If sleep has plunged to the bottom of your to-do list, you’re not alone. Although the National Sleep Foundation recommends getting seven to nine hours of sleep a night, the average person logs only around six hours. Busy schedules, sleeping woes and aches and pains are often to blame but, with the help of some natural remedies, you will be back to sleeping soundly before you know it.
Check out SleepMaker’s favourite tips below:
Yoga or meditation
Doing yoga stretches in bed followed by simple meditation will calm your body and help you to relax into a deep sleep. Simply close your eyes and, for 5 to 10 minutes, pay attention to nothing but your breathing.
Aromatherapy
Create your own pillow spray by using a few drops of lavender essential oil with a couple of tablespoons of witch hazel and spray it on your pillow right before you go to bed. The different aromas mix together to create a scent that calms the nerves and relaxes the body. Alternatively, you can place a piece of lavender or a sachet under your pillow.
Decaf Tea
Drinking green tea or chamomile tea not only helps maintain a calm alertness during the day but also a deeper sleep at night.
Magnesium- Rich Foods
Magnesium is a natural sedative and a magnesium deficiency can result in difficulty sleeping, anxiety and muscle tremors. Snack on foods high in magnesium such as legumes, seeds, dark leafy green vegetables, bananas, wheat bran, almonds and cashews.
Unwind when you get home
If walking in the door means confronting a pile of bills or hungry children, it’s understandable that relaxation can seem all but impossible. It is a good idea to start unwinding early in the evening so you’re making a transition from your stressful day life to your evening. Pencil in a 5-minute window of ‘you’ time where you brew up a cup of calming tea, take a bath if you have time, or just sit quietly alone.
