Sometimes sleeping can be tough.

It happens to all of us:

We go through periods of just not being able to sleep properly.

But we don’t want a drug that’ll knock us out leavin us feeling groggy and horrible, plus whatever else it might do.

You want a nice natural sleep aid that’s going to help you drift off and sleep through the night.

Does such a thing exist?

Why yes it does!

In fact, there are loads of different natural sleep aids you can try, here I’m going to share with you my favourite and most effective natural sleep aids.

There are 18 different sleep aids you can try but I recommend picking 2 or 3 and making plans to start incorporating them into your bedtime routine.

That way you can commit to them and start seeing results.

And if you find this useful share it with someone who might need some help sleeping!

1. Reading

Reading is my go to if I can’t sleep.

There’s nothing better than opening up a great fiction book and reading for an hour to get the mind silent and the eyes feeling heavy.

Not necessarily the quickest but definitely one of the most effective natural sleep aids. If you do end up reading for an hour or two just go to bed earlier, then you get plenty of tie to read and plenty of time to sleep.

2. Breathe

Breathing properly is a massive step towards getting a good sleep. Just taking some long deep breaths before you go to bed is a great start but if you’re looking for more Anandi The Sleep Guru has loads of great resources on using breathing to improve your sleep. I recommend starting with this one.

3. 4-7-8 Breathing

Another breathing exercise, the 4-7-8 breathing technique. It is a simple breathing technique you can perform right before bed to help you shut down your mind and fall into a silent slumber. I actually made up an infographic of it which you can check out below!







4. Lavender

Lavender is a great all natural approach to improving your sleep, I personally like to use lavender oil but there are other ways you can enjoy it before bed. And as an added bonus lavender oil has loads of other great benefits too!

5. Valerian Root

Valerian root has been used for many many years as a natural remedy for sleeplessness. Even back in medieval times, you would find valerian root growing in the herb gardens of doctors houses.

It is known to cause natural drowsiness which helps you drift off to sleep. You can get valerian root in a lot of different forms but my favourite is in herbal tea which brings me to my next point.

6. Herbal Tea

>Herbal teas are a great destresser and natural sleep aid because of the ingredients but also the act of making and enjoying it. Much of the pleasure comes from delicate flavours and subtle smells so you really have to pay attention while you’re drinking it which is a great mindfulness technique. Green tea, however, can be hit and miss because it does have caffeine in it but I looked into it and found it can actually help you sleep/

7. Cinnamon & Banana Drink

Cut both ends off the end a ripe peeled banana and put it in a pot of boiling water. Then add a pinch of cinnamon and boil for 10 minutes. Strain it into a mug and drink hot an hour before bed.

A great natural sleep aid and homemade tea you can enjoy to try and battle your insomnia!

8. Magnesium

Studies have been done that have shown a lack of magnesium in the body can lead to all sorts of sleep disorders.

Magnesium is actually responsible for over 300 reactions in the body, it helps keep your body clock in order as well as increased sleep efficiency.

It also helps your body produce melatonin, the sleep hormone, which helps your body fall asleep.

So getting more leafy greens and bananas into your diet is a good call!

9. Melatonin

Melatonin can be taken in pill form but it still occurs naturally in the body so I’m classing it as a natural sleep aid.

Melatonin is a hormone in the body that circulates letting you know when it’s time for sleep. It occurs at night but sometimes your body can have trouble producing so it needs a little boost.

10. Take A Bath

This tip I got from the great work of Lisa at The Sleep Council, a bath warms you up so when you get out your body starts to cool quickly which is what happens before you normally start to feel sleepy so it jumps starts your sleep routine.

11. Sleep Balm

Sleep balms are made of essential oils and a great and easy to apply natural sleep aid.

You simply rub some of the balm on pulse points around the head and face: Under your nose, on your temples, under the jawline, back of the neck and even your wrists.

Then the oils get absorbed into your skin while you get to enjoy the gentle fragrance helping you relax and drift off into a pleasant sleep.

12. Water

Dehydration is an absolute killer when it comes to sleep. You can’t get to sleep when you’re dehydrated and waking up in the morning is equally as difficult. That’s why a glass of water before bed helps settle you while a glass of water as soon as you wake up helps beat fatigue. Even try lemon water before bed to mix up the taste and for a few extra benefits.

13. Journal

Journaling is the best solution for anyone whose mind races right before going to sleep. Empty your mind onto the page no matter what it’s about and then it will be still and silent for you going to sleep. If it’s on your mind it must be important and if it’s important it’s worth committing to paper so get yourself a journal and give it a try.

14. Tryptophan

Tryptophan is another great supplement for sleep. It is an amino acid used by the body to make serotonin which in turn can be made into melatonin which is the sleep hormone that tells your body it is time to go to sleep. It is the hormone that makes your body sleepy.

15. Tart Cherry Juice

Tart cherry juice is another wonder product which can help with so many different things but I’m going to focus on its benefits to sleep. Tart cherry juice contains melatonin which is the sleep hormone. It helps regulate your body clock and lets you know when it’s time to fall asleep so having more of this results in a better sleep.

16. Listen To Soothing Music

This is especially effective if you live in a noisy area with lots of traffic noise or noisy neighbours keeping you up at night. White noise can help to drown it out or, as Shaz from Let Sleeping Blogs Lie suggested, get some nice slow soft repetitive sounds to listen to as a natural sleep aid.

17. Raw Honey

This one is really interesting if you find you tend to wake up at the same time every night it might be to do with your blood sugar. If you’re waking up at 3 having eaten at 7 then there’s a good chance your body is telling you it’s worried you’re low on energy!

But don’t worry, you don’t have to eat a midnight meal, instead try some raw honey, it’s slow to metabolize and should stop that midnight wake up call.

18. Milk

Milk can certainly help you sleep at night. As well as having some nice protein that keeps your stomach happy through the night it also helps because of childhood memories.

It’s common for children to be given a glass of milk before bed and that stays with you into adulthood, the feeling of having some milk then falling asleep. The same goes for hot drinks like horlicks. A nice relaxing childhood memory and warm feeling to help you off to sleep which to me is best found through hot chocolate.

And that covers all the best natural sleep aids!

Be sure to share this if you enjoyed it!







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