SLEEPING HERBS - Wednesday 1 February 2006

The experts say we're supposed to have about 8 hours of sleep a day but many of us can't manage anywhere near that amount. Rob Hazel's been looking at some answers that come naturally.

It's supposed to be the time when we're at our most relaxed, the time when we recharge the batteries and prepare for the next day's activities. But as a parent of young children, I've often wanted to throttle whoever came up with the expression 'sleeping like a baby'.

"I've had mothers that have got little ones, 18 months, 2-years-old, that have never slept a night through; and they have been using the products for four days some of them, around two weeks others, and they're now sleeping 11 hours a night," said aromatherapist Sharon Jackson.

Sharon Jackson is potentially a godsend for sleepless parents of sleepless kids. Her company Healing Hippo specialises in sleeping aids such as a cream, a spray, vaporiser oil and bubble bath.

"It's the same blend of essential oils and bush flower remedies in each product but it's obviously different products to suit different needs."

And that blend includes things like lavender and chamomile.

"But then there's also things like valerian which is very good at calming and relaxing, soothing. Tangerine is in there as well which is a bit more refreshing."

As well as a smattering of frankincense and some Australian bush flower oils, Sue Deans uses the bubble bath and cream for two-year-old Orla and the effects have been a real eye opener in terms of just how good shut eye can be.

"I've been using it since she was about 18 months old. That's when we first started and she's started sleeping a lot better. Just a lot calmer," testified Mum Sue.

Ann-Maree Willett has been using the spray in the air and around 3-year-old Josie's bed.

"After a few weeks I noticed that Josie really became more settled in her bed at night and she actually stayed in her own bed overnight."

Josie likes to think it's an anti-monster spray and that also helps her to sleep.

"Oh, scared of things in the dark, so I take it in and we spray it around the room and that chases away all the monsters and helps her sleep through the night!"

And if she sleeps through the night that means she doesn't wake up as a little monster.

Of course, even if you don't have kids, you may still have trouble sleeping and that can have a detrimental effect on your waking hours.

"Oh for sure. It's a form of torture in some countries. Yeah, it's a real problem," confirmed naturopath Mel Hay from the Cribb Street Medical Clinic.

Mel says before you start going down the sleeping pills track to put the problem to bed, you should take a look at more natural alternatives.

"Tryptophan is a natural precursor to serotonin which converts to melatonin which is our sleep neurotransmitter, and often I will find in patients they don't have a large amount of dietary sources of tryptophan," explained Mel.

That's all a bit of a mouthful and ironically that's exactly where the tryptophan should go. If you're having trouble nodding off in the first place then you could try beef, cottage cheese, fish, lentils and the best known source of tryptophan, turkey.

Mel says herbs can also do the trick such as Mexican valerian, Californian poppy and kava. They can be quite powerful and should only be prescribed by a professional.

But just as there are things you can put in your mouth to help you sleep, you should also avoid digesting any sort of stimulants before you go to bed.

"I think it's a classic mistake that a lot of parents make - giving their kids a nice bowl of ice cream and they get all hyped up on sugar and then they can't settle down," said Mel.

Just remember, help is at hand. The Healing Hippo products are less than $19 and can be found in some health food shops and pharmacies, or ordered on-line or by phone.

They may not work for everyone but there's always a plus.

"And it smells great, so worst case scenario is you're going to have a wonderful smelling house!" added Sharon.

Contacts

Name: Healing Hippo
Phone: 1800 246 136
Web Address: http://www.healinghippo.com

Name: Naturopath Mel Hay
Phone: 3368 1100
Address: Cribb Street Medical Clinic, Milton

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