5 ways to get a better night’s sleep

Sleep is incredibly important. If you don’t get enough of it, undereye circles and an expensive latte addiction will be the least of your problems. The long-term effects of sleep deprivation are real; you’ll drain your mental capabilities and put your physical health at risk. It also brings on wrinkles and ages you….quickly!

If nighttime tossing and turning are driving you crazy, rather than popping a pharmaceutical pill, try getting back to your natural roots first with these drug-free sleep remedies. 

Use essential oils

We love essential oils. They can make everyday life better in all sorts of ways and could be the very best sleep hack for getting deep, restful shut-eye. The key is choosing quality oils and using them correctly!

It probably comes as no surprise that Lavender Essential Oil is one of the best choices to bring on a good sleep, but did you know Marjoram Essential Oil is also amazing for sleep? It calms and sedates the nervous system; helping to lower blood pressure, ease nervous tension and hyperactivity. We’ve combined these two dreamy powerhouses in our Siesta Essential Oil Blend; add a few drops to your diffuser or oil burner before bed to drift off into a deep slumber.

Eat a spoonful of honey and salt

Could the simple answer to a great night sleep be two of the most common ingredients in the kitchen? The natural sugar in honey boosts our insulin slightly and makes way for Tryptophan, the compound that makes us sleepy, to reach our brains more easily.

The salt can help lower cortisol levels which is exactly what you want for restful sleep. Combine ½ a teaspoon of honey with a sprinkling of salt and take around 20 minutes before bed.

Create the right sleep environment

Setting up your bedroom in the right way may have sleep knocking on your eyelids in no time.

A few tips for creating your slumber kingdom:

• Remove all artificial light; phone lights, TV lights or alarm clocks.
• Keep the room and your body temperature room cool. Sleep naked and it’s likely you’ll have a better nights sleep than when you’re wrapped up in PJs.
• Invest in a great mattress and pillows. They don’t come cheap but considering how many hours of your life you spend in bed, splashing out is worth it.
• Check out these tips from Style Caster: How To Style Your Bedroom For A Good Night’s Sleep

Take a warm, relaxing bath

Our body temperature naturally begins to drop as we prepare to nod off so taking a warm bath before bed will cause a spike in your body’s temperature. When it drops after the bath, it induces that sleepy feeling.

Settle in for a 20 minute relaxing soak in the tub around 90 mins before you plan heading off to bed. Double up on relaxation and treat your skin too by soaking in our Skin Food - Beauty Tea And Bath Herbs.

The 4-7-8 breathing trick

A bunch of troubled sleepers all over the Interweb swear by this trick.

When you’re finding it difficult to drift off try the 4-7-8 breathing exercise; breathe in through your nose for four seconds, hold your breath for seven seconds and exhale through your mouth for eight seconds making a ‘whoosh’ sound.

Repeat this sequence until you feel yourself relaxing into a restful state. This technique was developed by sleep expert MD Andrew Weil’s and is definitely worth a try if counting sheep is getting you nowhere!

Do you have trouble sleeping? What sleep happy tips would you add to this list?