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My son watched a dvd titled “make your own drugs”. It was different remedies for ailments. Not at all what he was hoping for! 😆 But he brought it to me because there was a guy in England who discovered that hops, used for making beer and ale, can help with insomnia. Back in the day when they were picked by hand there was actually this thing called “hop pickers syndrome” because the pickers were often found asleep under a tree! So this guy did an experiment with 2 insomniacs, filmed them on a typical sleepless night, then again with hops in their pillows. Voila, slept wonderfully.
Okay, so I am willing to try anything. But I am not in England and hops are not abundant in Ontario, except at Brew Your Own establishments. So there I went. They have hops in pellet form and about 15 different varieties. The staff was wonderful. Took me to the back refrigerated room and brought out sample trays for me to sniff and decide which one. I went for the strongest smelling one. None of them smelt very nice, but I thought stronger would be more potent.
I made a little sachet and held it near my nose for 2 hours. Nothing except stink. Next time I tried crushing the pellets, maybe that would release what I needed. Nada. Ah well nothing ventured nothing gained. Anyone else ever tried this? Any success? Man, the things we will do to sleep! 🙂
'Sahara' wrote on '04:My son watched a dvd titled “make your own drugs”. It was different remedies for ailments. Not at all what he was hoping for! 😆 But he brought it to me because there was a guy in England who discovered that hops, used for making beer and ale, can help with insomnia. Back in the day when they were picked by hand there was actually this thing called “hop pickers syndrome” because the pickers were often found asleep under a tree! So this guy did an experiment with 2 insomniacs, filmed them on a typical sleepless night, then again with hops in their pillows. Voila, slept wonderfully.
Okay, so I am willing to try anything. But I am not in England and hops are not abundant in Ontario, except at Brew Your Own establishments. So there I went. They have hops in pellet form and about 15 different varieties. The staff was wonderful. Took me to the back refrigerated room and brought out sample trays for me to sniff and decide which one. I went for the strongest smelling one. None of them smelt very nice, but I thought stronger would be more potent.
I made a little sachet and held it near my nose for 2 hours. Nothing except stink. Next time I tried crushing the pellets, maybe that would release what I needed. Nada. Ah well nothing ventured nothing gained. Anyone else ever tried this? Any success? Man, the things we will do to sleep! 🙂
If you want a similar situation to a hop picker, you should have used “whole” hops or leaf hops.
'henway' wrote on '04:If you want a similar situation to a hop picker, you should have used “whole” hops or leaf hops.
Thanks, that is what I figured too. But I figured maybe crushed hop pellets would = whole.
'Sahara' wrote on '04:My son watched a dvd titled “make your own drugs”. It was different remedies for ailments. Not at all what he was hoping for! 😆 But he brought it to me because there was a guy in England who discovered that hops, used for making beer and ale, can help with insomnia. Back in the day when they were picked by hand there was actually this thing called “hop pickers syndrome” because the pickers were often found asleep under a tree! So this guy did an experiment with 2 insomniacs, filmed them on a typical sleepless night, then again with hops in their pillows. Voila, slept wonderfully.
Okay, so I am willing to try anything. But I am not in England and hops are not abundant in Ontario, except at Brew Your Own establishments. So there I went. They have hops in pellet form and about 15 different varieties. The staff was wonderful. Took me to the back refrigerated room and brought out sample trays for me to sniff and decide which one. I went for the strongest smelling one. None of them smelt very nice, but I thought stronger would be more potent.
I made a little sachet and held it near my nose for 2 hours. Nothing except stink. Next time I tried crushing the pellets, maybe that would release what I needed. Nada. Ah well nothing ventured nothing gained. Anyone else ever tried this? Any success? Man, the things we will do to sleep! 🙂
I have tried Brain Wave Cds, Valerian root, an herbal mix with poppies (not opium poppies) that you can get in the states, lavender oil, milk and sugar – simple carbs, antihistamines, and wine. I am not suggesting anyone try wine because they say it interferes with REM sleep. I have not mixed over the counter meds with wine. Wine will interfere with REM sleep, but I have read that beer and hard liquor will increase your cortisol levels. Cortisol levels influence your circadian rhythms.
I got this from Medlineplus.gov:
“In normal people, cortisol levels are very low at bedtime and at their highest just after waking. This pattern will change if a person works irregular shifts (such as the night shift) and sleeps at different times of the day.”
Go to Medlineplus.gov if you want more info – authoritative info . I think cortisol plays a huge part in my insomnia. When I am under stress, and I know I am producing more cortisol at all times and I can't get to sleep even though I am exhausted. I have this exhausted frenzy of tossing and turning.
I've actually written about hops on the blog before. This may help: http://www.insomnialand.com/blog/hops-are-the-insomnia-cure-youve-been-hoping-for/
Your post did reignite my curiosity about this subject though, so after a bit more research I wrote another blog post about it (and shared your experiment). Of course, you remain anonymous: http://www.insomnialand.com/blog/hops-insomnia-and-an-experiment/
Personally, I'd rather drink a proper beer (ie not Bud/Millers/Coors) than eat hops in pellet form!
—If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.
The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.
Hops…now this takes me back to my childhood….
My mom and gran made hop pillows, which where put in my sisters pillows and they aided her sleep, I never personally used because at the time I didn't have problems sleeping…in fact quite the opposite!
I did kinda wonder if it was a psychosomatic thing though, as mom told her the pillow was in there…could it have been she justslept because she was thinking about the pillow there?
I took a pill that contained valerian and hops. Only worked when combined with anti-histamines.
'Remy' wrote on '06:I took a pill that contained valerian and hops. Only worked when combined with anti-histamines.
Sounds like quite the drug cocktail. I wonder how safe this combination is?
—If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.
The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.
Safety's never been a high priority… I used to take zopiclone with amytriptaline and whiskey.
'Martin' wrote on '05:I've actually written about hops on the blog before. This may help: http://www.insomnialand.com/blog/hops-are-the-insomnia-cure-youve-been-hoping-for/
Your post did reignite my curiosity about this subject though, so after a bit more research I wrote another blog post about it (and shared your experiment). Of course, you remain anonymous: http://www.insomnialand.com/blog/hops-insomnia-and-an-experiment/
Personally, I'd rather drink a proper beer (ie not Bud/Millers/Coors) than eat hops in pellet form!
Let me guess, you're talking about “Natural Light”, correct? Ha! ha!
Wow, I had forgotten about that one! I'm a homebrewer so anytime I see someone drink a liquid (it's not beer) like that, I feel for them. What a waste!!
—If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.
The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.
'Martin' wrote on '09:Wow, I had forgotten about that one! I'm a homebrewer so anytime I see someone drink a liquid (it's not beer) like that, I feel for them. What a waste!!
Wow! I had a friend who brewed own occasionally. Hope you don't have family in the riot areas. The stuff that is taking place on our planet will keep anyone awake at night!
'sweetsubversion' wrote on '09:Wow! I had a friend who brewed own occasionally. Hope you don't have family in the riot areas. The stuff that is taking place on our planet will keep anyone awake at night!
My step brother is a policeman. He is outside of London but has had his leave canceled and has been drafted down there. The rest of my family are far away from London, thankfully.
—If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.
The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.
Thanks, SS – things looked to have calmed down a lot now. Shame the Spurs vs Everton game was called off, though 😡
—If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.
The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.
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