Trouble falling asleep at night? From herbal supplements to unwinding before bed, here are all the natural remedies to try for a good night’s sleep.
Is the lack of a good night’s sleep making you restless as days go by? You toss and turn all throughout the night or wake up feeling exhausted even after eight hours of sleep.
But you’re not alone in this. A Statista survey from the year 2022 shows that nearly 33% of US adults said their last sleep was just fair or poor. Not only did this have a severe impact on their mood at work, but also on their health in general.
As challenging as it gets, most people wish to give natural remedies a chance before resorting to sleep medication. To make things easier for you, we have compiled all the natural remedies that you can try—and hopefully, one of them works!
What is a good night’s sleep?
Do you wake up feeling refreshed and ready to conquer the day? Or in a groggy mood where you dread getting out of bed? If it’s the latter, chances are, you might not be getting a good sleep.
A good night’s sleep can be categorized by:
The number of hours you spend sleeping. An average adult should get 7-9 hours of sleep per day, and children, depending on their age, need anything between 8-12 hours.
The quality of sleep you get during the night. Constantly tossing and turning around, waking up plenty of times in the middle of the night, and sleeping in outlandish positions can ruin the quality of your sleep.
How you feel after waking up is the biggest indicator of whether you get good sleep. If you find yourself reaching for excessive caffeine to shake off the sleepiness, here are some natural remedies you can try instead.
Natural Remedies to Help You Sleep Better
1. Be active during the day
Indulging in physical activity during the day regulates your circadian rhythm, the sleep/wake cycle, leading to more hours and better quality of sleep. You can try exercising for 20-30 minutes, practice yoga, go for a morning jog, or simply walk more.
The best time to get some activity done is in the mornings, but afternoons can also work. Avoid heavy physical activity 2-3 hours before bed to avoid potentially disrupting your sleep pattern.
But if you’re someone who cannot indulge in physical activity or lacks the time to do so, we have plenty of other options for you.
2. Fix a sleeping schedule
Did you know that there’s a 24-hour clock within your body that rotates between sleep and wakefulness? This internal clock, called the circadian rhythm, is responsible for the time you feel sleepy.
Constantly sleeping and waking at different times can disrupt this cycle. Maintaining a regular sleeping schedule by sleeping and waking up at fixed hours can help you get a good night’s sleep. And let’s not forget to keep this up even during weekends.
3. Make your bedroom sleep-friendly
A brightly lit room is not the ideal place for sleep. Your body will naturally fight to stay awake under such conditions. There’s a lot you can do to make your bedroom sleep-friendly.
Keep your room cool with temperatures ranging between 60°F to 70°F, and use blackout curtains that can block out any annoying bright lights from the windows. You can even experiment with different colors of light. Few studies have found red light to be quite effective in getting a good night’s sleep.
Additionally, if you can’t find a comfortable position to sleep or wake up with body aches, it might be time to switch your mattress. A classic approach to choosing your mattress is: one that is not too firm, not too soft, just in the middle.
4. Unwind before bed
Bringing your daytime worries to bed at night will definitely not get you a good night’s sleep. Stress activates your fight-or-flight state, making it difficult to fall asleep.
Set aside some time before sleeping where you unwind and relax your muscles. Listen to some soft and calming music or read a book from a genre you like. You can also try forming a sleep ritual, such as taking hot showers or maintaining a skincare routine that can help your mind destress.
5. Foods that can help
Eating just before bedtime should be controlled, but that doesn’t mean you should try to sleep on a grumbling stomach. A warm glass of milk that our grandmas used to suggest still works wonderfully. You can also have some light snacks like almonds, cherries, and yogurt that are rich in melatonin and help induce sleep.
It’s always suggested to avoid alcohol, caffeine, and other heavy drinks right before sleep time.
6. Limit your naptime
Naptime is everyone’s favorite. But as tempting as daytime naps sound, they’re not always the best when it comes to getting a good night’s sleep. Think of how you’re unable to fall asleep after a long nap you had during the day.
The best solution is to limit the hours of your naptime. Anything between 30 minutes and an hour is enough to get you relaxed, but anything beyond that can disrupt your sleep schedule.
7. Avoid Screens
If phones and other screens are a part of your sleeping ritual, you might want to consider ditching them.
Blue light from technological devices stimulates the part of your brain that keeps you awake. Consider turning them off at least an hour before sleeping. If you absolutely cannot resist, dim your brightness or turn on night mode to avoid contact with blue light.
8. Try herbal supplements
If nothing has worked and you need a little extra help, try sleep-promoting herbal supplements like melatonin, valerian root, and lavender.
Melatonin– is the hormone that our body naturally produces, which regulates our circadian rhythm. This is why melatonin supplements are popular among those with sleep deprivation caused by disrupted circadian rhythms, such as jet lag.
Valerian root– Valerian is a popular natural alternative to prescription sleep pills. It is considered safe and gentle and helps improve sleep quality and latency.
Lavender is another herb that can largely improve sleep quality despite it not being an oral supplement. Smelling lavender oil before sleep is said to work well for some people.
9. See a professional
People facing insomnia, even after months of trying everything out, should consider seeing a professional for medical advice. The professional can diagnose any sleeping disorders, suggest going for behavioral therapy, or advise other medical treatments.
Some other things you can try
While there’s little research about the following tactics, they are safe to use and have successfully helped individuals in getting a good night’s sleep.
-Use sleeping earplugs to cancel out any distracting noises.
-Talk out any worries that could be preventing you from falling asleep.
-Try white noise audios or sleeping ASMRs.
-Spray some organic lavender room mist or use it with a diffuser.
-Reserve a bedroom only for sleeping. Avoid doing any kind of work activity there.
-Avoid looking at your clocks frequently to check how much time has passed.
Conclusion
In an ideal world where you’re getting a good night’s sleep, you won’t even need an alarm clock to wake up. Your body clock will alert you when it is time to sleep, and you won’t wake up feeling out of it.
However, poor sleep can not only interfere with your day-to-day tasks but also lead to severe health issues in the long run. We understand how skeptical people are of sleeping medications, which is why we hope this list of natural remedies helps you sleep peacefully at night.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Why are natural remedies preferred for insomnia over medications?
Sleeping pills should not be used for an extended period as they can cause severe side effects and increase the risk of addiction. Natural remedies are often put into use and don’t carry any such harmful effects.
How does sleep change throughout our lifespan?
Sleep changes as we age. Newborns and young children require the most sleep, which gradually decreases as we become teens and adults. This can also vary depending on the lifestyle and any other medical conditions.
What are the risks associated with poor sleep?
Not getting enough required sleep or experiencing poor sleep quality has been linked to a heightened risk of various health problems like high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, depression, and anxiety disorder.
What natural remedies can help with sleep anxiety?
Sleep anxiety is linked to stress or fear about not falling asleep or staying asleep. Treatment can include getting therapy or prescribed medications.
How can I know if it’s a sleeping disorder?
If you have tried all the natural remedies and nothing seems to be working, it is better to consult a professional who can diagnose you for any potential sleeping disorders.
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