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We Compiled The 12 Best Natural Solutions To Solve Your Insomnia Once And For All!
You can help yourself start sleeping more soundly without using medications or taking drastic measures using these healthy solutions.
The National Sleep Foundation advises that healthy adults need between 7-9 hours of sleep each night to maintain their wellbeing. However, 40% of U.S. adults actually get less than the recommended amount of sleep each night, with the average amount clocking in at slightly more than 6 hours. Insomnia can happen for a variety of reasons, including the stressors of life, mental illness and medical conditions, hot weather, and more.
Whatever the reason is behind your insomnia, we want to help you fall asleep and stay asleep so you can live your best life. If you consistently don’t get enough sleep, you could be susceptible to weight gain, mental illness or impairments, generally feeling crummy, and a host of other chronic mental health conditions. But before you panic and fill your body with medications that could cause negative side effects, try these 12 solutions to naturally combat your insomnia and sleep more soundly.
Change when you exercise.
It’s always important to exercise to stay healthy, but switching the time of your daily workout to the morning may help you sleep better at night. While it may seem counterintuitive, beginning your day with a visit to the gym is correlated to helping you end your day with a restful night of deep sleep. In addition, morning workouts are also shown to help increase your productivity during the day and help you feel more alert.
Use meditation.
Consider using daily meditation as a way to relax and unwind. According to a reputable study from 2011, frequent meditation significantly improved insomnia and overall sleep patterns. You can meditate as often as you’d like, but improvements are seen with just 15 minutes of meditation every morning or evening. In order to get started, consider joining a mindfulness meditation group, downloading a meditation app to your smartphone, or taking an online course in meditation techniques.
Try sleep apps.
Just like smartphone apps exist for meditation, there are also applications that are meant for helping you fall asleep. Some of these simply help provide white noise, while others walk you through a process that helps you relax your body and fall asleep. Other apps take it a step further and even use elements of hypnosis. There are many sleep apps out there, but the most popular ones at the moment seem to be Calm, Headspace, Pzizz, and Slumber.
Bring on the melatonin.
When we start to feel tired at bed time, it’s because our bodies are releasing a hormone as a natural signal that it’s time to sleep. When we can’t fall asleep, we may be experiencing an imbalance of melatonin where our body isn’t producing enough of this natural hormone. Insomnia is most common in the Summer because the longer hours of light can trigger our bodies to produce less melatonin. However, the exposure to blue light emitted by our screens and smartphones can also have the same effect all year. Thankfully, you can help your body naturally produce enough melatonin by keeping your bedroom dark and limiting light exposure with blackout curtains, wearing blue light glasses, and taking melatonin supplements.
Redi Shade Original Blackout Pleated Paper Shade, 36 in x 72 in, 6-Pack, Black
Darkening your room prior to bedtime is a tried and true way to help people sleep more soundly at night or during naps. These shades effectively block out 99% of all light for privacy, light control, and protection from harmful UV rays. They are easy to install, and have a classic, clean look that will easily fit in with your bedroom’s aesthetic.
$32 (9% Off!)
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Hepburn Cat Eye Blue Light Glasses
Blue light glasses help protect our eyes from the blue light emitted by our computer screens, televisions, and smartphones. The blue light can cause insomnia, as well as eye dryness and headaches. Luckily, blue light glasses like this classic pair exist to save you from the side effects of blue light. Choose from a range of colors from clear to tortoise, upload your eyeglasses prescription if you have one, and then EyeBuyDirect will quickly send your blue light glasses to your home with fast 2-day shipping.
$42+
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Nature Made Melatonin 5 mg Tablets, 90 Count for Supporting Restful Sleep
If you are having trouble falling asleep at night, your body may not be producing enough melatonin. Simply take one tablet an hour before bed to fall asleep faster and have a more restful night. Help your body feel ready for rest by taking this all-natural melatonin supplement, which is 100% drug free and tested to verify that all the ingredients are of the highest quality. Before starting new medications or supplements, always consult with your doctor to make sure it’s right for you.
$6 (44% off!)
Buy Now!Soothe the senses.
Essential oils like lavender, chamomile and sage have been shown to promote relaxation and decrease feelings of anxiety. Studies have found that lavender in particular increased the slow and deep-wave sleep in participants, and that participants reported feeling “high vigor” when waking up the next morning. You can enjoy essential oils at bedtime by utilizing pillow sprays, using a diffuser to release the scent into your home, or you can apply the oils directly to your body on your feet, wrist, or palms. However, keep in mind that a little goes a long way, and alway proceed with caution and patch test first if you’ll be applying the oils directly to your body.
POSITIVE ESSENCE Lavender Linen and Room Spray
Lavender is the essential oil of choice for promoting a restful night of deep sleep. With this wonderfully smelling spray, you can give your room, your pillow, or even your body the relaxing lavender scent to help you catch some shuteye. The spray is 100% natural, made cruelty free, and is safe for use around children.
$13
Buy Now!Have a cup of tea.
If you’ve been having trouble falling asleep, consider adding a nightly cup of tea to your bedtime routine. Tea has been known to help people unwind before bedtime and can help make you feel tired enough for sleep. At the very least, a hot cup of tea tastes delicious and is a nice way to relax.
Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Herbal Tea
A cup of Sleepytime Tea is the surefire way to get a good night’s sleep! Each tea blend is made using chamomile, which is commonly used to treat insomnia because it is often used as a sleep inducer or mild tranquilizer. Choose from a variety of flavors, such as honey, vanilla, spearmint, and peach, and get ready for the best sleep of your life!
$17+
Buy Now!Avoid chemicals that make it harder to sleep.
Making some lifestyle changes to avoid triggers for insomnia could be the cure to your restless nights. For example, nicotine, alcohol, and caffeine are all chemicals that can cause insomnia and restlessness. Similarly, you may also want to cut back on sugar, as it can cause uneven blood sugar levels that wake you up during the night and make you feel jittery. If these are substances you enjoy, it may be time to cut back on your intake in order to sleep more soundly.
See dinner as more than a meal.
What you eat for dinner and when you eat it can contribute to how well you sleep when it’s time for bed. If you typically eat heavy meals, try to eat lighter in the evenings instead and don’t eat anything in the 2 hours before bedtime. Not only will this promote a healthy weight and prevent indigestion, it will also help you sleep better. Similarly, you can also try to eat foods that help you sleep. Look for ingredients that contain magnesium, Vitamin B6, and tryptophan.
Unwind with selfcare.
If you’re getting in bed before you feel tired, you may not be properly unwinding before crawling under the covers. If you aren’t tired and relaxed to begin with, you’re probably just going to make yourself more restless and frustrated when you find you can’t sleep easily. Try to create a relaxing nighttime routine or spend some time on self care each evening to help you unwind and feel more ready for bed. Many find taking a warm bath or shower, reading a good book, or spending some time on skincare to be relaxing and effective.
Change the temperature.
Many people can’t sleep if it’s too hot, which is why insomnia is particularly common during the Summer. Other people will be comfortable when they fall asleep, but then wake up sweating because they get too hot under their covers during the night. If heat is causing your insomnia, keeping your room cooler, investing in a high quality fan, or changing your bedding to cooling fabrics could make all the difference!
True Temp Blanket
If you’re a hot sleeper, purchasing a cooling blanket is one of the best investments you could possibly make! While light weight fabrics can sometimes help you feel a bit cooler, this blanket uses state of the art technology to guarantee you stay comfortable at the perfect temperature all night long.
$130 (20% Off!)
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TempurPedic Breeze Pro + Advanced Cooling Pillow
Get ready to lay your head on the best pillow you will ever own! Tempur-Pedic has taken comfort to new levels using new mind blowing technology that keeps all kinds of sleepers feeling the ultimate comfort. This pillow features a cool-to-the-touch SmartClimate cover that is removable and washable and has cutting edge cooling gel that helps you stay comfortable while you fall asleep. Plus, it will never lose its shape or flatten over time.
$219
Buy Now!Have a consistent bedtime.
Keeping a consistent sleep schedule can help you sleep more soundly and deeply. In other words, you may benefit from always going to bed and waking up at the same time each day. It will help your body sync with your natural circadian rhythm and help improve your REM sleep. While brief cat naps are sometimes okay, avoiding naps and sticking to your sleep schedule will ultimately help you avoid insomnia and feel more alert in the long run.
Try vibroacoustic therapy.
Last but not least, we encourage you to try out this somewhat experimental sleep solution if you think it could be right for you. Vibroacoustic therapy combines the relaxation benefits of music with vibrations and meditation to help you relax and unwind for sleep. Essentially, you literally feel the music, and doing so seems to be beneficial for people both physically and mentally. While vibroacoustic therapy is still a fairly new concept, the research that’s been done shows positive results for promoting better sleep and overall wellness.
Apollo Neuro Band
The Apollo Neuro Band is worn on the wrist or ankle, and should be used in conjunction with the free Apollo Neuro App. While wearing the band and using the app, you’ll feel gentle waves and vibrations coordinated to match whatever you are listening to or watching. The result of this therapeutic process is better sleep, improved focus, and higher resilience to stress.
$349 Once Or $32 Per Month
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Muse S Therapeutic Headband
The Muse Headband is an EEG device that uses advanced signal processing to interpret the user's mental activity to help guide the user through meditations to find inner peace and wellbeing. It utilizes vibroacoustic therapy, soundscapes, and white noise to promote sleep, stress relief, and overall well being. In addition to therapeutic treatments and exercises, you will also receive valuable feedback regarding your mental activity, heart rate, sleep patterns, and more.
$350
Buy Now!Get more great lifestyle inspiration, wellness tips, and ideas for your home on Dabl! Check our Dabl TV schedule and find out where to watch Dabl TV.