By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    improving patient experience
    6 Ways to Improve Patient Satisfaction Within Hospitals
    December 1, 2021
    degree for healthcare job
    What Are The Health Benefits Of Having A Degree?
    March 9, 2022
    custom software development is changing healthcare
    Digital Customer Journey Mapping and its Importance for Healthcare
    July 21, 2022
    Latest News
    7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
    August 20, 2025
    Hospital Pest Control and the Fight Against Superbugs
    August 20, 2025
    Hygiene Beyond The Clinic: Attention To Overlooked Non-Clinical Spaces
    August 13, 2025
    5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
    August 3, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Patient Perception
    Medical Scrubs And Patient Perception: How Clothing Affects Patient Trust
    July 11, 2023
    How Would You Choose The Best Medical Clothing And Gloves?
    September 15, 2021
    MTBI Testing Helps Get Settlements to Cover Medical Bills
    April 16, 2024
    Latest News
    How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
    August 20, 2025
    How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
    August 20, 2025
    How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
    August 20, 2025
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Using Valerian Root and Melatonin Together for Sleep Disorders
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Policy & Law > Global Healthcare > Using Valerian Root and Melatonin Together for Sleep Disorders
Global HealthcareHealth

Using Valerian Root and Melatonin Together for Sleep Disorders

Annie Qureshi
Annie Qureshi
Share
8 Min Read
Sleep Disorders
Shutterstock Licensed Photo - By Stock-Asso | stock photo ID: 1285836277
SHARE

Are you suffering from insomnia? This is a disorder that affects nearly 60 million Americans every year.

Contents
  • Understanding the Use of Valerian Root in Insomnia
    • How Do Valerian Root and Melatonin Interact Together?

There are a lot of different natural sleep aids to consider trying. Valerian root and melatonin are both remedies worth using to promote sleep.

Some people wonder whether you can use valerian root and melatonin together if you’re struggling with insomnia. Both sleep aids are safe and helpful alone. But do valerian root and melatonin interact with each other in negative ways?

We will cover a description on valerian root before talking about how it interacts with melatonin at the end of this post. You can always follow this informative health blog if you want to learn more as well.

More Read

health collective economic population growth
Is a Low Fertility Rate Good or Bad for the Health of an Economy?
Pneumonia After Typhoon Haiyan: 4.3 Million Vulnerable to Illness
The Journey to Healing: Navigating the Aftermath of Wrongful Death Claims 
Why The Pull-Out Method in Childbirth often doesn’t Work and What to do Instead
The New Bottom Billion: Implications for GAVI?

Understanding the Use of Valerian Root in Insomnia

Insomnia is a cause of distress and health problems for many adults, and it also worsens with age. Sufferers describe it as a feeling of dissatisfaction due to difficulty in initiating or maintaining sleep or a short duration of sleep that’s not restful and doesn’t allow them to be well rested the next day. In some people, insomnia is related to the intensity of the stress they experience on a daily basis. In older people, the deep sleep phase, called the slow-wave phase, which is the most restorative phase, may be diminished or even disappear. Insomnia is considered chronic when it persists for more than six months. Some plants act as natural relaxants due to their composition, so they’re helpful for people suffering from insomnia.

Traditionally, herbal remedies, known in many countries as natural medicine, have been used to treat insomnia or sleep disturbances, thanks to their sedative properties. Valerian could be a good alternative in these cases. It has a moderate effect as a sleep inducer, without altering its structure. It has many properties that are similar to melatonin.

A prolonged treatment with valerian, a natural relaxant, is recommended, since its effectiveness tends to increase after two weeks. Valerian acts both in the induction of sleep, i.e., at the beginning and in the quality of sleep, increasing its duration and increasing the most restorative phase, which is the slow wave phase.

Valerian (Valeriana officinalis), traditionally used for its tranquilizing, relaxing and sleep-inducing action, is a plant that acts as a sedative agent, relaxing the nervous system and the brain, so it’s often recommended to treat sleep disorders or to relieve stress and anxiety. Its sedative effects are due to the acids and antioxidants in its root. Valerianic acid increases the amount of GABA* in our brain (main neurotransmitter that inhibits the central nervous system) and some antioxidants, such as hesperidin and linarin, contain sedative properties that help provide a state of relaxation and well-being.

This is one of the benefits that valerian root provides that melatonin does not. Melatonin isn’t highly effective as an anti-anxiety medication or relaxant. Instead, melatonin is a hormone that helps facilitate sleep. Therefore, it’s understandable why melatonin and valerian root could be useful together.

*GABA is a neurotransmitter that decreases nervous activity in the brain, causing relaxation and calmness. Low levels of this neurotransmitter can lead to sleep disturbances or anxiety.

Clinical studies conducted to evaluate the efficacy of valerian as a sleep inducer have shown that it promotes sleep onset and sleep quality. In addition, studies have been conducted in humans, which also demonstrate the anxiolytic and sedative action of valerian, which would help improve sleep disorders.

Plants with medicinal properties can be used alone, but in association, they have a synergistic and complementary action that enhances the results. This is the case of valerian, passionflower and California poppy, three plants that are natural relaxants whose indication for the relief of states of mild anxiety, nervousness, and sleep disorders has been corroborated after years of use and studies. Hence, the usefulness of phytotherapy, based on medicinal plants that not only act as sleep inducers, but also have sedative action.

Stress and anxiety are some of the factors that often precipitate sleep disorders. At the same time, insomnia has been shown to cause states of anxiety during the day, creating a vicious circle. Numerous studies have confirmed that adequate rest helps strengthen our body’s immune system and keeps our blood pressure under control. Some food supplements based on plant extracts for natural relaxation don’t cause dependence or drowsiness during the day.

Therefore, in those cases involving stress, nervousness, anxiety and/or mild/moderate insomnia, it would be practical to resort to treatments of more natural origin, such as phytotherapy, to alleviate symptoms and physiological disorders associated with situations of anxiety and/or sleep disorders. The role of the pharmacist as prescriber is crucial in the recommendation and management of these treatments.

How Do Valerian Root and Melatonin Interact Together?

It’s important to know how melatonin and valerian root interact with each other before using them. According to Drugs.com, there don’t appear to be any negative interactions between the two.

However, this doesn’t mean that it’s always best to take valerian root and melatonin together. You should always talk to your doctor first.

Although many people swear by the effectiveness of these sleep aids, it would be best to take things one step at a time and determine whether you’re having a restful sleep. For instance, snoring affects the quality of your sleep, causing irritability and daytime fatigue. So, if you tend to snore at night or you’ve been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), you can try using an oral appliance, such as an anti snoring mouth guard by VitalSleep. 

Replacing your bed and lights and changing your bedtime habits are also effective solutions you can use to sleep better. One change you can add is to develop regular bedtime rituals. For example, you can read a book, listen to your favorite music, or meditate before going to bed. Doing a pre-sleep activity will help you relax. Once you feel at ease, your body will know when it’s time to sleep. Using an air diffuser to fill your room with an essential oil like lavender is a method you’ll find soothing as well. 

Another good habit to follow is to avoid coffee and electronics. Since caffeine is a stimulant, drinking coffee will only lead to a restless sleep. Watching TV or using your gadgets, such as your laptop or phone, will make it harder for you to fall asleep and wake up the next day because blue light produced by electronics limits the production of melatonin.

Once you adopt healthy sleep habits, you’ll get better sleep and wake up refreshed.

TAGGED:sleep disorders
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

engineer fitting prosthetic arm
How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
Health care
August 20, 2025
a woman explaining the document
How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
Public Health
August 20, 2025
physiotherapist at work
How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
Health care
August 20, 2025
Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs
7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
Health News
August 20, 2025

You Might also Like

everest healthcare
Global Healthcare

The Everest Foundation’s Mission to Support Inclusive Healthcare

February 24, 2023
staying healthy during retirement
Health

Follow these 4 Steps to Enjoy a Healthy Retirement

December 23, 2022
vitamin suppliments
HealthInfographics

Are Vitamin Supplements Safe?

August 20, 2024

How Healthcare Workers Can Smoothly Change Careers

July 14, 2016
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?