Herbal Sleep Aids
Sliced Bread
BBC
4.6 • 695 Ratings
🗓️ 9 March 2023
⏱️ 28 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Sleep is never more important than when you aren’t getting any. And there’s a large range of night time teas, herbal tablets and relaxing oils and sprays that promise to help you get some. But can they really deliver?
Listener Corrine got in touch after struggling with her sleep post menopause, wanting to know if there was any evidence to back up the claims of various natural sleep aids. Can they give her the restful night’s sleep she craves – or is it just a waste of money? She sets Greg Foot the job of finding out, by speaking to an expert sleep physiologist, as well as a professor in clinical pharmacology, therapeutics and toxicology.
This series we’re testing and investigating your suggested wonder-products. If you’ve seen an ad, trend or fad, and wonder if there’s any evidence to back up a claim, drop us an email to sliced.bread@bbc.co.uk or you can send us a voice note to our WhatsApp number: 07543 306807.
PRESENTER: Greg Foot PRODUCER: Kate Holdsworth
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello, podcast fan. |
| 0:03.0 | Consider this your invite to the UK's biggest podcasting party. |
| 0:06.7 | We're heading to Sheffield from the 4th to the 6th of July |
| 0:09.0 | for the BBC Sounds Fringe at the Crossed Wires Festival. |
| 0:12.8 | We'll be joined by some of the biggest names in podcasting, |
| 0:15.3 | including Sarah Cox, Charlie Hedges, Russell Kane, |
| 0:18.4 | and some bloke called Greg James doing his Radio 4 show called Rewinder. |
| 0:23.2 | You can watch live shows of your favourite podcasts, and the best part is free. |
| 0:28.0 | To book your free tickets, go to crossedwires. Live, forward slash fringe. |
| 0:34.2 | BBC Sounds, music, Radio, podcasts. |
| 0:45.5 | Hello, I'm Greg Foote and welcome to the show that investigates your suggested wonder products. |
| 0:49.2 | Today's topic comes in from Corinne Singleton in the Lake District. |
| 0:53.2 | Hi, Greg, I wonder if you can help me. |
| 0:56.8 | Would you be able to find out if any of these so-called sleep remedies actually work? I'm thinking about the non-drug-based kind. I've tried pretty much |
| 1:04.9 | everything. Herbal teas, herbal tablets, lavender oil. If it's out there, there's a fair chance that I've tried it. |
| 1:13.5 | And I don't know if the effects are purely psychological. |
| 1:16.6 | If you could find out, I'd be so grateful. |
| 1:19.2 | And so would many of my friends who, like me, are post-menopausal, |
| 1:23.6 | and would really like to get a good night's sleep. |
| 1:26.6 | Thank you. |
| 1:27.4 | Thanks, Corin. Now, I'm just boiling the kettle |
| 1:29.6 | to make myself a cup of sleepy tea. If you have spotted something promising you the world and |
... |
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