Like water, food and air, you need sleep to survive. If you are battling restless nights, you may be tempted to use sleep aids and medications to win the fight for better sleep. Before you do so, consider trying a few natural and simple sleep remedies.
Decluttering
Creating a sleep oasis in your room is one of the simplest ways to improve your sleep and reduce those sleepless nights. This includes ensuring that you clean up clutter and keep your belongings organized, which can go a long way toward helping you reduce the amount of anxiety and stress you feel when you’re trying to relax.
Treating jaw misalignment
Did you ever think that a misaligned jaw could be the cause of your sleeping problems? Jaw misalignment can cause sleep apnea and headaches at night. For mild cases, you can find relief by improving your posture and massaging your jaw muscles. If that’s not successful, consider an at-home aligner. Alignment treatments from companies like byte work faster and are more affordable than traditional in-office treatments. And you’ll only be required to wear your aligners 10 hours a day (typically while you sleep).
Replacing your mattress
If it’s been more than seven years or your mattress looks or feels worn out or uncomfortable, it may be time to invest in a new one. Since buying a bed is an investment, it’s important to consider several factors to help you make the best choice. For instance, consider your preferred sleep position: if you feel most comfortable on your back or stomach, you may get better quality sleep by supporting your spine properly, thus allowing you to reduce the pain you feel upon waking in the morning.
Dimming your lighting
Light plays a part in setting your circadian rhythm and helping you fall asleep at night. If your bedroom is brightly lit at bedtime, you could be sending mixed messages to your brain. Bright lights signal that it’s time to wake up, rather than wind down. So if you are having issues falling asleep, consider adding dimmable bulbs or lamps for relaxing and functional bedroom lighting.
Lowering your thermostat
Room temperature can also impact your sleep quality. This may come as a surprise to folks who prefer a toasty home, but temps above 69 degrees can make it difficult for you to fall asleep and stay asleep at night. If you have a smart thermostat, set it to automatically lower close to your bedtime to help enhance the quality of your sleep.
Downloading Helpful Sleep Apps
You may be able to turn to your smartphone as a sleep booster by using some of the latest sleep-enhancing apps:
- Headspace: Preparing yourself for sleep is crucial. Luckily, you can use the Headspace app to relax your body and mind, with helpful meditations, soothing sounds and breathing exercises that calm anxieties and lull you into a relaxed state. Look for these features in Sleep by Headspace, which can be found within the Headspace app.
- Calm: The Calm app offers just that: calm for your brain and body. To get better sleep, you can listen to one of the many Sleep Stories, which are bedtime stories for all ages, read in soothing voices. You can even go to sleep listening to celebs like Matthew McConaughey or Leona Lewis!
- Relax Melodies: If you prefer calming beats and soothing noise over celeb bedtime stories, Relax Melodies may be the best sleep app for you. The Relax Melodies app is free for both IOS and Android, and it includes binaural beats, white noise, other soothing sounds, and guided meditations, all of which can improve your sleep quality and reduce insomnia.
- Pillow Automatic Sleep Tracker: Apps like Pillow make tracking your sleep quality easy. The Pillow app uses data gathered from your Apple Watch or smartphone to map out your sleep cycles and provide helpful insights and tips for better sleep. Pillow also wakes you up during the lightest stage of your sleep, so you feel less groggy throughout the day.
Improving your sleep shouldn’t require risky medications or sleep aids. Instead, try using the natural and safe techniques listed above. If you don’t experience enhanced sleep or relief from insomnia, then it may be time to speak to your doctor about more advanced sleep remedies.
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