Relax & Sleep Well the Natural Way

Pressures of a busy and emotionally demanding life can take its toll on our health. This can affect how much energy we have, how we react (our mind and mood) and well we can cope with stresses and strains. For many, ‘good’ sleep is one of the initial areas to be diminished by a demanding life and a good proportion of people will say they rarely experience a good night’s sleep when under personal and professional pressure. For some, there is the time for the potential of 8 hours of slumber but they experience challenges such as: -

- feeling too awake before bedtime

- an over-active mind preventing them from falling asleep,

- trouble staying asleep (waking in the night)

- lack of deep peaceful sleep (sleep feels too light).

Worry can set in long term for those who persistently find the sleep subject a real issue – and this often just compounds the problem further.

Sleeping better lifestyle tips:
Avoid caffeine after 3 or 4pm and avoid sugary foods late in the evening.
Avoid using computers or laptops two hours before bed, as the blue light that they emit disrupts a sleep-inducing hormone called melatonin.
If your mind races with thoughts, write down what is bothering you on a note pad and decide to deal with it the next day (do the same if you wake up in the night). Most problems cannot be fixed while you are lying in bed so you may as well ‘park them’ till the new day.
Invest in black out curtains and use eye masks.

1. Manage the effects of a demanding life on your body

Perhaps surprisingly, what we eat can affect how easily we manage demanding days. Supporting the adrenal glands, which are partly responsible for our energy and stress hormone production, will have a good knock on effect to support better sleep in the evening. Eat plenty of dark green vegetables, nuts and seeds, eggs, beans and lentils, and whole grains for the magnesium.

Tip: take a good dose of a magnesium supplement during the day as well as 2-3 hours before bed

2. Switch off your thoughts and brain

It’s common to find it hard to get to sleep because we can’t wind down from a busy day -particularly if work or other activities took us later into the evening, keeping our mind active and alert and preventing us from feeling tired enough to go to bed. People may choose to drink alcohol in the evening, but this should also be kept to a minimum: although it has sedating effects and can make us feel more relaxed, it also has some stimulating effects, and can deplete nutrients such as the B vitamins that help us to cope with a demanding lifestyle.

Tip: instead of alcohol trying using the traditional herbal medicine – valerian. This is used to aid sleeping by gently sedating and relaxing the body, based on traditional use.

3. Stop worrying

Concerns about keeping life’s spinning plates from dropping (metaphorically) can leave us feeling anxious during the day as well as into bedtime. Many will say they try to get to sleep but they are distracted by worries, which get in the way of feeling relaxed and naturally falling asleep.

Tip: As well as using vitamin B5 in the day time to support the nervous system, we also recommend using the herb – passion flower. Passion flower is for feelings of mild anxiety (so can be used in the daytime) as well as a sleep aid for night time, based on traditional use.