I would be very careful about taking Aswagandha, long term use can lead to liver problems. Just because things are ‘natural’ does not make them safe. You shouldn’t take it for more than 2 or 3 months and it shouldn’t be taken with high blood pressure medication, diabetes medication, thyroid medication and several other drugs.
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Dose makes the poison as they say.
While talking with my doctor I said I wanted to live a life without any medication, which isn’t always possible. He prefers the use of Ashwagandha for short term anxiety use instead of Benzodiazepine.
As he is also a sleep doctor, I want, with his help, to try to get back to proper sleeping without any artificial aids. But in the meanwhile, I shall proceed with caution.
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This thread revived my interest in Ashwagandha, so I did a bit more reading. On one side there is a lot of enthusiasm for it, but countered by a lot warning of the serious dangers. My conclusion is that for me it is not worth the risk (especially as I already take drugs that are hepatoxic).
The most balanced information I found was this article. At bottom it does say that can be found in English on NG’s anglophone site, but couldn’t be bothered to search
The greatest point is we are all different, what may work for one may not for someone else and likewise any side effects. Medicine works on the middle ground, most people have xxx effect.
I agree, especially in absence of solid double bind research. But it is also foolish to ignore warning signs - remember Vioxx?
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With all supplements or medications, it’s overdosing over extended periods that is problematic – more so with existing medical issues and drug interactions. Paracetamol is generally regarded as safe, for example, but even with Paracetamol you need to be careful.
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I go to sleep every night wearing an elasticated headband with mini speakers inside. Something called a Bandeau Bluetooth Écouteurs Casque de Sommeil sans Fil. I connect it to the phone via Bluetooth and choose some zen music. If I wake up early I switch to LibriVox and sleep a little longer. I must have listened to the Wind in the Willows at least 50 times by now !
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Then you need to consider the Bluetooth around your head before sleeping or not. Might be a bit out there but some are not happy with that idea. I found the best cure for insomnia was the Chartered Institute of Insurance training manuals vol 1-3. Any more than3-4 pages and I was asleep
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Me too. Wonderful thing. I set Spotify to play sleepy music for an hour by which time I am usually asleep. And also find that the headband is no longer on my head in the morning, so no risk there.
Music keeps me awake. I find droning voices, either on LBC or Radio 4, very comforting and I’m asleep within 30 minutes or so before the radio shuts itself off. If I wake up later in the night I set the radio up and off I snooze again.
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Far too highbrow for me !
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I choose some sleepy music too, and I fall straight to sleep.
I don’t believe bluetooth is a danger.
The very worst that can happen is forgetting to charge it up. Then the band messing up your hair and waking looking like a scarecrow…plus having to scrabble around to find the band.
Me neither, the power level is so low.
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Any alcohol consumption severly disturbs sleep patterns. It is also a major depressant so hardly surprising that it causes so many problems.
For me it was History of the Russian Revolution by Leon Trotsky, or anything by Charles Darwin.