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Chamomile 101: The Ticket to Deep Sleep
A guide to chamomile and the science behind wind-down. Learn why Alice includes this ingredient in Nightcap for a calmer nighttime routine.
Chamomile 101
Sleep is not simply about feeling rejuvenated. It’s also incredibly beneficial for our health, affecting many bodily systems such as brain function, muscle recovery, hormone balance, immune system strength, and much more. But you likely already know that. Most of us are wishing for more sleep. Both longer stretches and deeper quality. But it’s incredibly hard to achieve.
Knowing that your body requires more sleep is just one piece of the puzzle. Getting to bed earlier can help, but with the growing workloads and the everlasting demands of modern life, it’s becoming increasingly harder to unwind, calm the body, and allow for deep rest to wash over us.
This is where natural sleep aids like chamomile can help. No, we’re not talking about prescription sleep medication here, but rather natural alternatives that encourage relaxation and deep sleep.
What is Chamomile?
Chamomile is found in the flowers of two main plants1: Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile) and German chamomile (Matricaria recutita), and has been used for treating a variety of ailments around the world for centuries. Most commonly, in areas including ancient Greece, Egypt, and Rome1, chamomile has been used to promote sleep.
Sleep is more than just a necessity for feeling refreshed. Sleep is crucial to many bodily processes, allowing the body to reset, supporting cellular repair and physical recovery. It has a direct role in memory formation by strengthening neural connections2. It can also boost your immune system’s defenses, enhancing your body’s response to infections3. Additionally, lack of sleep can lead to reduced insulin sensitivity and increased cravings, making it harder to manage body weight4.
Long story short, sleep is essential. Here’s how to not only clock more hours, but achieve sound, restorative sleep.
Chamomile for Sleep and Relaxation
Chamomile is specifically helpful for supporting sleep because of its ability to interact with neurotransmitters in our brains. One key bioactive compound present in chamomile is apigenin5, which is a flavonoid that enhances the effects of GABA. This neurotransmitter has a huge role in creating a calm brain state6, leading to the natural ability to drift into deep sleep.
As an indirect result, chamomile has a role in the HPA axis, the hormonal stress system. By dampening the emotional stress signaling in your brain, the HPA axis gets suppressed, and thus decreases stress output.
By blunting the cortisol release in your body, not only does your brain slow down and prepare for sleep, but your body does as well. With a decrease in this stress hormone, your body lets go of tension, decreasing your heart rate, and shutting down your physiological arousal systems. This helps your parasympathetic nervous system take the reins from your sympathetic nervous system.
The Science Behind Chamomile?
Chamomile has been studied widely for its sleep-promoting effects. Researchers have evaluated the use of chamomile extract, tea, oil, and supplements for their effectiveness in creating a restful state.
Back in 20167, researchers looked at the power of chamomile tea in postnatal women. They found that chamomile tea was significantly associated with improved sleep quality and reduction in depression, a very postiive sign for a population that can often struggle with both interrupted sleep and postpartum depression. Likewise, in 20138, a study was conducted to evaluate intake of chamomile extract on prevalence of depression symptoms. Evidence shows that those who were given chamomile extract reported significant reduction in depression symptoms after 8 weeks of use.
Researchers in 20179 set out to discover the influence chamomile had on sleep quality in elderly adults. Findings suggest that twice daily supplemental intake of chamomile significantly improved sleep quality in these individuals.
Another study in 201710 evaluated the role of chamomile extract on anxiety levels in those with generalized anxiety disorder. Results show that 58.1% of individuals reported a reduction in their anxiety symptoms after participating in the study for 8 weeks.
Chamomile in Nightcap
Here at Alice, we wanted to create a solution to help you unwind, foster healthy sleep patterns, and enhance sleep quality. That’s where Nightcap comes in. It’s designed to promote relaxation, manage stress, calm the mind, and increase your body’s natural melatonin production.
Within Nightcap, chamomile works alongside other rest-promoting ingredients like magnesium, zinc, l-theanine, and reishi to relax your mind and facilitate restorative sleep.
One hour before bedtime, as a part of your nightly routine, enjoy one square of Nightcap to create a sense of calm and encourage relaxation. You’ll notice those racing thoughts begin to slow down, the physical tension in your body begins to release, creating the opportunity for deep sleep to occur.
With daily use, you will foster healthy sleep patterns, nurturing your circadian rhythm and increasing your body’s levels of naturally flowing melatonin. This isn’t a band-aid approach. This is building better sleep from within, creating an effective bedtime ritual.
Tips for Healthy Sleep Hygiene
Remember, Nightcap can serve as just one piece of the puzzle. The best way to improve your sleep is to evaluate your overall sleep hygiene. That includes reducing caffeine intake near bedtime, exercising daily, avoiding daytime naps, and limiting fatty food intake late at night11.
Following a regular sleep schedule11 is another pivotal factor in developing restful sleep practices. Try to wind down at the same time every night and wake up at the same time every morning. When it’s getting close to this bedtime, create a calming environment so that your body can learn this routine.
Additionally, research shows that you should avoid the use of electronics while winding down for bed. This means closing your laptop, putting down your phone, and turning off the TV. Not only are these devices distracting, they also emit blue light that has been shown to be associated11 with poor sleep quality.
Sleep like a baby, every night by adding Nightcap to your daily wellness routine.
Disclaimer: This blog contains promotional content about our products. The information provided is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This content is not a substitute for medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making changes to your wellness routine, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition.
References:
- Dai, Y. L., Li, Y., Wang, Q., Niu, F. J., Li, K. W., Wang, Y. Y., Wang, J., Zhou, C. Z., & Gao, L. N. (2022). Chamomile: A Review of Its Traditional Uses, Chemical Constituents, Pharmacological Activities and Quality Control Studies. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 28(1), 133. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28010133
- Payne, J. D., Stickgold, R., Swanberg, K., & Kensinger, E. A. (2008). Sleep preferentially enhances memory for emotional components of scenes. Psychological science, 19(8), 781–788. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2008.02157.x
- Forthun I, Eliassen KER, Emberland KE and Bjorvatn B (2023) The association between self-reported sleep problems, infection, and antibiotic use in patients in general practice. Front. Psychiatry 14:1033034. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1033034
- Papatriantafyllou, E., Efthymiou, D., Zoumbaneas, E., Popescu, C. A., & Vassilopoulou, E. (2022). Sleep Deprivation: Effects on Weight Loss and Weight Loss Maintenance. Nutrients, 14(8), 1549. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14081549
- Kramer, D. J., & Johnson, A. A. (2024). Apigenin: a natural molecule at the intersection of sleep and aging. Frontiers in nutrition, 11, 1359176. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2024.1359176
- Zhu, W., Huang, L., Cheng, H., Li, N., Zhang, B., Dai, W., Wu, X., Zhang, D., Feng, W., Li, S., & Xu, H. (2024). GABA and its receptors' mechanisms in the treatment of insomnia. Heliyon, 10(23), e40665. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e40665
- Chang, S. M., & Chen, C. H. (2016). Effects of an intervention with drinking chamomile tea on sleep quality and depression in sleep disturbed postnatal women: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of advanced nursing, 72(2), 306–315. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.12836
- Amsterdam, J. D., Shults, J., Soeller, I., Mao, J. J., Rockwell, K., & Newberg, A. B. (2012). Chamomile (Matricaria recutita) may provide antidepressant activity in anxious, depressed humans: an exploratory study. Alternative therapies in health and medicine, 18(5), 44–49.
- Abdullahzadeh, M., Matourypour, P., & Naji, S. A. (2017). Investigation effect of oral chamomilla on sleep quality in elderly people in Isfahan: A randomized control trial. Journal of education and health promotion, 6, 53. https://doi.org/10.4103/jehp.jehp_109_15
- Keefe, J. R., Mao, J. J., Soeller, I., Li, Q. S., & Amsterdam, J. D. (2016). Short-term open-label chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.) therapy of moderate to severe generalized anxiety disorder. Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology, 23(14), 1699–1705. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phymed.2016.10.013
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Healthy sleep habits. National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sleep-deprivation/healthy-sleep-habits
By Kristen Carli, MS, RD
Kristen Carli is the owner of Camelback Nutrition & Wellness, a private nutrition practice and consulting firm. She graduated from University of Arizona with a BA in psychology and then received a BS in dietetics from Arizona State University. After completion of the dietetic internship, she continued her education by receiving a MS in Human Nutrition from University of Western States. Having a passion for nutrition communication, she writes for many food and nutrition outlets as well as regularly develops recipes for food brands and media companies. Her nutrition expertise has been featured in InStyle, Bustle, Livestrong, The List, MyFitnessPal and many others. Additionally, Kristen is often featured via local TV segments sharing nutrition tips and tricks. She was selected to act as a Produce for Better Health Foundation Fruit and Vegetable Ambassador in Action, helping to promote the health benefits and importance of consuming fruits and vegetables, as well as a FoodMinds upwaRD winner for 2022, honoring up and coming media dietitians. You can find her reading, running, and exploring new restaurants with her husband and baby boy.
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Nightcap
Nightcap
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Nightcap contains fairly traded organic dark chocolate, organic Reishi from 100% fruiting body mushrooms, chamomile, L-theanine, magnesium malate, and zinc citrate.
Vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and OU-D kosher certified.
Other ingredients: organic semi-sweet 72% dark chocolate (organic unsweetened chocolate, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter), coconut oil, cocoa butter
Allergens: Coconut, Soy
Processed on shared equipment and may contain peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, or soy.
Nightcap is formulated with Reishi mushrooms to regulate sleep cycles and support stress levels, while also delivering an immediate feeling of nighttime relaxation from magnesium malate, l-theanine, zinc, and chamomile.
The real magic is in the long term benefits of the Reishi mushroom which, when taken regularly for about 3 weeks, can help manage stress levels and improve overall sleep cycles by down-regulating the nervous system.
Zinc and magnesium have been shown to increase the body’s levels of naturally circulating melatonin to regulate your circadian rhythm from within. Zinc has also been shown to quiet the mind after periods of mental stress.
Chamomile has long been used in calming nighttime rituals, while reishi's adaptogenic roots are linked to relaxation and overall balance. Together, they help set the stage for restful nights and refreshed mornings.
Magnesium is often associated with helping the body relax and ease into rest, while l-theanine is connected to a calm, balanced state by influencing mood-supportive neurotransmitters.
What to expect:
- In 30 minutes, fall asleep easier and sleep better
- In 30 days, notice restful sleep, sleep through the night, and experience a faster sleep onset
- After 3 months, enjoy healthy sleep cycles, increased sleep quality, and wake up rested
One square suits most.
Eat 1-2 squares of Nightcap an hour before bedtime to support sleep and relaxation. With nightly use, Nightcap will help to foster healthy sleep patterns and deeper sleep.
We exclusively use organic, fruiting body Reishi mushrooms that are hand-harvested when their medicinal compounds are at peak concentration. Our mushrooms are dried in the sun to soak up Vitamin D before undergoing a pure, starch-free extraction process.
All ingredients are third-party lab tested for safety and stability, and mushrooms are third-party lab tested for potency.