Tossing. Turning. Staring at the ceiling at 2am?
If you find yourself lying awake at night, unable to fall asleep or waking repeatedly and feeling tired the next day, you may be experiencing insomnia. Insomnia isn’t just “bad sleep”—it’s a sleep disorder that disrupts your body’s natural ability to rest and recover.
What is Insomnia?
Insomnia is more than occasional sleeplessness. It’s difficult falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking too early and not feeling refreshed—even when you have the chance to sleep.
Common types of insomnia include:
- Sleep-onset insomnia: trouble falling asleep at night
- Sleep-maintenance insomnia: waking frequently or too early
- Non-restorative sleep: sleeping but waking still tired
At Oak Tree Herbal Clinic, I often see clients struggling with this frustrating issues, which can affect mood, immune health, hormones, memory and your body's ability to heal. Next we explore each of these effects and how they influence your overall health.
Mood
Lack of sleep disrupts the balance of neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine, making you more prone to anxiety, irritability, and low mood. When your emotional state is unstable, it’s harder for your body to focus on healing and recovery — your nervous system remains in a reactive, stressed state instead of repair mode.
Immune System
During deep sleep, your immune system produces cytokines — proteins that help fight infection and inflammation. Without adequate rest, your body can’t mount an effective immune response. This means you’re more likely to catch colds, experience longer recovery times, and have difficulty healing from illness or injury.
Hormones
Sleep regulates many of your hormones, including cortisol (stress), melatonin (sleep-wake), insulin (blood sugar), and even reproductive hormones like estrogen and testosterone. When sleep is disrupted, hormonal imbalances can trigger fatigue, weight gain, PMS, fertility issues, and more — making it harder for your body to self-regulate and repair.
Memory & Focus
Sleep is essential for memory consolidation and cognitive repair. Without enough quality rest, you might experience brain fog, forgetfulness, and difficulty concentrating. This mental fatigue also drains your motivation to stick to healthy habits that support healing.
Physical Healing
The body enters its deepest healing state during non-REM sleep — this is when tissues regenerate, muscles recover, and detoxification processes are most active. Poor sleep interrupts these cycles, slowing down recovery from illness, injury, or even day-to-day stress.
The good news? Natural herbal remedies can support your nervous system gently and effectively, helping you get the deep, restorative sleep you need.
Herbal Allies for Restful Sleep
Instead of relying on synthetic sleep aids (which often come with side effects), herbal remedies work with your body—calming the nervous system, supporting cortisol balance, and encouraging deep, restorative sleep.
If you’re struggling to switch off at night, it may be time to nourish your nervous system and support your body naturally—with herbs that restore, not sedate.
Here are some of my favourite herbs found in our sleep blends:
- Chamomile – Soothing, gentle and calming, especially helpful for restlessness or digestive upset at night.
- Passionflower – Great for racing thoughts and mental chatter that stops you from falling asleep.
- California Poppy – Gently sedating and helpful for broken sleep or waking too early.
- Valerian Root – A classic for deep sleep, helps you fall asleep faster and sleep longer (best used in the right dose and under guidance).
- Lemon Balm – Calms the mind, settles stress-induced insomnia, and supports digestion (important for sleep!).
- Oat straw – Nourishing to the nervous system, perfect for those wired-but-tired and run-down.
Each of these herbs plays a unique role in calming your system, and when blended together, they can create a beautiful synergy to support deep, restful sleep—naturally.
Herbal Sleep Support from Oak Tree Herbal Clinic
At Oak Tree Herbal Clinic, we offer tailored Insomnia Herbal Remedies and Herbal teas Blends to support your unique sleep patterns. Whether your sleep is disrupted by hormones, stress, overthinking or gut issues—we can help find a blend that works for you.
Our Insomnia Herbal Remedy combines calming nervines, gentle sedatives, and adaptogens to help you unwind, fall asleep naturally, and wake feeling refreshed.
Prefer something to sip? Our Insomnia Tea Blend is a gentle way to calm your body and mind before bed. We also offer Sleep time Salve and a herbal pillow mix to put in your pillow for restful sleep.
Sleep Support for Pets Too!
Just like us, pets can struggle with stress and disrupted sleep due to noise, change, or separation. Our Pet Stress & Sleep Support Tonic includes calming herbs like Lemon Balm and Passionflower to help soothe your furry friend—safely and gently.
Want Help Sleeping Naturally?
Whether you’re looking for a gentle tea or a tailored Herbal Remedy, we’ve got insomina solutions for the whole family.
Order your Herbal sleep blend today through our online shop - Enjoy 10% off your order this August! Simply enter the code INSOMNIA at checkout to save on your purchase. Please note: This discount applies to one order per customer and cannot be combined with other offers.
Book a consultation - Struggling with sleep and ready to get real answers? Don’t guess—get a personalised plan that targets the root cause of your sleep issues. Book your consultation today—available in-clinic or via telehealth! See below
Herbal Naturopathic/Nutritional Appointments - in Person and On line
If you would like to have a more tailored approach to your health concerns you can book in to see our Herbal Naturopath. (you will be transferred to our sister companies online booking service) She will look at you as an individual and look into your specific needs through holistic and evidence-based approach to wellness. Herbal Naturopathic principles are based on treating each person as an individual and treatment plans are designed to treat you as a whole person and not just your presenting symptoms.