Author: Alex Morris / Source: Lifehack
Insomnia is something of a modern curse. Our lives are more hectic than ever before. When not working overtime, we’re at home staring at our smartphones right up until the moment we try to go to sleep.
With the stress of modern life, we’re doing ourselves no favors by also ensuring we don’t unwind properly at night.
Our natural slide towards sleep suffers thanks to disruptive issues such as social media, video games, Netflix, and family life.How do you find time to ensure you get a good night’s sleep? Here are 15 science-backed natural sleep remedies to help you nod off in style.
1. Get comfy
Make sure your bed is comfortable. This can vary person to person, but do whatever it takes to ensure your bed helps you drift off to sleep properly.
Trying to sleep on a mattress that’s like a plank of wood will not help your insomnia. So invest in something comfortable to reap the benefits. Here are a few ideas for you:
- Experiment with pillows to find what works best for you, but you can also add fun and inviting new pillows in to make your bed look more inviting.
- Make your bed – don’t leave it looking like a mess.
- Try out a heated mattress if the cold winter months are a bit too much.
- Try out some essential oils to make your bedroom more relaxing.
2. Drink herbal teas
I’ve championed tea for the last decade thanks to its health benefits and relaxing qualities. Herbal teas are the way to go as they lack caffeine. It helps you to relax and unwind.
What varieties should you consider? Well, here are a few:
- Valerian root
- Mint
- Ginger
- Cinnamon
You can get cheap organic herbal tea with a mix of herbs to add some variety to your nighttime routine.
Nettle and mint, for example, I’ve always found particularly useful for easing anxiety and aiding relaxation.The science backs it up. In 2011, a paper published on the US National Library of Medicine titled Chamomile: A herbal medicine of the past with bright future stated:[1]
“Traditionally, chamomile preparations such as tea and essential oil aromatherapy have been used to treat insomnia and to induce sedation (calming effects). Chamomile is widely regarded as a mild tranquillizer and sleep-inducer. Sedative effects may be due to the flavonoid, apigenin that binds to benzodiazepine receptors in the brain.”
3. Switch off your devices
Do smartphones cause insomnia? Dr. Andrew Weil answered this question back in 2015. His response:[2]
“One problem is that the blue light these devices emit can suppress production of the sleep regulating hormone melatonin, promoting insomnia. This effect is more pronounced than exposure to the light from a television screen in the bedroom because we hold smartphones and other electronic devices close to our faces, intensifying the light exposure.”
Whilst it may seem like a modern luxury to lounge around in bed watching YouTube or Netflix on your smartphone, the reality is it disrupts your sleep.
4. Read
Whilst it’s tempting to lounge around in bed watching Netflix or YouTube clips until you pass out, you’re doing yourself no favors. Staring at those devices suppresses melatonin.
The solution? Read!
Reading a book for an hour before you go to bed is a brilliant way to get through some novels you’ve been meaning to get through. It’s also a great way to calm down your brain and get it ready for a night of sleep.
5. Get napping to a T
Launching into napping without a plan isn’t a good idea. If you head off and nap for a few hours, you may emerge feeling great, but you’ll mess up your sleep pattern for your proper rest at night.
Getting napping to a T isn’t difficult, though. It just takes some good timing.
Dr. Nerina Ramlakhan’s book Fast Asleep, Wide Awake points out that you should take “controlled naps”. Her advice is to take a nap of no more than 20 minutes to lift some fatigue off your mind. It can help you feel recharged. And it also won’t disrupt your night’s sleep later in the day.
6. Get your timing right
If your sleeping pattern is all over the place, then you can wave goodbye to any hope of sleeping properly. Consistency is key when it comes to sleep. Although this does mean you’ll have to kick…
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