GSL Technology Kava pills, Gaia Capsules, etc. for insomnia?

[verticity]

For solvents it says USP alcohol and water. What exactly does that mean?

It means the kavalactones (and other things) were extracted from the root by soaking in a mixture of alcohol and water. Alcoholic extracts are generally thought to be less "safe" than traditional water extraction, but I am kind of a heretic who doesn't really believe that.

 

[sumguy]

Tonight I took 3 before dinner. I'm feeling something this time, but it doesn't exactly feel nice. As long as it helps me sleep, it will be worth it, though.

 

[sumguy]

Slept well again. If this keeps up, I'm going to have to find a way to do this for less than $1 a day that doesn't take a lot of work. And I understand it's better to take kava after exercise rather than before, so I'll have to keep that in mind because I sometimes don't get to it until the evening.

 

[sumguy]

Tonight a few hours after I took 3 capsules and had dinner, I'm finding my heart rate is elevated in the high 80s (I have a heart rate monitor I use for exercising). Should I be worried about it? It's causing anxiety, and certainly not helping me relax...

 

[verticity]

Tonight a few hours after I took 3 capsules and had dinner, I'm finding my heart rate is elevated in the high 80s (I have a heart rate monitor I use for exercising). Should I be worried about it? It's causing anxiety, and certainly not helping me relax...

Some of the headier varieties have been known to do that. I wouldn't worry, but if the effect is consistently unpleasant for you, you could try some other strains that are more relaxing, traditionally prepared. If you don't wan't to be bothered with the preparation, you can get micronized. A good one might be Gourmet Hawaiian Kava Nene, or Kalm with Kava Borongoru. Another option is Kalm with Kava concentrate.

 

[sumguy]

Thanks. It would be helpful to know what kind of kava is actually in these capsules.
As I near the end of my supply, I think I'll look into micronized.

 

[sumguy]

So it looks like it's probably not a good idea to use Allegra and kava at the same time?

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/872.html

 

[Blippy5]

Hum, I've been using kava with Allegra. Havn't had any problems, obviously I'm no rocket surgeon.

 

[sumguy]

For the last 3 days I've been taking the capsules throughout the day to help with both anxiety and insomnia. Yesterday I ended up taking about 5 because the anxiety was so bad. I've only taken 3 today, but I've been feeling really lethargic and sleepy. I'm now starting to wonder if taking the capsules throughout the day isn't such a good idea. If I have to choose between dragging myself through the day and having anxiety, I might just choose anxiety.

 

[Steve Mariotti]

For the last 3 days I've been taking the capsules throughout the day to help with both anxiety and insomnia. Yesterday I ended up taking about 5 because the anxiety was so bad. I've only taken 3 today, but I've been feeling really lethargic and sleepy. I'm now starting to wonder if taking the capsules throughout the day isn't such a good idea. If I have to choose between dragging myself through the day and having anxiety, I might just choose anxiety.

Try the Ozia Kava candies. They'll be more effective than those caps and are easier to control.

 

[sumguy]

So maybe use the candy as needed during the day, and a capsule a few hours before bed for sleep?

 

[sumguy]

Well, I'm now more worried about insomnia than anxiety. I haven't slept well the last 3 nights, even thought I've started riding about 22 miles a day on my bike. The first 2, I was trying to go without the kava capsules because I wanted to make sure some things I was experiencing were actually side effects of something else (which I discussed on another thread and appears to have been the case). I wasn't able to sleep on those nights, even after using melatonin and antihistamines. Finally a few hours before my alarm was going to go off, I got desperate and used a Kava Candy. It actually worked both nights that way.

Last night, I went back on the Gaia capsules. I took 3 before dinner. Several hours later, I noticed I had a headache and some congestion, but I assume they were not related (probably due more to lack of sleep and my new exercise plan?). When I went to bed, I had a lot of anxiety hit me because I was afraid of another sleepless night, even after taking the capsules (since all the other stuff I typically use hasn't been working). At the time I wasn't sure if it was the capsules or the anxiety, though - it felt like I had an elevated heart rate, I was shivering and couldn't relax. I considered taking a Kava Candy, but I didn't want to make things worse if it was the kava that was doing this to me, so I finally got up and took a hot bath. Then, I crawled back into bed, and got a good 4+ hours of sleep before my alarm went off. Today, I still have the headache (I'm not sure what kind of pain reliever is safe to take), and am having a hard time staying awake. I'm hoping that after my success last night, if I take 3 capsules before dinner again it will work like it used to.

I'm actually running low on my first bottle of capsules, so I ordered another one from Amazon (they even had a convenient $1 coupon last night) so I'll have something while I decide what kind of kava powder to order, and who to order it from. Someone suggested a few inexpensive options earlier in this thread, but I'm having a hard time deciding between them, or if I should go with something else. Does anyone know what kind of kava is in the Kava Candy? It seems pretty good at relaxing me, but the other ingredients may help in that.

 

[verticity]

Well, I'm now more worried about insomnia than anxiety. I haven't slept well the last 3 nights, even thought I've started riding about 22 miles a day on my bike. The first 2, I was trying to go without the kava capsules because I wanted to make sure some things I was experiencing were actually side effects of something else (which I discussed on another thread and appears to have been the case). I wasn't able to sleep on those nights, even after using melatonin and antihistamines. Finally a few hours before my alarm was going to go off, I got desperate and used a Kava Candy. It actually worked both nights that way.

Last night, I went back on the Gaia capsules. I took 3 before dinner. Several hours later, I noticed I had a headache and some congestion, but I assume they were not related (probably due more to lack of sleep and my new exercise plan?). When I went to bed, I had a lot of anxiety hit me because I was afraid of another sleepless night, even after taking the capsules (since all the other stuff I typically use hasn't been working). At the time I wasn't sure if it was the capsules or the anxiety, though - it felt like I had an elevated heart rate, I was shivering and couldn't relax. I considered taking a Kava Candy, but I didn't want to make things worse if it was the kava that was doing this to me, so I finally got up and took a hot bath. Then, I crawled back into bed, and got a good 4+ hours of sleep before my alarm went off. Today, I still have the headache (I'm not sure what kind of pain reliever is safe to take), and am having a hard time staying awake. I'm hoping that after my success last night, if I take 3 capsules before dinner again it will work like it used to.

I'm actually running low on my first bottle of capsules, so I ordered another one from Amazon (they even had a convenient $1 coupon last night) so I'll have something while I decide what kind of kava powder to order, and who to order it from. Someone suggested a few inexpensive options earlier in this thread, but I'm having a hard time deciding between them, or if I should go with something else. Does anyone know what kind of kava is in the Kava Candy? It seems pretty good at relaxing me, but the other ingredients may help in that.

I don't know, kava and melatonin are both safe and effective treatments for insomnia, melatonin especially so. And it's great that you are exercising, too. But you also might want to consider other behavioral interventions: Google for "sleep hygeine" for tips. Consider relaxation techniques, binaural beats maybe. Warm baths before bedtime. If you are having trouble sleeping because you are worried about stuff, maybe talking to someone about your worries would help. A good book about non-drug techniques for relaxing is The Relaxation Response by Herbert Benson
I'm not saying you shouldn't use kava. Kava is great. But maybe you need to do something else in addition.

 

[sumguy]

Thanks. I've had insomnia off and on for several years now. And I've also recently had a lot of problems with anxiety. My wife thinks the old I get the worse my worrying and stress get. Anyway, I'll take a look at some of the stuff you mentioned that I haven't tried yet. I was hoping that kava would be the magic bullet for both the insomnia and anxiety. It seems like I've tried just about everything else, including some prescription meds (temazepam works a night or two if I get really desperate).

I just ordered some Boroguru from GHK. Hopefully I'll get a better experience than I have with the capsules.

 

[sumguy]

Well, I slept really well last night (other than having to go to the bathroom, of course). It turns out that the trick for me is to go to bed relaxed. For some reason, about 4 hours after I take the capsules, I start getting really anxious. I don't know if that's from the kava, or if it is because the kava effects have worn off. I'm still not sure I'm really feeling the effect, either - I feel something, but it's not exactly pleasant. Anyway, a hot bath before bed did the trick. If I can just get back to the point where I'm relaxed because I know it will work, that would make it so I don't have to keep doing the bath thing.

 

[Blippy5]

I find hot baths incredibly relaxing. I like to add Epsom salts, and lavender or peppermint oil. Helps with my alellergies too.

 

[verticity]

Hey, @sumguy, here is a great article about Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for insomnia:
The Evidence Points to a Better Way to Fight Insomnia

When it comes to insomnia, comparative effectiveness studies reveal that sleep medications aren’t the best bet for a cure, despite what the commercials say. Several clinical trials have found that they’re outperformed by cognitive behavioral therapy.

There is an online program you can use, although it costs money, it appears to be legit:
http://www.cbtforinsomnia.com/

 

[sumguy]

Yeah, I've found from experience that confidence that I'll be able to sleep normally is what is necessary to be able to do it without help. It's when that confidence is broken that I have problems, and it usually takes a long time to get it back. In the meantime, I have to sleep or the problem just gets worse. I am not interested in the newer prescription sleeping pills, although I have tried some of the older ones (benzos). I try to rely on more natural methods. It seems that I am currently rotating between valerian and kava, along with melatonin when needed. The last time I recovered from chronic insomnia (several years ago), I even found a hypnosis CD helpful.

 

[sumguy]

I should also mention that I believe the main reason for my current insomnia problem is anxiety. It's gotten worse in the last year than it's ever been. That's another reason I've been turning to kava and valerian.

 

[verticity]

I should also mention that I believe the main reason for my current insomnia problem is anxiety. It's gotten worse in the last year than it's ever been. That's another reason I've been turning to kava and valerian.

Well, I'm not trying to dissuade you from kava. Kava is awesome for insomnia & anxiety. But CBT is a therapy with a lot of good science behind it that is good for anxiety & insomnia. Could be a helpful addition to what you are already doing.