Can’t sleep?

Can’t sleep?

Me neither!

I’ve been dealing with insomnia lately. As in I would go to bed and wake up in the middle of the night unsure if I slept or just stared at the ceiling for the past few hours.

Well bye bye insomnia, I found Lavender buds in my pantry.

Although in some parts of this world lavender is considered a weed, there is no doubt that it has magical medicinal effects.

For example, my mum has psoriasis (stress induced eczema that dries out skin and itches) – what she used to do is put lavender flowers in a spray bottle, fill it with water and let it infuse.

Although psoriasis is a chronic condition, just a few puffs on the irritated spot offers quick relief.

It also has anti inflammatory properties so if you take a bath in which you have put some lavender flowers and have a good soak, you will soon feel better – I did this to open my blocked airways and it worked better than menthol rub cream (not sure if product placement is the one, but we all know the mixture in question).

So picture this: 3:40-ish am, I am raiding my pantry for some sleep dust or pills or ANYTHING that can help me sleep, for God’s sake; and then I saw the magic brown bag – TA DA! Dry lavender buds! Wicked!

I was still annoyed (as you are at 3:40-ish am) that I didn’t have fresh lavender (yeah, in winter, in Romania – sleep deprivation makes you act incredibly insane?), here is what I did:

  • Take one tablespoon of dry lavender buds and throw them in a teacup
  • Boil the kettle and let the water cool down for a minute – remember how in a post I spoke about temperature being important when brewing tea?
  • Pour water on top of lavender buds and let it steep for 5 minutes
  • Add honey, enjoy!

Some people are not fans of just lavender tea, but I have the solution – it goes well infused in chamomile tea!

The reason why a cup of lavender tea before bed helps with treating sleep disorders is that it releases happy hormones, reduces depression and anxiety, therefore helps with inducing and maintaining a satisfying sleep cycle – and is natural!!!!

Although it is a plant found very easily, it does have some side effects – for example:

  • If you are pregnant you should probably steer clear of lavender brew because it stimulates menstruation – I’m not saying don’t drink lavender tea or have a nice scented bath, just don’t over do it, mkay?
  • Don’t drink, eat or use lavender in any form if you take cholesterol pills – it can be used as a natural replacement due to its cholesterol-lowering properties.
  • Skin irritation, nausea and vomiting can also occur if ingested in high quantities – moderation is key in anything, guys!

Although it has side effects, I believe in lavender.

It’s been a dear friend for years and I intend to maintain this for many more. Not only it looks and smells pretty, it helps me sleep and feel better about life in general.

You could say lavender is my Prozac (happy pill).

So all you zombies, stop netflixing, coffee drinking and have a hot lavender-scented bath a nice cup of the same flowers tea – I promise, you’ll love it!

With purple scented love, Ale.