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Fully one-third of the US population isnโt getting the minimum 7 hours of sleep considered necessary for optimal daytime functioning. Insomnia and sleep apnea have created a sleepless nation, with a huge proportion of Americans running on empty.
And thatโs bad news for the health of the nation. You donโt just need a good nightโs sleep to perform optimally in your daily life. Getting enough sleep is responsible for heading off conditions like type 2 diabetes, stroke, and even dementia. And when you get enough sleep, you have the mental acuity and energy to live life the way you want to – at full speed! Your body has time to repair and replace its cells, too. Sleep is so critical to human well-being for so many reasons!
If youโre sleepless somewhere in the world, this post is for you! Weโll be talking about improving your sleep naturally with holistic helpers that donโt leave you feeling groggy the next morning or result in substance dependency. Not all of the suggestions in this article are substances, either!
Before we get stuck, Iโd like to remind you to check in with your primary caregiver before adding any herbal supplement or holistic ingestible to your health regimen. Knowing about possible contraindications with drugs youโre currently prescribed can help you avoid unnecessary problems.
The Power of a Small Black Seed
For thousands of years, people in the East have called on the power of the small black seed of the Nigella sativa plant. This seed has been used to treat everything from skin problems to weight gain as a folk medicine preparation, including by the ancient Egyptians.
Today, pure black seed oil is rising in popularity as a helper for numerous human ailments, including insomnia. Because of its active ingredient thymoquinone, black seed oil improves sleep quality by easing anxiety and stress. As science continues to test the claims of those who use the black seed as health support, those claims are being proven by research!
Flower Power
Chamomile is the first flower that comes to mind when discussing holistic preparations for better sleep. For millennia, this little yellow flower has been steeped to make tea to calm rattled nerves, ease anxiety, and send the sleepless off to sleep.
But flower essences have tremendous power to alleviate insomnia. Flowers like Star of Bethlehem, Clematis, and Impatiens are all employed in preparations specific to imparting better sleep. So, while chamomile may be the bearer of a floral sleep legacy, flower power casts a much wider net than one mere flower!
And flower essences donโt work by making you drowsy. Rather, they reduce or eliminate negative feelings that may be keeping you awake when you should be sleeping. The longer you use them, the more effective they are.
Eating Right for Better Sleep
You know that what you eat affects your well-being. But you need to know that your diet affects your sleep quality, too. Caffeine and alcohol can mess with your nightly rest, while the amino acid tryptophan (famously found in turkey) can make you sleepy.
There is, in truth, no official โsleep dietโ. What we have is knowledge of certain foods that make you sleep more soundly. These include:
- Cherries
- Oily or fatty fish (herring, salmon, mackerel, and others)
- Cheese
- Milk
- Bread
- Vegetables
The best way to support better sleep is to eat a balanced diet in which youโre consuming proteins, carbohydrates, and fats in healthy proportions. A vegetarian diet, and eliminating meat and processed foods, may also support healthier sleep patterns.
Magnesium for Natural Melatonin
For years, people have talked about melatonin as the sleep supplement of note. But time has taught us that melatonin can produce undesirable results. Concurrently, itโs being discovered that magnesium offers significant benefits to the sleep-challenged.
There is evidence that magnesium promotes the production of a neurotransmitter that calms the central nervous system. Whatโs more, magnesium encourages the increased production of the bodyโs natural melatonin while decreasing the stress hormone, cortisol. It also relaxes muscles. Magnesium may be taken as a supplement but it can be found in a variety of foods at high levels. Maybe start with some of the listed foods, adding a supplement later on, if necessary.
CBD and THC: Cannabinoid Sleep Buddies
CBD is known for its synchronicity with the endocannabinoid system in the human body, restoring balance by adhering to receptors within that physical system. While your body produces its own cannabinoids, the introduction of CBD provokes the production of higher levels of them, which encourages homeostasis (balance in bodily systems).
Now that weโre finding out so much more about chemical compounds like cannabinoids and terpenes in the hemp and cannabis plants, weโre also finding out how to combine cannabinoids like CBD for certain purposes. For sleep, it seems that CBD is most effective when combined with its co-cannabinoid THC for an entourage effect that results in a sound sleep.
THC and CBD combined in beneficial amounts draw on the stupefying effect of THC to create a holistic solution to insomnia. Proportions can be adjusted by a physician experienced in prescribing CBD/THC for sleep (depending on regulatory development concerning hemp and cannabis products in your area).
Taking Out the Trash
Most people donโt pay nearly enough attention to the amount of toxins we ingest in our diets, our environments, and the products our lives are full of. In the 21st Century, toxins arenโt just in the food you eat, theyโre in your skincare, the air, and the free radicals all around you.
You canโt avoid any of this stuff but you can manage it and by doing so, find yourself enjoying a better nightly sleep. Faddish cleansing rituals are probably just as toxic as what weโre seeking to cleanse ourselves of. Promising miracles in the space of a week, they do more harm than good. But thereโs a better way to do it.
Add lime juice to your water for the vitamin C and potassium. In combination, lime juice and water hydrate while keeping you regular. Now juice a selection of high-fiber fruits and vegetables into a smoothie every morning. Abundant fiber and hydration will gradually stabilize your weight and glucose levels while flushing out toxins trapped in fat (their favorite place to hide in your body).
Move It
Humans used to move around a lot more than they do today. Up at dawn, they had serious hunting and gathering to do, never mind all the labor required to reproduce daily life. Sedentary, modern life and its ready convenience have robbed your body of needed movement. So, instead of chopping up firewood or scrubbing clothes on a washboard, you sit – at work, in your car, and at home. Itโs so comfortable! And itโs keeping you awake.
So, another way to address your sleeplessness is by increasing your physical activity. Cardiovascular exercise (walking, running, cycling, swimming) is especially effective for promoting the physical well-being that allows for a normal sleep cycle. But pursue vigorous movement during the day. Cardio exercise at night can deprive you of sleep because it raises your core temperature!
What does this have to do with better sleep? Plenty! The higher the toxicity in your body, the less likely you are to feel well. Ridding yourself of toxic substances increases overall wellness, replacing disease with abundant well-being. And that, my friends, is the most effective substance to support a good nightโs sleep!
