Unfortunately, poor sleep quality, which includes many complaints such as insomnia, inability to fall asleep, and waking up very tired, has become a part of our lives. At this point, the positive effect of Passiflora on sleep has been known among the public since ancient times and is used as a traditional herbal medicine.
What are the Ways to Improve Sleep Quality?
Sleep quality is very important for our general health. is doing. However, epidemiological studies show that about one-third of the world's general population suffers from varying degrees of insomnia. The social cost of insomnia in society is increasing. Various social phenomena and lifestyles that eliminate the opportunity for good sleep quality lead to sleep deprivation in the lives of modern people. For this reason, insomnia problems cannot be solved easily.
Due to the importance of sleep, many prescription drugs are constantly on the market for insomnia patients. However, beyond the desired goals, these drugs can cause problems such as abnormal behavior in sleep in addition to other disorders such as hyperphagia, obesity, diabetes, bad mood on the body. In particular, overdose and long-term use of sleeping pills cause abnormal behavior during sleep. Patients suffering from insomnia are at high risk of mortality. However, the unexpected adverse effects of these prescription drugs on the human body mind are not well known, and therefore the use of newly developed sleep inducers needs to be very cautious as the potential side effects of sleep inducers are observed. It also poses a critical problem for patients, and herbal remedies, including foods, have become an alternative to minimize problems. For this reason, the use of herbal remedies as an alternative treatment for insomnia symptoms is becoming widespread, because herbal products are easily available without a prescription and are generally perceived as safe.
Areas of Use of Passiflora Plant
Passiflora incarnata genus It has long been used in traditional medicine for the treatment of insomnia and anxiety in Europe and in North America. It is used as a soothing tea. Also, this herb is used for analgesic, anti-spasmodic, anti-asthma and sedative purposes in Brazil, while in Iraq it is used as a sedative and tranquilizer, and in Turkey for a long period of time for the treatment of ailments such as dysmenorrhea, epilepsy, insomnia, neurosis and neuralgia. used. It has been used to treat hysteria and neurasthenia in Poland, and in the United States to treat diarrhea, dysmenorrhea, neuralgia, burns, hemorrhoids, and insomnia. In India, it has been used to heal patients affected by opium addiction.
Use of Passiflora to Improve Sleep Quality
Passiflora tea or Passiflora tea is made by drying the leaves, flowers and stems of the Passiflora plant. It is frequently used among the public to reduce the level of anxiety and improve sleep quality. Recent studies have investigated the relationship between passiflora and sleep quality and have reached very promising results.
Passiflora increases gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the brain. GABA, an amino acid, reduces activity in the central nervous system. This decrease; may result in relaxation, improved mood, better sleep quality, and pain-reducing effects. has shown potential effects on insomnia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, drug withdrawal symptoms, and menopausal symptoms. Although passionflower is used for a variety of pharmacological purposes, the most common use in clinical practice is for the treatment of insomnia and anxiety. A study published in 2011 found that consumption of low-dose Passiflora incarnata in the form of tea, in polysomnography-validated sleep diaries, evaluated after a 1-week washout period, after distribution of 41 patients to the intervention group (passiflora tea) or placebo group, revealed that consumption of low-dose Passiflora incarnata for healthy adults with slight fluctuations in sleep quality had a short-term subjective effect.
In 2017, Medina et al. produced pre- and post-intervention polygraphic recordings from male adult Wistar rats. They showed that passiflora incarnata extract showed a significant increase in total sleep time and a significant decrease in wakefulness time. In 2019, Lee et al. published a study showing the positive effects of this herb on polysomnographic sleep parameters of patients suffering from insomnia. Patients were evaluated by overnight polysomnography and questionnaire administration at baseline and 2 weeks after ingestion of a capsule containing passionflower extracts. The results reported a significant increase in the polysomnographic sleep parameter. Again, in the study published by Kim et al. in 2019, it was shown that passiflora has significant sleep-inducing effects in animals with single and repeated oral administrations of passiflora incarnata extracts on rats. While passiflora does not always increase sleep duration, it does show that it does improve sleep quality.
Make Passiflora tea:
What you need: only about 2 grams (1 tablespoon) of dried Passiflora herb or 1 ready-made sachet Passiflora tea and 1 glass of hot water. Soak the tea bag or dried Passiflora herb in hot water for 6 to 8 minutes. Then strain or remove the tea bag. You can sweeten it with honey if you want, or just drink it.
The important point here is: Do not expect a miracle effect by drinking it in one go. You should prepare and drink passiflora tea a few hours before going to bed every night for at least 1 week (7 days).
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