Courtesy of Pixabay
Ever lay in bed tossing and turning for hours? It can be a hard job settling down at the end of a busy day with so many things on our mind. I’ll show you how to sleep better naturally by giving you my top 10 ways to sleep better.
- Yoga, pray or meditate with deep breathing to help wind your brain and body down. You can find many free bedtime yoga on youtube.com.
- A sound machine helps people of all ages sleep better. It blocks out outside sounds and helps your body relax without distraction. We use this one.
- Leave your cell phone in another room, turn off your cell phone, or put it on silent (put it upside down so the lights don’t eliminate your room when you get a text message). Cell phones are a major distraction to sleep.
- Set a bedtime routine to help you wind down and go to bed at the same time every night. Our brains will be conditioned to associate our bedtime routine with getting sleepy especially at the same time each night just like when we were kids. I know we all don’t want to have a bedtime on weekends. Our body likes the consistency of a bedtime – it will make it easier to fall asleep.
Courtesy of Pixabay
- Avoid screen time one hour before bed. Read a book or do some yoga before bed. It will help you wind down. Watching some of the dramatic shows on TV show before bed would make anyone have a hard time going to sleep.
- Minimize lights by using room darkening curtains and shades. Avoid night lights if possible.
- Exercise during the day at least 5 hours before bedtime. The physical activity helps to make you tired but if you do it too close to bedtime it can actually make it harder for you to fall asleep.
- Tea such as chamomile, lemongrass or my favorite Sleepytime blend. This can be worked into your bedtime routine.
- Magnesium taken before bed it naturally helps to calm you, make you sleepy, and have a better night sleep. I sleep very soundly when I take this before bed. Most people are magnesium deficient. There is a whole list of reasons you should take magnesium daily. I prefer the magnesium powder – you just mix it in warm water until it stops fizzing.
- Melatonin taken before bed works wonders if the magnesium doesn’t do the trick and you still need help falling and staying asleep. It is super cheap and works so well. Start with a low dose such as 3 mg. If you take too much it can make you drowsy.
- Bonus – Valerian Root is another great natural sleep aid. When alternated with melatonin it can help decrease your resistance to melatonin and valerian root.
Courtesy of Pixabay
Benefits of getting enough sleep
- Keep your mind sharp – mental clarity
- Improves immune system so you get sick less often
- Helps keep cortisol levels low to avoid weight gain – lack of sleep can make you hungrier during the day
- Less irritability and moodiness – people with insomnia are 5 times more likely to develop depression
- Combats the aging process to regenerate your skin overnight. You’ll be smarter! You need adequate sleep to convert things you learned throughout the day to your memory
Hi There! I'm Shannon - I help women regain their health from the inside out so they can lead healthy, happy lives - full of energy and effortlessly maintain an ideal weight. 
Hello here, you have great advices how to sleep better and how to prepare for it. I know a lot people who keep their phones close by. I guess that they want to participate all time in life, in dreams too.
As I know it is good to take all electric plugs off when we sleep. Having comfortable bedding such as linen sheets or something what natural, provides our bodies comfort and lets breath for our skin. I heard recommendations to sleep without pajamas. Maybe it works for somebody.
did you mentioned that it is good to go to bed as early as possible? From 9 to 10 is a best time for our mind and body to rest.
Thanks for a great read, I look forward for more articles from you, all the best, Nemira.
Nemira these are all great tips on better sleep! I had not heard that sleeping without pajamas would help but it made me chuckle.
Agreed – going to bed early is a good idea. We were meant to go to bed when it got dark and wake up when the sun came up. Modern technology makes us night owls.
Your message widely and thoroughly explores the subject of solutions to insomnia. I liked how you made a list of all possible resources to sleep. I think they are all natural and can even be combined. In the long term, health effects will be very beneficial. Perhaps for this excellent post is complete, it would require you to consider some of the problems may be due to a particular medical cause for which it is necessary to consult a specialist.
Tommy
Absolutely there are times that a medical issue is to blame as well as some prescription medications have the side effect of insomnia. Consulting your physician is always great advice!
Shannon,
Thanks for the tips on how to sleep better. Just the other night, I was tossing and turning and I was looking at the clock every hour on the hour until about 4am. I was up by 7am. I usually don’t have trouble sleeping, but every now and then it will happen.
I will try some of the tea you recommended. I’m not for taking stuff that doesn’t taste good. I will also try to switch some Bible reading ad pray time a little bit earlier before I go to bed.
Thanks so much for the tips.
Verna
Verna,
I’m glad to hear you only occasional trouble sleeping. I’m a big fan of tea – something about the warmth before bed is so comforting.
Hi, I didn’t realize how much sleep I loose because of phone untill I put it on don’t disturb mode! Melatonin helps – I use when I’m jetlagged, but is it true that your body can get used to it and then it doesn’t work? I will avoid screen time, I didn’t know it’s better to read before going to bed but when you think of it, it makes a perfect sense 🙂
I’m glad to hear you use the do not disturb on your phone. Cell phones are a big distraction to sleep.
Melatonin is already produced by your body naturally. I only use it on occasion when I had trouble sleeping. You should only take what you need when you need it so you don’t feel dependent on it. That is where the other techniques to fall asleep come in.
Certain times to year cause me a lot of stress. I’m talking wide awake at 2am stress. Sleepytime tea and melatonin are my favorite “go to’s” for helping me to get a good night’s rest. had been using Benadryl until I found out that excessive use can cause short-term memory issues. Melatonin is all natural and making the switch was easy. I knew that exercising close to be wasn’t a good idea, but I was not aware that it should be done no later than 5 hours before bed time. That is a good tip! Thanks.
-Alyssa
Alyssa – up at 2am wide awake is terrible! So glad to hear you already are using many of these tips. I think Benadryl is kind of addicting, Years ago I would take Benadryl when I sick and thought it would be great to keep taking it to help me sleep (but I didn’t). I hadn’t heard that it could cause short term memory issues. Now I’ve seen commercials on TV for version of Benadryl marketed to help you sleep. So glad melatonin and sleepytime tea help you get sleep in your stressed times.
This is great information. Thank you so much for the great read! I too believe that electrical frequencies such as cell phones and TV’s are huge in toying with the immune system depriving us from producing melatonin. Great article! I also like your home remedy book as I believe we all should be conscious of toxicity in our homes/environment. Again, great info on the sleep and I look forward to more articles from you.
This is an interesting post because there are times where I have problems sleeping. Sometimes I eat too late before bedtime and that’s not good.
I found it interesting how a sound box is used to aid in sleeping. I never heard of that before. I also had a question about the Magnesium power weather it’s healthy for diabetics?
Thanks
You need magnesium in your diet. It should be healthy for anyone to take and most of us are deficient and don’t know it. I would suggest consulting your physician if you have a medical condition such as diabetes to be sure. Magnesium is my favorite supplement to take especially before bedtime 🙂
Thanks for stopping by Edwin!
Shannon
Hi Shannon; I love your sleep post. These are all great tips for insomnia. Over the years I have had a couple of bouts with this issue. One thing that I find helpful is to play nature sounds on my phone. I also find the meditation tip very helpful. And stretching as with gentle yoga is also very helpful. Do you find that some things work differently for different age groups? Say with adults as opposed to children?
Stella
You are so right – different techniques work better for different individuals – both adults and children alike. We all have our unique personalities and dispositions. Go with what works for you!
Thanks for stopping by
Shannon
So many great tips for sleeping better naturally! I personally use melatonin quite a bit since my schedule is always changing and it really helps to get me back on track. I also love Valerian root especially if I am really having a tough time sleeping because that stuff will knock you out! The only downside is the smell haha. Anyways great post with a ton of great information. Love the site and the layout…Keep up the great work!
Joe,
Sounds like you already know quite a few tricks to better sleep.
Thanks for stopping by and taking time to comment. 🙂
Shannon
Great post on how to sleep better naturally. I’ve been taking 4mg of Melatonin for years and recently I read a newsletter we subscribe to written by a doc and he suggested 10 mg for not only sleep, but overall health. Both my husband and I decided to try it and we are both sleeping very well with absolutely NO drowsiness the next day. Thanks for more good ideas.
Jackie
I had not heard of melatonin’s other health benefits – its great to hear that it helps overall health as well.
Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Shannon
Great article on getting better sleep naturally, I love the tips you share very much. I do use many of them myself, but I seen you had some new ones for me to try.
I also try to live a healthy lifestyle, I cook my meals myself and never dine out. I eat a big bowl of fresh vegetables and fruit everyday, my health is much improved today since changing my lifestyle.
Jeff
Sounds like you are living a very healthy lifestyle. Eating out is a big obstacle for most people – impressive that you are able to avoid it.
To good health!
Shannon
Yep, I have got some troubles with sleeping times. I tried a sound machine as you said. It’s a good one. I felt sleep better. Thank for your sharing 🙂
Rodney
We love our sound machines! Glad you have found some solutions to help you get better sleep. 🙂
Shannon
Hey dear, I am so glad that I have came across your blog as I found so much useful information here regarding hoe can I sleep better. I must appreciate you for your knowledge. Duse to heavy work pressure and work tension, these days I couldn’t sleep as I was sleeping before. But now I can try all that you shared here. Thank you so much for this knowledge.
Sheeja
Thanks so much for taking time to comment. Hope you’re sleeping has improved!!
Shannon