LEXINGTON, KY—Admitting that she may have a dependency issue with the soothing Celestial Seasonings herbal infusion, longtime Sleepytime Tea addict Katie Ball divulged Tuesday that she must consume six bags of the sedative brew in order to merely feel drowsy. “I started using Sleepytime to treat insomnia, which worked great for a while, but before I realized what was happening, I needed more and more of that chamomile-and-valerian-root magic to get me to the level of relaxation I craved,” said Ball, whose hands shook while placing half-dozen bags of the caffeine-free herbal sleep aid into her preferred mug and paced the room while waiting for the kettle to boil. “I can barely even close my eyes if I’m not riding a hit of spearmint and lemongrass. I’m spending hundreds of bucks a month. If I don’t get my Sleepytime, I become agitated and hyper-alert. I’ve even snorted raw chamomile leaves a couple times even though I know what that could do to me.” Ball, who has often told those close to her that she intended to stop her Sleepytime use cold turkey, was discovered unconscious by her husband late Tuesday night, her hand still clutching a 120-tablet bottle of melatonin pills.

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