Passion Flower for Sleep Apnea

Sleep Better With Passionflower Tea

Why does no one ever mention snooze disorders when they talk about menopause? As if hot flushes and weight gain wasn’t enough of an insult. When I started hitting the button on the clock at 2, 3, and 4 am, when I reached fifty, my husband grumbled loud enough to be heard in the next village. He carped about being woken up by my tossing and turning, putting the light on to read or getting up and wandering around the house. I was banned to the narrow bed in the spare room. As this was a second marriage for both of us and we had been wed less than 3 years, I set about a cunning plan to get back to the comforts of the marital king-size bed.

First, I cut down on my stress levels at work by delegating more, and when that didn’t solve the problem, I took an over-the-counter herbal sleep remedy and began contemplating my navel every Thursday night with girls as slim as leeks at a yoga class. I then tried variously, melatonin, valerian, lavender pillows, and any other complementary remedy that was remotely likely to restore my sleep.

But the land of nod continued to exclude the likes of me from its borders, and I joined the one in three people who suffer from insomnia. As I’d rather impale myself on a garden fork than take medication, I’ve never mentioned the word insomnia to my GP. But I’ve had more sleep problems in the last year than my husbands’ had nights of marital bliss. Until that is I discovered flower teas!

‘Passion Flower’ I read, raising my eyebrows over the breakfast table, looking at a book of herbal remedies and gazing at it’s unusual upside down flower. But the words passion awoke something more expectant in my husband. Ignoring the gleam in his eye, I went on ‘cross-like stamens suspended above a cradle of pale stakes’ he rattled his paper trying to ignore me, ‘it used to remind early Christian pilgrims of the Crucifixion’ I went on. He yawned as I commented on its striking blue, purple, red or white flowers and the fact that it is grown all over Europe, as a garden climber. Even when I informed him that it was also called Granadilla, Maypop, Passion Vine or Passiflora, it didn’t raise more than a grimace. “It’s a cure for insomnia” I said and he finally looked up from his paper.

Now, before you insomniacs tear down your passion flower from the garden wall and put the kettle on, it’s worth knowing that of the 460 species of passion flower, it is only Passiflora Incanarta that has the mild sedative effect. The product you can buy as a herbal supplement in Europe comes in tablet form or loose to be made into teas, or can be sprinkled in the bath water. Although the herb promotes a natural form of relaxation and is non-addictive it would be wise if you are taking any medication or are pregnant to consult with a herbalist.

Over a 200 year period, I read on, now that I had his interest, there is documented evidence that Passionflower leaves sedate and sooth edgy nerves. The plant contains naturally occurring serotonin and its use as a sedative was made known to the West in 1569.

And before I could say “sweet dreams”, he was sat at the computer ordering it on the internet. After a week of sipping the tea at bedtime I have slept like a baby, and I’ve got my old energy back. Enough to give the leeks in the yoga class a second glance at this 50 year old gliding through the sun salutation.

‘Here’s a secret’ I whispered into the ear of the husband as he welcomed me back into the marital bed. ‘In ancient Peru, Passionflower was used as an aphrodisiac.’ I failed to point out that the leaf extract used in the 2003 clinical trial on mice, was reported to improve sexual function, increase sperm count, fertilization potential and litter size. H’m, I thought, that might keep him awake all night.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 27th, 2008 at 6:46 am and is filed under Sleep Apnea. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.