Naturopathy Valerian helps with sleep problems

New PRISCUS list confirmed: The most tolerable sleep aid for seniors is valerian.

People are getting older and older, so medications are getting more and more important in their lives. The statistics show how important it is: Every over-60s cash-desk patient receives an average of three medicines a day! The concern is that many of these drugs are associated with side effects and even dangerous risks, especially in older people. A working group around the Wuppertal pharmacologist Prof. Dr. med. med. Petra A. Thürmann has now for the first time compiled a list of drugs for Germany that should be avoided in the elderly.

The recently published list of PRISCUS (Journal of Physics, Int. 2010; 107 (31-32): 543-51) reads like a catalog of the most commonly prescribed synthetic drugs. Thirty-eight drugs classified the 38 experts from eight different disciplines involved in the assessment as "potentially inadequate medicines" (PIMs) for older people. These include the sleep and sedatives benzodiazepines, Z-substances, chloral hydrate and diphenhydramine, which are especially prescribed in Germany. They impair everyday safety and responsiveness and are a common cause of dangerous falls. Benzodiazepines e.g. increase the risk of bone fractures in elderly patients by 50 to 110 percent! However, their undesirable effects on the psyche are also feared: they range from paradoxical reactions such as restlessness and irritability to depression and psychosis.

As one of the few therapeutic alternatives that can be used without undue risk in elderly patients, the PRISCUS list also mentions herbal medicines with valerian. The soothing and sleep-inducing effects of valerian extracts, especially in combination with lemon balm or hops, are well documented in randomized and controlled scientific studies. None of these studies found any evidence of deterioration in concentration, reaction rate, perception or alertness. An increase in the risk of falling after taking valerian extracts is also not to be feared. Because these medicines do not disturb sleep patterns and make them dependent, unlike benzodiazepines they can be taken over a longer period of time. (KFN 14/2010)

Also read:
Valerian & L-tryptophan: approaches to sleep disorder
Chronic fatigue