the Kava and Sleep thing

[liam8888]

i find my situation almost hilarious since Kava is recommend for sleep ... Kava is the one thing, and I've tried numerous kinds now, that makes it nearly impossible for me to sleep, even if I stop 5, 6 or more hours before bed!!!!! This is unfortunate since I don't drink alcohol and like to go to bars with friends sometimes and have SOMETHING to get a little buzz going, but if I do this, I am screwed for sleep that night ... just wondering a few things:

1. from googling, I am seeing people recommend to stop kava 4hrs before bed AND AT THE SAME TIME I'm seeing it recommended FOR SLEEP, what's the deal?

2. any recommendations on a particular kind of way of drinking it in the evening that WILL HELP with sleep?

 

[recentreturn]

i find my situation almost hilarious since Kava is recommend for sleep ... Kava is the one thing, and I've tried numerous kinds now, that makes it nearly impossible for me to sleep, even if I stop 5, 6 or more hours before bed!!!!! This is unfortunate since I don't drink alcohol and like to go to bars with friends sometimes and have SOMETHING to get a little buzz going, but if I do this, I am screwed for sleep that night ... just wondering a few things:

1. from googling, I am seeing people recommend to stop kava 4hrs before bed AND AT THE SAME TIME I'm seeing it recommended FOR SLEEP, what's the deal?

2. any recommendations on a particular kind of way of drinking it in the evening that WILL HELP with sleep?

Are you using caffeine? Kava seems greatly to boost the effect of caffeine. Kavas effects are complex and multifaceted. While its most pronounced effects seem to be on GABA, I think I've read that there can also be some norepinepherine reuptake inhibition from it. Kava doesn't usually help me sleep; neither does alcohol.

My two cents on #1: There are many different kavalactones in kava with different effects. There seems to be a consensus that the heavier and sleepier effects outlast the more uplifting effects. Hence, waiting longer leaves a kind of calming effect with the uplifting effects having passed.

 

[Pauluk]

Waht about eating? That's sends me to sleep after kava.

 

[SelfBiasResistor]

i find my situation almost hilarious since Kava is recommend for sleep ... Kava is the one thing, and I've tried numerous kinds now, that makes it nearly impossible for me to sleep, even if I stop 5, 6 or more hours before bed!!!!! This is unfortunate since I don't drink alcohol and like to go to bars with friends sometimes and have SOMETHING to get a little buzz going, but if I do this, I am screwed for sleep that night ... just wondering a few things:

1. from googling, I am seeing people recommend to stop kava 4hrs before bed AND AT THE SAME TIME I'm seeing it recommended FOR SLEEP, what's the deal?

2. any recommendations on a particular kind of way of drinking it in the evening that WILL HELP with sleep?

In the past, kava was the best sleep aid available. The kava we have now isn't very good as a sleep aid and at times I would agree lessens sleep quality. This has frustrated me a lot but the change seems to have happened when the tudei blending went away. We've heard so much about how noble kava alone is better than tudei in every way but that hasn't proven to be the case.

Hence, waiting longer leaves a kind of calming effect with the uplifting effects having passed.

Here's the thing with the waiting longer, first the recommendation was to stop drinking a few hours before sleep so you wouldn't wake up with a minor hangover due to heavy KLs (DHM) still in effect. When I say hangover, I mean residual sedation/lack of energy, not alcohol like hangover that some people have claimed to be caused by DHM. That has changed now that we have lower KL% and very low DHM% kava. If I don't drink right before going to sleep, I don't get any sleep benefits except some dream enhancement anymore.

 

[Camaytoc]

For sure, the whole scheduling thing is a major topic about kava, sleep wise, stomac wise and so forth...
Would be nice to get a sticky of sharing about kava scheduling and experiences.

 

[NotKrunk]

I seem to sleep pretty well if I imbibe at least a couple of hours before bed. If I drink a lot of grog and try to go to bed soon there after I am hosed

 

[sɥɐʞɐs]

The suggestion to stop drinking 4 hrs before sleeping is a suggestion specifically aimed at individuals that have the same type of reaction to Kava as you described. It’s not like that for everyone.

Kava is almost always sleep inducing by the end of the night for me, no matter what variety I use and I never put much distance between my last shell and when I lay down. I usually stop around 8:30-9:30 and I can’t keep my eyes open by 10:30-11:00. If I stay active, I can ignore it, if I lay back relax and go with the flow, I’ll soon slip off into slumber land.

For me, heady kavas and/or weak kavas typically have a much less noticeable push for sleep...but will still benefit my sleep once I do fall asleep. Even when I first started drinking and barely felt any effects from kava...I did still notice the effect on my sleep when I woke up in the morning.

This is just another case of different people responding to kava in different ways. This occasionally means paradoxical reactions for some people.

My suggestion for getting the sleep benefits is to buy a couple cultivars generally considered to be heavy (Kava Supreme, or BKHs MeloMelo)...drink a strong batch over about 1.5 or 2 hours...eat a small meal after...keep lights dim...be in calm relaxed environment...sit back and chill.