How much kava and what type for sleep works for you?
- Thread starter Asmrtica
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KrunkMunster
Kava Enthusiast
The thing about Kava is that you typically don't want to drink it right before you go to bed. I have found that if I drink it right before bed, I don't sleep very well. If you read about the culture of drinking Kava in the Polynesian Islands, you'll see that Kava drinking time was like in the 4pm-7pm range. With that said, many of the heavy Kavas will make you pretty relaxed and sleepy. For me, I usually feel very relaxed and chill for the first couple hours after drinking heavy Kava and then the sleepy sensation starts to set in like 3-4 hours after drinking it. If you give yourself this time between drinking it and going to bed, you tend to sleep really well.
There are lots of heavy Kavas out there. If you get on the review sections in this site, they will tell you which Kavas are heavy. Most of the vendors sell heavy Kava. One that I really like is Stone Kava by Nakamal@Home, but they are currently having problems with their website.
You'll want to avoid the heady type of Kava as they tend to ramp you up a little more and are more of a social lubricant. This is the kind of Kava that tends to be most similar to the effects of alcohol.
One little point about your post: You don't "take Kava," you drink it and enjoy it -- just like you don't take a beer or you don't take a cup of coffee.
. You can buy kavalactones (the active compound in kava) as extracts and capsules and you can take those, although most of us here wouldn't recommend it.
There are lots of heavy Kavas out there. If you get on the review sections in this site, they will tell you which Kavas are heavy. Most of the vendors sell heavy Kava. One that I really like is Stone Kava by Nakamal@Home, but they are currently having problems with their website.
You'll want to avoid the heady type of Kava as they tend to ramp you up a little more and are more of a social lubricant. This is the kind of Kava that tends to be most similar to the effects of alcohol.
One little point about your post: You don't "take Kava," you drink it and enjoy it -- just like you don't take a beer or you don't take a cup of coffee.
. You can buy kavalactones (the active compound in kava) as extracts and capsules and you can take those, although most of us here wouldn't recommend it.
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Krunkie McKrunkface
Kava Connoisseur
There's really two things here, not one, the immediate application for immediate effects and the systematic application for systemic effects.
Drinking kava to get you to sleep that night is rather hit or miss. Drinking kava regularly to change your system so as to reduce problems getting to sleep and staying asleep is much more effective, but takes time.
For getting you to sleep that night, yes, the 4 - 7 pm time frame is ideal for the start of the session. Fast for a few hours before you start drinking the kava, to increase the effects. Drink shells of good strong kava paced out 20 - 45 minutes apart, depending on how you feel, and plan to stop drinking kava at least 1 hour before bedtime, although really, 2 or 3 hours before bed for the last shell is ideal. Calm sounds, quiet music, low lighting, comfy couch, these all help set the mood of the sesh. In terms of quantity, somewhere between 3 and 12 TBS of medium grind, depending on how much you need and how much you enjoy. Most likely it will be in the 4 - 8 TBS range, though.
For systemic use, I recommend 1 or 2 TBS worth daily but more for pleasure if you enjoy. And give it several months to really make systemic changes. You should notice effects within a couple of months but it might take up to 6 or 7 months to really make a huge difference if there are chronic sleep issues. That sounds bad, but if someone is really suffering from sleep problems, any help is wonderful and worth pursuing. For systemic effects, it does not matter when in the day you take your regular dose of grog as a health tonic.
Of course, I am only speaking here of drinking grog, made traditionally with water and medium grind.
Drinking kava to get you to sleep that night is rather hit or miss. Drinking kava regularly to change your system so as to reduce problems getting to sleep and staying asleep is much more effective, but takes time.
For getting you to sleep that night, yes, the 4 - 7 pm time frame is ideal for the start of the session. Fast for a few hours before you start drinking the kava, to increase the effects. Drink shells of good strong kava paced out 20 - 45 minutes apart, depending on how you feel, and plan to stop drinking kava at least 1 hour before bedtime, although really, 2 or 3 hours before bed for the last shell is ideal. Calm sounds, quiet music, low lighting, comfy couch, these all help set the mood of the sesh. In terms of quantity, somewhere between 3 and 12 TBS of medium grind, depending on how much you need and how much you enjoy. Most likely it will be in the 4 - 8 TBS range, though.
For systemic use, I recommend 1 or 2 TBS worth daily but more for pleasure if you enjoy. And give it several months to really make systemic changes. You should notice effects within a couple of months but it might take up to 6 or 7 months to really make a huge difference if there are chronic sleep issues. That sounds bad, but if someone is really suffering from sleep problems, any help is wonderful and worth pursuing. For systemic effects, it does not matter when in the day you take your regular dose of grog as a health tonic.
Of course, I am only speaking here of drinking grog, made traditionally with water and medium grind.
nickbroken
Kava Enthusiast
I'd say Nene from GHK is th best for getting to sleep gentle, loving, and caresses you with a sweet lullaby of slumber.
Krunkie McKrunkface
Kava Connoisseur
I agree.
Rick.Sanchez
Kava Enthusiast
Doubly agreed
recentreturn
Kava Enthusiast
I think I have weird body chemistry.
Contrary to all reason, I have been having really good luck with GHK Moi. I have been finding that on nights where my brain just won't stop and I can't sleep, if I get up and knead 2-3 tbs of Moi (medium grind) in as little water as possible (so I don't have to get up to use the bathroom), chug it down, and then IMMEDIATELY go back to bed, the euphoria it gives at its onset is just enough to get me to switch off my brain and fall asleep.
I don't know if the recent harvests have a different kavalactone profile, but it seems to make me drowsier, on the whole, than I remember from the first time I tried it, even sometimes the next morning.
I haven't been avoiding them, but some of the heavier kavas sometimes seem to give me shallow-feeling sleep, where I toss and turn.
[side note: Moi seems to make music sound really good, even several hours after drinking it when the perceptible effects seem to have worn off.]
Contrary to all reason, I have been having really good luck with GHK Moi. I have been finding that on nights where my brain just won't stop and I can't sleep, if I get up and knead 2-3 tbs of Moi (medium grind) in as little water as possible (so I don't have to get up to use the bathroom), chug it down, and then IMMEDIATELY go back to bed, the euphoria it gives at its onset is just enough to get me to switch off my brain and fall asleep.
I don't know if the recent harvests have a different kavalactone profile, but it seems to make me drowsier, on the whole, than I remember from the first time I tried it, even sometimes the next morning.
I haven't been avoiding them, but some of the heavier kavas sometimes seem to give me shallow-feeling sleep, where I toss and turn.
[side note: Moi seems to make music sound really good, even several hours after drinking it when the perceptible effects seem to have worn off.]
Zac Imiola (Herbalist)
Kava Connoisseur
When you use micro are you using cold water ?
Using hot water with micro still changes the chemistry up a bit and makes it heavier
Using hot water with micro still changes the chemistry up a bit and makes it heavier
Dear @nickbroken and all,
Does anyone know which vendor ships any really good Hawaian Kava (ideally one of these super-relaxing Nene or Mo'i or "stone" Kavas) who would ship to Europe? Unfortunately, GHK doesn't. I've tried a couple of Kalm with Kava and Cactus Kava varieties, but still not found a truly relaxing one for sleep and winding down completely.
I've also tried once another vendor not certified by TrueKava Labs, but I'm worried about them not testing their Kava as thoroughly as the TK-certified vendors. Why aren't there more TK-certified vendors, anyway?!
Thanks in advance for any hint!
Kind regards from Spain...
S.
nickbroken
Kava Enthusiast
Talk to Edward he knows ways to get GHK there, you would have to use other methods of shipping.
Thanks a lot, @nickbroken !
Dear @Edward , would you know how to get GHK in Europe? Is there a thread in Kavaforums on this? (I couldn't find it, sorry!). Thank you so much in advance, it would be awesome if there really was a way to get some GHK shipped to Spain...!
Dear @Edward , would you know how to get GHK in Europe? Is there a thread in Kavaforums on this? (I couldn't find it, sorry!). Thank you so much in advance, it would be awesome if there really was a way to get some GHK shipped to Spain...!
Hola! The best way is to use a reshipper such as stackry in my signature... have it posted to them and then posted on to you. You can write your own shipping label too.Thanks a lot, @nickbroken !
Dear @Edward , would you know how to get GHK in Europe? Is there a thread in Kavaforums on this? (I couldn't find it, sorry!). Thank you so much in advance, it would be awesome if there really was a way to get some GHK shipped to Spain...!
Try boronguru from KWK, it should does the trick.
Thuja
Kava Curious
Depends on which orifice, Doh!
VictoryRider
Kava Enthusiast
Last night I had my first Tongan kava (from BKH). I was a little underwhelmed with the effects, but one thing I noticed
was that it was pretty sedating. Within an hour or 2 I was VERY sleepy. I slept like the *DEAD* last night -- pretty
unusual for me. I'm not sure if Tongans are typically sedating, but this one sure was. Odd thing was, it was heady,
not heavy, and yet sedating.
was that it was pretty sedating. Within an hour or 2 I was VERY sleepy. I slept like the *DEAD* last night -- pretty
unusual for me. I'm not sure if Tongans are typically sedating, but this one sure was. Odd thing was, it was heady,
not heavy, and yet sedating.
Thanks, I'll be trying it!
Thanks a lot, @Edward , that's a good idea. Will be trying stackry shortly, for some GHK strains that I'm keen to try out. In your opinion, what would be the heaviest/most relaxing Kava from GHK?
I particularly like Hiwa but Papa Kea would suit you too. I haven't tried some of the others. Hanakapi Ai is the strongest/heaviest but it's just an all over body numbness. Hiwa has more pleasant effects for me. Nene is nice and worth a try but not as strong. It still has it's place in my stash though.