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I know of many who take a benzo for sleep aid. I'd rather work with Gaba any day.
Classic benzodiazepine drugs enhance the effect of the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) at the GABA-A receptor. So for those who experience therapeutic benefit from GABA supplement consumption, in a way, you are largely mimicking the actions of benzodiazepines without the more harsh classic side effects (such as amnesia).
Classic benzodiazepine drugs enhance the effect of the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) at the GABA-A receptor. So for those who experience therapeutic benefit from GABA supplement consumption, in a way, you are largely mimicking the actions of benzodiazepines without the more harsh classic side effects (such as amnesia).
I do NOT normally take Gaba 500mg during the day...save the 1 for 2 for my sleep. But yesterday I just decided to take 1 in the mid day....living with OA pain does a job on the body and mind overall. I really think I felt a calming and reduction in pain after that mid day dose. I'll do this for a while and see how it goes.
I re-read the link in the first post. Pain reduction is mentioned. I've got some leftover benzos but won't touch them.
I know some said Gaba did nothing for them, but so often we don't sit or lay still to feel a shift. The shift is not big but can make a difference for a while anyway.
Just reading this link and don't take it if you don't feel right about it. But watch those benzos. So many take them in today's medicine world.
I am reviving this helpful thread because WOW, whoever (on here or elsewhere) suggested Spring Valley for insomnia=yes!
It increases GABA and I have had zero success taking actual GABA itself. Some people with chronic insomnia need seratonin; others need GABA and that's about as far as I ever got. If you need seratonin, drs will often put you on Trazadone but if you need GABA, trazdone will not help you.
I knew I needed GABA and I knew that once upon a time an herbal formula that included passion flower enabled me to sleep. I just tried the Spring Valley for a few nights and it's making a huge difference. These capsules contain passion flower and valerian root along with hops and lemon balm, also melatonin.
I think I will look for something that doesn't have the hops after reading about some negative effects. It also will be without melatonin, which has never worked for me anyway and isn't recommended long term.
It could be the passion flower in this concoction that has improved my sleep but that's a guess. That boosts GABA. Valerian root is supposed to boost GABA too but it never worked--unless you have to take it for more than a few days maybe.
An article about passion flower.
https://universityhealthnews.com/dai...-side-effects/
One double-blind, randomized, controlled trial compared the drug zolpidem (Ambien) to a combination of passion flower, valerian, and hops extracts in patients diagnosed with insomnia.
The insomnia improvement in both groups was equal. Sleep quality was improved in another study using placebo compared with passion flower tea.
Maybe I won't need to take this long term anyway--this is new to me, something that actually works for insomnia. Thought I would pass this along and add it to this helpful thread.
I am reviving this helpful thread because WOW, whoever (on here or elsewhere) suggested Spring Valley for insomnia=yes!
It increases GABA and I have had zero success taking actual GABA itself. Some people with chronic insomnia need seratonin; others need GABA and that's about as far as I ever got. If you need seratonin, drs will often put you on Trazadone but if you need GABA, trazdone will not help you.
I knew I needed GABA and I knew that once upon a time an herbal formula that included passion flower enabled me to sleep. I just tried the Spring Valley for a few nights and it's making a huge difference. These capsules contain passion flower and valerian root along with hops and lemon balm, also melatonin.
I think I will look for something that doesn't have the hops after reading about some negative effects. It also will be without melatonin, which has never worked for me anyway and isn't recommended long term.
It could be the passion flower in this concoction that has improved my sleep but that's a guess. That boosts GABA. Valerian root is supposed to boost GABA too but it never worked--unless you have to take it for more than a few days maybe.
An article about passion flower.
https://universityhealthnews.com/dai...-side-effects/
One double-blind, randomized, controlled trial compared the drug zolpidem (Ambien) to a combination of passion flower, valerian, and hops extracts in patients diagnosed with insomnia.
The insomnia improvement in both groups was equal. Sleep quality was improved in another study using placebo compared with passion flower tea.
Maybe I won't need to take this long term anyway--this is new to me, something that actually works for insomnia. Thought I would pass this along and add it to this helpful thread.
Glad you revived this. Valerian stopped working for me (as did melatonin) and I have issues with hops. In the past I had tried GABA and didn't notice an improvement, but I recently bought a different brand, and it's POWDER not capsules; and this plus the 5-htp is doing the trick for me It is helping my chronic aches and pains and also helping me sleep better. In fact, some days I feel insanely good - must be the serotonin effect!
Glad you revived this. Valerian stopped working for me (as did melatonin) and I have issues with hops. In the past I had tried GABA and didn't notice an improvement, but I recently bought a different brand, and it's POWDER not capsules; and this plus the 5-htp is doing the trick for me It is helping my chronic aches and pains and also helping me sleep better. In fact, some days I feel insanely good - must be the serotonin effect!
That's great that you are feeling so good! Yeh, the hops doesn't sound too promising when you read about the possible long term effects. Best to research everything before you try it.
Funny, 5-htp did nothing for me; melatonin never did anything and neither did valerian. Valerian root, hops, and passionflower are among the things that raise GABA--but none except the passionflower did anything for me, ever.
There's a form of GABA called Pharma GABA that's supposedly been proven to help with relaxation in Japan and logically would probably help with sleep. Nope, even that didn't work for me. Maybe I should try the powder that you mentioned.
in_NewEngland - The brand of GABA I bought is NOW, 6 oz jar of powder. You don't need much, and I believe less is more when it comes to this. Something like a quarter tsp. twice per day. I add it to my magnesium powder (Natural Calm) as mag is one of the things that boosts it to cross the blood-brain barrier.
One other unrelated thing I have started doing is consuming Amla extract and amla powder. This is not for sleep, but overall health. You can read about its tremendous properties on the web. If it helps health, then it helps sleep. My skin is looking tremendous since I started taking it, but it's supposed to be a fantastic antioxidant that helps with all sorts of health issues including cancer.
A combo of valerian and passionflower has long been a popular sleep aid in most of Europe for people who suffer insomnia due to anxiety or stress. The addition of hops is typically for people who suffer insomnia due to overactive minds.
Medicinal plants that influence GABA include chamomile flowers, passionflower, linden flowers and feverfew. Foods that influence GABA include berries, apples, pears and citrus fruits.
People with even the most difficult cases of insomnia respond to consistent use of chamomile and/or linden tea. Some people may respond right away while it may take 2-3 months of consistent use for others. Making dietary and lifestyle changes can speed this up if you are among the latter. Some prefer German chamomile for this while others prefer Roman chamomile.
There is a commercial brand of herbal tea that contains both tilia flowers (aka linden) and chamomile called Sleepytime that has helped many people - for those who want a readymade combo. You can get chamomile in pill or powder form if you don't like tea.
Lavender is one of the simplest yet among the most powerful herbs to relieve stress and induce sleep. There are a number of ways to use it for insomnia. Just keeping an open container of dried lavender buds in the bedroom is enough for some. Some people put a few drops of lavender essential oil on a cotton ball and place it inside the pillow case or under the pillow. The amount of buds or oil required may vary by individual; adjust to amount needed.
There are many other herbal remedies for insomnia. Most people would benefit from having a few books on herbal medicine. Unfortunately, there is no single book that covers enough. It would be too large a book to be manageable anyway.
It's a hit and miss for each person. I worked on finding my sleep combo and I get good sleep which is so healing. I've had so many books over the years and now getting rid of them, it's all on the net which is ONE BIG BOOK. The book world is another dying industry, rather sad but tech has taken over.
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