Valerian Root

Valerian root is used for insomnia and can help some people fall asleep or sleep longer by acting on GABA/serotonin systems, but there is no good clinical evidence that valerian treats obstructive or central sleep apnea (OSA/CSA) or the breathing pauses that define those conditions. Do not use valerian as a substitute for proven OSA treatments (CPAP, mandibular advancement devices, weight loss/surgery, or approved drugs) — discuss any supplement choice with your sleep physician. Office of Dietary Supplements

• Active constituents in valerian (valerenic acid, valepotriates and other components) appear to modulate GABAergic transmission (some act as positive allosteric modulators at GABA-A receptors), and may also affect serotonin and adenosine systems. That is a plausible mechanism for promoting sleep and reducing sleep latency. ebmconsult.com
• Clinical trials and meta-analyses focused on insomnia / sleep quality (not sleep apnea) show mixed but sometimes positive effects on subjective sleep quality and — in some trials — objective measures like total sleep time or sleep latency. Results vary by product, dose, and preparation. ScienceDirect

Important distinction: these mechanisms and insomnia studies explain sleep-promoting effects — they do not address the airway obstruction or central breathing control problems that cause sleep apnea, so mechanistic plausibility for sedation does not equal treatment of OSA/CSA. Verywell Health

If you and your clinician agree to try valerian for insomnia or sleep difficulty that coexists with sleep apnea, common evidence-based usage is:

• Typical dose (adults): 300–600 mg of a standardized valerian root extract, taken 30–60 minutes before bedtime. Some monographs and studies used up to ~900 mg. For tea, 2–3 g dried root per cup (steep 10–15 minutes). Examine
• Formulation: standardized extracts (with stated valerenic acid % or standardized label) are preferred for reproducibility; commercial products vary widely in strength and constituents. Drugs.com
• Duration: most clinical evidence is short-term (days–weeks). Many trials ran 2–4 weeks; long-term safety and efficacy are not well established. If there’s no benefit after a few weeks, stop and re-evaluate with your clinician. ScienceDirect
• Use with OSA: valerian might relieve anxiety or insomnia related to OSA, but it will not fix airway collapse. If you have suspected or diagnosed sleep apnea, continue proven treatments (e.g., CPAP) and consult your sleep physician before adding sedating supplements because sedatives can worsen breathing during sleep. Verywell Health

(EMA monograph: recommends a single dose ~30–60 minutes before bedtime and gives traditional posology ranges — see full monograph for details). European Medicines Agency (EMA)

• Systematic reviews / meta-analyses (insomnia focus):
• A 2006 meta-analysis reviewed 16 randomized trials of valerian for sleep and found inconsistent results across studies; some showed benefit, others did not. ScienceDirect
• More recent reviews (including 2020 and umbrella reviews) conclude the evidence remains mixed: some trials report modest improvements in subjective sleep quality or sleep latency, but heterogeneity of preparations, doses, and study quality is a major problem. SAGE Journals
• Recent randomized trials: a 2023/2024 randomized, placebo-controlled trial of a standardized valerian extract reported improvements in subjective sleep quality and some polysomnography measures (in people with sleep disturbances), suggesting a sleep-promoting effect for that preparation — again, this applies to insomnia/sleep disturbance, not sleep apnea. Examine
• No robust trials for sleep apnea: a focused search finds no high-quality randomized clinical trials showing valerian reduces apnea–hypopnea index (AHI), oxygen desaturation, or other objective measures of sleep apnea severity. Reviews and OSA guidelines do not list herbal remedies as effective treatments for OSA. Verywell Health

Summary: there is some clinical evidence valerian can help sleep onset/quality in certain preparations, but no evidence that it treats the physiological causes or severity of sleep apnea.