By Karen Morris
We all know the importance of quality sleep for overall health and well-being, but are you getting enough?
For most adults, getting between 7 and 9 hours of sleep a night is recommended. According to health studies, getting less than 7 hours of sleep a night may start contributing to serious health problems.
Sleep impacts energy levels, mood, cognitive function, and immune health. So, if you are burning the candle at both ends and don’t have a good sleep cycle, you could be doing yourself a massive disservice.
By enhancing your sleep through proper lifestyle habits and seeking out a naturopathic approach with natural products, you are more likely to improve your energy, mood, cognitive function and your immune health.
Understanding Sleep Cycles and Their Impact
Knowing your REM sleep cycle, deep sleep and non-REM stages can help you understand your stages and purpose of sleep. For example, REM is the Rapid Eye Movement sleep important for mental and emotional health. Deep sleep (or Slow-wave sleep) is for your physical health.
Ensuring a full night of undisturbed sleep allows your body to naturally progress through these cycles, supporting both your mental and physical health.
The earlier you sleep in the night, your body spends more time in deep, non-REM sleep, focusing on physical recovery.
Later in the night, REM sleep becomes more prominent, focusing on cognitive and emotional processes.
That’s why it’s so important to get to sleep earlier and allow your body its full rest cycle. Otherwise, you risk losing out on the body’s natural repair functions – brain health, physical repair, and emotional balance.
The Importance of a Consistent Sleep Routine
It’s important to establish a consistent sleep routine so your body flows in its natural circadian rhythm and sleep-wake cycles.
Having a consistent bedtime routine signals the brain and body that it’s time to wind down.
Make sure you limit screen time, dim lights, and do gentle stretching or breathing to help promote restful sleep
Natural Ways to Improve Sleep Quality
a. Magnesium for Relaxation and Sleep
Magnesium supports muscle relaxation, calms the nervous system, and reduces stress. Magnesium Citrate is one of the most bioavailable forms of magnesium, meaning that it’s more easily absorbed in your digestive tract than other forms. It’s typically taken orally to replenish low magnesium levels.
Magnesium citrate may relieve and reduce the incidence of migraines, headaches, stress, anxiety, depression, constipation, and restless leg syndrome, all contributing to a better night’s sleep.
b. Sleep Herbs to Calm the Mind and Body
There are many herbal remedies known to promote sleep, for example, Valerian Herbal Drops which is known for its sedative effects and anti-anxiety capabilities.
Passionflower Herbal Drops are another good herb that also helps to reduce and possibly eliminate insomnia, and anxiety.
Another gentle and soothing herb is Chamomile Herbal Drops which may help with anxiety and stress. Chamomile also helps to boost your immunity and help colds.
Or you could try our ever-so-popular Herbal mix remedy, Sleep Forte.
Sleep Forte Herbal Drops is a blend of herbals such as Zizyphus, Scullcap and Valerian and is designed to help you get to sleep faster and stay asleep longer. It’s an excellent Herbal Remedy that helps you to create a better sleep routine.
c. Essential Oils for Restful Sleep
There are many benefits of aromatherapy in creating a soothing sleep environment. Some of the most well-known essential oils for sleep are lavender, cedarwood, and bergamot. You can use Essential Oils safely in diffusers, pillow sprays, or diluted topical applications (make sure you have a good carrier oil such as almond oil or jojoba).
Additional Sleep Hygiene Tips
Managing stress and anxiety before bed (using mindfulness techniques, journaling, meditation) can help create a sleep-conducive environment. As well as cooling your room, using blackout curtains, or white noise.
Make sure you limit your caffeine intake, cut out sugar, and no heavy meals in the evening.
Restful sleep is the cornerstone of health and well-being. By adding some simple lifestyle adjustments and the incorporation of natural products like magnesium, sleep herbs, and essential oils, you can make a profound difference in your sleep quality.
If you have any questions, please book a 15-minute consultation with our expert naturopath for personalized sleep support, and sleep well!