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15 Simple Ways to Naturally get Better Sleep in 2022

15 Simple Ways to Naturally get Better Sleep in 2022

Are you having trouble falling asleep? Do you toss and turn all night, trying to get comfortable? Issues with sleep apnea? If you’re struggling to get a good night’s sleep, you’re not alone. Many people have difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. Poor sleep quality can derail the entire day, especially when you have people counting on you to be your best self.

Quality sleep is essential for our health and well-being, but sometimes it’s hard to come by. Luckily, there are some easy ways to improve your sleep. In this blog post, we’ll explore the best ways to get deep, restful sleep naturally. So if you’re struggling to catch those zzz’s, read on!

Luckily, we have a list of 15 simple ways to naturally get better sleep.

Binaural Beats

Binaural beats can help to achieve the same mental state as meditation, including reducing anxiety and stress, increasing focus and concentration, promoting positive moods, and fostering creativity.

It’s ideal to be in a tranquil and distraction-free area when listening to binaural beats. Permitting the binaural beat soundscape to play for 30 minutes or more each day through headphones will help ensure that the rhythm is entrained throughout your brain.

Natural Sleep Supplements

15 Simple Ways to Naturally get Better Sleep in 2022

According to Biomolecules and Therapeutics, natural sleep aids are products that can mild to moderate insomnia and sleep issues. These potential solutions include over-the-counter plant, vitamin or mineral supplements, as well melatonin which is a substance already found within the body with known benefits of better sleep.

People who regularly have trouble sleeping or those with mild insomnia often prefer natural sleep aids to pharmaceuticals because they come with fewer risks and side effects.

Below we explore some of the most common natural sleep aids and how they work.

  • Ginkgo biloba: A natural herb with many benefits, it may aid sleep, relaxation, and stress reduction, but the evidence is limited.
  • Glycine: A few studies show that taking 3 grams of the amino acid glycine can improve sleep quality
  • Valerian root: Several studies suggest that valerian can help you feel sleepy and improve sleep quality.
  • Magnesium: Responsible for over 600 reactions within your body, magnesium can improve relaxation and enhance sleep quality.
  • L-theanine: An amino acid, L-theanine can improve relaxation and help you fall asleep.
  • Lavender: A powerful herb with many health benefits, lavender can induce a calming and sedentary effect to get a good night’s rest.
  • Melatonin – Melatonin is a key sleep hormone that tells your brain when it’s time to relax and head to bed. Melatonin supplements are an extremely popular sleep aid. Melatonin is useful for travelers who want to adjust to a new sleep schedule and time zone effectively.
  • Mushroom – Reishi mushroom’s immunomodulatory properties also help us deal with external stressors. This, in turn, helps us with sleep quality. Reishi can be used for insomnia, aging, and other various ailments. In addition, medicinal mushrooms are considered to have anti-fatigue functions. Reishi itself has rich antioxidant properties which can help to promote the balance of biological systems to reduce fatigue.

Effects of Blue Light and Sleep

Not all colors of light have the same effect. Blue wavelengths—which are beneficial during daylight hours because they boost attention, reaction times, and mood—seem to be the most disruptive at night.

Watching TV, reading on a tablet, or playing on your phone before bed, will all contribute to sleep deprivation.

While the light of any kind can suppress the secretion of melatonin, blue light at night does so more powerfully.

Harvard researchers and their colleagues conducted an experiment comparing the effects of 6.5 hours of exposure to blue light to exposure to green light of comparable brightness. The blue light suppressed melatonin for about twice as long as the green light and shifted circadian rhythms by twice as much (3 hours vs. 1.5 hours).

Include Physical Activity in Your Daily Routine

15 Simple Ways to Naturally get Better Sleep in 2022
Photo by Jamie Ginsberg on Unsplash

We know that moderate aerobic exercise increases the amount of slow-wave sleep you get. Slow-wave sleep refers to deep sleep, where the brain and body have a chance to rejuvenate. Exercise can also help to stabilize your mood, decompress the mind and promote regular sleep patterns.

  • Aerobic exercise causes the body to release endorphins. Some people find that chemicals can make it harder for them to fall asleep. If you are one of those individuals, try working out 1-2 hours before bedtime; this will help to use up any residual energy and prepare your mind for sleep.
  • Exercise also raises your core body temperature. The effect of exercise in some people is like taking a hot shower that wakes you up in the morning. Elevation in core body temperature signals the body clock that it’s time to be awake. After about 30 to 90 minutes, the core body temperature starts to fall. The decline helps to facilitate sleepiness.

Despite these biological responses to exercise, other people find that the time of day they exercise doesn’t make a difference.

“Know your body and know yourself,” she says.

“Doctors want you to exercise, but when you do it is not scripted.”

Night Time Routine

Our bodies follow sleep-wake cycles and have an internal clock that regulates when we feel awake or sleepy. This is called the circadian rhythm, and it’s based on sunrise and sunset.

Go to sleep and wake up at the same time each day for better sleep quality overall.

You should aim to sleep for 6-10 hours every night If you have an early morning the next day, it’s best to go to bed around 11 pm. Set an alarm beforehand so you can start getting ready for bed one hour before your set bedtime.

Sticking to a night routine can feel like a battle of wills. Our minds are so full of the day’s events that it can be hard to wind down at night, especially at a specific time. But with effort, this can be overcome and replaced with a new, healthy routine.

After a few weeks, you might not even need an alarm!

Bedroom Environment

The bedroom should be a place of rest, romance, and relaxation—and nothing else. Since we tend to spend upward of eight hours a day in this sacred space, we should try to maximize its feng shui to its fullest potential.

Creating the right atmosphere is key to quality sleep.

Achieved with a harmonious combination of colors, furniture style and layout, pleasing smells, quality fabric choices, subtle sounds, and tasteful decoration.

Intimacy

Photo by Sinitta Leunen on Unsplash

Sexual activity can often contribute to better sleep. After an orgasm, the body releases hormones20, like oxytocin and prolactin, that can induce pleasant and relaxing feelings. 

Sex also reduces levels of the hormone cortisol, which is associated with stress.

Studies indicate that these hormonal changes can cause drowsiness and make it easier to fall asleep. 

This effect can occur with masturbation as well as sex. Around 50% of both men and women say that an orgasm from masturbation helps them fall asleep and improves their sleep quality.

Sex with a partner may enhance this hormonal response and facilitate greater feelings of closeness and intimacy that are conducive to sleep.

Relax and Clear Your Mind in the Evenings

It is not uncommon to feel completely overwhelmed while we are struggling with stress and anxiety regularly. A growing number of people experience the effects of living a fast-paced life, which often contributes to these factors and many other negative thoughts and feelings.

This ongoing experience is known as the brain’s prefrontal cortex. The brain is responsible for many functions, including cognitive function, which impacts our attention span and regulars our dopamine and cognitive controls.

with all that stress affecting our prefrontal cortex, that can impair some of its functions including working memory, emotional responses, concentration, and other adverse results that can reduce our overall quality of life.

Increase Bright Light Exposure During the Day

15 Simple Ways to Naturally get Better Sleep in 2022

Photo by Tschernjawski Sergej on Unsplash

Natural light is something that you wouldn’t think of when it comes to getting a good night’s sleep but that is exactly one of the important factors to help you sleep better.

The Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found that office workers who were exposed to more natural light slept better at night. Those with windows in their office averaged 46 minutes more sleep per night and reported fewer sleep disturbances and poorer quality of sleep.

As more research is conducted, we are learning that exposure to light during the day – especially in the morning – can have numerous benefits for our health. This includes improving our mood, increasing alertness, and boosting metabolism.

Because workers are typically indoors without access to natural or artificial bright light for most of the day, they are a group at risk. The study results confirm that light during the natural daylight hours has powerful effects on health.

Improve Your Mattress, Pillow, Blanket, and Sheets.

15 Simple Ways to Naturally get Better Sleep in 2022

Photo by Kinga Cichewicz on Unsplash

There are a variety of smart mattresses on the market now to provide you with customized comfort.

Adjustable temperatures and personalized firmness, some even track your sleeping patterns and health metrics.

Imagine getting a full report on how you slept and being able to adjust the temperature and firmness… compromise-free.

Ergonomic pillows, ethically sourced fabrics, and the most comfortable blankets ensure you get a good night’s sleep.

Limiting Nicotine, Caffeine, and Alcohol for a Better Sleep

15 Simple Ways to Naturally get Better Sleep in 2022

Photo by rikkia hughes on Unsplash

Some people who smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol in the evening may be preventing themselves from getting deep, restful sleep.

According to recent research published in Sleep journal, if you want a good night’s rest, cut back on nicotine and alcohol consumption four hours before bed instead of caffeine. This sleep tip could help improve both the quality and quantity of your ZZZs.

A study led by a researcher at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) — with help from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard University, Emory University, the University of Mississippi Medical Center, and the National Institutes of Health — focused on the evening consumption of alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine among 785 African-Americans over a combined 5,164 days.

The data collected showed that those who used nicotine and alcohol within four hours of going to bed felt the most significant impact on their sleep cycle, regardless of age, gender, stress levels, and other factors.

According to the study, nicotine is especially harmful to people who have difficulty sleeping. People in the study who used nicotine prior to sleep had their overall sleep reduced by more than 40 minutes.

The study authors point out that because nicotine was the most commonly used substance that kept people up at night, it is yet another reason for people to quit this unhealthy habit. This includes smoking, vaping, dipping, and all the other ways nicotine can be ingested.

However, the researchers found that coffee consumption had no significant effect on sleep difficulties.

Although the researchers did warn that important sleep factors such as dosing, sensitivity, and tolerance weren’t measured, caffeine use was still associated with sleep in the study.

The study’s findings imply that it is more likely the post-dinner cigarette or wine (or both) keeping you up at night, not the afternoon coffee needed to get through those last few hours of work.

Positive Thinking Before Bed

15 Simple Ways to Naturally get Better Sleep in 2022

Photo by Viktor Forgacs on Unsplash

Many physical, emotional, and mental factors can affect sleep quality, but those of us who have trouble sleeping know how hard it is to calm our minds. It seems like the faster we try to fall asleep, the more our thoughts race.

Positive affirmations can actually help reduce the stress and anxiety that poor sleep causes. In fact, relaxation techniques such as positive sleep thoughts are part of the cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTi) treatment program.

A more intimate approach to positive sleep mantras can be just as effective. Which thoughts ring true and provide peace for you? “Sleeping feels wonderful.” “I love to relax in my comfortable bed and drift off to sleep.” “Going to bed is my time to let go of my day and unwind.”

When you work with positive sleep thoughts, you can help change your subconscious mind to associate sleep with feeling good and being relaxed. This transformation from “trying hard to sleep” to “allowing sleep to happen” can be extremely powerful.

Give Yourself Something to Look Forward To.

I do this before I go to sleep and first thing when I wake up. Anything at all, large or small. Usually, it’s my morning coffee and if I can get in a workout before everyone else wakes up, I am a happy person.

What are you things that brighten the day? Meeting a friend, reading a book, dancing, singing, seeing family, or working on a new project.

There are so many things that make a day memorable. The power of a positive mental attitude brings out the joy all around you.

“Be yourself. Love yourself completely and accept everything that you are. You are beautiful. Believe it, and most importantly, remind yourself often.”

Set your Bedroom Temperature

Being in a comfortable environment is essential for healthy sleep. Keeping your sleeping quarters at a temperature near 65°F (18.3°C), give or take a few degrees, is ideal.

Your body’s temperature naturally decreases during sleep, so sleeping in a cool room (but not too cold!) will help you fall asleep and stay asleep through the night.

Over the course of 24 hours, your body temperature will naturally rise and fall in a pattern known as a circadian rhythm. You’ll start to feel colder right before bedtime, and this cooling sensation usually continues until around 5am.

Your body lowers its temperature by making your blood vessels bigger so that heat can escape. You may notice that when it gets cold at night, your hands and feet feel warm first. This happens because warmer blood is close to the surface of your skin in these areas, so heat leaves through them more easily than other parts of your body.

If the room you sleep in is too warm or cold, it may interfere with your body’s natural temperature drop during sleep, leading to restless nights.

Wrap Up

If you’re looking for ways to get better sleep in 2022, try out some of these simple tips. From creating a bedtime routine to investing in a comfortable mattress, there are plenty of things you can do to improve your sleep quality. By making small changes and being mindful of your sleep habits, you can achieve the restful night’s sleep you deserve. Sweet dreams!

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