14 Natural Remedies to Get a Good Night’s Sleep!
Natural remedies to get a good night’s sleep , as insomnia is something of a modern curse. Our lives are more hectic than ever. Plus, when we’re not working overtime, we’re at home looking at our smartphones until the moment we try to sleep .
With the stress of modern life, we’re not doing ourselves any favors by also ensuring that we don’t properly relax at night. Our natural slide towards sleep suffers thanks to disturbing issues like social media, video games, Netflix and family life.
Natural remedies to get a good night’s sleep:
News of the week:
1. Get comfortable:
Make sure your bed is comfortable enough. This can vary from person to person, but do whatever it takes to make sure your bed helps you sleep properly.
Trying to sleep on a mattress that is like a wooden board will not help your insomnia . So invest in something comfortable to reap the benefits. Here are ideas for you:
Experiment with pillows to find what works best for you, but you can also add fun and invite new pillows to make your bed more inviting.
- Make your bed – don’t let it look like a mess.
- Try a heated mattress if the cold months are a little too much.
- Try some essential oils to make your room more relaxing.
2. Drink herbal teas:
I have championed tea for the last decade thanks to its health benefits and relaxing qualities . Herbal teas are the way to go to get a good night’s sleep as they are caffeine free, thus making you relax and unwind.
What varieties should you consider? Well, here are some:
- Chamomile ;
- Valerian root ;
- mint ;
- ginger ;
- cinnamon _
You can get cheap organic herbal tea with a blend of herbs to add some variety to your nighttime routine. Nettle and mint, for example, I have always found particularly helpful in relieving anxiety and aiding relaxation. Science supports.
In 2011, an article published in the US National Library of Medicine, titled Chamomile: A Herbal Medicine from the Past with a Bright Future, stated:
“Traditionally, chamomile preparations such as aromatherapy tea and essential oil have been used to treat insomnia and induce sedation (soothing effects). Chamomile is widely regarded as a mild tranquilizer to induce sleep . Its sedative effects may be due to the flavonoid , apigenin that binds to benzodiazepine receptors in the brain .”
3. Turn off your devices:
Do you think smartphones cause insomnia? The Doctor. Andrew Weil answered this question in 2015. His answer:
“One problem is that the blue light emitted by these devices can suppress production of the sleep-regulating hormone melatonin , promoting insomnia. This effect is more pronounced than exposure to light from a television screen in the bedroom, because we hold smartphones and other electronic devices close to our face, intensifying the exposure to light.”
While it may seem like a modern luxury to relax in bed watching YouTube or Netflix on your smartphone, the reality is that it gets in the way of your good night’s sleep.
4. Leia:
While it’s tempting to stay in bed watching Netflix or YouTube clips until you pass out, you’re not doing yourself any favors. Staring at these devices suppresses melatonin . The solution? To read!
Reading a book for an hour before going to bed is a brilliant way to read some novels you’ve been meaning to read. It’s also a great way to calm your brain and prepare it for a night’s sleep.
5. Take a nap:
Initiating a nap without a plan is not a good idea. If you stop and take a nap for a few hours, you might leave feeling great, but you’ll spoil your sleep pattern to rest properly at night. Getting napping isn’t difficult, though. It just takes a good while.
The book by Dr. Nerina Ramlakhan, Fast Asleep, Wide Awake, indicates that you should take “controlled naps”. Her advice is to take a nap of no more than 20 minutes to alleviate some fatigue. It can help you feel recharged. And it won’t interfere with your sleep later on either.
6. Set your time:
If your sleep pattern is all over the place, you can say goodbye to any hope of getting enough sleep . Consistency is key when it comes to sleep. Although that means you’ll have to ditch the concept of a weekend of rest.
Going to bed and waking up at the same time each day is an absolute must if you want to avoid sleep problems. As reported on Bustle:
“Scientists working on sleep health have a period of time it takes you to sleep: this is called sleep latency. And it turns out that keeping a regular sleep schedule, according to several small studies, can reduce the amount of time you spend tossing and turning before falling asleep . ”
You can try doing this yourself to see the benefits. On my schedule, I go to bed at 11pm every day. I wake up at 7 am every morning. Once you’ve set your routine, you’ll notice differences like:
- sleep faster
- Improvement of your mental skills (essential for work, studying, etc.)
- mood improvements
- Health improvements (good sleep is essential for weight loss , for example)
7. Leave the alcohol:
This might seem a little unfair if you want to relax after a hard day’s work with a glass of wine . But the unfortunate truth is that alcohol disrupts sleep patterns. Are your drinking days over? Well, according to the sleep doctor:
“Does that mean you need to stop drinking completely? Not. But part of a smart, sleep-friendly lifestyle is managing alcohol consumption so it doesn’t disrupt sleep and circadian rhythms… Circadian rhythms regulate almost every process in the body , from metabolism and immunity to energy , sleep, and sex drive. , cognitive functions and mood .”
A circadian rhythm is a process that occurs naturally every 24 hours. It turns out that, while not too surprising, alcohol stops this process. But as the sleep doctor confirms, the more you drink and the closer to bedtime, the more you disrupt your sleep pattern.
It also greatly increases your chance of snoring. So, consider skipping alcohol most nights or keeping your intake to a minimum.
8. Monitor temperatures:
If it’s too hot (usually during the summer) it’s hard to sleep. Likewise, if you’re too cold, you’ll have a hard time sleeping. Adjusting the temperature is a big part of the bedtime routine. So try to find the right temperature for you.
9. Exercise regularly:
The National Sleep Organization (nice to see such a thing exists!) advocates regular exercise to improve sleep. He states in a guide titled How Exercise Affects Sleep:
“Want to fall asleep fast and feel more rested when you wake up? Move yourself! As little as 10 minutes of aerobic exercise, such as walking or cycling, can dramatically improve the quality of your nighttime sleep, especially when done regularly.”
10. Consume magnesium:
In another excellent piece from the National Sleep Organization, magnesium gets a recommendation to improve your sleep.
So to get a good night’s sleep, magnesium can help as it is an essential mineral for maintaining health that can potentially help us with a good night’s sleep.
“Research has shown that magnesium can increase the neurotransmitter GABA, which is responsible for slowing down your thinking and helping you fall asleep. If you’re curious about the effects of magnesium , consider focusing on your nutrition first.”
Magnesium -rich foods , which are a good starting point for putting more stuff in you, include:
- Green leafy vegetables such as kale and spinach
- Vegetables in general!
- Dark chocolate
- nuts and seeds
- fruits like bananas
- whole grains
11. Try other supplements that promote sleep:
We also support magnesium , but there are other supplements worth considering. These include:
12. Use your bed only when you go to sleep:
It’s tempting to turn your bed into an everyday piece of furniture. You can relax, watch the latest movies, eat your meals , call friends. But if you only intend to associate your bed with bedtime, it can help you speed up your sleep cycle.
13. Meditate:
Harvard Medical School in 2015 was quick to point out that mindfulness meditation helps fight insomnia and improves sleep. It states:
“ Mindfulness meditation involves focusing on the breath and then bringing the mind’s attention to the present without worrying about the past or the future. This helps you to interrupt your daily thoughts to evoke the relaxation response, using whatever technique feels right to you.”
There are many modern apps that can help you get a good night’s sleep .
14. Prefer the shadows:
In the great essay by the Japanese writer Jun’ichiro Tanizaki, In Praise of Shadows (1933), the author lamented the arrival of electric lights in the world.
Architecture, natural light, shadows and a well-placed candle, he argued, are what it takes to send a person into a natural good night’s sleep . In quote he says:
“If light is scarce, light is scarce; we will delve into the darkness and discover its own particular beauty.”
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Tanizaki would certainly hate the modern world, but we can take his wisdom and embrace the shadows in our home. Grab some candles on the go, turn off the lights and let the natural flow of the night surround you. Some candles also have relaxing scents like lavender or vanilla that can help you get a good night’s sleep .