HOPS FOR SLEEP
Read old books on herbal remedies and you will always find reference to both hops and lavender being good for sleep – and for many years customers have been asking us for hop flowers to make sleep pillows and lavender oils to aid relaxation.
It was therefore a logical step for us to combine the soporific and therapeutic qualities of hops and lavender into a unique Sleepy Scent, a Sleepy Tea and a Pillow Mix – all for people who don’t want to take conventional sleeping pills.
The BBC2 programme by James Wong, first broadcast in March 2009, recommended the use of hop and lavender flowers to make hop pillows and The Hop Shop was instantly inundated with orders and enquiries. The response from users was overwhelmingly and consistently positive to the entire product range, with many recommendations and repeat orders. As the result of such a powerful vote of confidence, The Hop Shop is now looking to conduct quantifiable research into the perceived benefits.
We have therefore devised a 2-part questionnaire: the first part asks you to assess your current sleep patterns and the factors that you think influence the quality of your sleep. The second part, to be completed after using the Natural Sleep products for at least a week, is designed to assess any changes. We hope that if enough people complete the questionnaire, which several doctors have helped us to write, we will be able to take the project further. If you would like to download a printable copy of our questionnaire, please click here.
There are several different products in our Natural Sleep range, from simple hop flowers to the subtle and complex formula of our Hop and Lavender Sleepy Scent:
- Sleepy Scent – a complex and totally calming scent using 4 essential oils. It’s a very concentrated scent so you only need a few drops on a handkerchief next to your pillow every night. Keep it on a bedside table and take it with you when travelling (especially on overnight flights).
- Sleep Balm – a gentler scent made from the same Sleepy Scent compound, this balm can be massaged into the temples or the upper lip below the nose.
- Sleepy Tea – a delicate calming herbal mix of chamomile, lavender, rose petals and hops.
- Sleep Pillow Mix – a balanced combination of hops and sweet-scented Lavandula angustifolia, there is enough here to make a thin pad to put on top of your usual pillow. It can be supplemented with Sleepy Scent or Sleepy Balm to balance the fragrance. With regular use, the natural fragrance of the hops and lavender will fade or change as the aromatic oils oxidise, so customers need to judge for themselves when they think that the effectiveness of the aroma is reducing and replenish the pillow with a new batch.
- Hop flowers – whole and unpressed, for sleep pillows and brewing.