Plants effective against insomnia and sleep apnea

Insomnia and sleep apnea represent the most prevalent sleep disorders worldwide. Incidences are discouraging, with perhaps less attention in some parts, and the complexity in the pathophysiologies of the two diseases pose a major challenge to clinicians and researchers. Mainstream therapeutic regimens are afflicted by adverse side effects, laborious, demanding enormous amounts of money, and are in particular, less accessible to the vast majority. Traditional medicine remains critically the “Hobsons’s choice” and stands out as a scaffold for the development of novel drugs with more desirable pharmacological attributes. This chapter covers the pathophysiological attributes of insomnia and sleep apnea, pointing out their interplay, possible biomarkers, and targets for both conventional and alternative therapeutic approaches. The chapter further delves more into the role of selected most important plant species in the management of insomnia and sleep apnea. Realizing the importance of phytochemistry in the drug discovery endeavor, the chapter, as well, underscores the phytochemical profile underlying the neuropharmacological relevance of each plant to its possible effectiveness in improving sleep quality.