3 Natural Sleep Aids for the Perfect Bedtime Routine

Lack of sleep can affect every single aspect of your day. After just one restless night, you can easily notice how your energy level, mood and focus are decreasing as you go about with your day, making you feel down and uninspired. There are a lot of reasons why many people may have a problem sleeping, among which stress is the most common one. Luckily, not all hope is lost. In the modern world that we live in, there is a variety of natural sleep aids and breathing techniques that can calm your mind and help you fall asleep faster and easier at night.

Source: Momcurls.com

Entice Your Senses with Essential Oils

Lavender is widely known for its calming properties. This flowering plant from the mint family has been used centuries ago all around the world for a variety of purposes. In Roman times, lavender flowers were added to baths, to add a more pleasant scent to water and soothe skin. Today, however, lavender is used in a range of forms for different purposes, among which one of the most popular ones is using it in essential oils for sleep.

• Lavender Bath: Add 6-8 drops of lavender essential oil after running a bath. While relaxing in the bath, your skin will absorb the needed amount of the oil to relax and relieve stress.
• Add It to Your Skincare Products: You can also add 1 drop of lavender oil to your moisturizing night cream and gently massage it on your face and neck.
• Use It in an Essential Oil Diffuser: Fill your diffuser with water and put 4-5 drops of lavender oil in it. Besides making the ambience in your bedroom more pleasant, breathing in the fragrant lavender scent will also calm your mind and make you fall asleep easier.
• Use It on a Tissue/Handkerchief: Put 1-3 drops of lavender oil on a tissue or handkerchief and inhale immediately. Or, you can also spray a mixture of lavender oil on your sheets and pillowcase to indulge your senses throughout the night.

Essential oils for sleep come in different blends designed to help you relax and ease you into a night of quality sleep. Lavender combines well with most other essential oils, so you can try different blends to see which one you like best. For example, lavender used with neroli or bergamot will provide you with ultimate relaxation and peace of mind. Other recommended sleeping essential oils include cedarwood, geranium, ylang-ylang, jasmine, frankincense, etc. Experiment with combining a few of the mentioned oils to see which combination works best for you and your sleep routine.

Source: terrycralle.com

Indulge in a Warm Caffeine-Free Drink

What you drink before bedtime may greatly impact your night sleep. Warm milk is a classic solution – it can significantly increase the presence of natural hormone melatonin in your body, which helps regulate your sleep quality. Almond milk is another fantastic alternative as it contains tryptophan and magnesium, important nutrients for having a good night’s sleep.
Caffeine-free green tea, chamomile tea, or a tea blend with turmeric, cinnamon and other non-dairy milk substitutes can relax your body and mind and help you fall asleep easier.

Read a Book

Reading a relaxing book before going to bed is a great routine that can help you forget about the stress of everyday life. It can help put you in a calmer state of mind which will ultimately result in sleepiness.

Source: helpguide.org

Simple Ways to Reduce Anxiety

Figure Out What You’re Anxious About

Understanding what lies behind your stress is a step forward in having a good night sleep. Once you become aware of what truly bothers you, you can face it and fight it. According to psychologists, it’s best to write down all the things that trigger your restless nights and get them out of your head. This process is necessary as it makes you go through your anxiety and pinpoint what exactly has been keeping you awake at night. Write down even the simplest and seemingly insignificant things. This will help you recognize all your daily stressors both big and small and act on eliminating them.

Prepare for the Next Day

As is with most things, preparation is key to success in many aspects of our life. For instance, if you go to bed wondering what to wear for work tomorrow, what to prepare for lunch, or whether you will remember to make an appointment for that big event, chances are, a lot of your precious energy will go to waste and you will have a harder time falling asleep. To make it easier for you, pick an outfit to wear the following day and leave it on a chair. Decide on a meal for the next day and meal-prep the day before. Make a reminder on your phone to make that appointment that you’re so anxious about and problem solved. At first, these small habits may seem insignificant and you might feel reluctant to do them one day ahead, but they will most certainly reduce some of your stress and help you go to bed with a peace of mind.