10 Natural Ways to Get 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

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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.

If you’ve tried these techniques and still think cortisol or hormones might be an issue, learn how to get a hormone test to address a hormonal imbalance.

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. Other essential oils that can help are Peace & Calming blend (promotes relaxation), Stress Away blend (helps to melt stress away) and Frankincense (great for calming).

All of these essential oils are in the Premium Starter Kit, the best introduction to essential oils. There’s 12 essential oils and blend, plus a diffuser (that you can put next to your nightstand) for the best sleep ever. Get the kit for 60% off retail (discount already reflected in the price). Learn more about the Premium Starter Kit here.

5. Try Sleep-Enhancing Supplements

Sleep issues can stem from a deficiency in vitamins or minerals in your diet. Eating a real food diet is key, but some people may need more help. Magnesium, amino acids, leptin, and thiamine can help.

Melatonin is another option. My husband loves Sleep Essence, a nutritional supplement made with Rue, Vetiver, Valerian, Lavender and Melatonin. He takes just 2 capsules about 15 minutes before bedtime. It’s been the cornerstone of his nightly ritual to get a good night’s sleep. Want to find out more about Sleep Essence? Find out how to order it and essential oils here.

6. Read Before Bedtime

It’s probably the easiest thing to do, yet many of us don’t do it or we play games or read on our smartphones. Ditch those phones, laptops, e-readers and other electronic devices, and opt for a good old-fashioned book instead. Reading helps to calm the mind before bedtime (you can also apply some Vetiver essential oil too) and reduce stress to get the body ready to sleep. Find books with calming and soothing themes, which means avoiding crime dramas, horror stories and anything else that might increase your heart rate.

7. Try an Earlier Bedtime

Not surprisingly, going to bed later can affect your body’s natural circadian rhythm – your body’s natural clock. If you’re late to bed all the time and have sleep issues, try an earlier bedtime. For many people, a 9 or 10 pm bedtime is ideal to get a full night’s sleep and to start the day the next morning at 6 am am.

8. Sleep in a Dark Room

Got a night light in your room? Like to sleep with the TV on? Got a computer in your bedroom? Get rid of them, and keep your room as dark as possible for sleep. Why? Artificial light can disrupt your circadian rhythm as your body may think it’s time to get up.

9. Get a Better Bed

Did you know that your mattress might be lurking with chemicals? Those chemicals can contribute to indoor pollution. Consider that you spend 1/3 of your life sleeping and then think about all the chemicals that you’re getting exposed to. Those chemicals could be disrupting your sleep.

In addition, if your mattress doesn’t have adequate back and lumbar support, you could end up tossing and turning all night long, and feeling tired in the morning because you didn’t get a full night of sleep. But how do you know what mattress to get? I’ll explain…

I did a lot of research when I was shopping for mattresses for our new home. I literally searched for hours online and went to stores to try out beds. Either they checked the boxes for being organic and non-toxic but the mattresses felt too stiff or weren’t comfortable. Or they were comfortable but weren’t made with organic and non-toxic ingredients. That is until I found Avocado Green Mattress (check out my full review here).

What I love most about Avocado is the comfort and support. It’s got a medium-firm feel that’s perfect for side sleepers (like me), as well as stomach and back sleepers too. And if you want a soft-firm feel, you can easily add an Avocado Mattress Topper. I went to a local Avocado Green Mattress store to test the mattresses myself. As soon as I laid down, I could tell Avocado was the one. It supports my hips and shoulders like nothing else. I have more restful sleep. I’m getting relief in my neck and lower back from a bed that actually supports my body. And I sleep better at night knowing that Avocado Green Mattress is made with non-toxic materials.

And the best part? Avocado Green Mattress was the most reasonable in price too. Many organic and non-toxic mattresses retail for thousands of dollars. When I priced out the cost to replace all 4 of our mattresses, I got sticker shock. But when I looked at Avocado Green Mattress, I was surprised and relieved to see that organic mattresses start at just $799.

Find out why I chose an Avocado Green Mattress and what to look for when you’re mattress shopping.

10. Try New Pillows

No budget for a new bed yet? Try an Avocado Green Mattress Pillow to get a better night’s sleep on a pillow made without toxic chemicals. I love this pillow because it helps to properly support the head (great for side and backs sleepers). It’s made with adjustable fill, made from GOLS certified organic latex and GOTS certified organic kapok. The fill is stuffed within an inner organic jersey cotton liner. The liner lives inside a machine-washable, zippered GOTS organic certified quilted cotton cover. It’s also GREENGUARD Gold certified, vegan, and handmade in the U.S.

More Posts You Might Like

• Avocado Green Mattress Review + Why You Need an Organic Mattress
• 10 Benefits of a Biomat + Detailed Biomat Review
• 10 Essential Oils for Baths

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Photo credit: Avocado Green Mattress, Canva