They almost almost all help my sleep. It's one of the things I'm most thankful for. My 'natural' state often requires 1-3 hours of laying down watching TV to get my brain to shut up enough to sleep. Then I wake up in the middle of the night and can't fall back to sleep for another 30min-2hrs. That used to be nearly every night of my life and it actually made me somewhat dread the night. Alcohol can help me fall asleep a little easier, but I still wake up and have a hard time falling back to sleep. I could stay out partying til 3 or 4 am ... and be stuck awake by 7 or 8:30am, while everyone else sleeps until 11. I hated it.
But kava, gift that it is, makes me fall asleep quick, comfortably and easily. Then if I wake up in the middle of the night, I do the zombie walk to the bathroom - get back in bed...and knock out within minutes. My brain/body gets this effect with just about every kava, from any side of the spectrum. Even kava sessions that feel weak and slightly disappointing (usually heady kavain strains, since I seem to be highly tolerant) result in me having easier sleep. Of course, heavier stuff is more powerful in this regard. The only one that felt like it almost wore off completely by the time I slept was Kavaboy's Hinehina Tongan kava. But even still, it left me slightly better off than my completely natural state. Coincidentally enough, this is also one of the only full-on 'heady' kavas (probably no 2 or 5 the the 1st three chemotype #'s) that I actually felt the kavaininess from. I do have to use a lot more root than should be necessary though, for these types.
On rare occasions, kava will disprupt my sleep. Leaving me tossing around in some strange, detached sleep-limbo kind of state. I think sometimes it could be due to having bloating or painful trapped gas at the same time as being sedated. One is trying to wake me up, while the other is trying to keep me sleeping...and I get trapped in the middle.
