6 natural remedies to get more sleep in 2022

A good night’s sleep should have you feeling well-rested and awake the next day. But if you feel tired after waking up or throughout the day, then you must be experiencing issues that affect your sleep. For a healthy adult, the recommendation is to sleep for 7 to 9 hours every night.

Bad sleep quality is usually caused by too much caffeine, sleeping long hours during the day, stress, some medications, and bad sleeping patterns. For others, sleep issues are due to a sleep disorder such as insomnia or sleep apnea.

It’s not always necessary to get a prescription for improving sleep. Here’s a list of some natural remedies to help you get more sleep.

CBD (Cannabidiol)

CBD, or Cannabidiol, is a compound extracted from the hemp plant. It is known to help a lot of health issues including stress, anxiety, and improving sleep. CBD, unlike THC, is not psychoactive and will not cause you to feel high. According to The Permanente Journal, CBD affects the levels of cortisol. This stress hormone typically peaks in the morning but is higher at night in people with insomnia. CBD interferes with cortisol secretion and acts as a sedative which results in better sleeping quality.

ZenBears is one of the UK brands that offer CBD edibles. Their products are all organic, vegan-free, and non-THC. CBD edibles are the easiest and most popular way to ingest CBD as they are easy to dose and you can control how much CBD you take. ZenBears CBD gummies are the best product if you want to try CBD. They are the perfect combination of CBD oil bioavailability and CBD gummy flavour. 

CBD oils can also be used in vaporisers.

Herbal teas with valerian, passionflower or hops

Bad sleeping quality in some people can be frequent so they rely on over-the-counter medicines. If you wish to avoid medications, there are a lot of more natural alternatives like herbal teas. Herbal teas offer health-promoting properties and have been used for centuries. 

Herbal teas can be made from any herb or plant. If you want to try herbal teas to improve your sleep, you can try valerian, passionflower and hops. Valerian root is an effective sleep aid due to the two naturally occurring sedatives within it called valepotriates and sesquiterpenes. Passionflower works by increasing GABA in the brain and reducing activity in the central nervous system. Hops also work to enhance GABA levels in the brain and can lower body temperature leading to drowsiness. 

Yoga for Sleep

Yoga is also known to help improve sleep. It is a gentle and restorative way to wind down your day. According to the National Health Interview Survey, 55% of people who did yoga found that it helped them get better sleep.

Practising yoga before bedtime is a good way to calm your mind and body before sinking into a peaceful night of sleep. Set an available time even if it’s just only 10 minutes. You can do slow types of yoga such as Hatha, Restorative, or Yin. It’s best to avoid yoga practices such as hot or vinyasa. Focus on postures that are calming and inward-focused.

Meditation and Relaxation Techniques

Meditation may also help you sleep better. As a relaxation technique, meditating can quiet the mind and the body while enhancing inner peace. It improves control of the autonomic nervous system which reduces how easily you wake up. Like yoga, meditation can also be done before bedtime and can help reduce insomnia by promoting overall calmness.

Yoga Nidra is a type of guided meditation that improves sleep quality, reduces stress, and encourages a deep state of relaxation. This involves lying down, breathing deeply, and following verbal cues that work to calm your mind and remove tension. You can start by meditating for 3 to 5 minutes before bed. Increase to 15 to 20 minutes after a few nights as it’ll take time to learn how to quiet your mind.

Eat Foods That Help You Sleep

Your lifestyle also plays a role in the quality of your sleep. Drinking caffeine at night and eating before bed are some of the reasons why you don’t get a good night sleep. Caffeine late in the day is also not good as it can still cause problems falling asleep even after 10 to 12 hours. Spicy and acidic foods can also affect your sleeping pattern as they cause heartburn. Heartburn is problematic for people with acid reflux. 

Avoid eating food high in sugar, saturated fat and processed carbohydrates can affect your sleep. Instead, eat a balanced diet largely made up of vegetables and fruits high in fubar and unsaturated fat such as nuts, olive oil, fish, and avocados. These will contribute to better sleep while promoting a healthy weight. Sufficient nutrients in the body are important for sleep.

Melatonin

Melatonin is a hormone made by the pineal gland. It helps your body know when it’s time to sleep and wake up by regulating the circadian rhythm and synchronizing our sleep-wake cycle.  Normally, your body makes more melatonin at night and then drop in the morning. 

People use melatonin supplements when they have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep. Melatonin supplements come in pills, liquids, and edibles. These natural forms of melatonin come from the pineal gland in animals.

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