Restful Sleep, Naturally
Restful Sleep, Naturally
Sleep is an important, but often neglected, part of our overall health and wellbeing, enabling the body to repair and restore its chemical balance.
Getting less than the recommended 7-8 hours of sleep regularly can lead to health consequences that can affect your entire body, like lowered immunity, increased stress, fatigue, lower levels of concentration, as well as more serious concerns like depression, anxiety, diabetes and heart issues.
Many factors get in the way of achieving enough regular night time sleep
· Excessive stress, from work or hectic homelife
· Young children or babies with irregular sleeping patterns
· Using blue light-emitting devices close to bedtime
· Sleeping in a room that lets too much light in
· Mental health issues such as depression or anxiety, or other illnesses that disrupt sleep like acid reflux
How to sleep better
But, with a few straightforward lifestyle and dietary changes, we can help to address a regular lack of sleep.
We have a natural sleep-wake cycle called the circadian rhythm. By taking some simple steps you can help to get in sync with this rhythm and improve your sleep quality and duration.
Supporting sleep – things you can do
1. Keep regular sleep and waking times
Sleeping until mid-day on a Sunday is tempting, but any large variation to your usual weekday wake up time may disrupt your biological clock. Try and keep your sleep time and wake times to within an hour of each other across the week.
2. Get moving
Research shows including exercise in your schedule at least three times per week can improve sleep quality. Make sure not to exercise too close to bedtime, as this can make it harder to fall asleep.
3. No devices before bed
Light from laptops, TVs, mobiles devices etc. close to bedtime can delay the release of sleep-inducing melatonin, increase alertness, and reset the body’s internal clock (or circadian rhythm) to a later schedule. The result is being sleep-deprived and having essentially given yourself a mild case of jet lag. Try to switch off all gadgets at least an hour before bedtime.
4. Take a bath
Studies indicate that a bath before bedtime can improve overall sleep quality, and may help you fall asleep faster and achieve a deeper sleep. Adding Epsom salts or magnesium flakes may also help.
Nutrition can help
1. Almonds
Almonds may help to boost sleep quality. They are an excellent source of magnesium, which has long been associated with improvements in sleep quality and the ability to fall asleep.
2. Cherry juice
Tart cherry juice has been reported to promote sleepiness and improve sleep quality. In one small study, participants with sleep issues consumed cherry juice daily over a two week period, and slept for over an hour longer on average than those on placebo.
3. Chamomile tea
Chamomile tea contains apigenin, an antioxidant that binds to receptors in your brain that may be linked to sleepiness and reduced insomnia.
4. Tryptophan
The amino acid tryptophan may increase the production of the sleep-regulating hormone melatonin. Good food sources include turkey, eggs and pumpkin seeds.
5. Reishi mushrooms
Reishi mushroom may be a natural tranquillizing agent with sedative effects. One study shows evidence of shortening the length of time it takes to transition from being fully awake into sleep, as well as increasing sleeping duration.
Supplements can help too
Because nutrients with the strongest associations with good sleep aren’t always easily obtainable through everyday foods, supplements are a good way to obtain the nutrients you need.
UK-made Urban Essentials Restful Sleep Complex contains the core sleep nutrients you would expect in a sleep supplement, plus a novel combination of natural plant extracts including lavender flower, lemon balm and Californian poppy seed extract for potent natural sleep support.