleep.

I happened across this while searching the holdings at a local online library, and there it was, Madonna. Known for many things but not sleep, Ms. Ciccone has found a place in this new adult sphere.

The titles of the stories are self-explanatory, and I won’t repeat them here. They are available for those who want a bit more than sleep. Other audio stories are aimed at guided meditation or other relaxation techniques to facilitate sleep for anyone with insomnia.

The borrowing for adult audio bedtime stories has been cut down to only seven days, and I wonder why. You usually can hang on to books or stories for almost a month. Hmmm. The industrious could, I suppose, record the books for personal repeated use once the seven days run out.

But, in addition to borrowing those audio adult bedtime stories from libraries, you can subscribe to an app. Apps are the perfect solution, aren’t they?

What Makes Bedtime Stories Helpful?

One thing where professionals in healthcare agree is that when we try to go to sleep, we experience something called sleep disturbance. What is it? It’s that knawing, mind-blowing constant thinking about what happened during the day and what will happen next year or forever. It never stops, and therein lies the magic of adult bedtime stories; distraction.

The stories take you on a journey of discovery, calm exploration or mental magic into worlds created for you by soothing voices selected for the task. Yes, you can have Matthew McConaughey if you wish.

I would suspect that many voice-over actors will be getting into the business as soon as their agents realize their potential. And the financial gain for authors is incredible, also. We’re not going to get over insomnia after the pandemic stop raging.

The task of finding your library choices or the apps for which you want a subscription I leave to you. I don’t want to seem like I’m pitching for any of them. You find what suits you best and then give it a try. You may be pleasantly surprised.

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