Warm milk, herbal tea, lavender…do these grandma remedies help you sleep?

You want to want to want to do. Sleeping like a baby, all at once, and waking up with a fresh face, and a calm mind and body. Unless you can’t sleep. According to a recent Ifop survey, like seven out of ten French people, you have sleep problems. which range from difficulty falling asleep to nocturnal awakenings to insomnia.

So why not try good old grandma’s remedies to get some sleep? Like a famous glass of warm milk or chamomile herbal tea. But in practice, does it really work? This Friday, on the occasion of International Sleep Day, 20 minutes This is an interest in natural methods.

Plants with soothing properties

“It’s probably the most ancestral remedy,” notes author Michel Pierre, founder of the Herbalisterie du Palais Royal in Paris, “herbal teas to help you fall asleep more easily.” The Great Encyclopedia of Herbalism (EPA Ed.). But does it work? “Yes,” he replies. Lemon balm and marjoram are gentle herbs with soothing and relaxing properties, which relax the nervous system and allow you to achieve deep sleep. There is also chamomile, but its action will be mild.

But if the difficulty sleeping is more severe, are there more effective plants in herbal medicine? “There are many strong ones, with soporific properties,” replies the herbalist. This is the case of passionflower which induces good sleep, or even valerian, which is one of the most powerful plants for promoting sleep.

“Create a Ritual”

All these plants “should be taken half an hour to an hour before going to bed as inspiration,” recommends Michel Pierre, “to prepare for sleep, and not to knock you out. Because you need to prepare for a good sleep: in addition to the properties of the plant, it It’s about creating a ritual that encourages you to fall asleep, turning off your screen early, preparing your herbal tea, and thus promoting relaxation. is more convenient. Among herbalists, we see many people who prefer to take herbal tea instead of sleeping pills to fall asleep, the effect of which can wake up with a little depression. While herbal tea is non-addictive, healthy and gentle. This healthy Have a lifestyle component that promotes sleep, such as an early and light dinner.

A ritual adopted by 37-year-old Annabelle, who likes “herbal concoctions. I do this ritual to get rid of stress and evening ruminations that keep me from falling asleep. There’s nothing magical or special about it. It’s also about giving yourself a decompression chamber. , for example by taking advantage of this moment not to go on social networks, but by sipping my herbal tea while reading a few pages of a book or magazine. And all this helps me achieve a calm state of mind and often fall asleep faster.”

Demonstrated benefits

And the benefits of plants are real. About Valerian, “Some studies suggest that it improves sleep quality and makes it easier to fall asleep after several weeks of treatment. Its use in sleep disorders has even earned it the nickname “herbal Valium,” suggests Vidal, The Medicine Bible, which looked at the properties of herbal medicines. The same goes for lemon balm, whose “leaves are traditionally used for their soothing effects on the nervous system and digestive system. Known for properties. So lemon balm is recommended in case of sleep difficulty associated with anxiety. Its calming effect has been validated by several clinical studies,” suggests Vidal.

Another ritual and another grandmother’s remedy: a glass of warm milk before bed. Like herbal tea, a glass of warm milk has relaxing properties by helping the body regulate its temperature. A soothing effect that can be enhanced by adding a touch of honey or orange blossom water. Additionally, “Milk contains the amino acid, tryptophan, which is a precursor to the sleep hormone melatonin. So by consuming a dairy product at the end of dinner, we prepare for sleep,” suggests Rafael Gruman, nutritionist. If you are not fond of drinking milk, yogurt can also do the trick.

A touch of freshness and lavender

To fall asleep more easily, you can also rely on “cold, which promotes sleep,” Dr. recommends Frederick Saldman, cardiologist and nutritionist, lifestyle issues expert and author. Your future on prescription (ed. Robert Lafont). If you have trouble sleeping, place a wet glove that you have placed in the refrigerator on the back of your neck. This cooling sensation will help you sleep like a baby.” In your bedroom, you can even “turn off the heat,” says Dr. Saldman suggests. Recovery in a cool room is always better.

And to this touch of freshness, we can add a touch of lavender. “Numerous works have studied odors that act on the brain to promote sleep,” Dr. Saldman continues. Lavender has shown real effects. Subjects who had to inhale it several times fell asleep faster than a control group who did not inhale it. A few breaths with your nose on a bottle of genuine lavender essential oil is enough to take advantage of its anti-stress and anti-anxiety properties and calm you down again to better reach the hand of Morpheus.