If you struggle with insomnia or getting quality sleep at night, these 15 natural ways to get better sleep will aid your body holistically to improve your sleep!
The Natural Sleep Foundation has reported that at least 45% of Americans struggle with poor quality sleep, or an inability get enough sleep, and are negatively affected by it in their daily lives. Getting to bed in good time and sleeping long enough is only half the battle. One of the most frustrating things is when you do get to bed in good time, but then you can’t fall asleep or wake up a lot in the night.
Quality of sleep is affected by so many variables in the body including hormones, stress levels, poor nutrition, and medical conditions. Because of this it can be difficult to identify the main issue or issues.
This post includes 15 entirely natural ways to get better sleep by aiding many different areas of holistic health.
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15 Natural Ways to Get Better Sleep
1. Use essential oils.
The #1 way I use essential oils to help me fall asleep at night is with my DIY lavender pillow spray. You make it with lavender essential oil, and it smells incredible. Spraying it on your pillow and smelling the lavender helps your body become calm and can help you fall asleep. In my post you can find the ingredients you’ll need, and easy instructions on how to make it.
Another natural way to get better sleep with essential oils is by diffusing them. Lavender and chamomile essential oils are both excellent sleep aids. I love and recommend this essential oils diffuser from Amazon, pictured above. It’s normally white, but has an LED light that you can turn on with many different color options. It has a capacity for 500ml of water, which means it can hold enough water to run through the entire night. Many diffusers have smaller capacities and only last a few hours.
2. Hydrate throughout the day, not right before bed.
Try to drink your last glass of water or cup of tea at least two hours before going to bed. While hydration is important for good sleep, you don’t want to be getting up in the night to go to the bathroom. Start the very beginning of your day with a glass of water, and hydrate throughout the day, but be careful about drinking too much in the evenings.
3. Regulate your sleeping schedule.
Your body has an internal circadian clock that regulates your alertness and sleepiness with adjustments to hormones (including melatonin) and body temperature in any given 24-hour period. The best way to work with your natural circadian clock is by having a regular sleep schedule. If you are constantly changing the time you go to bed and the time you get up, your circadian clock is unable to find a pattern to help your body naturally be alert when it should be and sleepy when it should be. Try to be consistent about your bed times and waking times, preferably even on the weekends.
4. Don’t look at a screen before bed or in bed.
The blue light from electronic screens actually suppresses your body’s production of melatonin, which is the hormone that regulates your sleep cycle. Try to give yourself at least 30 minutes before bed each night without using any electronics. Consider using an alarm clock and actually leaving your phone outside your room, so it’s not a distraction or waking you in the night.
5. Keep your bedroom tidy.
Keeping your room clean and tidy has been shown to positively impact quality of sleep. Having a cluttered and disorganized bedroom can cause your mind and body to feel stressed, which can hinder your ability to get to sleep or stay asleep.
6. Drink herbal teas an hour or two before bed.
Herbal teas are naturally caffeine-free and contain all kinds of medicinal properties. There are many herbal teas that help your body calm down and prepare for sleep. Chamomile tea is my favorite herbal tea to help me sleep. Valerian and lemon balm teas can also help your body calm down and sleep deeply.
I’ve shared a list of my favorite 9 herbal teas and their health benefits. Check it out for more ideas!
7. Use white noise.
If you are often woken up by outside noise or roommates, you might benefit from sleeping with white noise. I personally love to sleep with a noisy fan on in my room.
8. Avoid caffeine after 2pm.
Studies have shown that caffeine significantly reduces quality of sleep when consumed within six hours of going to bed, even for people who are heavy coffee drinkers and don’t feel like it has any affect on them. Caffeine has a half-life of five hours, meaning that it takes five hours just for the amount of caffeine in your body to be reduced by half after consuming it. It can take several more hours then for it to be entirely out of your system.
9. Sleep in a cooler temperature.
Again referring to your circadian clock, it causes your body’s temperature to naturally drop when it’s time for you to sleep. If you sleep in a room that is too warm, it can interfere with your body’s ability to naturally cool for optimal sleep. Many sleep experts recommend setting the temperature around 65-68° F.
10. Consider using a sleep app.
Using a sleep app will mean you are keeping your phone in your room, which is counter to the suggestions in #4. However, many people find sleep apps to be very helpful. There are apps that can track what phase of sleep you are in during the night, as well as how many times you wake up by basically listening to your breathing and for restlessness. They are then able to wake you up at an optimal time, so that it is not during the deepest part of your sleep cycle.
Many apps also have various sounds and music options for helping you fall asleep, then wake up gently and gradually in the mornings. This article on the 8 top-rated apps that can help you get better sleep might be helpful as you choose which app to use.
11. Eat a spoonful of honey and pink salt before bed.
There are many blogs and sites out there recommending this as one of the best natural ways to get better sleep. Use about a teaspoon of honey with a half teaspoon of pink salt. You can simply eat it or put it under your tongue before going to bed.
Make sure you’re using raw honey so that the health benefits haven’t been lost in pasteurization. The honey helps lower your cortisol levels. Cortisol is what makes you alert and awake, so lowing this in the evenings before sleeping is ideal. Pink salt is a great source of magnesium and other minerals that are essential for quality sleep.
12. Journal before bed to clear your mind.
If you are always thinking of things you need to remember to do when laying in bed, instead of reaching for your phone, keep a journal on your bed stand so you can quickly jot them down. Many people have anxious thoughts at night, or process their day when they lay down to sleep. Journaling before bed can help you sort out your thoughts and process so that your mind can rest.
13. Eat foods that contain melatonin.
Rather than taking melatonin supplements, there are actually many foods that help your body naturally produce melatonin, which is a hormone that helps you sleep. Try incorporating more of these melatonin producing foods into your diet, especially for dinner or in the evening: pineapple, bananas, tart cherries (or unsweetened cherry juice), oats, corn, rice, ginger, barley, and tomatoes.
14. Increase your magnesium intake.
Magnesium is one of the most critical minerals for optimal bodily function. It is estimated that around half of adults have a magnesium deficiency, and insomnia is a common symptom of magnesium deficiency. Increasing magnesium intake, whether in supplement form, or by eating magnesium rich foods, is often an effective way to combat insomnia and improve sleep quality.
Some of the best food sources of magnesium are: leafy greens, nuts and seeds (especially almonds and pumpkin seeds), yogurt, black beans, and dark chocolate.
I personally started taking a magnesium supplement about a month ago both as a natural sleep aid and to help with my digestion. I honestly can say that I have been waking up in the night way less often since beginning the supplement, and have noticed digestive benefits as well. This magenesium glycinate supplement from Amazon is the one I purchased after doing a lot of research into what others recommend.
15. Epsom salt baths in the evening.
Taking an epsom salt bath in the evening is an excellent natural way to get better sleep. Baths are naturally very calming, and epsom salt baths help your body to detox, as well. Head over to Wellness Mama for two detox bath recipes that use epsom salts.
I recommend Epsoak epsom salts, because they are entirely natural with no artificial fragrances or additives (unlike many other brands).
Disclaimer: Please keep in mind that I am not a health care professional. Please consult a professional health care provider before making changes to your lifestyle or if you have any concerns about your health. Check with a qualified practitioner before using essential oils. Be sure to purchase high quality oils for best results, and test the oils to be sure you aren’t allergic.
2 comments
Thanks Cassandra. I’ll try these. 🙂
Amazing! I really hope they help you – they have helped me! 🙂