Prescriptions for sleep aids and anti-anxiety drugs have increased during the past ten years. Furthermore, many teenagers receive prescriptions for these medications from their family doctors, proving that this trend isn't limited to adults. However, like with many conditions, drug therapy ought to be your last option rather than your first choice.
Long-term risks and potential dangers are associated with medications. The use of sleep aids such as Ambien has been linked to an increased risk of falling or being involved in an automobile accident during the day, as well as impaired motor and cognitive functioning.
They also may have carcinogenic effects and may be related to increased rates of cancer. One study found that people with prescriptions for hypnotics (sleeping pills) had about 4.6 times higher mortality risks than people who didn’t use these drugs. Even those who used hypnotics sparingly were at an increased risk of mortality. Anti-anxiety medications come with similar serious risks.
Some of the symptoms of anxiety:
- Cloudy thoughts
- Heart palpitations
- Sweaty palms
- Muscle tension
- Dry mouth
- Queasy
- Feelings that the worst is going to happen
- Inability to concentrate
- Insomnia
- Not wanting to get out of bed
POWERFUL HOMEMADE ANTI-ANXIETY ELIXIR
Lemon and honey are known for their soothing and relaxation benefits. Certain compounds in honey have a calming effect, this is prominent when taken in significant amounts.
Ingredients:
- 2 tsp lemon Juice
- 2 tsp ground Ginger
- 1 tsp raw Honey
Method:
Add everything to a small bowl, mix well and take three times a day before meals.
HERBS TO CALM ANXIETY NATURALLY
The great news is that these herbs can be either taken internally or used in aromatherapy. If taken internally, 80 mg daily is the suggested dosage for lavender, while the ideal dosage for lemon balm is 60 drops from a tincture daily.
Lavender
A 2010 multi-center, double blind randomized study of lavender oil compared to anti-anxiety medication lorazepam found that both were effective against generalized and persistent anxiety.
Bonus — lavender had no sedative side effects.
Lemon Balm
Research published in 2004, for instance, gave participants a single dose of lemon balm extract (300 mg or 600 mg) or a placebo, then measured their mood after one hour. The higher dose resulted in reduced stress and improved calmness and alertness. Even the lower dose helped participants do math problems more quickly.
Dosage: Use in aromatherapy, try 300-500 mg of dried lemon balm three times daily, 60 drops daily, or 1/4 to 1 teaspoon of dried lemon balm herb in hot water for a tea four times daily.
L-Theanine
This one isn’t really a herb—it’s a water-soluble amino acid, but it’s gotten such good research behind it we had to include it here. It’s found mainly in green tea and black tea and is also available as a supplement.
Studies have found that it acts directly on the brain, helping to reduce stress and anxiety—without causing drowsiness.
Cannabis
For many people, the natural compounds found in cannabis, including the plant’s wide range of cannabinoids—cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are among the most well known—are far more effective at alleviating stress and anxiety, as well as promoting restful sleep. And unlike pharmaceuticals, cannabis is not dangerous and does not harm the body.
A 1986 study published in the journal Biological Psychiatry, for instance, found that cannabis, which is often referred to as marijuana, produces clear anti-anxiety effects in the body.
Compared to controls not consuming the plant, subjects taking cannabis during this study manifested very low anxiety scores, the result of cannabis compounds interacting with the body’s benzodiazepine receptors.
Similarly, cannabis makes a far better sleeping aid than prescription sleeping pills like Ambien, as the appropriate strains act as a natural, gentle sedative to put the mind at ease.
Pharmaceutical sleeping pills, on the other hand, are highly addictive, can cause extreme psychosis and dangerous behavior, and as the new UK study has shown, are extremely harmful to the body.
“One of the effects of THC administration is sedation,” wrote Karen I. Bolla, the lead author of a 2008 study published in the journal Sleep. “One group of marijuana users report… they use marijuana to help them sleep. Interestingly, the marijuana users report negligible use of alcohol, sleeping pills, or other medicines to induce sleep.”
Sources:
http://www.naturalnews.com/044761_anti-anxiety_drugs_sleeping_pills_mortality.html
Cannabis: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3002503
http://www.cchrint.org/psychiatric-drugs/antianxietysideeffects/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19962288