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Natural Sleep Aids
You DON'T need to take sleeping pills. There are far better alternatives than risking your health with those addictive drugs: natural sleep aids can help you sleep soundly and get rid of insomnia -- better and faster than pills would.
This lens will introduce you to the best ones, and give you some tips so you may regain control over your nights.
The Easy Way to Fall Asleep Fast
My Favorite (and Little-Known) Natural Sleep Aid: Brainwave Entrainment
A safe and effective alternative
Much better than simple relaxation CDs or mp3... More lasting than hypnosis... Easier than relaxation techniques... Healthier than pills and other over-the-counter drugs... Brainwave entrainment is possibly the best natural sleep aid there is. And there is nothing to do.Different brainwave "frequencies" are associated with different mental states. Brain activity during sleep, for example, is very different than during active thinking. Using an EEG machine, scientists can tell precisely if someone is sleeping lightly, or deeply, or if that person is dreaming.
What brainwave entrainment does is influence and alter the electrical activity going on in your brain.
Worth noting is the fact that the influence of brainwave entrainment is not limited to the time spent listening to a given session. If you keep listening to it every day, after awhile - two weeks, two months, nobody reacts the same - your brain will "get it", so to speak, and generate more abundantly those brainwaves it has been trained to produce. Even if you stop listening to it altogether.
That makes it a true long-term solution to insomnia. Too bad it is not more widely known!
Read more about the link between brainwave entrainment and sleep.
4 Tips to Unwind from the Day
Your mind need some help in transitioning from its fully active and operational mode to the relaxed nighttime rest. You spend most of the day trying to gain or regain control over events and encounters. You decide, you reflect, you ponder, you react...The brain is aroused and produces a lot of fast beta brainwaves to process all the input and respond in an appropriate manner. All that activity must subside when night comes, or sleep is impossible, as you already know all too well. You also probably already concluded that you're not very good at turning off your thoughts and worries. They happen and keep happening whether you want or not. Brainwave entrainment can help you disconnect from them and truly let go of everything until the next day, but you should still make a habit of unwinding from the day. That way you'll ease into the night gradually instead of running at 100 miles per hour and trying to put on the brakes when the clock shows it's eleven pm...
1- Take it easy
Don't throw yourself into strenuous physical activity less than 3 hours before going to bed. Since exercising elevates your body temperature and arouses you, you'd have more trouble falling asleep. For the same reason, don't take a large heavy meal just before going to bed.
2- Avoid confrontations
Spending time with your family or those you love during the last part of the day is wonderful. But avoid starting or fueling confrontational discussions. Half an hour before bedtime is not really the ideal time to start talking to your spouse about that big purchase you want to make, or to complain about something that bothers you.
3- Bore yourself to sleep
Likewise, it's really not a good idea to start surfing the internet or delve into an engrossing novel just before bedtime. Instead, tackle a boring task like doing paperwork or the dishes. You could also read a few pages of a difficult book or skim a work-related document. Choose something that'll NOT leave you saying three hours later "gee, it's two o'clock already!"
4- Take a warm bath
Taking a nice warm bath is an excellent way to dissolve tensions and leave the day behind. It has a paradoxical effect: the warm water rises your body temperature at first, but then later on makes it drop faster, easing your way into the night. For that same reason, don't take it just before going to bed.
Natural Sleep Aids in Your Own Bedroom
Aids do not come only in the form of things you ingest or do. Proper environment is also important.
After establishing a mellow bedtime routine it's important to create a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere in your bedroom. You see, months or years of sleeping badly made you associate your bedroom with being awake and with frustration. We need to change that. The more cozy and harmonic your bedroom is the more relaxed you'll feel. Here are some tips. The first is to make sure your bedroom really becomes a SLEEPING ROOM. And that means...Sleep or sex only
Yes, that means use your sleep room only for sleep or for making love. Nothing else! No reading, no tv watching, no arguing, no problem solving, no eating, no working, no phone calling... You get it. All these activities are telling your conscious brain to engage, to act, to be awake. That's not what you want.
You want the act of lying in your bed to be a cue to fall asleep fast, or make love. For all the rest, use the other rooms in your house.
Silence
Since you used to have problems with your sleep, it's very likely that you're sensitive to noises around you and outside of the bedroom. If this is the case and you find that noise is disturbing or interrupting your sleep, reduce them if you can...
Darkness
Your sleeping room should also be as dark as possible. Light would shut off melatonin production and tell your body that it's time to wake up. If you can't create a truly dark environment for you to sleep in, purchase an eye mask, the kind people wear in airplanes.
Good mattress, big bed
Invest in a quality mattress, your body will thank you for it and you'll experience deeper sleep.
Comfort
Try to keep your sleeping room on the cooler side. Sleep experts say that the ideal room temperature is 65 to 70 degrees F. But find the right temperature for you so you don't wake up during the night either too hot or too cold.
If at all possible try to sleep with the window open.
If you find that your room is too dry you may want to purchase a humidifier, especially in the winter months.
Wear comfortable, loose clothing. The more constrained or uncomfortable you are, the more likely you are to wake up during the night.
It's Natural but Counterintuitive: Stop trying to fall asleep!
The best (and most natural) sleep aids come from a proper attitude toward sleep. Here's an example.
Trying to fall asleep actually prevents you from falling asleep. Why? Simply because falling asleep is not an action, it's not something you DO. It something that happens to you. If you try, you DO, you tense up, you produce beta brainwaves... and consequently you stay awake.
No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't win the prize
In a well-known study, a group of people were asked to fall asleep as fast as they could. The winner would receive a prize in cash. The other group were just told to fall asleep as usual. Who do you think fell asleep the fastest?
If you said those who were left to their own device, you're right. Those who were offered the cash reward took three times as long to fall asleep!
"I don't care"
So the best attitude is one of carelessness. Stop trying to fall asleep. If you catch yourself doing it, it's probably because you've been lying in bed too long!
Teas and Herbs as a Natural Sleep Aid
Drink yourself to sleep -- for mild cases of insomnia
Don't place too high expectations on those. If you've been suffering from severe insomnia, these won't help much.
Chamomille
Chamomile has been used throughout the ages as a very effective sleep aid. Chrysin, a flavonoid component of Chamomile, is the chemical attributed to Chamomile's ability to relieve anxiety and promote sleep.
You can drink a cup of Chamomile tea just before bedtime. Add a teaspoon of honey to sweeten.
Valerian root
The effects of valerian on the body are similar to that of benzodiazepine (the active ingredient in most sleeping pills), but without dulling effects or next-day lethargy. To benefit from this root you'll need to use it for more than a few days. Effects will increase slowly and steadily over time.
It should be used for about one month to produce results.
Valerian tea: pour boiling water over 2 teaspoons of valerian root, infuse for 15 minutes and drink before bedtime.
Hops
Hops fruits are natural sedatives. They're commonly paired with chamomille and valerian.
Hops tea: you can mix hops with the above two herbs, or add 1 oz hops to 1 pint of boiling water.
Insomnia Poll
Your Favorite Natural Sleep Aids
List them all here!
What have you found effective? What was definitely not helpful? Share your expertise!
anomynous wrote
I really don't have a sleeping disorder, I'm 12 and it's summer and i want to sleep in but i always end up waking up at 7:40. I mean it's kinda good but i want to be waking up at 9:30, any ideas?
Posted June 16, 2009
sfxfantasy wrote...
The brainwave entrainment thing sounds interesting. I have insomnia but one thing that works for me is exercise in the morning. Here is a tongue in cheek take on insomnia.
Posted December 17, 2008
CaptainSkyHigh wrote...
Awesome page, must have taken a while, got a friend who goes to bed at ten in the morning. He should read this. Melatrol Review
Posted November 15, 2008
samanthahement wrote...
I read a few very interesting articles about acne at Total Health Remedies - Acne. My sister has an acne problem and she does not know much about the ins and outs of it. So I suggested the above website. Her problem seems to be getting better. I guess that knowing about what may be ailing you is half the battle!
Posted August 25, 2008
samanthahement wrote...
Insomnia can be affected by many of factors like stress, depression, sickness, drug, and some bad lifestyle. One of the root cause is the partner who sleep beside you was the reason that make you insomnia. For info please visit this article.
http://www.yourinsomniacure.com/blog/insomnia/who-sleep-with-you/
Posted July 20, 2008
The_Homeopath wrote...
Homeopathic Coffea cruda does the trick for me every time!
Posted June 11, 2008
millmm wrote...
Nice lens. I know that there are times when we all get stressed, either physically or mentally. I have found that using a microwaveable heating pad like cozybagz can help relieve the discomfort of everyday stress and strain. cozybagz are reusable corn filled bags that can be used hot or cold. They are a wonderful, natural way to bring a little extra comfort into your life.
Posted April 15, 2008
RinchenChodron wrote...
Hi - This is a very helpful lens. Many of us experience lack of sleep at least on ocassion, so knowing how to deal with it is useful. Thanks.
Posted January 12, 2008
mickymikey wrote...
This is terrific information Yan. I suffer from mild sleep apnea and have had to adopt many different methods to improving the quality of my sleep.
Posted November 10, 2007
prakash wrote
Posted October 08, 2007
fibro_cfs_gal wrote...
I have fibromyalgia and chronic fatique syndrome so sleep is super important to me. So far, herbals work best for me; drugs are the worst bec. they add to my fatigue. I will keep your product in mind for myself
Posted May 19, 2007
Sleep and Insomnia Links
- Insomnia Treatment
- The SleepTracks Sleep Optimization Program uses brainwave entrainment technology to help you regain sound sleep. Features also a 5-part multimedia course to further optimize your sleep.
- Insomnia Causes
- A lens I created about the major insomnia causes. Some of them are surprising...
- Tips to Fall Asleep Fast
- Another lens of mine, this one about how you can actually learn to fall asleep faster.
by Yan
Yan thinks that nothing is more important than learning and growing. He contributed to the making of an innovative insomnia treatment program.
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