10 Natural Ways to Better Sleep

Got sleep issues? You’re not alone. An estimated 50-70 million Americans have sleep issues. That’s a lot of tired people. Fortunately, there are some natural ways and home remedies to get a better night’s sleep.

10 Natural Ways to Better Sleep

1. Ditch the Caffeine

While it’s tempting to have a cup of tea or coffee drinks after 5 pm, it’s best to skip it altogether. Unless you’re having herbal tea (which is usually caffeine free), those coffee drinks and chai tea lattes have caffeine that can make it hard to settle down at night.

If you want to settle down for the night with a warm drink, try warm water with a spoonful of raw honey and a dash of Himalayan Pink Salt. Natural salt helps to reduce stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline – encouraging a better night’s sleep.

2. Eat a Lighter Dinner

After a big meal, you may feel tired but it’s usually short lived. Your digestive system has to work harder to digest all that food, which can leave you up at night. Ditch the heavy dinners for something lighter like a salad with chicken or a hearty soup. Another option is to eat an earlier dinner – around 5 or 6 pm – to give your body more time to digest your food.

3. Address Your Stress

There’s no doubt that stress can affect sleep. When stress is triggered, the body releases cortisol – a hormone that is released into the bloodstream that helps the body through the stressful event. But prolonged stress and overexposure to cortisol can lead to a number of health issues – including weight gain, emotional issues, and sleep disruption.

So find out what the root cause of the stress is and deal with it. I know there’s a lot more to it than that – but think about what is causing the stress and find ways to reduce it. You can also try meditation, yoga, or even earthing – walking barefoot. Crazy at it sounds, there are 1,300+ nerve endings per square inch on the soles of your feet – more than any other part of your body. Walking barefoot – or earthing – helps to ground you to the earth and in a way conduct the energy from the ground.

4. Relax with Essential Oils

Essential oils are fantastic for helping to promote a relaxing, comforting environment. Add a drop or two of Lavender to your pillow at night to get a better night’s sleep. Or add 3-4 drops each of Cedarwood and Orange to a diffuser. Other essential oils that can help are Vetiver (quiets the mind), Peace & Calming blend (promotes relaxation), Stress Away blend (helps to melt stress away) and Valerian (great sleep-enhancing abilities). My husband’s absolute favorite essential oil for sleep is RutaVaLa, an essential oil blend made with Vetiver, Rue, Valerian and Lavender in a convenient roll-on bottle. It helps him to fall asleep and stay asleep.

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