Are you finding it difficult to fall asleep at night lately?

Or are you waking up, and not being able to fall back to sleep?

If that’s a yes, you’re not alone. Many people are struggling with sleep problems.

The thing is, when you are losing sleep, you are never going to feel your best. Not to mention how frustrating it is to be lying in bed, wide awake, clock-watching or feeling stressed about how little sleep you are getting.

There are many reasons that could be behind this, but some of the main causes are having unbalanced or erratic hormones (For women during perimenopause and menopause, sleepless nights are a common theme.), stress, lifestyle choices, and of course, strange energy shifts. And sometimes, an explanation can’t be found.

But one thing is for sure, a lack of sleep can impact us in some destructive ways. It can even lead to weight gain. Which none of us want.

So, in this post, rather than focusing on the reason for restless nights, I’m sharing some simple ways for you to get to sleep without having to do anything too taxing on your system, or without adding extra stress into your life.

1. Use Magnesium

Magnesium is essential for the proper functioning of our nervous system and neurotransmitter activity. Magnesium helps us relax, and boosts energy, it supports the endocrine system, which balances our hormones, and aids sleep.

Some foods containing magnesium are: dark chocolate, bananas, almonds and avocado.

But an easy way to get more magnesium is either by taking a supplement, by having an Epsom salt bath, or by using magnesium spray before bed. I have used all three and can vouch for their effectiveness.

Although it is not supposed to be the most absorbable form, I use magnesium oxide. As a sleep aid it seems to work exceptionally well.

However, some people find magnesium oxide has a laxative effect. If this is the case, you can use a magnesium spray instead.

You can buy magnesium spray online or even make it yourself.

Simply mix ¼ cup of magnesium flakes or Epsom salts with 1 cup of warm water. Allow the magnesium to dissolve completely, and cool down, then pour into a spray bottle. Apply several sprays of the mix on the soles of your feet before bed.

2. Apply Chamomile Essential Oil

Known for its sedative and anti-inflammatory benefits, chamomile is an excellent sleep aid. Good to add a few drops on your pillow at night or add to a bath (with a carrier oil) before bed.

For best results, use it on your pulse points (neck and wrists), fifteen minutes before bed, or put a few drops on your hand and inhale the aroma.

Always dilute your essential oil with a carrier oil, such as almond or coconut oil, before applying directly to your skin. Simply mix a few drops of essential oil to one tablespoon of your chosen vegetable or nut oil.

You can make a chamomile blend and keep it on your bedside cabinet. If you wake up during the night, roll it on to your pulse points and within ten minutes, the effects have normally kicked in.

If you like lavender, this is also another good oil to use for sleep and relaxation.

As a side note, always buy your essential oils from a reputable supplier. When it comes to aromatherapy, you get what you pay for.

3. Take Valerian and Passion Flower

Valerian root is a natural herb used for treating anxiety and insomnia. Similar to melatonin, valerian root puts you in a relaxed sleepy state. Valerian contains a neurotransmitter called GABA, that is known to have a powerfully calming effect on the mind.

Passion flower has many of the same qualities. When combined together, they make a potent sleep aid.

Take the supplements close to bedtime.

You can generally purchase pre-combined herbal valerian and passion flower supplements, in differing strengths, from all good health suppliers. However, you can also combine them in tea form, either loose tea or tea bags, and drink one hour before bed.

4. Wear Blue Light Blockers

When we watch TV, or go on our phones and laptops it exposes us to blue light.

Our brain associates blue light with daylight. So, when we look at our electronic devices in the evening, our brain gets the signal that it is daytime, which will keep you awake. This can then mess with our circadian rhythms.

Circadian rhythms are our internal body clocks that signal a cascade of hormones to be released at the right time each day to perform set functions within the body.

The circadian rhythm has a tremendous effect on our sleep and our energy levels throughout the day. When functioning optimally, it helps us sleep soundly at night and keeps us energised during the day. However, when out of balance, both our body and mind get thrown into disarray and we suffer the ill-effects.

Because we are always exposing ourselves to blue light, it offsets the release and rhythm of our hormones, especially cortisol, melatonin and leptin.

These are our master hormones that we really do not want to upset. But so many of us do without even realising. This can be behind the cortisol spikes that, amongst other things, keep us awake.

While we can’t avoid blue light altogether, we can lessen the effects by wearing blue-light-blocking glasses, a few hours before bedtime, for watching TV, checking our phones or going on our laptop.

Wearing them in the morning, before it goes light, if working on a computer or checking your phone, will also keep your circadian rhythms in check.

If you wake up regularly during the night, to go to the bathroom, and can’t avoid turning on bright overhead lights, use your blue light blocking glasses. This will also help keep you in sleep mode.

5. Lower the Lights Three Hours Before Bedtime & Sleep in Darkness

This is such a simple but effective way to help fall asleep and prevent us from waking up again during the night.

By lowering the lights, a few hours before bed, and then sleeping in complete darkness, it encourages the release of melatonin, which not only prepares our body for sleep but also helps us stay in a relaxed state, throughout the evening, and prevents nighttime waking.

Melatonin is known as the anti-ageing hormone that is produced by the pineal gland (area of the third eye) in the darkness. It is a naturally occurring hormone that regulates the sleep cycle. It is an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory that helps to prevent, and treat, many illnesses including cancer.

By blocking out all light from our bedroom, whilst we sleep, it goes a long way to help our melatonin levels to remain balanced.

6. Turn Off Your WIFI Router

Did you know that WIFI can prevent you from sleeping?

Over the years, the use of smart phones and laptops have skyrocketed. Even the ‘untechiest’ person will have a mobile phone.

This increase in mobile phone use has also led to the need for more cell towers around our towns and cities, which means greater levels of EMF in our environment, and within our homes.

Wireless gadgets are not the only problem. There are many other devices within the home that allow EMF frequencies to build up; such as televisions, fluorescent lighting, microwave ovens, etc.

EMFs disrupt energy frequencies within our body and within our energy field, they affect our endocrine glands (glands that produce hormones), immune system and nervous system. They also cause sleeplessness.

By turning off your WIFI at night, it will help to remove some of those frequencies that disrupt the body’s natural rhythms. Which can help you have a better night’s sleep.

7. Avoid Caffeine After One PM

Most people already know that caffeine wakes us up, but may not realise just how long it stays in our system.

Every one of us is different, but generally caffeine can stay in our body from anything between two to twelve hours.

Determining how long caffeine stays within your body is something you will have to play around with yourself.

But a good guideline is to avoid having caffeine after one pm.

Caffeine is in colas, coffee and teas, both regular and green tea, it is even in chocolate.

Some people are more caffeine sensitive than others, especially when it comes to sleep. You may find you are best avoiding caffeine altogether to get a good night’s sleep. There are many great decaffeinated versions of both tea and coffee. Their flavour might be slightly different than you are used to, but it doesn’t take long to get used to them.

Just a word of warning, if you decide to give up caffeine, I would not recommend going cold turkey. Wean yourself off. Otherwise, you can get withdrawal symptoms that are not very pleasant.

8. Keep Your Clock Out of Sight

When you can’t sleep, having a clock close by will only cause stress, and in turn, keep you awake.

Why? Because you will keep looking at it, counting down the hours and minutes until you need to wake up. Which is too stressful.

9. Avoid Carb Heavy Meals Before Bed

Although a full belly of food can normally send us into a ‘comatose state’, having a starchy carbohydrate heavy meal, as our last meal of the day, can cause us to have energy spikes during the night.

Because carbohydrates break down into glucose, which is a form of fuel for the body, it can create an energy surge which can cause us to wake up.

When I refer to starchy carbohydrates, I’m talking about potatoes, pasta, bread or pizza, and anything containing sugar. The low glycemic carbs are the best option to have as part of your last meal of the day.

If you like to eat starchy carbs, try eating them for your lunch or breakfast instead.

10. Perform A Muscle Relaxation

Our muscles are constantly stimulated through the stresses of modern life. Because of this, even in sleep, the muscles might not fully relax. When our muscles are constantly contracted, they are fuelling the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight). Not only is this depleting the body of vital energy, but it can also be the reason behind sleepless nights.

I have included a link here to a short post that explains more about tight muscles, and a quick technique to release them.

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Hopefully, you will have found something from this list that will help you fall asleep and sleep through the night. Generally, you will need to use at least three of the above, but by using all of them it should help you get through those sleepless nights.

Obviously, there are other things that you can do to get a good night’s sleep, all of which would involve lifestyle changes, and reducing stress. But sometimes we just need something to help us in the here and now, and that is what I want to offer with this post.

I hope everything is keeping well in your world.