I’ve always had a hard time falling asleep. Don’t get me wrong, sleeping is one of my favorite pastimes, and once I’m asleep I like to stay there for a really, really long time. But the process of getting to the state of sleep, is another story. It could be the fast pace of everybody’s life these days, the massive amounts of information and screen time our brains are processing, or the many things our minds love to ponder over just as the lights go off. I’m always on the look out for the best natural sleep remedies, and wanted to do some experimenting.
I think part of it is just biology. Many people have busy, stressful lives and sleep just fine. So if you’re like me, and were not biologically blessed with the ability to fall asleep in 30 seconds, I’ve done some self experimentation to see what works best.
I was very methodical in how I went about testing these remedies. With scientific data and evidence to back everything up. Nah, just kidding. Just some good old fashioned trial and error. There’s no control group or accounting for variables beyond my control. Sometimes you have to be your own bio hacker, and try out things until one of them works.
Melatonin– Melatonin always worked for me as a natural sleep remedy, but in doing some research I decided I won’t be taking it every night anymore. Melatonin is really best used when needed to adjust to a new time zone or sleep schedule. So taking it for a few nights until your body adjusts is the primary goal. I also read that since it’s a hormone it may not be a good idea to take with other hormones such as birth control. I’m still looking into it, but I feel like it’s best to not chance it, but it is helpful for some circumstances.
The Verdict: Effective sleep inducer, but not to be taken daily.
Calm magnesium drink– I can’t say this has made a noticeable impact on me in terms of just being a natural sleep remedy, sorry. I’ve used it in conjunction with other things, as well as just by itself, and I can’t really tell much of a difference in terms of falling asleep quicker. I still continue to drink it every night before bed because magnesium has a whole host of benefits such as helping with stress, muscle cramps, muscle tension, headaches, and constipation. It turns out that most people are deficient in magnesium, so I’ll keep on taking it!
The Verdict: Not effective in helping me get to sleep on its own, but important for other health benefits to take daily.
Relaxation & Hypnosis: Guided relaxations have proved to be extremely helpful for me when falling asleep. It’s the difference between laying there for 2 hours vs falling asleep in 45 minutes (yes, that is considered quick for me). I’ve been doing one on the Insight Timer app and so far it’s working well. Not only does it help me fall asleep, but since I am in a relaxed state I feel like my quality of sleep is better and I notice a difference in how I feel when I wake up, sometimes I even wake up BEFORE the alarm goes off!
The verdict: Super effective for not only getting to sleep, but also for better quality of sleep and managing daily stress.
No Screens: Ok so I debated whether to include this in a “natural sleep remedy” post because it’s not exactly a pill, tincture, supplement, or herb. It’s more along the lines of sleep hygiene, which I wrote another blog post all about (can you tell I love sleep?). But I didn’t want to leave it out since it’s had the biggest impact on my insomnia. I know, I’m stating the obvious. For months I knew my late night Netflix habit was hurting my sleep, yet I would still turn on Gossip Girl and two hours later wonder why I hadn’t fallen asleep yet. I was dumb. Plain and simple. If you haven’t ditched the screens before bed yet and you’re still wondering why you can’t fall asleep, it’s probably time to make this a priority. The book How to Breakup with Your Phone is a great place to start.
The verdict: It works every time….sorry.
