I have real difficulty sleeping at night, no matter what I do to try and make myself exhausted during the day.

It hasn't been such an issue the last six weeks or so, as my children are on summer vacation, so getting up in the morning wasn't so much of an issue, but on Tuesday they return to school, which means up at 6.30 again. I'm worried I'll be walking around like a zombie when I don't usually manage to nod off untill 3am and gone

Would be so grateful for any advice with this.

Blessed Be

VPS tea

Purpose:
Sleeping aid

1 part valerian
1 part passionflower
1 part skullcap

Makes:
1 quart

Instructions:
*Place 2-4 tablespoons of herb mixture into a glass or stainless steel container.
*Bring water to boil and pour over herbs.
*Cover and Steep for at least 10 minutes.
*Strain

BB,
Ironelf0

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Ironelf0
Moderator:
Brews and Broths: Witches' Recipes
Herbs

Merry meet... i find several things help me when i cant sleep....

Try adding 5 drops of lavender essential oil in a hot steamy bath about 1hr before going to bed.
Make a room linen spray with part water mixed with 10 drops of lavender oil, spray over linen to keep fresh and help sleep.

Lavender Mint Tea (One serving)
Ingredients:
• 1 teaspoon fresh lavender flowers (or 1/2 teaspoon dried lavender flowers)
• 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves (or 2 teaspoons dried mint)
• 1 cup boiling water
• Rosemary, lemon balm or lemon verbena, and rose geranium may also be added for an interesting multi-herb herbal tea.

Preparation:
In a teapot or saucepan combine the lavender flowers and mint (either loose or using a tea infuser). Pour boiling water over the mixture; steep 5 minutes. The infuser can then be taken out or the leaves removed with a strainer.


Homemade Lavender Sachet
You will need:
• Lavender plant (stems, leaves or buds)
• Lavender essential oil
• A handkerchief
• 2 needles (1 large to fit 1/4" ribbon and 1 regular size)
• Thread
• Ribbon (1/4" wide)

It should be easy to find all the necessary items listed above from your local craft or floral supply store. You may use lavender harvested from your own plants or order the lavender buds online (just enter “lavender” or “lavender buds” into your favorite search engine to find an online retailer).

Instructions:

Fold handkerchief in half, and then fold it in half again. You can iron the handkerchief for a crisper look, or simply leave it as is.
Now, sew three sides together using needle and thread (or a sewing machine).
Open the unsown side of the handkerchief and proceed to fill it (like a pillow) with lavender plant pieces and/or buds. Be sure to use a lot of plant material, but don’t stuff it too tight. The end result will be a lot like a beanbag. Sprinkle the pieces with lavender essential oil. 8 to 10 drops should be more than enough.
Thread your large needle with 1/4" ribbon and loosely thread to keep the plant materials inside your homemade sachet.
Tie the whole thing off with a knot.
This can be place next to your bed or under your pillow to help sleep.

Herbal sleep aids. Herbal remedies for sleep problems include chamomile, valerian root, hops, lavender, and passionflower.

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Blessed Be
White Lilie xxx

Try making a sleep pillow here is the derections as follows:


The How to:

A pillow can be as simple as cutting a piece of cloth like muslim into a rectangle or square of the desired size and sewing so that three sides are closed. When I sew a pillow, rather than stitching all the way around it, I like to leave one end completely open and sew Velcro on the open end. I can refresh the herbs and oils in the pillow without trying to rip stitching out or throwing the pillow away and starting from scratch. Now I simply turn the casing right side out I'm ready to add the desired herbs and essential oils.

You may wish to cover the pillow with a light weight, washable "casing" as well. I find this is nice to do and in this way you can have any pattern you like. you can even have several and change them from time to time as the mood strikes. I do this by making a casing that slips over the end of the pillow just like a regular bed pillow. You can do this by sewing around three edges of a two rectangular pieces of fabric that are about one half inch wider and about an inch to an inch and a half longer than your muslin pillow. Sew them with the right sides of the fabric together. Next turn the casing to the right side and turn the rough edge inside and stitch close to the edge-you may wish to roll the edge twice so it will not unravel. This casing may be washed according to the fabric manufacturer's directions.


If you have a large pillow and are finding that you wish to use a filler I recommend using buck wheat hulls for larger sizes and flax seed for a smaller eye size pillow. You may wish to use up to half filler when making a pillow.

Other than the recipes, the way you put a pillow together will not vary with its use. Mix all herbs and fillers together in a clean bowl or on a large clean work surface. Drizzle your essential oils and blend VERY well. Put into your muslin pillow and stick the Velcro together to close. Slip your casing over this if you are using one and enjoy!

Care:

Although you may use your dream pillows without any kind of special care, in order to make them last longer, I suggest that people put it in a plastic zipper storage bag or a closed container. Keeping it is a relatively cool place out of direct sunlight will assure you of an even longer life. If you think about it this only makes sense.

You may also re-fresh your pillow periodically by adding more essential oils. If you have made your pillow as explained above with the Velcro opening you merely have to open the Velcro end and drop in new essential oils, close it up and "squish" the contents of your pillow around to spread the oils through out. You may also drop essential oils onto the outside of the pillow if you have made the pillow without an easy "re-open" area. Just remember not to do this unless you have an outer covering for your pillow, as you do not want full strength essential oils coming into direct contact with your skin !

Good Night's Sleep

4 parts Hops

4 parts Lavender

4 parts Chamomile

2 parts Rose petals

1 part White Sage

10 drops Bergamot essential oil

10 drops lavendar essential oil

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Nature's smile is a blooming flower

I've found breathing exercises to be very good at helping me get to sleep - discovered quite accidentally when I was trying to meditate!

breathe in to the count of four, hold for four, out for four, hold for four, in for four etc. etc.

For me the focusing on breathing helped clear my mind, and the deep breathing relaxed me physically - did it last night with the intention of getting to sleep and it worked again.

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Ali ~)0(~
My home on the web

Commonsense isn't always that common.

theres also two post in aromatherapy about sleep potions.

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"Immortality is not messured in how long one lives on Earth, but messured in how long one lives in the hearts and memories of those who loved them most."

I will not teach, I will not preach, for it is not my place but I will lend a helping hand to those who call for it.

Insomnia is so awful!

I use breathing exercises at night. The breathing cycles for meditations are great for this.

If you have difficulty sleep also try not to sleep during the day. I know it's easier said than done but if you resist then it will make it a bit easier to regain a normal sleep pattern.

BB
Flossie

I use warm milk and honey to help me sleep. Just heat a cup of milk and add as much honey as you would like.

I also put 2 drops of lavendar oil on the pillows.

i've had chronic insomnia for as long as i can remember...so, i've tried a looooot of things.

lately, what has been helping me more than anything else has in the last 13 years has been a combination of getting some good exercise in at some point in the day, and drinking chamomile tea just before i get into bed. the tea never helped me in the past, but lately, i have been breathing in its aroma when i've had it. i think this is what has made the difference. and if i still need to, i'll also make an effort to slow my breathing down.

hope it helps!

_________________


Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength; loving someone deeply gives you courage. --Lao Tzu

~*~oCEAn~*~

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Crafty little Witch - friend to animals and trees alike

Thank you for all of your great ideas

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I am a Pagan.
The earth is my Mother and the sky is my Father.
The sun and moon are my Grandparents, and the stars my ancestors.
I am part of this large family of Nature, not the master of it.

If you eat a turkey sandwich or even a half and a warm glass or milk it will knock you right out. Turkey has the amino acid Tryptophan in it and when warm milk is drank with the turkey it activates it. Hence the reason most people get tired after Thanksgiving Dinner. lol A warm sandwich workes even better. If your not a meat eater than ironelf0's post is a great combination of herbs for sleep. Just using passion flower works quite well too.

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The Tree Of Life is embedded in the Snowflake,
its branches are as Crystals, it's flowers as the
Rose, and its perfect fruit is Dodecahedron.
Frater Achad

Blessings
Silvaglo

I went to the doctor awhile back because I was suffering from insomnia and she suggested Melatonin. You can buy it over the counter at Wal-Mart or any drugstore. She suggested that to start off with (because the stuff is strong and can knock you out) that I should cut the pill into quarters and start by taking it an hour before bedtime. It really helps. And if it doesn't work to increase the dose very gradually until you are at the recommended dose on the bottle. Hope that helps.

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~Wanderlusts of a bohemian vagabond~

I can vouch for the effectiveness of Melatonin. I took it ten years ago when my daughter was a newborn. I was desperate to be able to sleep when she was sleeping whenever the opportunity arose. It worked like a charm to allow me fall asleep quickly as in within 10 minutes or so. I didn't like some fo the side effects which for me included waking up dehydrated and feeling kind of groggy as know I had taken an actual sleeping pill or nartcotic.
A milder herbal version that works for me now is valerian root. I drink several cups of Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Extra..the extra is the Valierian root before bed while I am reading. It helps relax me and aid in sleep for normal tension.

Good Luck!
Holly