A Visit from Mr. Sandman With 12 Hacks to Improve Your Sleep

If you have trouble sleeping, a visit from Mr. Sandman with 12 hacks to improve your sleep is what’s called for! *Spoiler alert: It doesn’t involve sprinkling sand in your eyes!

Sleep, often overlooked, is one of the most important pillars of health and well-being. It’s something our body should do naturally, but one third of adults in the USA don’t get enough.

For some of us, just the idea of lying down at night introduces feelings of worry and dread. However, if you learn and understand how lifestyle choices can interfere with sleep, or support better sleep you may be more inclined to practice better “sleep hygiene.” Practicing good sleep hygiene includes following the same calming routines before bed:

Go to bed at the same time each night – Thefirst 3 practices help re-train the body to a healthy sleep cycle and it takes persistence
Wake up at the same time each morning
Allow for at least 8 hours of sleep
Cut off screen time 1-2 hours before bed – Devices stimulate your brain and indicates it is still day time. Go off the grid before bed.
Skip alcohol in the evening – While alcohol can initially make you drowsy, it interrupts sleep hours later as your body metabolizes the sugars in alcohol. This can prevent you from entering the deep sleep states needed for tissue repair and hormone regulation. Bye bye nightcap!
Sleep in total darkness – Our bodies need almost total darkness to get quality sleep, otherwise the light is transmitted to our brain and disrupts the signal to enter sleep mode. If you can see your hand in front of our face, it’s time to cut out the night lights. Also, lying in bed with a phone or tablet inches from your face stimulates your brain and indicates it is still day time. Go off the grid 30-60 minutes before your desired sleep hour.
Cool it – The desired room temperature is between 60-70 degrees. Turning the temp down a few degrees at night tells your body it is time to snooze. Don’t overdo it on heavy covers and night clothing.
Let’s Get Physical – Getting regular exercise helps your body relax – there’s all kinds of exercise that benefical for a good night’s rest. (wink, wink)

A Visit from Mr. Sandman: 12 Hacks to Improve Your Sleep Include these Supplments

It’s also important to watch for the physical signals that it’s time for bed, like yawning, or nodding off while watching TV. We all get stuck in our usual routines, but when we ignore our body’s sleep signals, we send the message back to ‘stay up.’

It surprises a lot of people who are used to staying up late, that they are able to fall asleep easier, sleep better and longer if they pay attention and follow their sleep signals. Sometimes that means going to bed two or more hours earlier than they normally do!

Good sleep hygien practices, coupled with sleep support supplments, help re-train the body to a healthy sleep cycle. It takes persistence but when you decide to prioritize sleep, you might be surprised at how other aspects of your life improve—physically, mentally, and emotionally.Supplements can be really helpful and effective, if we don’t ignore and override their effects. So, while learning to implement good sleep hygiene habits, nutrients and herbs can offer support.

Below are a few of the most common and popular we utilize at LotusRain Naturopathic Medical and IV Clinic.