Janelle Esker It seems like everyone I have been speaking to lately has been having sleep issues! I don’t know if it is because of the recent time change or if it is just a sign of our times? Either way, I wanted to share what has worked effectively and most importantly healthfully for our family. Some in our family can fall asleep just fine but can’t stay asleep while others can’t get to sleep. Some in our family sleep so well that not even a house fire could wake them!
5 Ways To Sleep Better Tonight
1. Melatonin is a hormone made by the pineal gland. Melatonin helps control your sleep and wake cycles. Light helps your body produce melatonin so a lack of it can really cause some sleep issues. Melatonin is a supplement that you can purchase at just about any grocery store. It has been very helpful for two of my children. We also love to use it when traveling to other time zones. *Do not take melatonin if you have an autoimmune disease.
2. Essential Oils are a great way to help you sleep better. Either use them topically or diffuse them into the air. I find that putting oils on the bottom of my feet gets them into my body fast and effectively. Here is my list of essential oils to help you sleep. Lavender, Vetiver, Serenity, Ylang Ylang, Sandalwood, and Cedarwood. My favorite oil combination at bedtime is lavender and Ylang Ylang diffused together. Many, many people have gotten off their prescription sleep medication by using Serenity Restful Complex Softgels. I highly recommend these!
3. Bedtime Tea is a great way to relax your body before bed. This tea’s main ingredient is chamomile which is easy to grow in your garden. You harvest the Chamomile flowers and dry them and then steep the flowers in boiling water to make a delicious and soothing bedtime tea. You can check out my homemade version of Bedtime Tea, HERE!
4. Magnesium is a muscle relaxer. We use this supplement not only when we feel stressed before bed but also to calm our nerves before events or activities. It has worked wonders for our daughter who gets so nervous before dance performances. She swears by it! Take this about half an hour before bedtime.
5. No electronics in the bedroom. This is a hard one to enforce especially if you have young adults in the house. When you use any electronic device your brain’s electrical activity increases and neurons start to race, the exact opposite of what should be happening before sleep. Another factor is the light that comes from electronics is also at work against quality sleep. The small amounts of light from these devices pass through the retina into a part of the hypothalamus which is the area of the brain that controls sleep and delays the release of the hormone, melatonin. Here is a great idea…make your bedrooms “book only” rooms.
Are you interested in learning more about essential oils? Click HERE!
YOUR TURN…
What do you do to sleep well?
Blessings,
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*These statements have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Products mentioned are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease. Pregnant or lactating women and persons with known medical conditions should consult a physician prior to the use of any of these products.
I agree with all of your suggestions. I am finding, with the time change, that I can hardly get out of bed in the morning. On Sunday, when the time changed, I had to drive my husband to Rickenbacker at 7 a.m. to get a flight to FL, so I didn’t get to sleep in. All week my behind has been dragging!
The only thing on your list I have trouble with is the electronic devices. My husband doesn’t like to have the lamp on after he gets in bed, so I end up using my kindle. I do use it on sepia though, so maybe that helps?
Hi Barbara, Thanks you so much for your comment! I also use a kindle in bed… I need to follow my own advise 🙂 I think the most important thing is that you find what works for you. God made us all so uniquely and it is about finding what works for you personally especially at different stages of our lives.
PS I always use my homemade lavendar body cream on my wrists and hands before bed — I’ll have to try adding lemon. That does sound wonderful!
Thanks for the suggestions, Janelle. I’m wondering if magnesium might help my daughter who has Tourette Syndrome. When she has a lot of tics in her legs, she experiences muscle tension and soreness and then gets stressed out and worried about not being able to sleep. I’m going to talk to her doctor about trying it! And we love melatonin for our youngest. It really helps!
I would think that magnesium would be a good fit…especially for Tourette’s. It can be so tiring and muscle aches are a consistent problem. Please let me know what your doctor thinks…I always am interested in learning new things! Thanks so much for your comment Tarissa!