In a world that never stops moving, sometimes falling asleep can be the biggest challenge of the day. Not to mention staying asleep through the night! According to CBS News, Americans spent $41 billion on sleeping aids and medications in 2019 alone. Even after taking sleeping medications, you can be left feeling groggy, irritable, and unprepared for your day once you reach the morning.
There is a way to have a better night of sleep, and it exists right in your home garden! The herbs you grow in your garden can affect your body in a way that promotes a better night of sleep through relaxation.
Many people suffer from anxiety and racing thoughts, which keep them from having a sound, full sleep cycle. By consuming certain herbs, you can help to calm the mind and body, and therefore achieve a better sleep.
Natural Sleep Remedies & Tips
Your sleep schedule is highly impacted by your lifestyle and how you spend your day. One of the most important components of falling asleep and staying asleep is being aware of how you spend your time leading up to when you need to sleep.
Here are some ways to shift your daily lifestyle to incorporate activities that promote a healthier sleep schedule.
Staying on a Sleep Schedule
Staying on a regular sleep schedule is imperative for your body to develop healthy sleeping habits. You can help regulate your body’s internal clock by being dedicated to going to sleep and waking up at the same time every day.
Eating Well
According to NBC Health, lighter and less fulfilling sleep is a result of consuming more saturated fats and sugars throughout the day. Similarly to how your body responds to patterns of waking up and going to sleep, your body also responds to your eating patterns.
One thing you can adjust in your daily routine is to plan meals at the same time every day; when you are eating at consistent times of the day, your body knows when to metabolize the food you consume.
Exercise
Exercise is a fantastic way to strive towards a better night of sleep. When you engage in physical activity, the body tires, but that is not the only way in which exercise helps the body fall asleep.
Exercising naturally raises the body’s temperature, and when your body cools back down to its normal temperature at the end of the day, this triggers a sensation of drowsiness.
Additionally, participating in daily exercise can help decrease feelings of anxiety and depression, which can negatively affect your sleep cycle as well.
Relax with Yoga & Meditation
Finding time throughout your day to relax is a key element to calming the mind and body as a whole; without a sense of calmness, the body cannot fully achieve a successful sleep cycle.
Yoga is a great natural remedy for sleeping problems because it is both relaxing and physically engaging; your body fatigues, while your mind benefits from being calmed.
Meditation is also a fantastic way to calm the mind and body in preparation for sleep. Meditation can exist in many different forms, so the most important thing to keep in mind is considering what relaxes you the most, and how you can create a practice out of that.
Consider reading this article about finding moments of stillness in your garden in order to relax.
Screen Time Limitation
In addition to keeping the mind busy and processing new information, too much screen time before bed can have a significant effect on when you fall asleep.
When your eyes receive light by looking at a screen, it reduces the production of melatonin in your brain. Melatonin is the body’s natural chemical that creates drowsiness.
One way you can adjust your daily routine is to have limited screen time before bed, and keep the lights in your room at a dim setting so that your body can be prepared for sleep.
Lists of Herbs for Sleep
Fresh herbs from your garden are a great way to promote a full night’s rest for your body. If you haven’t started your home herb garden yet, check out our herb garden kit that can be moved indoors once the weather cools off. Consider adding herbal medicine to your daily routine to help treat your sleep disorder, and finally improve sleep quality overall.
- Chamomile
- Treats insomnia
- Mild tranquilizer
- Can improve the cardiovascular system
- Stimulates immune system
- Magnolia Bark
- Relaxes the mind
- Induces deep REM sleep
- Reduces the body’s stress hormone, cortisol
- Valerian Root
- Promotes relaxation
- Calms the mind
- Lavender
- Calms anxiousness and nerves
- Improves sleep quality
- Helps you stay asleep
- Ashwagandha
- Fights long-term stress
- Protects brain cells from damage by activating neurotransmitters
- Improves cognition
- Boosts sleep quality by keeping stress at bay
- Cinnamon
- Improves blood sugar levels
- Improves glucose tolerance
- Improves indigestion
- Allows the body to relax without gastrointestinal issues at night
How to Use Herbs for Sleeping Aids
When it comes to these herbs that help you fall asleep and stay asleep, there are a few effective ways that you can incorporate them into your sleeping routine.
Here are some of the most popular ways that you can use herbal medicine as a natural sleeping remedy.
Herbal Tea
Herbal tea is the top way to use your fresh herbs in order to get a better night of sleep. You can steep fresh herbs from your garden into hot water to make a delicious tea right at home.
Bonus points if you add fresh honey to your tea to increase drowsiness.
Take a look at our Complete Guide to Fresh Herbal Teas to learn more. Chamomile is popular for steeping in tea for a natural sleep remedy.
Take a Bath with your Herbs
Taking a hot bath before bed is relaxing and meditative. For an even more sleep inducing experience, try adding in fresh herbs to your hot bathwater. The more aromatic the herb, the better. A great herb to try in your bath would be lavender or chamomile.
Diffuse Herbs
Diffusing herbs is effective, but slightly more difficult because the herb needs to be reduced to an oil in order to be diffused into their air. Lavender oil is a great herb to diffuse into your room about 30 minutes before you decide to go to sleep.
Other Natural Sleep Vitamins & Supplements
Although using fresh herbs from your garden as a natural sleep remedy is extremely fulfilling, there are other natural methods to getting a good night of sleep. Vitamins and supplements are a great way to ensure that your body is receiving the nutrients it needs to form a healthy and regular sleep and metabolizing schedule.
Herbal supplements, in a pill or capsule form, are a great natural sleep remedy, and the perfect way to incorporate herbs like Valerian Root and Magnolia Bark into your nighttime regimen.
Below are some vitamins and supplements that will help you stay asleep.
Magnesium
Magnesium promotes relaxation, which is why it is a great vitamin to take before you go to sleep at night.
Magnesium helps you to relax by producing neurotransmitters that prepare your nervous system for rest. Magnesium works alongside melatonin in your body’s natural production of sleep-inducing chemicals.
Glycine
Glycine is considered one of the most important amino acids in the body.Glycine is also a great natural supplement to take to fight symptoms of insomnia, fall asleep faster and have a healthier sleep cycle.
Glycine increases levels of serotonin, which also helps you to stay asleep and feel more well-rested in the morning.
Melatonin
Melatonin has the job of regulating the body’s sleep and wake cycles and schedule. The body naturally produces more melatonin when there is less light present in your environment. Melatonin is a great supplement to take before bed in order to help you fall asleep faster, and to stay asleep longer.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D affects how much sleep we get, and how well we sleep. Deficiency in Vitamin D has recently been linked to shorter sleep cycles, according to this article by The Sleep Doctor.
Pro Tip: Vitamin D also enhances Calcium absorption, so you should consider taking both supplements together in the morning.
Calcium
Calcium helps induce drowsiness by encouraging the brain to produce more melatonin. Be careful when taking Calcium and Magnesium together, as they compete for absorption at the same time. It is best to take Calcium in the morning, with Vitamin D, and Magnesium at night before you go to sleep.
FAQs
Melatonin is the most effective natural sleep aid. Melatonin is a hormone that is already produced by the brain. This hormone triggers drowsiness within the body, and encourages falling asleep.
Everyone’s body reacts differently to different sedatives. Depending on your body, you might react more strongly to taking a valerian root supplement, or you might react more strongly to taking a CBD supplement.
CBD is a great natural sedative because it reduces anxiety and pain, which can cause insomnia. Either way, these are two of the strongest natural sedatives available to help with sleeping disorders. To learn more, take a look at this article by The Sleep Doctor.
If you are looking to take something for insomnia, adding herbs such as chamomile or lavender to tea can be a simple and safe way to avoid insomnia.
If this does not work, you can take natural supplements such as magnolia bark or valerian root, which promote the body’s natural sleep cycle while reducing stress and anxiety. You can also try natural remedies for insomnia such as exercising more or developing a strict sleeping schedule.
Vitamin D, Iron, Calcium, Magnesium, Vitamin E and B Vitamins are all great for inducing a better night of sleep.
You should avoid taking Vitamin B, Vitamin D and Calcium at night. These vitamins and supplements have the possibility of keeping you awake, although in the long run making sure your body has enough of them will promote a healthier sleep cycle.
A deficiency in Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C and Vitamin B12 can all cause sleep insomnia. Make sure to take these vitamins at the start of your day!