Sleep aid that's safe with Kava?

[Introspect]

I have only been taking the Kava tincture extract for a few days and it has done a fairly good job at curbing my anxiety and helping me to be calm and relaxed but I am still having trouble sleeping for the most part (insomnia is usually normal for me). I plan on getting some good instant from one of the recommended vendors soon as a step up toward the pure root powder, but I was wondering what I could mix with Kava as a safe sleep aid alternative. I've heard that mixing some Celtic sea salt with warm water before bed may help and I may pick up some chamomile tea as long as it wouldn't conflict with the Kava. I appreciate any advice you guys may have.

 

[ApéroNoble]

I think the only neg. side effect would be perhaps feeling a little "groggy" upon waking. I always keep two cups of different kava varieties on the nightstand beside my bed to sip if I have trouble sleeping. I think once you get the good stuff you'll get much better sleep.

 

[ThePiper]

I would suggest some cat's claw bark or ashwagandha, I haven't researched the interactions but it's an herb with a pretty good track record and I'vfge combined them multiple times without side effects. I don't drink copious amounts of kava though. And Obi is right, you shouldn't need a sleep aid when you're drinking good kava.

 

[Introspect]

Thanks for the recommendations, I truly appreciate that.

 

[Rookietwoshoes]

I take 2 capsules of schizandra and find it an incredible sleep aid when paired with kava.

 

[Introspect]

I ended up getting some Yogi Kava tea today (been wanting something warm to drink anyway), so hopefully that will help some until I am able to obtain the fresh root powder. Will most likely continue using the tincture until then as well when needed. Hopefully that combined with the Yogi tea at night will be sufficient enough until I'm able to make the next step. Thanks again for the recommendations.

 

[Jake o Links]

The yogi just didn't do "it" for me, but it actually tasted good and didn't hurt. This is crazy that you and I walked the exact same kava path. tincture to yogi while waiting on an order for the "real deal". lol well, happy drinking! and remember to go slow at first. kava isn't nearly as nice on the way back up!

 

[Introspect]

The yogi just didn't do "it" for me, but it actually tasted good and didn't hurt. This is crazy that you and I walked the exact same kava path. tincture to yogi while waiting on an order for the "real deal". lol well, happy drinking! and remember to go slow at first. kava isn't nearly as nice on the way back up!

I'll definitely keep that in mind.

 

[sɥɐʞɐs]

drinking traditionally squeezed good kava root, is my sleep aid. It's one of the main reasons why I've kept with it.
Some varieties are 'sleepier' that others, but in the end, I find them all beneficial to my sleep...most of the time.

 

[Jake o Links]

Yeah... wakka kept me up all night. It was the worst about it to me.

 

[Steve Mariotti]

The yogi just didn't do "it" for me, but it actually tasted good and didn't hurt. This is crazy that you and I walked the exact same kava path. tincture to yogi while waiting on an order for the "real deal". lol well, happy drinking! and remember to go slow at first. kava isn't nearly as nice on the way back up!

That was my approach vector too. Tincture, then the tea, then real kava instant, then concentrate, then the real article.

And nothing compares to the real article. Not even close.

 

[Jake o Links]

yeah, I tried my first toss and wash with some borogu the other day. one tbls. I would actually describe the effects as "intense", not a word that gets tossed around much with Kava. The stomache upset was minimal, but I know it is because this batch is gentle on the stomache (which is a reason I tried it to begin with). I would say it was a little too much of the kava feeling for my taste. I was suprised that drinking it wasn't all that unplesent. Not much worse than a shell. It is a fine ground, but not micro so it went down without much fuss. I was sitting for about ten min with nothing going on before thinking "I wonder how much longer this is gonna take? Is it going to work at all?" As if on cue, RUSH. It washed over me. Best sleep of the week that night. Im not advocating it though. NO one wants dermo! I dont think once for the name of science is gonna hurt you though!
As a side note, music was getting on my nerves, I couldn't focus on my guitar either. I finally settled with just sitting in a chair in my back yard looking at the sky. This went on about an hour... then a hard crash in my bed. Can't wait for Chris' micro to get here. 1 more day. 24 grueling hours... anticipation is killin me! *reaches for a shell of his hold me over* there... thats better.

 

[50ShadesOfKava]

I've only been using kava about a week, insomnia (lifelong chronic) was my main reason to begin this journey, but Im also a recovering alcaholic with 1 year of sobriety under my belt. Insomnia was the main reason I drank, but quality sleep seems to be the main thing keeping me from drinking (alcohol now severely screws up my sleep for about a week). While I definitely have been enjoying the effects of kava, and using kona kava instant as my introduction, I find I still have to take about 1.5 mg melatonin to finally drift off to sleep. That seems to be working consistantly 2-3 nights now. I have tried kava with a perscription sleep med, but that resulted in a terrible groggy feeling the next day. I have tried it with a herbal blend called "dream release" which is supposed to help induce dreams for 2 evenings. It has ashwagandha and some other stuff in it, and I suspect I have a slight REM disterbance which interferes with the quality of my sleep. One night resulted in the best sleep I had felt in years. The other night resulted in a resless sleep (I refer to as "half sleep"). I wonder if something in the "dream release" is a slight stimulant (similar to how nicotine patches cause crazy restless dreams if left on). So for now till I find a more effective kava, I think I'll just use the 1.5 mg melatonin. Less is sometimes more in the world of melatonin, and too much seems to result in bad quality sleep and groggyness. I just ordered some GHK instant sampler, and some kava.com instant, so I'll be curious to see how those ones work out as I understand Kona Kava is not regarded all that well. I'm also looking forward to the end of the reverse tolerance and the rest of the kava journey as its been quite pleasant so far.

 

[Introspect]

@Jake o Links & @50ShadesOfKava Thanks for sharing... i think I may just be nocturnal or something because if I take the Kava extract in the morning after I haven't slept, I sleep like a baby but it's during the day and I have limited time to sleep during the day, lol. Will look into melatonin as well. Saw something else last night while looking for natural remedies for insomnia. At least it's normal for me and not induced by the Kava.

 

[Jake o Links]

@Jake o Links & @50ShadesOfKava Thanks for sharing... i think I may just be nocturnal or something because if I take the Kava extract in the morning after I haven't slept, I sleep like a baby but it's during the day and I have limited time to sleep during the day, lol. Will look into melatonin as well. Saw something else last night while looking for natural remedies for insomnia. At least it's normal for me and not induced by the Kava.

i have the unfortunate habit of wanting to sleep the day and work/play at night. I gravitated toward that as a kid and never could grow out of it. I would'nt call it insomnia as I understand that is not being able to sleep at all. Oh, I can sleep! just as long as it's sometime after 3 am. kava has helped regulate that, though some cultivars kept me up (especially wakka). I've never talked to a doctor about this, I just figure my clock is backwords.... it wouldn't be a problem, but having a small kid and wife makes it one. Jobs tend to be a little limited for that type of sleep cycle, as are businesses. When I worked over night, I couldn't get what I wanted for dinner on the fly (breakfast for most). I could get paid, but had a hard time cashing the check as I was asleep through business hours. Plus my company had manditory meetings at noon. Go or get fired. That would be like telling a normal person they had to come up to work at 4 am or get fired. So you see, being a night owl hasn't been the best at times. Now I live an earlier life but still strugle with it.