Insomnia, do remedies like valerian and melatonin help you sleep well?

I suffer from tinnitus and have difficulty sleeping. How much valerian can I take each day? Is it risky to combine it with melatonin?

He replies Giancarlo Cerveridirector of the complex operational unit of Psychiatry, Asst of Lodi (GO TO THE FORUM)

Contrary to what is generally believed, sleep is not an easy condition to achieve and maintain. Those who have always slept well are convinced that, when you are tired, your brain naturally gives in to sleep, almost like a car that turns off when it runs out of petrol. The reality is very different: sleep is a difficult mechanism to start and maintain. To achieve the goal, the brain must specifically activate certain centers that slowly push all neurons into synchronized activity. Like an orchestra conductor who leads all the musicians to play the same sound. To do this you need energy, well-being and health.

Significant impact

Both physical and mental illnesses, stress, but also excessive use of alcohol or the use of narcotic substances can contribute to interrupting this mechanism, with difficulty in starting it (early insomnia), in maintaining it at night (intermediate insomnia) or causing early awakening (late insomnia). Suffering from insomnia means not sleeping for several days a week (at least 3 or 4), for several weeks and with a significant impact on daytime life (tiredness, inattention). This is a serious condition that must be diagnosed and treated. If it is not resolved, the risks of developing it increase other physical and mental pathologies (depressive and anxiety disorders). Insomnia inevitably ends up creating effects on our brain.

Phytotherapy and melatonin

How is it treated? Very often they are used remedies from the phytotherapeutic armamentarium, which has the advantage of being easily accessible, as a doctor's prescription is not necessary. In fact the functioning of plants is always mediated by molecules with activity on our brain and therefore not too dissimilar from what is contained in prescribed pills. In milder or transitory cases, phytotherapy or the use of phytotherapy may benefit melatonina hormone that we all produce to help induce sleep, short-acting and often effective in non-severe forms of insomnia.

When to contact the doctor

However, if the disorder persists, I do not recommend increasing the dosages of melatonin or herbal medicines which, if taken in excessive quantities, are not free from possible side effects. I advise you to contact your trusted doctor, who may be able to recommend it to you interventions of a behavioral or pharmacological natureto prevent insomnia from becoming too serious a problem.