Kava for Insomnia

[infraredz]

I usually drink a combo of Nambawan and Boroguru (50/50 ratio) at around 4:30 or 5 to try to help me relax and fall asleep around 9:30. It takes me a while to actually relax and unwind my brain enough to fall asleep, so that's why I've been drinking it *early* (as in, not an hour before bed). Also, the Kavain doesn't allow me to fall asleep and so I drink it that *early* so the kavain is worn off by the time I'm trying to fall asleep.

Recently, I've been having a much harder time falling asleep. It seems to be since I've been drinking the Nambawan/Boroguru mix instead of straight Boroguru.

Around 10pm, I start to almost 'wake up' from my near sleep state. I'm not used to kava lasting only ~5 hours, usually it seems to last longer, or at least stronger at ~5 hrs. Is this a case of a different lactone profile from the Nambawan? Is it just a case of the time frame being too long? How long does Boroguru usually last in the sedative effects?

How long do the 'strong' effects from Koniak last? Would I likely run into the same situation with Koniak or does it have a longer lasting, stronger effect? I'm reluctant to try a tudei, especially with Andrew's new revelations about Lebot's research, as well as just the taste and two-day effects.

Any recommendations?

Thanks

 

[kavadude]

Recommendation? Well my recommendation is to drink truckloads of Koniak, unfortunately I'm also nervous about the research and sitting on my remaining pound bag until we hear more from Lebot.

If you do decide to try it, the "krunk" effects last for about an hour and a half and it sort of tapers off into general muscle relaxation / sedation. That feeling, lasts for hours, until I go to sleep, and makes it much easier for me to go to sleep. In terms of second-day effects, I generally feel a little goofy waking up after drinking Koniak, but the feeling goes away as soon as I have some tea and breakfast. I've referred to this as a hangover before but I don't anymore because really, it's not negative in my mind.

Overall I'm not sure what to recommend. I use kava for my insomnia as well and I've been using Koniak for the last month and a half or so. Obviously DHM kavas are the way to go. Maybe try drinking just boroguru closer to bedtime? I'm at odds myself since tudeis are apparently bad; I need to find another kava to drink.

 

[infraredz]

That's kind of what the Stone/Boroguru would feel like to me too. I don't think that there's something in the Nambawan that's keeping me up since the Kavain would wear off after that amount of time, although maybe it's the fact that I'm consuming less DHM heavy stuff since I decided to start splitting the Nambawan and Boroguru 50/50 instead of all Boroguru...

Also, who knows, it could just be a mess up in my circadian rhythm.

That being said, I am curious about some Koniak. I want to try at least some of it, but I'm worried about the nausea. As it is, I already have some next-day haze with my current stuff, so I kinda know what that's like, but the taste and nausea

If you had to compare it to something, what would it be (other than another tudei/ISA)? I'm curious about how much Kavain it has or if it's all DHM/DHK.

 

[kavadude]

Nothing is really comparable. Maybe a large amount of boroguru? I don't get nausea any worse than I do with any other kava.

The taste isn't that bad either. It's the most "piney" kava I've had by far, but it doesn't bother me. It's not even close to stone in terms of being undrinkable.

 

[infraredz]

Oh nice, I always thought it would be worse than Stone. (It's funny because that's the kava I started with so everything I've had since is so *tasty*)

I always heard about the taste being pretty pungent taste and nausea from tudei kavas so that's what I was mainly worried about.

Thanks for the info, I'll probably give it a try if my 100% Boroguru batch doesn't do it for me tonight.

 

[Ecto]

I've only had Boroguru and Koniak. Neither have helped me with insomnia although they both make me feel more sedated and comfortable.

Concerning the taste, I fink Koniak is waaaaay easier for me to drink than the Boroguru. Much more mild tasting imo. However after the recent "tudei" news I'll probably be switching back to Boroguru when my kilo of Koniak is finished.

 

[infraredz]

Hmm, well I have a bag or two coming of Koniak and I'm going to try to to use a tbsp or two to boost my Boroguru.

I've been having better luck with my insomnia though, but this Koniak

I think my circadian rhythm was just off, or at least that's what it seems like. I have been finding that a *2nd* dose of Boroguru/Stone at 8pm or so has also been helping FWIW

 

[The Kap'n]

I've found that there's a sweet spot with Boroguru. Too much and it can keep you from sleeping and just enough will turn the lights out pretty swiftly. To date I have yet to nail down exactly how to achieve this sweet spot repeatedly. Kava is a fickle one.

 

[KavaJane]

I started kava to help with anxiety and insomnia. I've only had BKH green instant and Boroguru, and they make me itch. I hope I'm not allergic! I feel like I do when I take pain pills, and it's not pleasant. I'm open to suggestions.

 

[kavadude]

KavaJane, how are you preparing the boroguru? I would say itching is not unheard of, particularly if you are tossing and washing powdered root. Although if plain BKH instant is causing itching, I don't know what to say.

 

[KavaJane]

@kavadude I'm using the rolling pin method. I love the efficiency!!

 

[Vekta]

@KavaJane how much kava root do you used per session? Starting with a smaller amount and going up as needed might help. I use about 2 tbsp at at time. It might be worth a try that way.

From what I've read (which may be outdated info now) as little as 70 mg of kavalactones is supposedly effective for anxiety. I find that at least 100-120, at least for me, works best. Both Paradise Kava and Kava Candy products have options which can give you a reasonably accurate measured dose.

 

[infraredz]

To confirm what Vekta and Kapm said, I've found that too much kava (even a sedating one), can actually make my insomnia worse.

For example, I had been having a hard time sleeping so I was taking a *booster* dose at around 8 or 9 and couldn't fall asleep until 1 or 2. When I just drank my kava at my normal time of around 5, I found I would fall asleep within 20mins and sleep well through the night. Sometimes more is not always better, and as you might find out with certain strains, this applies to anxiety also.

@KavaJane what sort of other symptoms other than itching do you get (if any)?

 

[KavaJane]

@infraredz The itching was short lived. Now I'm trying to figure out dosage. I drank 2 shells the morning before last, and it kicked my ass! Tonight I've had 4 shells, albeit on a full stomach, and don't feel much of anything. The empty stomach in the morning left me feeling very light headed and not in control.

 

[infraredz]

Yeah, you'll find that an empty stomach is very important to getting your money's worth. I (among others) also find that eating around 45 mins after drinking kava tends to almost bring back the effects, if not kick them up a notch so keep that in mind too. I will say though that a nice hot meal is very satisfying around an hour after some kava. I wouldn't worry about the itching too much if it was short-lived BTW