Proven Tips and Natural Herbs for Better Sleep at Night
The importance of sleep to healthy aging is often overlooked in the medical community, but it’s becoming increasingly apparent that good sleep could be a new vital sign.’
This thought by Robert Butler is something we all need to ponder on as sleep is important.
According to research by scientists and therapists worldwide, it is believed that sleep is the most essential part of our lives and to some extent directly or indirectly affects our mental and physical health.
Lack of sleep can take a serious toll on many things in our day to day life like energy level, productivity, emotional balance, and even weight. Studies prove that many people have sleep disorders and regularly toss and turn at night, struggling to get the sleep, they find getting a good night’s sleep like an impossible goal. When it comes to health, sleep is as vital as regular exercise as eating a balanced diet.
Modern-day living across the globe does not always embrace the necessity for adequate sleep. The sleep pattern has been changing constantly and people are deprived of the basic necessity of life – ‘a good night’s sleep’. A recent survey by one poll Bupa UK conducted on sleep habits, listed a few common reasons by people for lack of sleep:
1. Work and work-related stress
The competitive world around us has made humans lead a mechanical life. Basic necessities of life like a good night’s sleep are deprived due to work and work-related stress, tension, and multitasking.
2. Noisy surrounding
Sleep is directly connected with the surrounding you are. It is very difficult to have good sleep in noisy surroundings. City life does make the surrounding a noisy place to sleep with all the hustle-bustle of congested roads and pathways, traffic and vehicles and people are deprived of the calmness and serenity of peace and mindfulness which towns and countryside provide.
3. Relationships and Responsibilities associated
Family life and the responsibility attached to looking after the family many a time deprive the parents of enough sleep for themselves as they have to manage jobs home and children together. It does get stressful.
4. Increase in the use of electronic gadgets and their addiction
The market is full of the latest technology and trending devices. Connectivity with social media is making the world a small place to live but on the other side, it has definitely got the generation addicted to these gadgets that they sacrifice their good sleep over these. People have time for social networking, online streaming serials, movies, entertainment, etc but no time for sleep. Its a story in every household world over.
5. Food habits and timings and too much caffeine
Insta food, getting your meal delivered at your doorstep, late-night dinner dates, and parties. Today people cook less and spend more on outside food which is not right for our digestive system. Caffeine is a major cause of sleep deprivation and so having midnight coffee times and chatting over coffee can be stopped. This lifestyle leads to medical conditions and can aggravate health issues like obstructive sleep apnea, depression, insomnia, acidity, acid reflux, indigestion, etc.
According to the National Sleep Foundation, adequate sleep for adults is between 7 and 9 hours a night, Sleep needs vary from person to person, depending on their age. As a person ages, they typically require less sleep to function properly. There were several studies that scientists did in the early 2000s that looked at the effects of sleep deprivation. A more recent 2015 study in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry showed that children’s sleep patterns can have a direct impact on their behavior and academic performance.
Tips a person can follow to improve sleep quality are:
- Avoid sleeping in when you have had enough sleep.
- Going to bed around the same time each night. Following a routine for bed and wake-up times.
- Keep fit and engage in regular exercise during the day. Reducing stress through exercise, therapy, or other means.
- Reading is a healthy habit to induce sleep. Read good books.
- Avoiding cheat meals and eating 2 to 3 hours before bedtime. Caffeine should not be had at all before going to bed.
- Keeping the bedroom quiet, dark and at a comfortably cool temperature.
- Turning off electronic devices when you go to bed. Disconnect yourself from social media and networking before sleeping.
- Spending more time outside and being more active during the day.
Ayurveda has been an ancient holistic way of living a healthy life. It is believed that herbs are age-old traditions used by men for centuries for curing and giving relief to many ailments and sleep is one of them. Since they are natural remedies, they hardly have any side effects and are harmless. But it is advisable to switch to these herbs only after referring to a physician or consulting your doctor before taking them as every ailment, has its own dos and don’ts.
Some of the herbs which help are:
Ashwagandha:
A traditional Ayurvedic remedy to improve sleep quality. It has therapeutic benefits and helps the body deal with physical and mental stressors like it tackles core energy levels, enabling the body to adapt and respond to stress in a more energy-efficient way. Best had with moon milk before going to bed.Brahmi:
It is usually used to treat stress, anxiety, and insomnia and to relax the nervous system. Brahmi supports restful sleep, calms emotional turbulence and also helps improve concentration and alertness. It is used during the Shirodhara (oil-dripping therapy) which is widely practised in Ayurveda and is believed to give relief.Valerian:
Valerian contains 150 compounds that can help to calm your nerves. This herb is often referred to as “nature’s Valium,” and people have used it since the Middle Ages to treat sleep disorders such as insomnia.
Know more about this herb here.Lavender Essential Oil:
This essential oil is widely recognized as a natural sleep aid. A 2005 study describes how lavender oil affected 31 young, healthy sleepers. Researchers found that lavender Essential oil induces the amount of sleep and prevents waking up at the night. Try taking a few drops of the oil in your hand and sniffing it or you can apply it to your skin directly (with a carrier oil). you may consider adding a few drops of essential oil to your pillowcase shortly before bedtime. This will allow the scent to linger throughout your sleeping hours. You can also add 2-3 drops of this essential oil to a diffuser. This will release the scent into your home.
Lime flower:
It is believed the benefits of this herb are that they are calming agents for the nervous systems usually used for children. It helps avoid nightmares and bad dreams. You can put some drops of oil on the pillow.
Herbal tea like passionflower or chamomile:
Consuming herbal tea made from these herbs help in inducing sleep as these are soothing herb with a gentle mild sedative effect.
Aryan Herbals at the rescue:
At Aryan Herbals, we do have some products which help with sleep like
Aryan Sleepwell Plus (+)
Aryan Sleepwell Plus (+) Juice is one such product by Aryna Herbals. It is made with a combination of over 11 herbs to create this juice like Ashwagandha which helps the body deal with stress. Valerian contains 150 compounds that may help to calm your nerves. Jatamansi is famous in Ayurveda as a herb to combat the effects of day-to-day stress.
Lavender Essential Oil:
Aryan Lavender oil may help promote sleep and fight insomnia by de-stressing the mind and body. It has a relaxing effect on the body, and therapeutic grade lavender has been highly regarded for the skin.
Aryan Brahmi Powder
Aryan Brahmi Powder- Brahmi, also known as the magical herb, is considered to be nature’s gift to mankind. For centuries, Ayurvedic medicine has used it to treat people for their day to day woes such as stress, anxiety, exhaustion, lack of sleep, etc. Sleep is a vital, often neglected, component of every person’s overall health and well-being. Sleep is important because it enables the body to repair and be fit and ready for another day. So do get a GOOD NIGHT SLEEP today.
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