Getting enough quality sleep during the nighttime is crucial as it helps the body function better throughout the day. Sleep is essential for both physical and mental health. For example, it is involved in the healing and repair of your heart and blood vessels. Sleep deficiency is linked to an increased risk of kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and a wide range of other medical conditions.
When sleep deficiency persists, you may have insomnia, which is essentially an inability to sleep or stay asleep for long periods. Insomnia can be acute (short time) or chronic (long time), and the causes may vary.
The most common cause of acute insomnia is life circumstances that may lead to anxiety, apprehension or stress, for example, after receiving bad news.
On the other hand, chronic insomnia is most often caused by poor sleep habits, or untreated or uncontrolled medical conditions. These occur when the sleep-wake cycle is disrupted regularly, resulting in incomplete REM cycles or difficulty falling asleep altogether.
The importance of getting enough sleep cannot be overemphasized because recent studies have shown that adequate sleep is essential for the body to feel refreshed and alert.
Unfortunately, in our society today, people are not getting enough sleep because they tend to put rest far down on their priority list. People often start using natural remedies to help them sleep better. One of the natural remedies that is becoming increasingly popular is the use of the ginkgo biloba sleep aid.
What is ginkgo biloba?
Ginkgo biloba, also known as the maidenhair tree, is a species of tree native to China, but it is now grown in many places worldwide. It is the only living species in Ginkgoales, which first appeared over 290 million years ago.
Ginkgo has been a part of traditional Chinese medicine for centuries. It is now sold mostly as supplements for memory support or brain health. Ginkgo comes in different forms such as tablets, capsules, extract and tea form. People take it to help with blood pressure problems, eye problems like glaucoma, dementia, depression, anxiety, and other medical complications. Still, there is no solid scientific evidence to support most of these uses.
Is ginkgo biloba safe?
When taken by mouth, ginkgo leaf extract is likely safe for most people. However, it can cause some minor side effects such as headache, dizziness, and skin allergies for a percentage of people. Some significant side effects can happen, like increasing the risk of bruising and bleeding or arrhythmia.
On the other hand, the roasted seed or crude ginkgo plant is possibly unsafe when taken by mouth. Eating more than ten roasted seeds every day can cause serious side effects such as seizures. Moreover, eating fresh seeds may lead to death as they are poisonous and dangerous. When applied to the skin, there isn’t enough reliable information to know if ginkgo is safe or not.
Ginkgo is possibly unsafe when taken by mouth during pregnancy because it might cause early labor or excess bleeding if used during or close to delivery time. Moreover, during breastfeeding, there is not enough reliable information to know if ginkgo is safe or not.
For children, the ginkgo leaf extract is possibly safe when taken by mouth for a short time. A specific combination of ginkgo leaf extract plus American ginseng might be safe in children when used for the short term. However, parents must not allow children to eat ginkgo seeds because the fresh seeds have caused seizures and death in children.
Does ginkgo biloba help you sleep better?
Ginkgo biloba is a herb that is often praised for its beneficial effects on memory and cognition, but it has another major health benefit which is its great impact as a sleep aid.
Ginkgo biloba sleep aid helps reduce anxiety symptoms as it enables you to relax after a long day, thereby contributing to improved quality of sleep. Anxious individuals can experience many symptoms such as fatigue, palpitations, trembling, lack of concentration, restlessness or inability to fall or stay asleep.
A 2001 pilot study in “Pharmacopsychiatry” found that ginkgo improved sleep in depressed patients. The participants taking the ginkgo extracts noticed a significant improvement in their sleep patterns as they woke up less during the night. The researchers also noticed that non-REM sleep was also improved in those who took a ginkgo biloba sleep aid. The improvement in sleep was reversed when patients discontinued using it. However, another 2001 study published in “Pharmacopsychiatry” found no noticeable improvement in sleep for healthy adults.
What quantity of ginkgo biloba is safe to take before sleep?
There is no standard dose of ginkgo biloba before sleep. However, according to a 2001 study, taking around 240 mg of ginkgo biloba 30-60 minutes before sleeping may help reduce stress, enhance relaxation and promote sleep. As a general guide, ginkgo biloba should be taken for a minimum of eight weeks to see any result. Make sure you carefully read any instructions on the packaging or patient leaflet before taking it. As earlier mentioned, it is not advisable for pregnant or breastfeeding women to take ginkgo biloba as safety has not yet been established in these groups. Children under the age of 12 should not take ginkgo biloba unless under medical supervision.
Does ginkgo biloba interact with other drugs?
Ginkgo biloba can interact with certain drugs such as:
- Antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications
- Blood-thinning medication such as warfarin or aspirin – ginkgo can enhance their effects
- Anticonvulsants – there is a risk that ginkgo may trigger further seizures
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
- Anti-viral
- Diabetes drugs
- Blood pressure medications
In conclusion, ginkgo biloba is generally considered safe and only has a few mild side effects such as headache, dizziness, and skin allergies, as earlier mentioned. Also, keep in mind that there might be quality issues with ginkgo biloba products. Lower quality manufacturers might use cheaper ingredients such as rutin and quercetin instead of ginkgo. These chemicals both occur naturally in ginkgo, so adding them to ginkgo products can make them look like ginkgo on some tests. But these products won’t have the same effects as ginkgo biloba. You should stop taking ginkgo biloba if you experience any side effects. It is always advisable to speak to your physician before taking ginkgo biloba for better sleep.
