Nightmares

[Megan SchultzStudent]

My tween was recently diagnosed with PTSD (due to some family health issues in the past), along with an Anxiety disorder. We assume that PTSD is a huge contributing factor to her having terrible nightmares. They are bad enough that she will wake up and throw up, because of how scary they are. So my question is, what herbs can be used to help with nightmares? I have tried a tincture of valerian, hops, and lavender without success.

[Teresa FieldsStudent]

I think I would try magnesium supplement and unfortified nutritional yeast (mainly for b1 content). I think nightmares can indicate low b1.

[Michelle KochStudent]

Have you tried prayer or meditation in addition to herbs, calming baths, and sound therapy?  Journaling can also be helpful for some people.  And some people even find saging (bedroom and home environment) helpful also.  If she is the type who enjoys physical exercise, some people find running or jogging, hiking, or lifting weights to be cathartic and therapeutic.  When it comes to trauma, we need to throw everything we can think of at our personal “demons.”

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whkoo

[Dr. Patrick JonesHomestead Instructor]

There are a number of herbs that have research showing that they help decrease nightmares.

Sedating herbs like valerian root, passionflower, Kava Kava, chamomile, lavendar, lemon balm and chamomile all have good studies.

Ashwagandha, ginkgo and St. John’s wort all help too.

I’d think about some probiotics and prebiotics too. Gut bugs make lots of serotonin which is the chmeical that makes our brain feel like everything will be OK. Some good exercise can often help things too.

Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.

[CarolAnnStudent]

Just an idea …

What about severe blood sugar drops (hypoglycemia) at night? They are infamous for triggering nightmares to launch an adrenaline rush to bring blood sugar levels back up. Anxiety does tend to influence blood sugar.

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Michelle Koch

[Megan BumpsStudent]

You can also look into amino acid therapy. You can take straight L-Glutamine or 5-HTP (L-Glutamine coverts to 5-HTP which converts into Seratonin). You might also look into GABA. I don’t know if it is possible where you live, but you can also look into neurofeedback therapy. It’s like biofeed back but for the brain. It basically looks at imbalances in brain waves and corrects them by practicing video games you play with your brain while hooked up to electrodes. My brother (he’s a therapist) was trained in it, so I got to try it. The only side effects are possible fatigue and maybe a headache from your brain working hard, but it has helped some people with various disorders and other issues.

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