I’m a lifelong troubled sleeper. At some point, my issue shifted from falling asleep to staying asleep. The latter has been trickier to manage since I really can’t take an Ambien or even melatonin (which makes me feel awful) at 4 or 5 a.m. if I plan on having any cognitive cylinders firing that day.
Having exhausted most remedies, I happened upon Fleur Marche’s all-natural Dream, Plz dermal patches that deliver a stream of valerian root and hops (the same ones used to make beer!) via the skin all night. Valerian root has been the most effective natural aid for me in falling asleep, so I thought a more evenly dispersed hit would help keep me dreaming — and it has.
While by no means a scientific study, the valerian root sleep patches have been the most effective method for helping me sleep through the night in my 20-plus years of tinkering. It’s not perfect: I’ve kept a sleep log and in the 10 times I’ve slapped one of the dermal patches before bed, I’ve stayed asleep for at least seven hours about 80% of the time. That might not sound great, but for anyone who struggles with insomnia on the back end of the sleep cycle, this is a very solid score.
The patches are pricey — $26 for eight or $3.25 per patch. But if you subscribe and use promo code REFRESH30 right now, you’ll get two monthly deliveries of eight patches for $15 per month. That’s 45% off the regular price and breaks down to less than $2 per patch. If you don’t want to commit to 16 patches, you can bag a seven-pack on Amazon for $18.
These natural dermal valerian root patches have greatly improved my sleep.
I don’t need or use them every night. I’ll typically slap one of the blue dermal patches if I’m experiencing elevated stress, have an important day ahead of me or have had a night or two of bad sleep and need to break out of it. The patches don’t itch like other patches I’ve tried and they stay on securely. It can be a little painful to remove them in the morning, but priming the area with a little Vaseline or lotion does wonders.
The Fleure Marche line includes natural wellness patches for other issues including relaxation (rhodiola and ashwagandha), energy (B12 and hemp), focus (caffeine and L-theanine) and sexual health (L-arginine, maca, tribulus and hemp). There’s also a second patch for sleep that contains melatonin called Sleep, Plz. I can’t speak for that one as melatonin and I don’t get along.
