Using Hops For Insomnia Relief?

[joshuahardie]

http://www.totallynatural.com.au/tranquil-calm-max.htm

I have had some bad insomnia over the last couple of weeks
Not the have not slept in 2 weeks sort of insomnia, but the sleep for 2 hours, awake for 3 sleep for 2 = dang i only got 4 hours of broken sleep and i am shattered type of insomnia.

Fast forward to last night and i am looking at some brochure for a herbal tablet that is supposed to help with sleeping disorders

i check the active ingredients to find that the thing is supposedly 33% hops.... yes beer hops.

bugger this i say, go to the fridge get out some hops (NZ B Saaz for those interested) chuck em in a empty teabag, pour hot water
and voila, hop tea. tasted like hops funny enough , but no more bitter than green tea.

it is funny, i was thinking of cutting back on beer to see if it was a reason i was not sleeping. going off this newfound scientific advice, i am thinking about upping my doseage....

but seriously, has anyone heard of this before, and is it likely to have any affect at all.

 

[Sprungmonkey]

Hops is a member of the Cannabinaceae family. Wonder if that has anything to do with it... haha.

 

[white.grant]

Apparently you stuff your pillow with it. More here http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_g260...0/ai_2603000067

cheers

Grant

 

[SJW]

Interesting, I might give a little hop tea a go. I am a shocking sleeper.

 

[brettprevans]

I dont stuff around with herbal stuff. it doesnt work for my insomnia. Stilnox all the way. besides I recon the hops would be more expensive than the sleeping tablets anyway. interesting idea though. although if you think about it, why doesnt beer make you go to sleep. youve taken most of the oils out of the hops when you steep/boil them......

 

[brendanos]

I saw an empty box of "hops sleep tea" at a friends place yesterday, I think it was a blend of a few "herbs and spices", possibly valerian.

I'm going to try the "twp teaspoons of flowers in one cup boiling water for five minutes" approach. It's also said to aid digestion. Imagine all the hop tea and breakfast combinations....

 

[lagers44]

I've heard somewhere that hops are a sedative , they were as others have said used in pillows & as tea for helping people get to sleep.

Suppose you could also try some of that " other " green stuff people use.

Lagers

 

[Lobsta]

I dont stuff around with herbal stuff. it doesnt work for my insomnia. Stilnox all the way. besides I recon the hops would be more expensive than the sleeping tablets anyway. interesting idea though. although if you think about it, why doesnt beer make you go to sleep. youve taken most of the oils out of the hops when you steep/boil them......

woo for stilnox. no i dont take it, i dispense it. noticed any cool/scary side effects? there was a bloke who painted his door in his sleep one time, another chick kept gaining weight and when she woke up, her fridge was empty, turns out she was eating in her sleep. there has also been anecdotal evidence of sleep driving...

maybe if u get somebody to lock you in a room from the outside with a brewstand, you might wake up with a fermenter full of fresh brew... or wort painted all over your door

Lobby the pharmacy nerd.

 

[brettprevans]

nup never had any issues. I recon half these people make it up. once it kicks in for me (and if im stupid enough to have stayed up after taking it) my legs cease to work, I go woosey, feel funny and go to sleep. a bit like drinking really. Way better than Tamazapan. takes too long and is too light.

I had considered making a Temaz beer, but figured that could be a bit dangerous. Maybe i'll try Fents' 'alternative' ale first.

 

[sinkas]

AS far as I recall, there are a couple of valerian and hops extract comnbinations that have been shown to moderately improve sleep in patients suffering sleep disturbance; However I am pretty sure the whole thing was funded by the german Hops growers consortium, so the result might be a little over interpreted.

Do some thinking, or preferrably ask someone (who might have qualifications in Primary health care) to help you work out what might be causiing it before you start dosing up, as sudden onset insomnia, if not due to lifestyle and stress issues can be a sketchy situation.

 

[neonmeate]

other people usually find getting me on the subject of hops is a good cure for insomnia

 

[joshuahardie]

Apparently you stuff your pillow with it. More here http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_g260...0/ai_2603000067

cheers

Grant

That website claims that a tea can be made with 2 teaspoons of fresh hops in a cup of boiling water.
i reckon i used about 10 pellets last night, it was so bitter it almost ripped my face off, and i could not finish it.

The commercial version used under 1 gram of hops, so I am thinking 2 or 3 pellets in the water would be the max.

I have slept better the 2 nights i have had it, but that could be due to a huge amount of factors, not to mention the likely placebo affect.

Still can't hurt to give it a whirl for a week or so.

 

[brettprevans]

hmmm I can feel a poll waiting to he had here :lol: :

What hops do you use for your insomnia tea:
amarillo
cascade
Fuggles
Nelsen Sauvin
etc

actually I recon a Nelsen Sauvin/Amarillo might be nice.

 

[Linz]

Id go the older, more traditional, 'noble' hops for the sleep remedy..Hall. fuggles, EKG

Not that I have any trouble sleeping....I've slept thru a lightning strike!!(on a window sill in the next room, not me!)

 

[Sammus]

This certainly explains a lot. I was wondering why I fell asleep so easily after knocking back a few IIPA's...

 

[Fourstar]

This certainly explains a lot. I was wondering why I fell asleep so easily after knocking back a few IIPA's...

I had a thing abck in Uni to have a glass of scotch before bed, nightcap if you will. stopped doing ti and wondered why i was struggling to sleep. becomes quite a habit to break.

On ANZAC day weekend i went to canberra, market in kingston they were selling herbal pillows, some had hops in them. ive heard they are great for sleep issues.

 

[soupbones]

Brew yourself a good Amarillo Ale and hop the hell out of it. And I mean hop the hell out of it, so it smelsl like grass clippings even. Even dry hop it with amarillo. Up the sugars so it gets an FG somewhere over 6%. One of the best beers I have had that put you out like a light in no time. Just one long kneck of that used to make me drowsey enough to crash out in front of the telly most nights without getting pissed. Never had another beer do that ever ( not without drinking it lots and lots of it ).

 

[brendanos]

I had some Motueka & honey tea last night. It was incredibly bitter, left a taste in me and my friends mouths for hours, though I found it really pleasant, and almost as satisfying as an IPA.

 

[boingk]

Just one long kneck of that used to make me drowsey enough to crash out in front of the telly most nights without getting pissed.

The 'Tettnang Tantalizer' in my sig does that to me...after one or two I'll be feeling right sleepy. Usually though, my homebrew fuels my nightly exploits here at uni, so once or twice a week will see me drinking somewhat more than one or two stubbies of it...

I find that one or two stubbies worth and listening to some soft music is about the best you can get in the insomnia game without going pharmaceutical.

Cheers - boingk

 

[Adric Hunter]

in the first issue of Beer and brewer they recomended to sew some cascade into your pillow to help with sleeping disorders