If you are like me, your sleep schedule is all over the place. From staying up late because you can’t fall asleep to waking up in the middle of the night for no reason and not being able to go Best Natural Supplements for Sleep, I have it all.
Best Natural Supplements for Sleep
I’d love to find a way to fall asleep quickly and stay asleep all through the night, while also being natural and non-habit forming. What are my options?
Drink Up
While drinking a glass of wine can make you drowsy, it’s not the best option for falling asleep. But there are drinks that will do the trick.
- Chamomile tea
- Warm milk
- Hot cocoa
The Best Natural Supplements for Sleep is good ole trusty chamomile tea. It’s caffeine free and you can feel it warming your soul. However you take your tea, this one is the best to drink right before bed. You could try other teas, but you need to check if they have caffeine.
For some reason warm milk puts kids right to sleep. It stimulates the effect of serotonin in your brain and sends you off peacefully. I can barely drink cold milk unless it’s in cereal so that’s a no go for me.
Hot cocoa, though, okay, give me that. Warm milk but with cocoa, that’s fine. On those cold winter nights nothing puts me in sleep mode faster.
Make Your Space Sleep Ready
How your room is set up can affect how you sleep. If you find you aren’t able to go to bed lately, look around your room first.
- Cooler temperatures are better for sleep
- Turn off the lights and keep them off
- Turn off your screens
- Put down the phone, really, put it down
You know that feeling when you don’t want to get out of bed in the morning because your bed is so cozy and it’s too cold outside of it? Exactly. Make that happen at night. The ideal temperature is anywhere between 65 degrees to 72 degrees for optimal sleep. I like 67 degrees.
If you don’t have curtains, get them. Black out ones are great for keeping the early sun out. Turn off your lamps and hallway lights too.
Put.your.phone.down. Seriously. Stop it. Scroll through your apps in the morning. Turn off your television too. You can rewatch that show another time. Those lights from your screens burn your eyes awake.
Other Things to Try
There are a few other things to do that don’t even require any trips to the drug store.
- Mild exercise
- Stretching
- Meditation
Don’t go trying to beat your fastest mile time. Just some light aerobic exercise will help you get to sleep. Not as part of your bedtime routine, but a few hours before bed.
Stretching is another light way to ease your body to sleep. If you’ve had a long day and your body wants to keep going, stretch it out. Your muscles and body will relax and you’ll be able to get some tension free sleep.
Meditation seems to work for some people. I can’t will myself to sleep. I’ve tried it. I start thinking about anything other than what I’m supposed to be and now I’m thinking about all of the embarrassing things I did in high school. But people I know swear by it to help clear their mind to fall asleep faster.
Go Natural
If none of those work but you don’t want to go to medications, then try some natural sleep aids.
- Melatonin supplements
- Valerian root
- Lavender
Melatonin is the chemical we need running through us to get that sleepy feeling. If you can’t get it on your own, get a little bit of help.
Valerian root is great for a whole lot of things. Depression, anxiety, and sleep are things that can be helped with short-term use of valerian root.
Lavender, whether in oil or flower form, is great for getting your sleep on. Not to be eaten, but smelled or rubbed on the skin, lavender’s calming effects can help you stay asleep.
No matter what you try, using a natural sleep aid is best to keep side effects to a minimum and habits from forming. Try a combination or rotate through different options to see what works best for you. Happy sleeping!
